Page 93

I wish he would have immediately said yes.

I wish he would have gasped and told me that of course he trusts me.

Anything other than this quiet that feels like it’s going to drown me.

My heart thuds in my ears and I glance over at him as my stomach twists. Finally, he sighs and I feel like I’m going to throw up.

“I don’t know how to answer that.”

I nod as a tear slips down my cheek and I wipe it away. “Can you explain?”

“Well, I don’t think you would ever cheat on me,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “But I’m terrified that you’re going to walk away from me again. Especially with all this shit going on, I’m terrified that I’m going to come home one day and you’re just going to be gone.”

I want to tell him that it will never happen but I can’t say that with one hundred percent certainty. Besides, I don’t think he would believe me if I did. The past hangs heavy between us, haunting our love, something I didn’t really realize until last night, and I don’t know how to fix it. Right now, even with all the crazy, I feel good but something could change so quickly and I don’t know how to reassure him that I’m here to stay.

“You can’t tell me that will never happen, can you?”

I shake my head, my bottom lip wobbling. “No. I can tell you that, right now, I feel strong and ready to face the world with you but I can’t promise it will never happen again.”

His promise to me the morning after he fucked me on the kitchen counter springs to my mind and I wipe the tears from my cheeks as I look over at him.

“What happened to ‘I signed up for forever, for better or worse’? This is worse, baby. I have to live with the night my parents died and the profound impact it had on me for the rest of my life. Nothing can change that. Is this something you can live with or is this something that is going to destroy us?”

“Can I take the goddamn blindfold off?” he asks, desperation in his voice as I pull to a stop at our destination. “I need to see your eyes.”

“Okay,” I whisper as I put the truck in park. He pulls the bandana off and his gaze meets mine as he holds his hand out. Scooting across the seat, my heart hammers, waiting for his answer and when I reach him, I melt into his arms. He presses his lips to my forehead as he releases a breath. When I look up at him, he smiles and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a ring box and my eyes widen.

Why does he have a fucking ring box?

We’re already married…

“I got this for you right after we got back from Charleston and I’ve just been waiting for the right moment to ask you.”

My eyes flick to his. “Ask me what?”

“Will you marry me again, baby?” he asks, popping the ring box open to reveal a gorgeous diamond band that matches the one he gave me when we got married the first time. “I know you can’t promise me that you’ll never stumble again but you were right. I did promise you forever, for better or worse so if you fall, I’ll be there to pick you back up and if you completely lose your shit and run, I’ll be right behind you. I love you, Piper Jayne Landry, and I want to renew our vows with this new family we’ve built and kick this new chapter in our lives off right.”

“Wyatt,” I breathe, staring at the ring as the diamond shimmers in the morning light. He cups my cheeks and directs my gaze back to his.

“But most importantly, I want you to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that nothing is coming between us ever again. Not another man. Not this threat to the club and definitely not your demons. I’ve loved you since I was ten years old and I’m gonna love you even after death rips us apart so what do you say? You wanna marry me?”

I stare down at the ring, my heart beating like crazy and butterflies fluttering around in my tummy. How the hell, after all these years, does this man still make me feel like a thirteen-year-old girl getting her first kiss? I turn and look up into his hazel eyes, feeling the strength of his love as a smile stretches across my face and I nod.

“Wyatt… I’d marry you a million times and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

He grins. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes,” I whisper, nodding and I giggle as he grabs my left hand and slips the ring on my finger with the other two. Once it’s on, he tosses the empty box onto the seat and pulls me closer, slamming his lips over mine and I’m transported again to the place were our love is the only thing that matters. In this one perfect moment, there is no drama and pain from our past and there is no threat looming over our lives. There is just us, as we were meant to be before life threw a couple of wrenches into our path.

“So,” he whispers in between kisses. “What is this surprise you brought me to?”

I grin as he starts kissing down my cheek to my neck. “Take a look for yourself.”

He pulls away and we both turn as the front door opens and his parents step out onto the front porch. My stomach flips. I haven’t seen August or Gretchen in years and I have no idea how they will react to the news that Wyatt and I are back together but in this instance, my feelings didn’t matter. This is what Wyatt needed so even if it’s terrible, I will deal with it for him. Glancing over at me, he smiles.

“You brought me home?”

I nod. “I figured if you were going to feel safe anywhere, it would be here.”