Page 17 of Harley's Hex
She rubbed her hand over her belly, and Hex did the same. “I wanted a place for our son to grow up and be happy, so I bought a brownstone in Yonkers.”
“I see,” he said. “Am I a part of this plan for our son to grow up happy, Harley?” he asked.
“You know that you are, Hex. I wanted to surprise you, but never found the right time to tell you about the house. Everytime I tried, something happened—you got your new job here, or I’d end up on bed rest because of my blood pressure. Too many things to mention, but I did try.”
“I guess the question I need to ask you is, do you want me to move in with you, or is this house just for you and the baby?” he asked.
“Of course I want you to move in with me,” she shouted. One of the nurses peeked her head into the room, and Harley apologized. She reminded her that she needed to stay calm if she wanted her blood pressure to go down, and Harley agreed to do better.
They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity until she got up the nerve to turn to Hex and ask him the question that she had been wanting to for weeks now. “Are you ever going to ask me to marry you?” she asked. Harley knew that she was pushing him—possibly too fast for his comfort, but she couldn’t help herself. She needed to know that he was in this relationship for the long haul—otherwise, all of this had been for nothing.
“Are you asking me to marry you, honey?” he teased.
“If that’s what it takes to get you to commit, then yes,” she said. “Will you marry me, Hex?”
He smiled at her, caressing her cheek with his gruff hand. God, she loved it when he looked at her the way that he was. “I thought that you’d never ask,” he breathed, gently kissing her lips. “Wait here.” He got up from the bed and disappeared from the room, and Harley was sure that she had completely fucked everything up with him. All that they had resolved was now gone because she couldn’t be happy with where they were in life—she had to push for more.
It felt like hours, not just minutes, until he returned. He handed her a little black velvet box and sat back down next to her on the bed. “I had this in my jacket since I left Huntsville. I bought it the day after you told me about the baby and lefttown. I’ve known that I’ve wanted to marry you for months now, honey. I was just waiting for the right time to ask you. I guess I wanted to see where this thing took us, you know?” She giggled and opened the box, revealing the most perfect round diamond that she had ever seen.
“Hex,” she breathed, “it’s beautiful.”
“If you don’t like it, we can trade it for something else,” he offered.
Harley covered his mouth with her trembling hand. “I love it,” she admitted. “So, are you asking me to marry you?” she asked, giving him back his words.
“I am, honey. Will you be my wife?” he asked. There was no way that she’d ever tell him no. She wanted to be his wife more than she wanted her next breath.
“Yes,” she breathed. He pulled the ring from the box and slipped it onto her hand, gently kissing it as he slid it into place.
“Mine,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss her again. The heart machine went crazy, beeping way too fast, and another nurse ran into the room.
“Sorry,” they said in unison. The poor nurse made a disgruntled noise, saying something about him knowing better and turning to leave the room.
“We’re quite a pair,” she said. “I bought a house and didn’t tell you, and you bought a ring and didn’t tell me. I think that’s enough secrets for a while, don’t you?”
“I think it’s enough secrets for a lifetime, honey,” he agreed. “Now, how about you concentrate on relaxing while I go and pack our stuff at the clubhouse? We have a new house to move into and a future to build together.” Harley loved the sound of that—a future that they’d build together, and a new house to fill with love and a family that they'd create. What more could she ever want?
Hex
Hex stormed into the Royal Bastards clubhouse, boots echoing against the concrete floor. Hurricane looked up from behind the bar, his eyebrows raised.
“Hex,” he said, seeming calm but wary. “I heard what happened to Harley, going into premature labor. Is she all right?” He looked him over again, and then quickly added, “You look like hell.”
Hex ran his hand down his face. He felt like hell, too. “Thanks for that. But you need to know why she went into labor,” he insisted. “She ran into one of the Dead Rabbits at the grocery store, of all places, today.”
“Shit,” Hurricane growled. “Is she going to be okay? Is the baby okay?”
“They are both fine,” Hex said. I’ve been with them all day, and she’s going to spend a night or two at the hospital. I need you to put one of your guys on her door. I don’t want anyone in or out of there except for me,” he demanded.
“Done,” Hurricane agreed. “What else can I do to help?”
I’ve got a lead,” Hex said. “The guy who kidnapped Harley back in Huntsville—he’s down at the docks—at the samewarehouse where we found her. We only cut off the head of the snake, man—they’ve already regrouped and are up and running again.”
Hurricane’s eyes narrowed. “You want blood, Hex?”
“No,” Hex said firmly, stopping mid-stride. “I want him caught and behind bars. I want him off the streets. But I’m not running a lynching. Harley wouldn’t let me. She’s a lot kinder than I am.” Hurricane studied him, then grinned faintly. “I like your style. Precise, not reckless. You’ve got my team at your disposal.”
“Can you handle this for me? I have to pack our shit and move into the new house that Harley bought. The moving truck is coming in the morning,” he said.
