Renegade Hearts (Rebels of Sandland 1)

I sat on the sofa, pretending to watch the T.V., but really, I was waiting on Emily. She was getting ready for our date in our bedroom. Connor had stepped in to help me set everything up earlier and he’d just text to let me know where he’d left the food and what to do once we got there. Like I needed fucking instructions on how to plate up his pasta.

When she finally came out to let me know she was ready, I did a double take. My girl was stunning in a light blue dress covered in glitter and sparkly shit that just about skimmed her ass. I’d look forward to taking that off of her later.

“Is this okay?” she asked, spinning around to give me the full effect. It was more than okay, and my dick was straining in my jeans with how much I liked it, but I didn’t think that was the best answer to give her.

“You look beautiful,” I said, standing up and wrapping my arms around her. “You always look beautiful, but this is just… Wow.”

She beamed back at me and when Connor walked through the door seconds later and gave her a wolf-whistle I knew it was time to leave. I loved my brother, but he never knew when to stop.

We pulled up outside the front of the asylum and she sighed gently beside me. I had damn butterflies and felt like a complete pussy, but I plastered on my smile and kept that shit to myself.

“Good job I brought my flats.” She laughed and fished her little ballet pump things out of the glove compartment. She always kept them there. She knew me well. I wasn’t the best at planning out the logistics from a woman’s perspective, but I was learning.

“Sorry. I should’ve said, but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.” I leant over and gave her a peck. Not satisfied with that, she slid her arm around my neck and pulled me back in for a proper kiss.

“You don’t ever have to apologise,” she said as she broke away. “Now, come on. Let’s go and explore.”

We held hands and picked our way over the rubble. This place still hadn’t been knocked down or ear-marked for regeneration, but I was glad. I liked the beauty it held amongst all the decay. It was ours. We’d been here a few times recently, and Emily had talked Finn into using the main building to create some pretty amazing art work. He hadn’t touched the chapel though. That place was off limits.

Once we were inside, I led her down the hallway that Finn had painted to resemble an underground tunnel, like some kind of burrow with creatures hidden in amongst the tree roots. I swear that guy could paint anything if he put his mind to it. This corridor kind of freaked me out though. Like some twisted Alice in Wonderland shit without the whimsically magical part. Stay in one spot too long and those roots might just wind their way around your legs and drag you under. I guessed that was the vibe he was going for. A hidden twist of horror. A warning to never get too comfortable with your surroundings, you never knew what was lurking in the shadows.

When we reached the doorway to the chapel, I stopped and told her to wait outside for a moment. I needed to make sure everything was perfect, and it was. Connor had followed my instructions to the letter. There were fairy lights strung up all around, giving it that magical touch, with candles around the edge of the floor that I lit, ready for the big reveal. The table and chairs were perfect, with the pink table cloth and silverware and a pink flower arrangement in the centre. Connor knew his shit.

I flicked the switch of the machine on and then headed back to the door. She spun around, and when she walked through the doorway and saw our chapel, she covered her mouth and turned to me with tears welling up in her eyes.

“Oh my God, Ryan. This is beautiful. Did you do all this?” She went over to the bubble machine and laughed, holding her hands out to catch the bubbles that fell and popped as they touched her skin.

“Connor helped. He set most of it up for me, but it w

as all my idea.”

I came to stand behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her back into me. The bubbles were coming out faster than I’d realised, and before long, we were surrounded by them, dancing on the air and reflecting the rainbow of the stained glass windows like a kaleidoscope. The twinkling of the fairy lights made it feel extra magical, like we were standing in our very own snow globe. Only, it wasn’t snow, it was bubbles.

Our bubble.

“You create the best bubbles. I love your bubbles.” She rubbed her nose against mine and I picked her up, kissing her and holding her as tightly as I could.

“Our bubbles are the best,” I whispered into her ear as I peppered kisses down along her neck. “Only the best for my girl.”

“I could stay in your bubbles forever. I don’t need anything else,” she said, giving me the perfect in for my next surprise.

“I’m glad you said that, because I’ve brought you here to ask you something. It’s not the big question,” I said when I noticed her eyes go wide and a little shocked. “That’ll come, trust me, but not today. Today, I wanted to ask you if you’d take the next step with me? I know we haven’t been official for long, but I think we both know this is right. We were meant to be together, nobody can deny that. You’re it for me, Em. So, with that in mind, would you move in with me? I mean, into a place of our own. Somewhere with no dad or Connor cramping our style. Just me, you, and maybe a pet or two if that’s what you want. A place that’s ours.”

I had verbal diarrhoea, I was so nervous. I shouldn’t have been though, because she jumped up into my arms and squealed, “Yes!” before I had a chance to second guess myself.

“The money from my cars will help with a deposit and I’ll still work for Dad when I can in-between the college course. The parties bring in a bit too. Not as much as when Brandon was fighting, but it’s something…” The words just kept flying out of my mouth, justifying why I thought it’d work. I think I’d spent so long overthinking this I had an argument for every angle.

“We’ll both work. It won’t all be on you. I can help too.” She bit her lip and I could see all the emotions pass across her face. She was excited and probably already planning what colour cushions to buy for the living room. The woman was obsessed with cushions. They were all over our bedroom, back at Dad’s. I didn’t get it. They all ended up on the floor every night. What was the point?

I had planned to save the last surprise until the end of the night, but we were in each other’s arms and the bubbles and lights had made my head dizzy. So, I reached into my pocket to pull out the box.

“Now, I know I said this wasn’t the big question, but I have bought something for you. Something that I hope you’ll wear for me.” I put the little velvet box in the palm of my hands and her face went from playful to serious. “It’s not an engagement ring, not yet, baby. I’m saving up for that. This… This is a promise ring. It’s my promise to you that I’ll love you forever. That I promise to always put you first in everything I do. A promise that one day you’ll be Mrs Hardy, if you’ll have me. I want you to wear this so everyone knows you’re mine.”

I watched as a tear fell down her cheek and she reached out to take the box and open it. As soon as she saw it she smiled and took the ring out of the box, putting it straight onto her left hand.

“It’s beautiful, Ryan. I’m speechless.”

“I had both our names engraved on the inside and Effy helped me to get it sized right. Is it okay?”