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The horse stops in front of a small coffee shop, and the guys mention they will be back.
“Astera, what are you all up to?”
“Nothing. We are enjoying some time away from the club and getting into the Christmas spirit, is all.”
I eye her suspiciously. And the guys return with mugs of hot cocoa. This is like right out of a scene in a Holiday Hallmark movie, but we have biker men. I laugh at the thought and thank him for the cocoa. The horse continues on the journey, and everyone points out lights and houses that are extremely into the spirit with their light shows. It’s insane how extreme some people get, but it still puts a smile on my face.
We go to the end of town and then make our way back, enjoying our hot drinks. Hayden has an arm across the back and lightly rubs my shoulder. The horse stops in front of a gazebo that I must have missed when we were on the other side of the road. The gazebo is decorated with white, twinkling lights. Hayden jumps down and offers his hands to help me by lifting me up and setting me on my feet. He reaches his hand out to take mine.
“What are we doing?” I look back, and Astera and Griffin are still sitting watching us.
Hayden leads us into the gazebo and turns to face me, and takes both my hands in his.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
HAYDEN
My heart pounds in my chest as I am seconds away from asking Claire the biggest question I will ever ask. Looking into her eyes, I try not to fumble over my words.
“I want to tell you how much I love you. I think I have loved you since the moment you walked in the club to see your brother. Even before you became best friends with Astera. I would make every excuse for us to stop at the bar you worked at just so I could get a glimpse of you.”
I stop to clear my throat before continuing. “And when you got kidnapped, I was beside myself not knowing what was happening. The thought of losing you nearly killed me. I didn’t know if I would get the chance to tell you how much I loved you.”
Claire’s eyes begin to water.
“Claire, you are the only woman I will ever need and want. I can’t imagine a life without you by myself. And I don’t want to waste another day.”
I get down on one knee, release her right hand, and reach for the ring box in my pocket. Opening the box, I look at her. “Will you marry me?”
“Fuck, yeah, I will.” Tears stream down her face, but I know they are happy tears. We hear Astera and Griffin cheers from where they are.
Standing, I put the opal teardrop-shaped ring surrounded with diamonds on her finger.
“Oh my god, it’s beautiful.” She reaches up to hug me. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“I know this isn’t our norm when it comes to the biker lifestyle, but this…I wanted to make it special because you deserve more than I can give. That opal is from my mother’s ring, and I had it set in a new setting.”
Now Claire is bawling. “Stop, you are making me cry even harder. Who would even think to do something that thoughtful?”
I kiss her long and hard before taking her hand and kissing her fingers.
“Ready to head back?”
She nods through her tears.
As we approach the horse and carriage, Astera cheers for us. When we load back on the carriage, Astera immediately wants to see the ring. “That is stunning, Claire.” Then she looks at me. “You did good, my friend.”
I smile, nod and put my arm around Claire, pulling her closer to keep us warm.
“Did my brother know?”
“I know how much you mean to each other so I asked him and Astera if I could have your hand.”
“So, you knew,” she looks at Astera and smirks before turning back to me. “Thank you for asking them.” By her smile, I can see she is sincerely thankful I did that.
“I wouldn’t ask you without asking them. I like to keep my balls.”
We all share a laugh, and Griffin shakes his head agreeing.
