Page 39 of Crow’s Haven (Savage Legion MC #15)

Crow

Three Months Later

T he cabin don’t look like much from the outside, but it’s one of my favorite perks of being in the Savage Legion MC. It might be just wood and nails and an old tin roof, but it’s a quiet, serene refuge from the hustle and bustle of our busy life.

There are just trees, thick with green foliage, a gigantic firepit, and a sunset to die for. The river’s slow-moving perfection, and great for boating and fishing. My old lady especially loves it here.

Seeing her standing barefoot in the grass without a care in the world is the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.

Now that all her legal troubles are behind her and she’s managed to clear her name, her laugh is soft, carefree, and easy on the ears. Seeing her happy does my heart good. She’s everything me and my boys ever dreamed of as a potential wife and mother.

Me? I’ve been acting twitchy all damn day. I can’t seem to sit still. Drank two beers and didn’t taste either.

Sharon has noticed. She keeps glancing at me like she’s waiting for me to say what’s on my mind.

This is one of the most important nights of my life, and I need to get my shit together. Pushing off the railing, I take a deep breath and tell myself it’s time to stop stallin’.

“Hey,” I call out, voice scratching a little in my throat. “Come with me. Got something I wanna show you.”

She raises a brow, playful suspicion in her eyes. “Is this a surprise or a setup?”

“Maybe a little of both,” I tell her. Then I jerk my chin towards the trees. “C’mon.”

We head down the narrow path cut through the brush, the one the prospects cleared out last summer when we rebuilt the dock.

She follows without question, slipping her hand in mine. Fireflies blink to life around us, looking like slow, lazy sparks drifting through the darkness.

The dock creaks as we step onto it. One large floodlight illuminates the area.

Water laps gentle at the posts as the little aluminum rowboat rocks back and forth in the water.

It’s tethered to the end of the small dock.

I’ve stocked that cooler with her favorite wine, folded a blanket on the seat, and got a small lantern sitting beside it already lit up so we can see when we’re out on the water.

She comes to a stop, freezing in place. “Crow… what is all this?”

I glance at her. “Ain’t nothing fancy. Just figured you might wanna drift on the water with me for a while. You know, just the two of us.”

Her expression lights up with a beautiful smile that makes my chest ache. “This is really special. Of course, I want to take a romantic moonlit rowboat ride with you.”

Pride fills my chest at her pleased expression. “Figured it was high time I kept my promise about taking you out at night.”

She laughs, soft and low. “I remember now. It was that night we came to see the boys, right before I turned myself in.”

“Yeah, now three months later, you’re free as a bird and all the assholes who tried to frame you are either in jail or wearing an ankle bracelet while they wait for the court case to come up.”

Turns out that the IV fluids had been mislabeled, instead of glucose, the bags contained potassium chloride which led to Joshua having a heart attack. As well as Joshua’s death they were also looking into three other suspicious deaths at the hospital.

She grins, “Strange how that works out. Let’s not talk about assholes from the past when we could be talking about how amazing this opportunity is. It’s really scenic here.”

“Damn near mythical,” I mutter, helping her into the boat. “Let’s enjoy it while we can.”

She settles onto the bench, skirt fluttering over her thighs, her feet tucked up under her, all prim and proper.

When I’m sure she’s safely seated, I untie the rope, grab the oars, and push off.

Water swirls around us, as the fireflies seem to follow us out onto the water.

I glance over my shoulder to see the cabin shrinking in the distance behind us.

And for the first time all day, my heart slows to a steady thump. The woman I love, the only one I couldn’t live without, is here by my side.

And if I get the words to come out right, this will be the night that changes everything.

I’m surprised at how easily the boat glides over the water. The oars slice neatly through the river. There ain’t no wind, just that perfect stillness as the sun sets. I row with a rhythm that ain’t perfect but gets us moving towards the center of the river.

She watches me, her chin propped on her hand. I like how her eyes are soft and admiring when she gazes at me. This must be what true love is, and I don’t want to let it get away from me.

“The river is real pretty,” she murmurs, voice just above a whisper. “Didn’t know you had a romantic side, Crow.”

I grunt, trying to keep my strokes even. “Don’t go spreading rumors. I got a reputation to protect.”

She laughs, her voice light and filled with mirth. I can almost swear her laughter bounces off the water. “If you get tired of rowing, I can take over.”

I shoot her a look. “Woman, those are fighting words where I come from.”

“You think that you always have to be in the driver’s seat, don’t you?”

“Hell yeah,” I say with a warm smirk. “I’m the one who’s supposed to do the heavy lifting in this relationship. Having my woman row me around would be emasculating.”

She just grins wider. “You take yourself pretty seriously, hot stuff. There might come a time when you need me to row for you. I just want you to know that I’m ready and willing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind in case I’m ever in the hospital having a near-death experience.”

She just cackles at my antics. And I’ll be damned if I don’t love that sound too. It’s pretty fucking clear that I’m a goner for this woman. She can do no wrong in my eyes.

For a minute, we don’t talk. Just the sounds of the oars, the creak of the boat, a fish jumping in the distance.

“You know,” I say finally, “I wanted you to feel calm tonight because there’s something important that I want to talk to you about.”

Her gaze jumps to mine, tender and fierce all at once. “This boat ride is amazing. It’s the kind of peaceful that I didn’t know I needed until I got here.”

I flash her my best smile. “I thought you might feel that, darlin’.”

I rest the oars for a second, letting us drift again.

She reaches out and runs her fingers over mine. “What did you want to talk about? Whatever it is, I’ll understand.”

“I thought the feeling would go away, but it didn’t. Instead of liking you less as time wore on, I liked you more.”

“Aw, that’s real sweet of you say,” she says with a tender smile. “I feel the same way about you.”

My throat tightens. “Thought I lost you when you ran. That I’d scared you off by being such an asshole.”

“We already talked about that, and I forgave you. I’m not a grudge holder and I don’t want you carrying around a bunch of guilt over things you said when you were in shock,” she says squeezing my hand.

“Yeah, know you did.” I tell her. “Those memories keep circling around in my head though. They won’t go away.”

“We need to be looking forward, not back,” she states with conviction. “We made it against all odds. We’re together and happy. We should concentrate on that.”

I nod, still feeling a bit less anxious about it. Maybe it’s like she said, and it’s all water under the bridge.

She tilts her head. “You okay, babe? You look like you have more on your mind than worrying about the past.”

I run my fingers through my hair, and I look away, pretending to focus on the riverbank. But my heart’s thumping hard now. It’s ‘cause I got something in that cooler that’s gonna change both our lives. And I hope to hell I don’t mess it up.

“Well, I wanted to tell you that you’re the strongest damn woman I’ve ever met,” my voice catches.

“The way you helped the feds bring down those assholes responsible for that boy’s death and cleared your name all in one fell swoop was fucking impressive.

Now, they’re all sitting in jail waiting for justice to be served on ‘em and you’re free to move forward with your life. ”

She asks, “Is this about me deciding to work for Patch instead of going back to the hospital? I just couldn’t face it, knowing my former colleagues believed I could do something like that.”

Shooting her a worried glance, I shake my head. “No. It’s about you not needing me anymore.”

She swipes at her cheek, watery smile tugging at her mouth. “I want you though. Never doubt that, Crow. Plus if you hadn’t made it to the hospital when you did, that guard from Salinas Pharmaceuticals would have riddled me with holes.”

I frown, “That asshole’s lucky I didn’t fucking snap his neck.” Glancing away, I swallow thickly. “Guess what I’m trying to say is you ain’t just my old lady. You’re my home and hearth and my peace in a world that can be so fucking cruel sometimes,” I say, my voice rough.

She whispers, “You say that most surprising stuff, outta nowhere.”

I shake my head, steady and sure. “No, baby. It’s not out of nowhere. And I mean every fucking word.”

I shift and drag the cooler towards me. She watches, confused, probably expecting a cold drink or some half-assed snack.

When I pop the lid, she freezes.

Sitting right there on top of a folded napkin is a small black velvet ring box. I hold it up for her to take, and she reaches out with one trembling hand.

She’s facing me, legs curled to the side, one hand still pressed over her heart like she’s trying her best to hold it together.

I’m balancing the ring box in my outstretched hand, like an idiot with one hand steadying the ring box and the other braced against the seat.

“I want you to be my wife and my boys’ mother, ‘cause we fucking love you better than the sidecar.”

Her eyes are shining, but she chokes out a strangled laugh. “That’s a mighty high compliment coming from you and your boys.”