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“Merry Christmas, Cyclone.” The smile on her face as she looked up at me was brilliant. The chocolate of her eyes sparkled under the lights, and I knew I’d forever remember this moment.
“Come on, you two.” Helen came up behind Willa and leaned in to kiss her daughter’s cheek. All the women had dressed to the max. All the guys managed to get away with jeans and T-shirts along with our cuts. Helen looked as happy as Willa. Trucker stood behind his wife, scowling at me. I wasn’t sure he’d ever be all right with me marrying his daughter, but I was sure he would at least let me live as long as I treated her well. “Cheetah has Willa’s property patch and I’m pretty sure Trucker expects you to have a ring, Cyclone.” She arched an eyebrow.
“Of course, he does.” I snorted.
“And you better not fuckin’ disappoint.” Trucker scowled at me and it was all I could do not to grin at the big fucker. Yeah, I had a twisted sense of humor.
Instead of responding to him, I pulled a small box from my jeans pocket. The velvet box was light in my hand, and I opened it slowly, revealing a sparkling diamond ring. It wasn’t huge or ostentatious. Just a simple marquise cut one-carat stone on a simple gold band. A gasp escaped Willa’s lips as she took it in, her eyes wide with surprise.
Her gaze instantly jumped to mine, a look of wonder on her lovely face. “Oh, Cyclone,” she breathed, taking the ring from the box and holding it up to the light. “It’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you, honey.” I took the ring from her and slipped it on the fourth finger of her left hand. It was a perfect fit. Raising her hand to my lips, I dropped a kiss to the back before turning her hand over and kissing her palm. “Not nearly as beautiful as you.”
All around us, kids played and laughed. I couldn’t help but wonder if our kids would be as happy running around here as I had been as a kid. Those were some of the happiest memories of my life.
My gaze landed on my adopted brother, Gunner, and his twin, Hannah. They were going on sixteen and already finding their place within the club. In some ways, I thought Hannah was even more of a force to be reckoned with than Gunner. I grinned, hoping if we had a girl she’d be just like my sister.
Adults ate and drank. A couple of the kids’ dogs bounded around the room looking for scraps and cuddles. But the only person I saw was Willa. Well, until Trucker stepped up beside me.
“I still owe you a beatin’, you bastard.” Yeah. Gonna be a long road with this one.
“Dad, you promised.” Willa frowned at her father. She’d opted to take the hard line with him, not backing down an inch. She’d claimed me in front of most of all the officers and most of the club, and she stood by that claim. A couple of the club girls had given her pushback, but at least one of those girls now avoided Willa like the plague. I had no idea what went down and apparently only Willa and Dawn were around when it happened, but I was proud of my woman for standing her ground. She’d lived in the club all her life and knew what she had to do to defend her territory. It was good to know she could and would. I was one lucky bastard.
“I got eyes on you, Cyclone. I will be watching. You mistreat my daughter, me and you gonna have a round.”
I grinned. “No worries there.” I smiled down at my woman. “Willa has my heart.”
Trucker just grunted, still looking disgruntled.
As the night went on, the party began to wind down. Most of the club members and their women and children dispersed, and only a few stragglers remained. Willa and I stood in the center of the room, lost in our own world. A couple of the brothers gave me shit about being pussy whipped, but I just flipped them off. Several of them had their own women they adored so I knew there was no real heat in their ribbing.
I brushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot after we both sobered up, Willa. I handled myself badly.”
She grinned up at me. “Yes. You did. But you came through in the end, so I forgive you.”
I smiled back, relieved. “You’re an incredible woman, you know that?”
Willa chuckled. “I am indeed.”
We were silent for a few moments, lost in our own thoughts. Then, she spoke softly. “I love you, Cyclone. I think I always have.”
“I love you too, honey.” I winked at her. “Let’s get out of here. I need to unwrap my present.”
“Oh?” Her arms slid around my neck, and she pressed her body against mine.
“Yeah. It’s currently wrapped in a shimmering green gown. Got me hard as fuck.”
Her grin turned positively wicked. “In that case, let’s get going.”
We left the common room and made our way to our rooms inside the Bones clubhouse on the third floor with the other officers’ quarters. As I shut the door and pulled Willa into my arms, I couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest man in the Goddamned world. I had a club of brothers who’d lay down their lives for me, the woman I loved by my side, and my child growing in her belly.
I had the best Christmas I’d ever imagined. I had my woman. And I was never letting her go.
