“Yeah, thanks, brother,” Kick replied, and Devil left to take care of it for him.
Hyde walked away, too, which left only me, King and Kick. King lowered his voice a little when he spoke. “The info you gave me on that drunk driver last week? I took care of him for you.”
Kick stared at him and then nodded. I had no clue what they were referring to, but kept silent. If Kick wanted to fill me in, he would. And it turned out he did. He looked at me with a new sadness in his gaze that hadn’t been there before. “The guy that killed Jeremy,” he said softly, and I felt the pain in his words.
“Oh,” I said, not sure what else to say, guessing that when King said he took care of him, he meant he took care of him.
King’s face clouded over with anger. His gaze shifted between Kick and me when he said, “Assholes like that don’t deserve to fucking live, sweetheart.”
I sucked in a breath. He was right. “No, I don’t suppose they do,’ I murmured, holding his gaze.
He stared at me for a couple more moments, the angry mask still in place, and then he broke out in a grin and turned to Kick. “I like her,” he declared, and then he left us to go and talk to the woman behind the bar.
I soaked in the atmosphere, looking around the bar at everyone having a good time. Without knowing these people, I could still sense the family vibe. Kick had spoken to me about his reasons for joining Storm, and the main reason was the family he found within the club. And I could grasp that now.
Devil came back to us, handing Kick his drink. Eyeing me, he said, “I hear you’ve agreed to marry this fucker.”
I laughed and nodded. “Yes, not that he actually proposed to me.”
“Bullshit,” Kick said, “I proposed.”
My eyes widened, and I placed a hand on my hip. “Oh, really? Was I asleep or knocked out from painkillers when you did it? Because I don’t remember it,” I challenged him.
Chuckling, he leant close to me, and let his lips brush mine before saying, “I suggested we should get matching rings. Do you seriously not remember that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh my god, Kick, that is not a proposal.”
Devil interjected. “What would a proposal look like, sweetheart? Like, say, if Kick were to propose right now, what should he do?” There was a glint in his eyes that I couldn’t pinpoint, but I decided to play along anyway.
“For a start, there’d be a really big, fucking ring. And then he’d get down on one knee and tell me how much he loves me and that he can’t live without me. And he’d assure me that I was the only one for him and that we’d be together forever.” I stopped and took a breath. They were both staring intently at me, and it unnerved me.
Devil raised his brows. “Anything else?”
I looked at Kick and shook my head. “No,’ I said softly. He was watching me with a strange look, almost as if he was soaking in everything I’d said and filing it away for later use.
And then Kick made my heart expand and find more space inside it to fill with love for him. With his eyes firmly on me, he reached his hand out to Devil who placed a box on his palm.
A ring box.
He took it and got down on one knee. Devil put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. Kick looked up at me through eyes that were full of love. Taking my hand, he said, “Evie Bishop, I’ve loved you since I was a kid. I’ve never stopped loving you. And I never fuckin’ will. I can’t live without you, and I’m not just saying that. When I don’t have you, I wander aimlessly; I have no purpose. But with you by my side, I belong, and I know what I’m doing. And as far as there being any other woman for me . . . no woman even comes close, never has, and never fuckin’ will. I could be in a room of women and all I’d see would be you, and all I’d want would be you.” He paused and pulled the ring from the box. It was a really fucking huge diamond ring. “Sweetheart, will you let me get us some matching rings? And then spend the rest of your life with me?”
Tears threatened to fall down my cheeks. I smiled through them, though, and nodded. “Yes,” I whispered, and as he slid the ring on my finger, the room erupted with whistles and cheers, and lewd comments being yelled out at us. I was too damn happy to pay any attention to any of it. Instead, I threw my arms around Kick when he stood. I ignored the pain shooting out from my ribs. This wasn’t an occasion to let a little bit of pain interfere with. “I love you, Kick Hanson,” I said as his arms came around me.
He kissed me, and when he ended it, he said, “I love you, too, baby. And I’ve always known we’d be together forever. It just took us a little time to figure our shit out.” He grinned and added, “You made me work for it, but I knew you still loved me, and that I’d eventually get you to relent.”
“You’re a sneaky bastard,” I chastised him.
Grinning harder, he admitted, “Only where you’re concerned. Anything for you, Evie Bishop.”
I let the tears fall then.
Tears of happiness.
It had been a long, hard journey for us, but we’d eventually made it to where we were meant to be.
And I was so damn glad he’d made me relent.
Epilogue