Page 79

When we got to the clubhouse, it was decked out inside and out. Draped between two bikes out front was a Just Married banner that had Lilah giggling. The clubhouse was suspiciously empty as Charlie and Mom ushered us toward the backyard.

As soon as we stepped outside, we were hit with white rose petals. It was a nice change from the rice, the soft flowers landing on us delicately, their sweet smell surrounding us.

“Congratulations!” Cheers and applause rang out all around us. The girls quickly surrounded Lilah, pulling her in for hugs and compliments.

“Congrats, man. How does it feel?” Bull asked.

I looked down at the black ring on my finger, then back at Lilah, the band under her ring settling something inside of me. Instead of answering, I did something even scarier. I smiled.

It took a good while, but once I had made sure to greet everyone, I took a moment for myself. Everyone who had gathered for us—my family, my friends—was one and the same. Taking Lilah’s hand and grabbing a glass, I led her toward the group before getting everyone’s attention. A hush settled over the crowd as my girl looked at me in confusion.

“I have a few things I want to say.” I cleared my throat, trying not to feel self-conscious.

“Here, in front of all my brothers, I vow these things to you. Lilah, my Angel. I vow I’ll always protect you. I’ll never leave you. I’ll never hurt you. I vow that I’ll never stop loving you, and I will kill anyone who tries to get between us.” Murmurs of agreement and cheers rang out at my statement.

Lilah pulled me toward her for a kiss. The first one was soft, her smile still on her face. Then, I swept her into my arms, dipping her low and deepening the kiss. Whistles and hollers rang out around us, and I reluctantly released my wife.

My wife.

Match came up next to us, a black gift box in his hands.

“Thanks, man.” He nodded. Match had made both Fee and Logan’s cuts and added some personal touches. I wanted the same for Lilah. When Logan had gotten his a few weeks earlier, I didn’t miss the brief look of envy in my girl’s eye. I was about to show Lilah that her patience was well worth it.

“This is for my Old Lady, for you,” I told her, her cheeks blushing. I held the box out between us so she could take the lid off, and a gasp left her mouth as she saw the vest inside. She carefully lifted it out, her fingertips tracing every detail. On the front, a blue jay spread its wings above her embroidered name, drawing an instant smile to her face. Then she turned it over.

Property of Reaper’s Guard MC arched above the club’s patch. But unlike every other vest in the room, hers carried one extra touch. Match had stitched a pair of delicate blue wings around the insignia, framing the patch as if they were protecting it. They were subtle, elegant…Perfect for my Angel.

Lilah pulled it on without hesitation. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against my chest as I kissed her, pouring every ounce of love and pride into it. Everything I couldn’t quite put into words.

When we finally pulled apart, she rested her forehead against mine, smiling through happy tears. Then, hand in hand, we turned and joined the rest of our family.

The party revved up after that, with good food, good drinks, and even better people. They had set up seating both inside and outside, in addition to a dance floor and open bar. There was plenty of champagne, and my wife had definitely indulged in a few too many glasses. She was on the dance floor with the girls. They were clustered in a group, jumping around and singing off-tune with little Birdie running around their legs in her poofy dress

At some point, Lilah had taken her jacket off. Seeing her in the leather vest over the lacey bodice of her top lit me up. Images of Lilah wearing nothing but my cut invaded my mind, and suddenly, I was wondering when we could get out of there, make that vision come to life.

As the party wound down, I wrangled my wife off the dance floor. Taking a seat, I made sure she ate something and drank water.

“Are you having a good time?” I asked, and her eyes widened.

“The best. Today has been…perfect. You’re everything to me. Everything I need. I think I knew, from that first meeting, that this was different but nothing could prepare me for the reality of you.” She reached over, her arms around my neck before kissing me.

“Love you. My husband. Or is it Old Man?” A cute frown forming in her face. Kissing it off, we were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Pulling apart, Bash and Fee, along with Charlie, stood in front of us.

“Everything okay?” I went on high alert, but the three of them quickly responded.

“Yes! We wanted to give you your wedding gift. It’s from all of us.” Fee explained, and I relaxed. The three of them sat down across from us, looking like a panel of some kind. The folder Charlie was holding didn’t ease the vibe.

“So we did a thing—” Bash started, but both Charlie and Fee interrupted him.

“A property recently became available,” Charlie said. “The last owners passed away a few years ago, and no one ever came forward to claim the estate. Eventually, the county auctioned it off.”

“It’s only a few miles from Bash and Fee’s.” Charlie smiled as she opened the folder, flipping through a stack of photographs until she found the one she was looking for.

“But the best part…” She turned the photo toward us. “There’s a little cottage on the other side of the garden. It’s already a solid structure, so it would be easy to get the permits to convert it into a guest house. If you ever wanted to do that.”

For Mom. So we could stay close.

“I…I don’t know what to say.”