Page 34 of Biker Daddy's Girl

"Now, now, none of that or we'll never get there on time," I tell him, giggling.

We both get ready, managing to resist each other long enough to get out the door and onto his motorcycle. I'm still sore from last night but only a little, and the rumble of the bike against my backside reminds me of what exactly we did. The feeling makes my core tingle, but I put that out of my mind.

Right now I have other things to think about, like where we're headed. Luke won't tell me where we're going, and that's got me wondering what the heck he has planned. When I ask him what I should wear, he says to dress comfortably and warm, so that’s what I do, slipping on my favorite sweater and jeans and a light jacket. It's been getting chilly outside.

Luke is in a T-shirt under his jacket, and he's warm in my arms where I grip him. He takes us into town and the wind whips through my hair, the exhilaration making my stomach swoop with giddiness. I laugh, the sound flying away into the breeze, and I feel free and alive and like nothing in the world can ever bother me.

The scenery starts to look familiar, and it hits me where we're headed. "We're going to the clubhouse?" I yell over the wind, confused.

"Just have to make a quick stop," he replies.

I settle back down against him, my cheek on his back, but as we approach the Iron Guardians clubhouse, I see something odd. The entire parking lot is full of Guardian riders, all dressed in their vests with their patches on and standing in front of their bikes, all of them arranged in a semicircle.

Luke pulls into the center of the circle and turns the bike off, helping me to stand and taking both our helmets off. I blink in the bright morning light, looking around at the gathering. "Luke, what...?"

My words turn into a gasp of shock as Luke, leader of the Iron Guardians, unbreakable protector, lowers himself to one knee in front of me. The crowd is silent, and all I can hear is my pulse in my ears and my heart pounding.

"I wanted to do this in front of the Iron Guardians, the place where I found the first bit of meaning in my life. Now, Emma, with you here, I am complete. You make my days bright, and I love you with every bit of my soul. I can't see spending a single day without you."

He reaches into his pocket and takes out a box, opening it to reveal an engagement ring, simple but stunning, a solitaire diamond in a silver band. My hands fly up to my face. This is unreal, impossible, but I've never seen anything I've wanted more than this.

"Emma Lawson, will you marry me?"

The answer bursts from me, an explosion of joy, and I throw my arms around him as I cry "Yes" again and again. He spins me in a circle as the crowd erupts around us in applause. Luke sets me down, still dizzy with joy and happiness, and takes the ring from its box to place it on my finger. The diamond shines in the sun, and it feels so perfect on my finger, I can't even describe the emotions welling up inside me.

Around us, the cheers combine with the revving of the dozens of motorcycles as the Iron Guardians celebrate their leader. This is the biggest moment of my life. Luke cups my cheek with his hand and wipes away a tear I don't even remember shedding, eyes full of love and wonder.

"I love you," he says before pressing his lips to mine in a tender, possessive kiss.

"I love you," I reply. Then I'm being scooped up into the crowd and congratulations are being thrown my way by dozens of Guardians, all dressed in their leather and patches and smiles. Luke's family and now mine, too.

EPILOGUE

LUKE

One Year Later

"Here, let me take him, Emma. You've been standing for too long."

My wife—God, I'll never get tired of calling her that—my wife looks up at me, surrounded by a small group of other Iron Guardian wives who are cooing over our baby son, Deke, and smiles. Even now, it's like the sun coming out from behind the clouds for me.

Marriage has made me sappy as hell. I'd never tell anyone, but it's true.

She gives the wrapped-up bundle of newborn a kiss on his fat round cheek and hands him over to me. The other women ooh and aww over the sight of me holding the baby, and Emma joins in unapologetically. It's a sign of her trust in the other ladies that she doesn't even bat an eyelash at doing it. It was hard won too. It took me months of looking out for her, being by her side and protecting her and my boy growing in her belly before she could really accept the rest of the ladies of the Guardians into her heart.

Now it's just natural. She has friends, people she trusts and cares for, and who have her back. As soon as our little one is in my arms, she comes straight over to my side, and I kiss her forehead.

"You're supposed to be sitting," I remind her, and she rolls her beautiful eyes. Giving birth wasn’t easy for Emma, but she's a warrior in her own way.

"Go make your speech and then I'll sit," she promises, nudging me towards the front of the gathering. "They're all waiting for you."

She's right. This is a big day—the day we open the new Iron Guardians satellite headquarters a few cities away from Stonebridge. We're finally branching out like I always wanted, making room for the other riders out there who I know will make perfect Guardians. As the leader of the motorcycle club, it's up to me to declare the new clubhouse open and hand the keys over to the leader of this new chapter—my second-in-command, Gunnar.

I avoid Emma trying to take the baby back but finally hand him over as she laughs. I approach the front of the crowd when Gunnar appears next to me, and I give him a small nod. My second whistles loudly, and the crowd goes silent, turning to face us. It's time for my speech.

I don't say much to start. I don't need to. "Iron Guardians, brothers, ladies, guests. Welcome to the new Iron Guardians clubhouse," I say, raising a hand to cheers and applause. I hold off as long as I can, waiting for it to die down as the crowd eagerly waits for me to speak more.

"You know, it's not the building that makes the Guardians. It's us. It's our values, our spirit, our sense of community," I say, speaking from the heart as the words pour out. "When I was just a young man, I found brothers. Not blood brothers, but family all the same, a family of men who would bleed and die for one another if we had to. A family that stood by our convictions. A family that built this club and grew it into the group it is now, standing here in this building for the first time."

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