Page 89 of Cage

Jasper’s gaze turns dark as he slowly approaches Ember and Rowie. “Fifty points each. And you’re both helping me get this off my face.”

“Fifty points!” they both cry out.

“Yes. Fifty. Now, unless you want me to take away more, come help me wash this off.”

Ember sighs, and Rowie mutters under her breath, but they follow him from the room.

“Are you ready?” Theo asks me.

Declan furrows his brows. “Ready for what?”

Theo grins. “You’ll see.”

“Our girls are here,” Declan growls. “If you do anything stupid or dangerous with them here, I’ll kill you.”

I shake my head and grin. “Paranoid much? Jesus. Calm down. It’s a good thing. You’re an ordained minister, though, right?”

“It depends. Will she be getting married against her will? Because if the answer is yes, my answer is no,” Declan replies.

My stomach twists, and that ill-feeling comes again. “I guess we’ll know shortly.”

He rolls his eyes, and I slap him on the back, chuckling.

The girls return with Jasper, who still has a faint smile drawn on his face. He doesn’t look amused. Oh, well. Better him than me.

Ember’s gaze lands on me first, and the rest of the room disappears as I stare at her. All my nerves disappear. All I can think about is how much I can’t wait to marry her.

“Baby girl,” I say as I start walking toward her. “I have something I want to ask you.”

She draws her eyebrows together, confused. When I pull a small box from my pocket and lower onto one knee, she gasps softly.

“I know it’s only been a few weeks since we met, but I’ve never been more sure about anything. Before you came into my life, I was existing, but I wasn’t truly living. You’ve become the oxygen I need to breathe. I know I’m not easy, and you also have to deal with my pain-in-the-ass brothers, but I want to spend the rest of my days making you happy, giving you the love you deserve so much, and having the honor of being your Daddy. It’s a big question, and I’ll only allow one answer.”

Ember laughs softly, tears dripping down her cheeks.

“Will you marry me, baby?”

She nods and throws herself at me, nearly knocking me onto my ass.

“Yes,” she cries, letting out a sob.

The room erupts into shouts and congratulations. It’s all background noise, though, as I lean in and lower my mouth to hers. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me back. That one word completes me. My brothers and Rowie mean everything to me, but there are only two people in the world who have truly changed my life with one simple word. Deke. And Ember.

“I love you, firefly,” I murmur on her lips.

She sniffles and cups my face between her delicate hands. “I love you too, Daddy.”

We finally pull away and everyone surrounds us while I slip the ring onto her finger.

Ember smiles up at me, “It’s beautiful.”

I rise and hug a bunch of my brothers as they congratulate me.

“Where’s Declan?” I ask, trying to find him in the small crowd of my friends and family.

“I’m right here,” he answers.

Taking Ember’s hand, I pull her over and nod toward Declan. “Good. Marry us now.”

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