Page 108 of Lockout

“No,” I said with a sigh.

“Seriously,” he said, his eyes sharpening as they scanned me. “You’re still recovering. If he’s working you too hard-”

“I’m fine, Lock,” I told him with a smile. He wasn’t wrong. I wouldn’t be running any marathons for a while. Well, I wasn’t going to run a marathonever.Who would want to do something like that on purpose? But I wasn’t struggling to breathe anymore. All that was left was the scarring on my chest and back, and that wasn’t going anywhere.

“You don’t look ready to go,” he said, not bothering to get into an argument with me. Not today. Everyone was excited for what was about to happen in an hour or so.

“Oh!” I went over and shut the door since Static was still somewhere in the building. “I just need a minute.”

Lock crossed his arms over his chest and grinned when I started stripping out of my clothes. “Might need a lock on that door,” he muttered.

“Static always knocks before he comes in,” I said as I dropped the flowy dress over my head.

“I was thinking for other activities, but he’d better.”

The dress settled over me and I turned toward the mirror on the wall. My hand raised and I brushed my fingers over the raised and puckered scars on my chest. I figured if Sloane was brave enough to show hers to the world, I could do the same, for one day at least.

Big hands gripped my hips and I smiled at Lock in the mirror.

“You have us all in your debt forever, Keely.”

Shaking my head, I stared at him. “You saved my life,” I told him. “All of you took on my enemy as your own, and I never have to worry about Hangman or the LoS again.”

“Doesn’t matter. There’re some things that can’t be repaid. Saving Gabby is one of those things. That’s why they’ve madeyou all the girls Godmother. Even the newest one,” he said with a grin.

“Oh,” I said softly, my heart melting just like it did every time I thought about it.

Jenny had only had her daughter a few weeks ago. But she refused to miss this, so I knew she’d be there today at the wedding with her newborn, Brielle. The fact that they would trust me with something as important as their girls, if something ever happened to them, made me want to sob. Not that I would be alone in caring for them. Everyone here would do anything for those girls.

“We should go. Don’t want to be late,” he said, lifting my hand and brushing his lips over the backs of my fingers.

Smiling,I stood with the rest of the crowd as the music changed. It wasn’t easy to keep the tears contained as I watched Lockout smile down at Sylvia.

Their arms were linked together and he looked like an imposing wall of muscle, daring the universe to try anything. That if it wanted to cause mischief on Syl’s big day, it was going to have to come through him.

Gabby leaned into me as Lock and Syl walked down the makeshift aisle on the clubhouse’s lawn. The place had once again been prettied up so that Sylvia could marry her soulmate.

I smiled over at where Rainer was waiting beneath a flowered arch with Priest. This was the happy ending we’ve all wanted for her for so long, especially the men. Rainer was a good man. He’d take care of her. He’d also make sure to bring her home, here, every once in a while so we could see her.

Sylvia smiled at us all as she passed and Gabby sighed as I wrapped my arms around her. “She lookssobeautiful.”

“Yeah, she does,” I told her. “Picturing your own wedding?” I asked the now twelve-year-old. How had she already turned twelve?

She smiled up at me and shrugged, but I saw the twinkling in her eyes. She had a crush. I was going to pry that information out of her later. We’d always been close, just like I was with all the kids, but since our little adventure together, we’d grown closer. I loved that because she was such a great kid.

Lockout handed Syl over to Rainer and came to take his seat next to me. He looked so damn handsome in his suit and it made my heart race a little when he winked at me.

Everyone watched, hearts melting—for us women anyway—as Rainer and Sylvia got married. It was like the closing of a chapter for us.

Jordan and Ricochet had been married a month ago. Jenny had just had their fifth daughter. Dani and Smoke were getting married later this year and Billie would be a month after that. Who knew when Butcher and Isla would officially tie the knot, but she was rocking her own engagement ring—probably stolen off of some dead body. And I bet she still had the finger.

Lock and I were getting married in a year and three days, seven hours and twelve minutes, not that I was counting down. I’d wanted time to plan, and with starting a new business and focusing on healing, there hadn’t been time, so I put it off a bit. Not to mention healing from three gunshot wounds.

But every one of these guys was locked down and I was so thrilled for all my friends. My family. I placed a hand on my belly and gave Lock a sideways glance. I’d just found out this morning. We were going to have a baby.

God, I hoped he was ready. I hoped I was ready. Who was I kidding? I was thrilled. He was going to be pissed because I wasthe one who’d seduced him into sex, even though he insisted I wasn’t healed enough for that. Reminded me of not all that long ago when he’d been the one hurt and I’d been the one saying maybe it wasn’t a good idea.

I was planning to tell him tonight. Maybe after he’d had a few beers and a piece of wedding cake. I’d make sure his guard was down before I let him have it with this kind of news.

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