Page 23 of Monstrosity (Raiders of Valhalla MC: New Blood #5)

CHAPTER TEN

Rio

I wake up before the sun, which isn't unusual. What is unusual is the way I can't stop staring at Dasha's left hand resting on my chest, imagining how it'll look with a ring on it.

My fiancée.

My future wife.

Jesus, I actually asked her to marry me last night. No ring, no plan, just sitting on the porch like an idiot and blurting it out.

And she said yes.

She fucking said yes.

Dasha stirs slightly, pressing closer to me in her sleep.

Her hair is a mess, she's got a crease on her cheek from the pillow, and she's never been more beautiful.

This woman who walked into our lives with coffee and smiles, who loves my girls like they're her own, who stood by me through all the violence and threats—she's going to be my wife.

I ease out of bed carefully, needing to move, to do something with this energy buzzing under my skin.

The house is quiet as I make my way to the kitchen, automatically starting coffee and pulling out ingredients for pancakes.

Cooking gives my hands something to do while my mind races.

We need rings. Need to tell the girls. Tell the club. Plan a wedding.

The list feels endless, but in the best way.

These are good problems, happy problems.

The kind I never thought I'd have again.

"Daddy?" Florencia appears in the doorway, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Why are you up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep, mija . Excited about something."

She perks up immediately. "What kind of something?"

"The kind that requires pancakes to discuss. Want to help?"

"Yes!" She grabs her step stool, dragging it to the counter. "Can we make shapes?"

"Whatever you want."

We work in silence for a few minutes, her carefully pouring batter while I manage the griddle.

This kid has been making breakfast with me since she could barely reach the counter.

Some of our best talks happen over pancake batter.

"Is Dasha awake?" she asks.

"Not yet. Should we make her favorite?"

"Blueberry with the crispy edges!"

"Exactly."

Cali joins us ten minutes later, drawn by the smell of bacon. "Pancakes on a not-Sunday? What's happening?"

"Dad has exciting news," Florencia informs her sister. "It requires a special breakfast."

"Is it a puppy?" Cali asks hopefully.

"Better than a puppy," I tell her.

"Nothing's better than a puppy," she says seriously, but she climbs into her chair, ready to listen.

Dasha appears as I'm plating the last pancake, wearing one of my t-shirts and looking soft and sleepy. "Morning, family. What's all this?"

"Daddy has news!" Cali announces. "And it's better than a puppy, which I don't believe is possible."

"That's a pretty high bar," Dasha agrees, kissing each girl's head before coming to kiss me. "Morning, handsome."

"Morning, beautiful." I pull her close for a moment. "Ready for this?"

"Ready," she confirms, and I can see the excitement dancing in her eyes.

We all settle at the table, girls bouncing with anticipation.

I clear my throat, suddenly nervous.

How do you tell kids their world is about to change, even if it's for the better?

"So," I start, reaching for Dasha's hand. "You know how Dasha's been living with us?"

"Forever," Cali says. "Like two whole weeks."

"Right. Well, last night I asked Dasha a very important question."

"What kind of question?" Florencia asks, but I can see she's already figuring it out, her eyes going wide.

"I asked her to marry me," I say simply. "To be my wife and officially be your?—"

The explosion of screams drowns out whatever I was going to say.

Both girls launch themselves at us, talking over each other in their excitement.

"You're getting married!"

"Dasha's going to be our real mom!"

"Can I be a flower girl?"

"Can we have a big cake?"

"Will you wear a princess dress?"

"Can we get matching dresses?"

"Whoa, whoa," I laugh, trying to contain the chaos. "One at a time."

"This is the best day ever!" Cali declares, attaching herself to Dasha like a koala. "You're going to be our mommy for real!"

"I already am, baby," Dasha says, voice thick with emotion. "This just makes it official on paper."

"But now no one can say you're not," Florencia points out with eight-year-old logic. "When people ask, we can say 'that's our mom' and it's true."

"It's already true," I remind her. "But yes, after the wedding it'll be legally true too."

"When's the wedding?" Cali demands. "Tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow," Dasha laughs. "We need time to plan. And we need rings first."

"Rings!" Both girls shriek in unison.

"Can we help pick them?" Florencia asks.

"We're counting on it," I tell her. "In fact, how about we go today?"

"Now?" Cali's eyes are huge.

"After breakfast. And after everyone gets dressed. Properly dressed," I add, eyeing Cali's tendency to try leaving the house in costume pieces.

"I'll wear my fancy dress!" she decides. "The one with the flowers!"

"I'll wear my purple one," Florencia adds. "Ring shopping is serious business."

They inhale their pancakes at record speed, then race upstairs to get ready. I can hear them chattering excitedly through the ceiling.

"That went well," Dasha observes, sipping her coffee.

"Better than expected. I thought there might be more questions."

"They're too excited for questions. Those will come later." She leans into me. "You sure about ring shopping with two hyperactive kids?"

"They're part of this," I say firmly. "We're becoming an official family. They should be involved."

"You're a good dad, Rio Rojas."

"And you're going to be an amazing wife." I kiss her softly. "Still can't believe you said yes."

"Like I could say anything else. You're stuck with me now."

"Best kind of stuck."

An hour later, we're walking into the jewelry store, girls dressed in their finest and practically vibrating with excitement.

The salesman takes one look at us—tattooed biker, beautiful woman, two little girls in fancy dresses—and his customer service smile becomes genuine.

"Shopping for something special today?"

"Engagement rings!" Cali announces before anyone else can speak. "Daddy's marrying Dasha and we're helping pick!"

"How wonderful," he says warmly. "And what excellent helpers you have."

"The best," I agree. "Ladies, want to look around while I talk to Mr...?"

"Davidson," he supplies. "And please, take your time. This is an important decision."

The girls immediately gravitate toward the biggest, sparkliest rings in the case, pointing and discussing seriously.

Dasha follows, indulging their enthusiasm while trying to steer them toward more practical options.

"That one looks like Elsa's ring would!" Cali declares about a massive diamond surrounded by blue stones.

"It's very Frozen," Dasha agrees diplomatically. "But maybe something a little smaller? So it doesn't get caught on things?"

"What about that one?" Florencia points to a classic solitaire. "It's elegant."

"Where'd you learn the word elegant?" I ask.

"Books," she says, like this explains everything.

Which, knowing her, it does.

"What do you think, Dasha?" I ask. "What catches your eye?"

She moves along the cases slowly, considering. "I don't need anything huge or fancy. Just something... us."

"That one!" Cali suddenly shouts, pointing to a ring in the far case. "Daddy, look! It's perfect!"

We all move to see what's caught her attention.

It's a vintage-style ring with a center diamond surrounded by smaller stones in a flower pattern.

Not huge, not flashy, but intricate and beautiful.

"Can we see that one?" I ask Davidson.

He pulls it out, and I know immediately.

It's perfect.

The design is delicate but strong, traditional but unique.

Like Dasha herself.

"Try it on," I urge.

She slides it onto her finger, and all four of us go quiet.

It fits perfectly, catching the light and throwing tiny rainbows.

"That's the one," Florencia whispers. "That's Mommy's ring."

"What do you think?" I ask Dasha, who's staring at her hand with suspiciously bright eyes.

"It's perfect," she manages. "Absolutely perfect."

"Then that's the one." I turn to Davidson. "We'll take it."

"Excellent choice. And for wedding bands?"

"Can we pick those too?" Cali asks hopefully.

"Of course," Dasha says. "This is a family decision."

We spend another hour looking at wedding bands, the girls taking their job very seriously. They debate between different styles, widths, and metals with the focus of tiny wedding planners.

"These match," Florencia points out a set with subtle engraving. "See? They have the same pattern."

"Like us," Cali adds. "We all match now."

"Yeah," I agree, throat tight. "We do."

We end up with simple platinum bands with a subtle carved pattern—nothing too fancy for my lifestyle, but special enough to mark the occasion.

Davidson boxes everything up, promising to have the wedding bands sized within the week.

"Can we get something too?" Cali asks hopefully. "So we all have special jewelry?"

I'm about to say she doesn't need anything, but Dasha catches my eye and nods slightly.

"What did you have in mind?" I ask.

They drag us to a case with necklaces, pointing out various options before settling on matching heart pendants.

Simple, sweet, perfect for little girls.

"So we're all connected," Florencia explains seriously.

"We're already connected," I remind her, but I'm already nodding to Davidson to add them to our purchase.

Walking out of the store, each girl wearing her new necklace and Dasha admiring her engagement ring in the sunlight, I feel something I haven't felt in years.

Complete. Whole. Like all the broken pieces have finally come together.

"Clubhouse?" I ask. "I want to tell everyone."

"You mean Cali wants to tell everyone," Dasha corrects.

"I won't tell!" Cali protests. "I'll let Daddy do it!"

"Sure you will, baby," I say, knowing full well she'll last maybe thirty seconds.

The ride to the clubhouse is filled with wedding planning courtesy of our two tiny directors.

"We need pink flowers," Cali decides. "And purple ones," Florencia adds. "And white ones to tie them together."