She smiled at him as her father approached and then shook his hand before pulling him in close and slapping him on the back.
It was a start.
****
Matthew groaned as he climbed through Luna’s bedroom window.
Her parents didn’t want him staying the night, but Luna had told him to come to her bedroom anyway. It was odd, but he had a vague memory of this room and of climbing into her window.
“Have I done this before?” Matthew asked.
Luna chuckled. “Once, years ago. You were drunk and you came to tell me how sorry you were.” She sat down on the edge of her bed. “We had sex.”
“How do I not remember this?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. In the morning, you were already gone. You never said anything to me, and so I didn’t bring it up.”
Matthew glanced around her room, taking in all that was Luna. She had a bright bedroom, light colors, and a pink bedspread. As he looked around, he had a vague memory. One that wasn’t particularly clear, but almost like that of a dream.
“I remember. Sort of?”
She giggled.
“You’re not pissed.”
“Nah, I’m not pissed. I actually, er, I forgive you.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “After seeing Mac, you know, it’s kind of hard to be mad at you. I … I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you. I love you, Matthew. Our history and all.”
He moved toward her and sank to his knees before her. “And I promise you, I will never do anything in this world to hurt you again. Never.” He placed his hands on her knees. “I learned my lesson. I was a fucking messed-up kid and I had no right to be that way.” He rested his head on her thighs. “And I can’t have anything happen to you. Not ever. It was bad enough watching those guys get to kiss you and touch you. There’s no way I could live if you picked someone else.”
“It was you all along,” Luna said. “Always.”
Matthew stared up at her, and he just knew in his heart that there was no other woman he wanted than her. “Marry me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Marry me. I love you, Luna. There is no one else I want in this world. Marry me.” He shoved his handinto his leather cut. “I know it’s not much, and maybe one day I’ll get you something bigger, but I have been wanting to give you this for years.”
He held a ring out for her. It had a tiny diamond in the center—the only ring he’d been able to afford years ago. When Luna was worried she might be pregnant. He’d gotten the ring for, he didn’t know what the hell for, but he’d kept it. There had been many times over the past few years when he planned to toss it into the lake or the ocean. He hadn’t been able to do that.
Because it was all about Luna. From day one.
“Yes,” Luna said.
“You’ll marry me?”
“Yes. I’ll marry you.”
He laughed, and she giggled as he took hold of her hand and slowly ran the ring up her finger, sliding it into place. “It fits.”
Luna cupped his face and kissed him. “It fits.”
Matthew kissed her back, and as he was about to nudge her back onto the bed, his cell phone chose that moment to ring. He growled.
“You’ve got to take that.”
“Yeah, I kind of have to.” He groaned and pulled out his cell phone, glancing down to see his father’s name on the screen. With Mac taken care of, he had hoped this would be the end of it for a while. He’d helped to clean up the clubhouse, and it no longer looked like the freaking cops had invaded.
“Yes, sir,” he said.