Page 39

Sinclair

K atey was gentle and thorough as she examined me. Her hands were sure, her eyes kind, and her words soft.

“Everything looks good,” she said, peeling off her gloves and dropping them into the trash.

“No concussion, though I’ll want you to keep an eye on the swelling on your forehead.

There’s no spotting, I’ll get you an appointment with an obstetrician just to make sure, but everything is looking okay, you were lucky. ”

The words made my chest squeeze. Lucky didn’t begin to cover it.

After what had happened… after Nicholas… after the fear and helplessness… I was still here. And so was the baby.

Dagger stood close the whole time, one big hand wrapped around mine while Katey examined me. He didn’t say much, but his presence was grounding.

After Katey left, he helped me into the clothes that Ellie had brought, and we sat for a while in his room, listening to the hum of conversation and movement from the rest of the clubhouse.

“You good?” he asked, voice low.

I nodded. “Yeah. I think I am.”

He leaned in and kissed the side of my head. “We’re doing this.”

And we were. But first, we had to tell Dani.

My stomach twisted—not from nerves this time, but something else. Anticipation, maybe. Fear of ruining what we already had.

Dani adored me. I adored her. But kids didn’t always take kindly to change. Especially changes involving their parents and that little girl had already been through a lot.

“She’s smart,” I murmured, brushing a hand through my damp hair. “She probably already knows.”

“Maybe,” Dagger said, rising to his feet and holding out his hand. “But let’s make it official.”

“I don’t think we should tell her about the baby yet,” I said. “I’m not going to show for a few more weeks. I think it’s best she gets used to the idea of us first, is that okay?”

“Sure.”

We found her curled up in a big leather chair, blanket over her legs, eyes on her tablet with Chopper curled up at her feet. She looked up as soon as we walked in.

“Miss Bronson!” she beamed, pulling off her headphones. “You’re okay!”

I smiled and crossed the room to her. “I’m okay, sweetheart. Thanks to your dad.”

She got to her feet and hugged me tightly. “I was so scared.”

My throat clenched, but I held her tighter. “I know. But I’m okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

She sniffed, then looked up at me. “Is your head better? Do you need a Band-Aid?”

I laughed softly. “It’s getting better. Katey checked me out. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Dagger came over and sat on the arm of the chair, watching us closely. After a moment, he reached out to ruffle Dani’s hair.

“Kiddo,” he said, “we need to talk to you about something kind of important.”

Her face grew serious as she looked between us. “Is this about school? ‘Cause I didn’t forget to do my homework, I swear.”

I smiled. “No, nothing like that. It’s… about me and your dad.”

She tilted her head slightly. “Are you gonna get married or something?”

I blinked. “What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know. You’ve been living with us. And you like each other. That’s what happens, right?”

Dagger cleared his throat, clearly caught off guard. “We’re not getting married—yet,” he said carefully. “But we are together. Like a couple.”

Dani sat with that for a second. Then she said, “Like boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” I said softly. “Like that.”

She gave us both a long look, then shrugged. “Okay.”

I blinked. “Okay?”

“Yeah. I mean… you already kind of act like it.” She glanced at me and added, “You make my dad smile, like for real. And you take care of him. And me. It makes sense.”

My heart squeezed at her words. “That means a lot, Dani. Really.”

She looked thoughtful. “You’re not gonna stop being Miss Bronson, though… are you?”

I knelt down beside her. “Well, I was actually going to ask if you’d like to call me Sinclair instead.”

She grinned. “It’s gonna be funny not calling you Miss Bronson.”

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it. We’re just telling you because we want to be honest with you. That’s important. So you already guessed, huh?”

Dani giggled, “I’m not a little baby. I saw the way you and dad look at each other. And you were in his room the other night.”

Dagger and I exchanged a glance. I guess we hadn’t counted on being outed by an observant preteen.

She was quiet a moment longer, then said, “We’re still gonna bake cupcakes, right?”

I laughed, the tension in my chest finally easing. “Always.”

She gave a small grin and whispered, “Cool.”

We sat there like that for a while, tangled together in the quiet calm. Her hand found mine again, and I squeezed it gently.

I didn’t tell her about the baby. Not yet. That conversation would come later when the timing felt right. For now, this was enough.

But deep in my heart, I couldn’t stop the quiet hope that maybe, one day… she’d call me something else entirely.

Something I’d only ever dreamed of being called.

Mommy.

***

The sun was warm and high, the kind of morning that made the open road feel like an invitation. It was two weeks since my half-brother tried to kill me, and life was slowly returning to normal. Or my new normal.

With Dani spending the afternoon with Maverick, Grace, and their kids—happily distracted by crafts, cartoons, and sugar cookies—Dagger pulled on his leather vest, grinned, and reached for my hand.

“Helmet on, sweetheart. You’re coming with me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Where are we going?”

He just smirked. “You’ll see.”

The bike rumbled beneath us, familiar and alive. I wrapped my arms around him, pressing close as he pulled us out of the compound and onto the road. The wind whipped around us as we rode, that perfect mixture of speed and freedom vibrating through every inch of me.

The open road stretched in front of us, and I held on tighter, burying my face against the man I loved, breathing him in and letting the moment settle into my bones.

Eventually, as we reached the city limits of Steel City he slowed as we neared the strip mall where his tattoo parlor was located.

Though instead of parking in front of his shop like usual, he parked further down.

Next to a little jeweler’s shop with a simple gold sign and vintage lettering.

He killed the engine and climbed off the bike.

I blinked at the jewelry store, confused.

“Come here,” he said, tugging me gently off the bike.

I swung my leg over and stood, brushing hair from my face.

“Dagger, what are we—”

But he was already dropping to one knee.

I froze.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something small and silver. A circle of smooth metal, slightly blackened.

He held it up between two fingers. “It’s all I could find at short notice. It’s an ear gauge I swiped from the tattoo parlor. It might not be traditional,” he said, eyes locked on mine, voice thick, but steady. “But there’s nothing traditional about us, is there?”

My throat tightened.

“I know this is early,” he continued, words tumbling out fast now, like he’d been holding them in for days.

“I know most people would say we’re rushing, that it’s too soon or too complicated.

But if the past few weeks have taught me anything, it’s that I can’t take a damn thing for granted. Not time. Not second chances. Not you.”

He swallowed hard. “I want this. You. Me. Dani. The baby. All of it. I want it for the rest of my damn life. I want to wake up beside you every morning for the rest of my goddamn life.”

My hand covered my mouth, eyes already swimming.

He held the metal ring up a little higher.

“This is temporary,” he added quickly. “A stand-in. Because we’re going in there—” he nodded towards the jeweler’s “—and you’re gonna pick whatever ring you want.”

I stared at him, heart pounding, lips trembling. “You’re serious?”

“I’ve never been more fucking serious in my life,” he said. “Marry me, Sinclair Bronson. Be my partner. My family. Mother to my little girl.”

I laughed through my tears, dropping to my knees in front of him. “Yes,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He kissed me there on the sidewalk—hard and deep and unapologetic.

When he pulled back, he slipped the makeshift ring onto my finger.

I held it to my chest. “This means more than diamonds ever could.”

“Good,” he said, standing and pulling me up with him. “Because you’re stuck with me now, babe.”

He pulled back just enough to kiss me, slow and sure, then took my hand and helped me to my feet. We walked, fingers entwined, into the jewelry store together.

And as the shop bell jingled and we stepped across the threshold into forever, I realized this was everything I never dared to dream of.

And somehow, it was mine.