Page 29 of Redemption

The thought that Colt would withhold money from Lex to take care of the kids doesn’t sound like him. Even if his pride stands in the way of his marriage, he’d never let his kids go without.

“He probably would, but I need to break free. The less I depend on him, the better my chance of moving on. You know, in like thirty years, but still.”

“What are you going to be doing?”

“Uh, that’s a good question. Mostly administrative things, but I might have to go to conferences with them to help coordinate things. Keep track of their networking and field inquiries. I’m not entirely sure what all of that entails, but I’m sure I can figure it out.”

He nods. She’s smart enough to learn quickly. “I’m sure you can, too.”

“How’s our girl?”

He smiles, feeling guilty considering the current state of her relationship. “She’s good.”

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Look like you can’t be happy because I’m not. No matter what happens with Colt and me, I’m happy for you two. If you remember, I kind of fought for you to be together, so…”

Letting out a deep breath, he looks at the ground. “I’ve been thinking.”

She waits a beat before saying, “Buying a monster truck?”

“What?”

“I don’t know. But you stopped, so I thought I’d finish the thought. A monster truck would be cool, though. Noah would be your best friend.”

He laughs. There’s a little bit of the woman he remembers still in there. “I’ve been thinking about proposing.”

Blinking, her jaw drops. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I’ve got a ring picked out and everything, but I haven’t put the deposit down. I wanted to get your opinion first.”

“Have you talked to Diesel and Ky about this already?”

He laughs again. She has jokes today. “Yeah, not even close.”

“You know you have to, right?”

“What? Why?”

Tilting her head, she cocks out her hip and crosses her arms over her chest. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. Are you saying I need to get their permission first?”

“You needed their permission to date her!” she exclaims, her hands in the air. “You don’t think you need to get their sign off before you ask her to be your wife?”

“No, I don’t. They’re close, but our relationship has proven to be a non-issue when it comes to the club. Why should marrying her be different?”

The look she gives him makes him feel like the ornery child in elementary school the teacher finds exasperating. “Dude.”

“Dudette.” Yes, he’s five and mocking her. But she can’t be serious. Not after how hard Ashley fights the club life.

“Ashley wasn’t going to date you until they gave the green light. She’s not going to accept a ring and marry you if they don’t give their blessing. As much as you may not believe it’s necessary, she does.”

He stares at her. She’s serious. “Do you think they’ll say no?”

“If you ask her without talking to them first, yeah, I do. It’s a sign of disrespect considering your position at the moment. As much as she loves you, she has a loyalty that you’ll never understand. Hell, I don’t always understand it, and I live it.”

---