Page 50 of Broken Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #7)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Jacob

I glance around me. Where the fuck are we?

“Jacob, you never left me alone. You left me with your family.”

My eyes stop on hers. “Elizabeth,” I choke out. “What is this?”

She moves to my side. “It’s a greenhouse,” she says breathlessly. “What do you think?”

“I think you’ve been busy.”

Her giggle reminds me that my father didn’t break her. She’s fine. Relief washes over me anew.

Fuck, I’m so stupid. I’ve been hiding in the dark while she’s been out here flourishing in the light.

“I asked the club to help me.”

I raise my eyebrows, running my fingers through my beard. Her asking for help is a huge step. She smiles at me. She’s pretty proud of herself. She should be. Fuck, I know I am.

“Do you want to see inside?” she asks, bouncing on her toes.

I nod, letting her haul me through the door.

She stands in the middle of the room as I walk around checking everything out. I notice she pulls her phone out of her pocket.

“I’m just letting Brody know you’ve left the basement. Everyone’s been worried about you,” she admits quietly.

I place my hands on my head, spinning in a circle. “I don’t even know what to say. I thought my mom’s plants were done for. Everything was such a mess.”

“Lily and Willow helped me save them.”

I run one of my mom’s condolence cards between my fingers. Elizabeth walks up behind me and wraps her arms around my waist. Quickly, I swipe at my eyes. I don’t want her to see me cry.

“Fucking sun,” I whisper harshly.

She squeezes me tighter.

“You know, when I pulled you away from that cliff, I didn’t know one day you would do the same for me,” I laugh lightly, pressing my palms against my eyelids.

I can’t believe I found someone who would willingly stay with me after seeing how fucked up I am.

“You and me. Just two kids against the world, remember?”

I turn around and cup her face in my hands. “I’m the luckiest kid in the universe.”

“Let’s dance,” she says, pulling away from me.

She puts my mother’s favorite album on. As soon as it starts playing, I hold my hand out to her.

“Nice touch,” I say, tugging her against my chest.

“I thought the plants would enjoy the music,” she laughs, happier than I’ve ever seen her.

When the album finishes, we continue to hold each other through the silence that follows.

“I do love you, Elizabeth.”

“I know.”

A little jingle echoes through the peacefulness of the greenhouse. We both still.

“Do you hear that?” she whispers.

“Yeah.”

We’re both quiet.

“There,” I murmur, pointing to a big planter by the door.

She turns toward the sound at the same time a little head pokes out. “What is that?” she jumps back, startled.

Those motherfuckers.

I chuckle under my breath. Looks like my friends have planned a small surprise of their own.

“It looks like a puppy to me,” I say.

Her head pulls back. “A puppy? How did he get in here?”

Oh, I think I know.

The little thing bounces out from behind the planter, headed toward its intended target.

Immediately Elizabeth falls to her knees, cradling it to her chest. “Oh, you poor thing. Are you lost?” she asks it. Her fingers fumble over his collar, looking for a tag.

I stand frozen in place as my heart begins to race.

Shit.

What if she says no?

Seriously, what is the club thinking? I was just locked in my basement for crying out loud. This is not the time for a proposal, but I don’t know how to stop it.

Elizabeth reads the tag. Her thumb caresses over the words etched there. Is she trying to rub them away?

“Jacob, how did you do this?” she whispers, her eyes widening when she spots the ring also hanging from the dog’s neck.

I drop to my knee beside her, unbuckling his collar. “I had this planned before ...” I shake my head, wrapping the collar in my hand. God, how stupid was I to think she would marry me? “I had it planned before my father showed up and ruined everything.” My eyes fall closed, picturing her pinned against the wall by him.

Her hand reaches out and she touches my face, bringing me back to reality.

“Yes,” she says quietly.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this …” I pause, my brows pulling together. “Wait. Did you just say yes?”

She blinks her beautiful brown eyes at me. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

It makes her laugh. “Yes. No matter how many times you ask, my answer is not going to change, Jacob.”

“Yes.” I jump to my feet. “She said yes!” I yell to the heavens.

When cheers break out outside the greenhouse, Elizabeth hops up with the puppy still in her arms. We stare at each other, listening to the commotion outside, and then we both break out in laughter.

“Looks like our family is here.” I slip the ring off the collar, dropping it in the palm of my hand. I hold it between us before slipping it over her slender finger. “Elizabeth, will you marry me?”

She stares at the stone in the ring, just now noticing it’s not new or perfect.

“My mother found this ring in an antique jewelry box she thrifted. I would catch her admiring it in the sun. She was wearing it when …” I can’t finish.

Elizabeth’s tears fall on her hand as she stares at it. “I can see why. It’s beautiful,” she whispers, tipping her hand in the sunlight. “Are you sure you want me to have it?”

“I do. She would want you to have it too, but don’t think I didn’t notice you haven’t answered my question.”

Slowly, she raises her eyes to me. “Yes. You are my forever.”

I lean in and kiss my fiancée for the first time. Fuck if that doesn’t sound good. It will be even better when I can call her my wife.

The crowd outside is getting rowdy. My brothers are revving their engines, enthusiastic to congratulate us.

“Everyone is so impatient,” I mumble, not wanting to break our kiss.

Our new puppy tries to push his cold nose between us. “I don’t think the club is the only one trying to get our attention,” she murmurs, laughing against my lips.

She scratches the dog’s ear and removes her mouth from mine to kiss him softly on the head. “I hate to admit this, but I didn’t think I would ever be happy again.”

I hug her tight. “If I’m being honest, I never thought love was in the cards for me.”

She looks at the puppy then at me. “I’m glad life proved us wrong.”

“Me too, baby. Me too.”