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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

MASON

I’m petrified, not that she’ll say no, I don’t think she will. I’m literally shaking in my boots because this is a commitment I want to make with her that’ll pave the way for the rest of our lives.

My biggest fear is that she won’t realize that she’s my number one priority and that nothing will ever come before her.

Not the club.

Not my brothers.

Not my parents.

She’s intimately knowledgeable with the inner workings of club life, but that doesn’t mean that if I have to rush from our bed without telling her where I’m going or letting her know how dangerous that errand may end up being that she won’t question my loyalty or her importance to me.

That’s what’s kept me from popping the question before now.

It feels like my thoughts are jumbled in a whirlwind of activity. I can’t get them straight in my head. Gunner talked me down, reminded me that as long as I show her every damn day that she’s my everything, when those times do arise where I can’t share club issues with her, she’ll understand. That statement may be true, but I’ve never had to divide or separate my loyalties before now and it has me anxious and unsure of how to act.

Before she dismounts, I grab the blue velvet box from the side pocket of my saddlebag while she’s distracted so she doesn’t see the logo emblazoned on the box. Standing behind her as she shakes out her hair, I drop to my knee and pop the lid so the diamond shines and sparkles from the sun’s beams.

As she twists around her hands go up to her mouth and tears shine in her eyes.

“Mason,” she whispers, her voice raspy.

“Charmane Hope Alvarez, once upon a time you literally helped save my life. You came in like a thunderstorm and struck me in the heart with your rod of light. Ever since then, the darkness that shrouded me in shadows has been bearable. Your zest for life is contagious and I can’t wait for the time to come that you and I can be together because you make me feel alive. You stole my heart and soul, beautiful. I never knew love like what I have for you existed and I want to spend the rest of my life giving you back what you’ve given to me. I love you, beauty. Will you marry me, love me, and spend the rest of your life with me?”

“Forever and always, yes. Yes, Mason, I’ll marry you, love you, and be by your side through thick and thin,” she answers, falling down to her knees before me. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Mason. Thank you for loving me.”

Grabbing her left hand, I remove the ring from the box and slide it over her ring finger. It’s a perfect fit and for some reason, it doesn’t surprise me that Gunner knew the size of her finger.

“Gorgeous,” I murmur as she turns her hand this way and that, the sparkling diamond reflecting the sun.

“Oh, Mason, it’s stunning,” she replies, as she wraps her arms around me and kisses me.

If I were a more poetic man, I could write odes to the way her lips feel against mine, but I’m not. I’m just a rancher who rides and is prospecting for the very club her grandfather founded and her father now presides over. So, I return her attentions, falling back so she’s on top of me as we pledge ourselves to one another after my proposal.

One thing I can honestly say about my beauty is when I told her I wanted to wait to make love with her until after we’ve said our vows, she didn’t downplay it or try to convince me that it would be okay since we were going to be together. I realize it may be old-fashioned, but it’s one of the tenets from my church upbringing that I fully support.

While a past relationship means I won’t be coming to our marriage bed a virgin, doing that and remembering how empty I felt when we broke up cemented in my head why I was taught to wait. Because now there’s a small part of me that Mane will never have. But, she’s going to be my last, my forever, and at some point, if we’re fortunate enough, we’ll raise our kids in a hybrid blend I’m sure.

The funny thing is, I don’t look down on others for their choices. My brothers and I have had many conversations about this topic since I’m the oldest of us three. Both Mav and Myles have a more cavalier attitude about getting up close and personal with women than I have, but there are things they abide by when it pertains to their future. Myles said when he finally met the woman he planned to marry, he was burning his mattress and buying a whole new bedroom suite. Mav won’t allow anyone in his bed, he goes to their house. Because they both eventually want what our folks have as well.

Having to get to know her without tossing in sex has been a beautiful thing, and I know once we add physical intimacy into our lives, it’ll further cement our bond. Somehow, I got lucky as hell when she said yes she wanted a relationship with me, because in the past, waiting was a no-go with other women I had thought I might have a future with down the road.

I guess I can thank my parents, as well, because my mom may ‘rule the roost’ so to speak, but it’s done respectfully toward my dad. I’ve watched the two of them my whole life and seen how they’re almost in sync with each other, instinctively knowing without words what the other needs.

Some of that comes from the time when my dad served his country. They wrote many letters when he was overseas and got to know each other that way instead of hopping into bed with each other then hoping things would work out along the way.

When I was younger, I decided I wanted a relationship like they have, one full of love, laughter, and respect. My dad, who’s as much of an alpha as any of the brothers are, treasures my mom and I’ve witnessed him taking care of her, the house, and the ranch after she had major surgery.

He never missed a step and I saw firsthand what it meant to my mom that she had him to rely on when she was recovering.

Nothing was too small for him to do, either. He bathed her, helped her to and from the bathroom, and made sure she got rest whenever she tried to say she was well enough to take care of something.

That’s what I want with my beauty.

That’s what I’ve been building with her, minus the physical part, of course.

We’ve made out plenty of times, and her touch has liquid fire running through my veins, but she’s going to be the only woman I’m ever physically intimate with from this point moving forward, so I see good things in our future, especially if her soft little moans are any indication.

Pulling back, I look in her eyes and ask the most pressing question rumbling around in my head. “How fast can we get married?”

She tosses her head back laughing and the sight has me clutching her hips, praying for mercy because she entices me unlike any other.

She’s my forbidden fruit that I can’t take a bite out of until I hear those words tying her to me.

“Once I tell my mom, aunts, and cousins, they could have one put together in a couple of weeks. Can you wait that long, Mason?”

“I suppose I could,” I grumble, releasing a heated breath. “I wouldn’t be opposed to a courthouse wedding and having a huge reception afterward.”

“My dad would skin your hide and hang it in his living room,” she teases.

“Then I guess we should do things the right way,” I harrumph.

“Stop pouting, Mason,” she scolds, reaching out and poking my bottom lip. “I’ll make them hustle.”

“Alright. I just want my ring on your finger and my patch on your back,” I remark.

Like me, she had certain lines she didn’t want to cross.

One of those being that she wouldn’t wear my patch until we said our vows. Marriage is important to me and in her eyes, that commitment should come first.

We lie here for a few more moments, absorbing the sun and enjoying being wrapped in each other’s arms. When I begin sweating, I tap her ass and sit up.

“Let’s go eat, Mane. I need to get out of the sun and cool down. I never thought about how hot leather can be until it became a part of me and my daily wear,” I complain.

When she stands up, her tummy rumbles which has her releasing another laugh. “Guess my stomach is on board with that plan.”

* * *

Numerous phone calls were made once we made it back to her house. And like promised, the women jumped into action and have promised that we’ll be wed in the next two weeks. When she said that earlier, I thought she was pacifying me.

I was wrong.

Colors have been decided, the layout of the backyard of the clubhouse has been formatted, and flowers have been picked out.

I didn’t understand how much work went into planning a wedding, which is why I still think the courthouse was the better alternative.