I didn’t wait. I was out of the kitchen and through the common room just as the door flew open. Ronan walked inside first, and I ran straight into his arms.
He caught me, lifting me off my feet and burying his face in my hair. I didn’t care who saw. My world narrowed to him—alive, whole, and home.
“Baby,” he rasped against my neck. “I’m here.”
I clung tighter. “I knew you’d come back.”
“Always.” He kissed me hard. “Come on.”
He carried me through the clubhouse, up the stairs to the room he told me he kept here for nights when club business ran long. The door shut behind us, and he set me on my feet, his hands framing my face. “I’ve got something for you.”
He stepped to the dresser, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a smaller version of his leather vest. The back patch read PROPERTY OF REBEL in bold white letters around the Hounds of Hellfire logo.
My breath caught in my chest as he held it out to me. “Be my old lady, Clara. Wear my patch. Let the whole world know you’re mine.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. “Yes.”
He slipped it over my shoulders, the leather cool against my skin. Then he stepped back, his eyes soft in a way I’d rarely seen. “Looks good on you.”
“I love it.” I laughed through the tears. “Almost as much as I love you.”
He captured my mouth in a deep kiss before murmuring, “Thank fuck, baby. Because I love you so damn much.”
I thought that hearing those precious words from him meant everything…until he reached into the same drawer again and pulled out a small black box. When he turned toward me again and dropped to one knee, I pressed trembling fingers against my lips.
He flipped open the lid with his thumb so I could see the simple diamond solitaire inside. A slightly bigger version than the ring my mom had worn for decades, and exactly what I would’ve picked out for myself if he’d taken me to the jewelry store.
“Marry me.” He plucked the ring from its velvet bed. “I want to build a house on your land big enough to raise a bushel of kids in the orchard. To come home to you and our family every night. Let me give you everything you’ve dreamed of, while you give me everything I never knew I needed until you crashed into me.”
His proposal was perfect, easing any lingering concerns over him wanting the same future I did. I nodded, crying harder. “Yes. Absolutely, yes.”
He slid the ring on my finger, stood, and pulled me into his arms. Tilting my head back, he kissed me again, pouring every ounce of his love into me. When he finally lifted his head again, I was breathless and dazed…but not too much to enjoy breaking in his bed with a celebration for just the two of us. One that he insisted was when our first child was conceived.
EPILOGUE
REBEL
Six months pregnant, and Clara had never looked more beautiful. Her lush curves had filled out even more, and there was a glow about her that hit me square in the fucking chest every time I laid eyes on her. Today, with the orchard bustling and alive for the annual Bunny Day event, she moved through the cheerful chaos with easy confidence, greeting families and managing small crises without breaking stride.
Children raced around, some squealing with laughter, others bickering over who got to hold the softest baby bunny, and each squabble made Clara shoot me a playful smirk. “Better pay attention, biker boy. You’re gonna have to handle stuff like that if you really want a whole bushel of kids.”
My heart tightened at the idea of Clara round and swollen with more of my babies. She was so fucking beautiful when she was pregnant, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from keeping her that way for a long time. I raised a brow, my voice confident when I assured, “Don’t you worry, baby. I’ll manage just fine. Even if they are sassy like their mama.”
She giggled, her amber eyes sparkling as she lifted a crate filled with gift bags, only to have me snatch it from her handswith a frown. “Damn it, woman, sit your pretty little ass down before you hurt yourself. You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”
It was probably no more than a few pounds, but still.
Clara rolled her eyes dramatically and snatched the box back from me, her voice firm. “If I have to sit down and watch everyone else do all the work, I’ll lose my mind.”
“Clara—”
The bell above the store’s door jingled, cutting off my words as a frazzled woman strode in, a baby carrier slung over her arm. Her eyes were narrowed, exhaustion and anger radiating off her.
“I’m looking for Griffin Reid,” she snapped, adjusting the carrier. “He wasn't at his residence, and someone mentioned I might find him here.”
Surprise flickered across Clara’s face before I stepped forward, my jaw tightening slightly. “He answers to Cross. Why are you looking for him?”
“It’s personal.” She sputtered for a second before adding, “I mean, it’s not something I can share without his permission.”
