“What the hell was that, Brett?”
Another whine sounds, and this time it’s followed by a little yip of a bark.
I watch the confusion melt away from Morgan’s face as excitement takes its place.
“You got us a puppy!” she shrieks excitedly.
Bending over, I pull the lid off the box and let the German Shepherd puppy poke his head out. He takes one look at Morgan and starts yipping happily.
She scoops him up as tears fall happily from her face. “Hello, puppy love!”
I grasp my chest like I’m in pain. “Morgan, you wound me!”
She stands up with a wiggling puppy in her arms and kisses me.
“While I got you all happy, time to talk, Morgan.”
She stills, her face filled with confusion and concern once again. “Brett, what’s going on?”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” I begin.
The puppy wiggles, so she sets him down.
“Brett, what are you getting at?”
“I know you are all about the numbers. I get it, but I want the puppy so you can see I’m committed. I’m committed to you, Morgan, and our family.”
“You really wanna have a baby?”
I nod so she understands I really am serious. The guys brought it up, and yeah, I brushed them off because I need to get my woman on the same page before I tell my brothers what I want. It wouldn’t be right to tell them without Morgan being on board.
Since the moment Morgan came into my life, I have been able to live, really live again. To create a new life with her … Well, nothing would make me happier.
“Being a dad has been the best thing I’ve ever done. I know we had stuff to handle when Madyson came back. She was our priority, and then Brooke …” Emotions actually overtake me. “Fuck, Morgan, seeing you with my daughter, I fall in love with you more every fucking day. The way my daughter loves you, relies on you … Morgan, it makes me rely on you. I want it for us, together.”
Tears fill her eyes. “Are we going to make a plan?”
I smile. “No, baby.”
She studies me. “Things aren’t always what they seem … What is the reason for the puppy beyond your show of commitment? Brett, there isn’t a more committed man in the world than you.”
“I flushed your birth control pills down the toilet. I needed to see if I could get you on board, and well, puppy here, he’s a good distraction.”
She opens her mouth to say something, and then closes it in shock.
“I’m serious, Morgan. I want a family with you.”
“Then I suggest you be a man of action and show me just how we’re gonna make this baby you want.”
Scooping her up, I take her to our room to do just that. This woman is everything I ever wanted and needed, and so much more.
Life is fucking good.
Chapter Twenty
~Coal~
Six months later…
“Good luck, brother.”
I thank Ice for the ride, and then look down at the box in my hands. It’s not often I ride in a steel cage, but I had to today. Can’t exactly drive home a custom vegan cake on a motorcycle. Of course, it’s not the cake I’m worried about as much as the diamond ring on top of it.
Today is the day I ask Paisley if she will be, not only my ol’ lady, but my wife.
Who would have thought that a biker and a vegan flower child would be a match made in heaven? Certainly not me. Yet, here I am, ready to take that leap of faith because I know she’s a woman worth putting all my faith into.
That’s why I don’t want to screw this up. I’m not saying it will be flawless, but I’m doing my damnedest to give Pixie what should be the perfect proposal for her.
I watch as Ice drives away then look down at the box in my hands again.
I tracked down a vegan baker and had this cake special ordered for tonight. It’s a vanilla cake made with almond milk and maple syrup, glazed with cocoa icing. The damn thing smells delicious, yet my mouth is as dry as the Sahara Desert. That’s probably because of the message. Or, I should say, question iced on top of the cake.
Glancing up at Pixie’s apartment, I take a deep breath and shore up my defenses. Making my way toward her door, I use the key she gave me months ago and let myself in. Something sweet fills the apartment, and I wonder what she’s cooking.
Walking up to the kitchen, I see her shaking her booty as she sings to the loud music blasting through the apartment. In her hand, she has a knife and is cutting up a banana. On the stove, I can see a small pot of melted dark chocolate. And on a plate, I see what looks like toasted and chopped walnuts.