I let out a little laugh. “Baby, I have the same fears. That you'll leave me because you can't take this life anymore.”
“I'm in it for as long as you'll have me.” She smiles a little through her tears. “Besides, no-one else will put up with my crazy ass.”
“Same.”
“Oh, there's a few whores in there that would like to try and replace me.”
“I think you have shown them who owns me,” I scoff.
“I own you? That's not real biker of you.”
“Biker of me?”
“Yeah. When you think of bikers, you think of the whole; me Tarzan, you Jane mentality. Or I used to. Now I know you all better. I see you're all big teddy bears.” She smiles, and it's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Shaking my head, I look down at her. “Seriously, though. Are we good?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I think so.” Her voice sounds hesitant.
“Hey.” I bring her face up to look at me. “You're my sunshine. My moonlight. My shining star.” Framing her face with my hands, I look deep into her hazel eyes, the moonlight reflecting in them, making them look like whiskey. “You're the light that shines brightly on my darkest of days. I love you so damn much, Daria.” My lips crash to hers. Bending down, I lift her, her legs wrapping around my waist. Walking through the clubhouse, not breaking the kiss, she moans and moves her hips, gaining some friction between us.
“Wooo, go get it, Striker.” I hear a shout—along with some other whistles and whoops. I swear I heard Nico cursing us again.
Approaching my door, I kick it open, placing her down, and against my better judgment, I break the kiss.
“I love you, Striker.” Her hand gently caresses my face. “More than you know.” A tear falls from her eye.
I know this is the moment. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the black box, dropping to my knee, and look up to her.
“Daria Denver, you're the most beautifully stubborn woman I have ever met. You're a pain in my ass, but I wouldn't have it any other way.” I smile. “Will you...”
I don't get to finish before she interrupts me.
“Yes! Oh my God, yes!”
“Let me finish.” I laugh. “Will you marry me? Become Mrs. Xanders?” She stays silent, biting her lips to stop herself from speaking. “You can speak now.”
A huge smile appears on her lips. “Yes!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Daria
We’re going to tell our family about the engagement today. We’re having a big dinner with everyone. I haven’t been able to wipe the smile off my face since last night when he proposed to me in his room at the clubhouse, where it all began. I grin to myself. When I saw him drop down to his knee and pull out the ring, I didn’t know what was going on. My mind went totally blank. Then he started talking and I just blurted out yes, because there was no way I was saying no to him. I can’t imagine my life without him. To be honest, I didn’t think he was ever going to ask me to marry him and we were going to live a life of sin, but now I’m going to be Mrs. Striker Xanders. I have to bite down hard on my lip to stop a loud squeal escaping me. I can’t wait to tell everyone so we can get planning and finally have the wedding I always dreamt about since I was little.
I had to stop myself a few times last night from running out of the room shouting and screaming that we were engaged and from calling Jess to tell her. Thankfully, Striker kept me busy.
“Morning, Mrs. Xanders to-be.” Striker rasps, walking into the kitchen. His hands circle my waist as I make Evan’s morning bottle. My heart stutters at hearing him call me that, and a low moan escapes my lips.
“Morning.” I turn in his arms, lacing my fingers behind his neck and gaze up into his bright blues. The light catches the diamond of my engagement ring and a broad smile spreads across my face. “I can’t believe we’re engaged.”
“I can’t believe you said yes.” He chuckles, kissing my neck.
I roll my eyes at him. “I could always take it off.”
“Don’t you dare. It’s staying on there.” He pulls me closer to him.
“Eww,” Emily mutters as she walks in and sits at the table, waiting for her breakfast. Evan’s still asleep. Like his dad, he loves his bed.
“Emily, sweetie. We have news.”
“Oh, jeez. You’re not having another baby, are you?” She sighs, putting her head on the table.
“No, we’re not having another baby.” I look up to Striker, who grins down at me. “We’re getting married.”
She sits up and is out of her seat like a shot, running up to us. “Oh my God. This is the best news ever! Do I get to help plan? Pick my own dress?”
“Yeah, you can help with everything.” She throws her arms around us both. Striker leans down and kisses her head.
“This is awesome.”
“What if we did say we were having another baby?”
“Then I would have been moving in with Grandpa Barron until they stop crying.”
Striker and I laugh, and as if on cue, Evan starts screaming.
“I’ll go. You two talk about weddings.” Striker leaves us to see to our son.
“What’s the color scheme?” Emily asks.
“Royal blue.”
“Can Blue be involved?” Her eyes widen with excitement.
“Yeah, of course. He’s part of the family.”
She starts talking about what she wants her dress and hair to be like and asks if she can have make-up on.
I love seeing her so happy; I wish I was like her at that age.
I just hope Dad will be happy.
***
We arrived at Dad’s for our new traditional Sunday dinner. Striker and I decided this is the perfect night to tell everyone our news. I reluctantly took my ring off so no-one would see before we could tell them. Striker wasn’t happy about it either, but it’s safe in the back pocket of my jeans, itching to be placed back on my finger where it belongs. During dinner, Emily almost let it slip, but soon recovered by saying her friend’s mom recently got engaged and was planning her wedding.
After we’ve finished eating and we’re all sitting in the living area, watching our kids playing, I nudge Striker and smile.
“Everyone. We have some news.” I can’t wipe the smile off my face. They all stop what they’re doing and look between Striker and me, trying to figure out what’s going on and what news we could have.
“Oh my God, are you pregnant again?” Jess squeals happily.
I glance at Dad, whose eyes look like they’re about to pop out of their sockets.
“What? No. Why does everyone think when we say we have news that it’s a baby?” I look around at everyone.
“Because you two are always…” Nico begins, but stops when he remembers Emily’s in the room. “Cuddling.” Striker chuckles beside me.
“He’s got a point, babe.”
I shake my head at him as I reach into my back pocket and place my ring back on. “We’re engaged.”
I lift my hand, showing off my beautiful ring, bouncing up and down on my tiptoes, unable to keep my excitement down anymore. Jess is the first to come over, squealing and jumping up and down like a kid let loose in a candy shop.
She takes my hand to inspect my ring before grabbing me and pulling me into a bear hug. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it.”
“I know.” I’m the happiest I have felt in a long time.
“Congratulations, honey.” Lauren wipes her tears as she takes both Striker and me in her arms.
“Thanks, Mom.” She lets out a gasp; it’s the first time I’ve called her Mom since I found out who she really was. She hugs me tighter and tears flow down her face. She eventually lets me go to go wash her face.
“Welcome to the family officially, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Barron.”
“It’s about damn time you said yes to this big douchebag,” Nico jokes, pulling me into his arms and squeezing me tightly, then he shakes Striker’s hand.
The only
person who hasn’t come up to congratulate us is Dad; the one person I want to be happy for us. He’s sitting in the same position he was before we delivered the news.
“Dad…” I begin, but he shakes his head and leaves the room, crushing my heart. I look up to see Striker’s face become red with anger.
“I’ll go talk to him,” he grinds out, about to put the beat down on my dad. I grab his arm, stopping him from walking any farther.
“No, I’ll go.” Kissing his cheek, I follow my dad out of the room to see why he walked out.
I find Dad sitting in my old room. “Daddy?” I walk in and see he’s holding something in his hand. “What’s that?”
“I found this the day you married Jake.” I get a good look at what he’s holding. Daria Danika Denver’s dream wedding.
“My wedding bible.”
“Yeah. I remember coming home one day and saw you and Jessica working hard on it. You were so excited to show me. I wasn’t excited about cleaning up the glitter though.” A grin pulls at his lips. “You remember what I told you?”
“You’re getting locked up until you’re thirty-years-old,” we both say at the same time.
“The day you married Jake, I sat in your closet for hours just going through all of your stuff.” My eyes widen at the thought of him finding private stuff I haven’t told anyone, not even Jess. “Don’t worry, I didn’t look in your diaries, although I was tempted, but I know how private they are to some people.” Relief washes over me. “I found this, and I cried because you were getting married for all the wrong reasons to a boy I knew you didn’t love.”
“Why didn’t you stop it then?”
“I don’t know.” He sighs, running his hand over the ice blue scrapbook. “Your Uncle Tomas and Grandpa told me to stop it, but you hated me already for kicking you out, so why would you listen to me over that?”
“Because then I would have known you loved me.”
“I never stopped loving you, pumpkin. Denise threatened me. She said she would tell you everything about who your real mom was and tell you things that just weren’t true. I couldn’t risk that.”
“Denise still managed to steal ten years from us, so she succeeded. Ten years of not having my dad by my side when I needed him the most. That hurt me more than anything in my life.”
I sigh—time to confess about the letter I received when Striker and I had our first official date. “I know about all the lies she would have spouted to me, Dad.”
“What?”
“She wrote me a letter last year.” I take a deep inhale of air before I continue. “She told me Lauren's name and that I had a brother out there. She told me that you were cheating on her with prostitutes, and that you hated that you were stuck with a daughter like me.
She went on to say how disappointed in me you were that I had gotten pregnant with some biker’s kid, and tried to dupe you into thinking it was Jake's. I had trapped Jake like he didn't know otherwise. I ruined that boy's bright future.” I let out a little laugh, shaking my head with a tight smile. “. I failed at being a daughter, I failed as a mother by not giving Emily the best start in life by being with an older, more mature man, and I failed as a human being.”
“That vile, vindictive bitch. I should never have married her and brought her into your life. I'm so sorry, pumpkin. I should have seen what was happening.”
“It’s done, Dad. It’s the past. I, for one, am looking towards the future.”
“But she was so horrible to you. I did that. I allowed it. I regret ever letting her near you.”
“She was, but no regrets, Dad. Only lessons.” I take his hand in mine and look him in the eye. “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, pumpkin.” He kisses my forehead. “I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. Nothing is coming between us ever again.”
“Good, because I need you to walk me down the aisle this time.” I pull him into a hug.
“Congratulations,” he whispers into my hair.
“Thank you. Now you need to come down and speak to your future son-in-law.” He lets out a groan. “Dad, come on. I know you secretly like him.” I nudge him a little.
With a roll of his eyes, he sighs. “I do, but if he hurts you again...”
“He won’t. Did he ask your permission, by the way?” He puts his arm around my shoulders as we exit my old room.
“Yes, after Evan was born.” I blink at him; he’s been sitting on this for months? Why did it take him this long to ask? “Honestly, I’ve never seen him so worried.” He laughs a little.
We walk into the living room, with me still clutching my wedding book, and Dad makes a beeline for Striker.
“Congratulations. You treat my baby right, and we will have no problems.” He shakes his hand. Striker looks down at him and nods. “I even get a whiff of you disrespecting her, or she comes at me in tears because of you, I will kill you. Don’t think I wouldn’t risk everything for my daughter.”
I’ve never heard my dad threaten anyone before, only me when I was nine, when he threatened to take away my weekends with Jess because of my attitude. I guess that’s where Emily gets it from. But nothing like this.
“Noted.” Striker looks over at me and winks.
“Oh my God.” Jess gasps, looking down at my hand. She runs up to me, pointing to my wedding bible. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yeah.” I grin widely. She takes it from me, pulling me to the sofa beside Mom and Emily.
“What is it?” Nico looks over from playing with Ezra and Evan.
“My wedding bible.”
“Wedding bible?”
“We made these books when we were ten. It has everything we wanted for our weddings, right down to who we wanted to marry.” Jess grins, flicking through the pages until she gets to my potential husband. “Oh my God, he looks like Striker.”
I look and see the picture of Ian Somerholder.
Striker looks over my shoulder to the picture. “That looks nothing like me.”
I look up at him and smile. “Looks a little like you.”
“Always had a thing for old blue eyes, huh?” Jess winks at me. “And men a whole lot older than you.” I shake my head because Nico is the same age as Striker.
“Did you use your bible, Aunt Jess?” Emily asks Jess.
“I did, and I had my dream wedding, just not my dream man.”
“Well, thank you very much. I love you too.” Nico huffs from his position on the floor with Evan and Ezra crawling all over him.
“I don’t think Elvis Presley was available, somehow.” I laugh.
“A girl can dream.” Jess sighs.
I love her. I love them all.
***
“Happy birthday, baby.” Striker kisses me when I come downstairs with Evan in my arms.
“Thanks, babe.”
“I’m sorry I won’t be here to celebrate. I’ll make it up to you.”
“It’s fine.” I give a one-shoulder shrug. “I have my little buddy here and Emily to keep me company.” I make a face at Evan, who giggles at me.
“Happy birthday, Mom.” Emily grins at me, coming towards me with balloons. One three and the other a zero.
“Thank you, Emily.” I hug her, taking the balloons from her with a big smile on my face.
“I’m going to call Dad and tell him to deal with the situation without me.” Striker sighs, taking out his cell and talking in code around the kids. He told me last night they had to deal with another MC who was trying to push drugs in our high schools, even though they had an agreement to keep all drugs out of their jurisdiction. He was needed being that, in his words, everyone is shit scared of him. I have no doubts about that, but every time he leaves, my anxiety sky rockets.
“Striker, I said it’s fine. Go do what you have to. It’s just another day.”
“You’re thirty, baby. It’s a big deal.”
“I’m twenty-one with nine years of experience. Don’t mention the t-word to me.” I glare
at him lightly. “I’ll call Jess to see if she wants to come over later. We can have wine and watch a movie while the kids play.”
He chuckles and leans down to kiss me. “I love you, baby. I’ll see you later.”
He leaves, and I shoot off a message to Jess to see if she’s free later after her shift.
“Emily, do you want to go shopping and get some lunch?” I ask her as she eats her toast.
“Yeah,” Her eyes brighten at the thought of shopping. As much as I hate shopping, spending my birthday with my two kids like old times is maybe what I need. I need these thoughts that always hit me around my birthday to go away. Thoughts of when I was sixteen, scared and feeling like no-one cared about me or even noticed me changing overnight. No-one but Jess. She was the only one that noticed me closing off.
So I told her. I told her what the one person who was supposed to have a duty of care to help me had done to me on prom night.
Not the full truth though, was it?
“Mom?” Emily waves her hand in front of me. “You okay? You look sad.”
“I just miss your dad,” I lie, although I do miss him, even though he’s not even been gone an hour yet. “Go get ready and we’ll get going.”
“Is Blair coming?” I see a little twinkle in her eye and a slight blush creep up on her cheeks when she says his name.
“Yeah. I’m just texting him now to tell him we’ll be ready in an hour.” She grins and runs off to get ready. A smile pulls at my lips.
Nothing Else Matters (Demons Disciples MC Book 2) Page 24
