Page 63 of Hap

“You sure you guys will be okay?” I ask Josie, Rhea, and Elsie.

“Of course. Just keep us updated,” Rhea assures me, her voice thick with concern.

I nod, but as I look at Elsie, her gaze is pinned to the floor, and her fingers are fiddling with the same bit of thread over and over again. I move to her and take her hands in mine. She looks at me, her eyes full of sorrow and guilt.

“Don’t you dare, Elsie. This has nothing to do with you. You are caught in the crossfire of all of this, just like us,” I say, trying to reassure her.

“But,” she starts, her voice barely a whisper.

I shake my head firmly. “All of this would have still happened,” I state truthfully, because it would have. “If anything, they wouldn’t have been able to hunt him down like they did if it wasn’t for you telling them everything you know,” I assure her. “And now they’ve dealt with the Cuntfather, we all will move on once everyone is fit and well.” Elsie’s lips twitch with a smile. “Then we all have Vegas to look forward to.” I wink. The mood in the room lifts slightly. “Right, I best get my jacket before Casper gives me shit for it,” I say with a roll of my eyes.

“Casper already has your jacket,” his deep voice rumbles from behind me. I jump and spin around to see Ghost standing there, holding my jacket in his hands, his eyes searing into mine.

“How long have you been standing there?” I ask.

“Since you walked into the living room,” he states.

I frown and look to the front door and back again. “I didn’t hear you come in,” I state.

“I came back from the hospital about ten minutes ago. I was in the kitchen, then I came here when I saw you walk in,” he answers, his eyes assessing me.

I nod. “Right.” I give the girls a brief smile before I bend down and place a kiss on top of Enzo’s head. “Be a good boy. I won’t be too long. I love you,” I whisper in his ear. He grabs a fistful of my hair and looks up at me. I smile and place a swift kiss on his nose, making him smile. He releases my hair, and I stand and walk towards Ghost.

He holds out my jacket for me to put on, and I arch my brow at him. Since when did he become a gentleman? I turn my back to Ghost and slide each arm in. He slowly glides his fingers across the back of my neck, sweeping my hair from beneath thecollar of the jacket. He presses his lips to my neck, just below my earlobe, before turning me around in his arms. He has dark circles under his eyes, not to mention the bruises and scratches from the blast. No words are said as we just gaze into each other’s eyes, me assessing him and him with me.

I know that if we were to actually ask if either of us is okay, we would lie and say we are fine, but when we look, truly look, we can see past the lie and see every single broken fragment of each other.

He takes my hand in his and turns, leading us out the door and down to his bike. After he gets on, he hands me the helmet. I make quick work of fastening it before I hop on behind him. I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against his back. Closing my eyes, I breathe in the scent of fresh air and leather.

We ride through the open roads, the cool breeze kissing my cheeks. God, it had been forever since I rode with him like this. I spot the turning for the hospital, but Ghost continues on.

“Hey, you missed the turning,” I yell. He ignores me and pulls into a local park. I’m about to ask what we are doing when he twists around and grabs my waist, lifting me like I weigh nothing more than a feather. I shuffle back slightly until I’m sitting on his lap, facing him, my legs on either side of him. “Okay, that was impressive.” I grin.

He unclips the helmet and drops it to the floor. I frown as he tucks my hair behind my ear. “You know you are it for me,” he states firmly. “I don’t want anyone else, and I can’t even fucking imagine being with anyone else but you.”

I frown in confusion. “Well, I should fucking hope so. Also, don’t keep mentioning being with someone else, because it makes me feel a little stabby,” I explain.

His lips twitch. “You’re mine,” he says dominantly.

I wrap my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his short hair at the back of his head. “And you are mine,” I counter.

His hands glide along my thighs and up to my waist. “Marry me,” he rasps, his eyes searching mine.

My lips part in surprise. “But we always agreed on not getting married, as it’s just a piece of paper, and Casper, I’m not sure if you have noticed, but I’ve told you before I’m not wife material,” I remind him.

“I know what we agreed, and yes, you are not wife material, but you are my ideal fucking wife. I have seen a brother die before he can even fucking live. I have witnessed just about enough fucking shit lately that has made me question every fucking thing, every fucking choice I’ve made. I’ve considered all of it, all except you and Enzo. I could be working in a factory making fucking dildos, and it wouldn’t matter, because I’d still have you. All of this shit the club has gone through, I can survive it because of you. Now I want that bit of paper that says you are mine, that you belong to me. That no one can take away what is mine,” he growls before leaning in, brushing his lips against mine.

“I literally have a patch that says I’m your property.” I smile.

“But that doesn’t mean shit if I’m in a hospital bed. If something happens to Enzo. In our eyes, that patch means the fucking world and more, but darlin’, I want the state, the country, and the entire fucking world to know that by law, by fucking marriage, you are mine,” he says, teasing me with his lips.

“Then I suppose you have a point,” I whisper across his lips.

“Is that a yes?” he asks, a grin forming on his lips.

“Like you were even asking me,” I state, rolling my eyes.

His fingers thread through my hair, gripping it tight in his fists. “Give me your mouth, woman,” he demands.

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