Page 138 of The Trust We Broke
Lucy’s hair is curled behind her ear, and there’s the little wrinkle across the bridge of her nose that makes me want to eat her whole.
She’s still here.
And she’s still mine.
The first time I proposed, it was just the two of us. But I want to acknowledge that this time it’s different. We’ll do it with the backing of this huge family I’m part of.
“Maybe you should get your ass over here,” she shouts with a smile so fucking brilliant, it hurts my heart.
I take a step forward, then, another. Because I want her to know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her, even in front of my club.
The conversation drops, and the music changes to some yacht rock classic.
As I walk to her, I feel the weight of every patch stitched onto my cut.Grudge, my name because I couldn’t let go of what happened between us.Iron Outlaws, the only club I ever wanted to join, following in my father’s footsteps.President, because now I’m responsible for the livelihood of every single person in here. AndColorado, because I can’t imagine living anywhere else on earth.
She gives me a soft smile when I get to her. “What are you up to, Zach?”
I drop to one knee, and my brothers whoop and holler.
“Let the man speak,” Taco yells.
Lucy’s breath catches as I take her hands. “Oh!”
I look up at her, and, for a second, it’s just us. No noise. No patch. No legacy.
It’s like we’re back in time. Just two teenagers who couldn’t imagine loving anyone else.
“Bug,” I say, my voice steady. “The first time I asked you to marry me, I thought I knew what love was. I thought the fire in my gut for you ensured we’d last forever.”
Her eyes shine, and her hands start to shake in mine.
“We were young and reckless, and the world took advantage of us both. It stole years from us in ways we were too young to know how to fight.”
I pause for a second and let that truth settle between us.
“But you…you never left my heart, Lucy De Bose. Even if you left my life. Not for a single goddamn day.”
Tears cling to her lashes.
I squeeze her hands; reassure her I’ve got her.
“When you walked back into my life, angry and fierce, I thought I could ignore you, but I lasted all of five minutes.”
My brothers chuckle at that.
I reach into my cut, pull out the ring box, and pop it open.
“Like last time, I’m asking you to get married quick. But, unlike last time, I want to marry you properly, in front of our friends, wherever you want. I love you for who you were. For who you are. And for the woman you’re still becoming. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for the days we lost and getting the most out of the days we have left. So, will you marry me, Bug? Again?”
Lucy doesn’t speak.
She drops to her knees and crashes into me, arms tight around my neck, lips on mine in a kiss that fixes the last of the cracks in my heart.
“Yes,” she whispers against my mouth. “God. Yes.”
The room erupts.
There are cheers. Whistles. Shouts of congratulations.
