"I’m so glad you’re here," she breathes, and I cup her face in my hand, scan her for any sign of an explanation of what is happening right now. Honestly, I don’t care what she has to tell me. I know I can handle it. I know I can handle anything that she throws my way. As long as I am here with her.
"I came as fast as I could," I assure her. "What’s been happening? Is your dad okay?"
"He’s fine," she replies nervously, and she glances away from me – I can see tears sparkling in her eyes. Are they happy ones, at seeing me again? Or something else entirely?
"Tell me," I plead with her, catching her face in my hand so that she has no choice but to look up at me. She swallows heavily and, finally, tells me what I need to know.
"Shotgun, I’m pregnant."
The world stops spinning for a moment. I am sure that I must have misheard her.
"Pregnant?" I murmur. She nods.
"Pregnant."
The word sounds... good coming out of her mouth. Like it belongs there. I plant a kiss on her forehead, trying to work out what the fuck I feel about all of this. Pregnant? Really? She’s... even as she stands in front of me right now, she’s pregnant? Carrying our child?
I slide my hand down to her waist, over her stomach, hardly able to believe that this is real. There is a cluster of cells in there, the beginnings of a baby that we made together. And it makes my heart so warm to know it.
"It’s mine?" I ask her softly. She nods.
"It’s yours," she replies. "I know that it’s so quick, but I – it feels right."
"It does," I agree, and I turn her hand over, so that I can see the shape of the tattoo that has almost completely healed by now. "Tulip," I add, and she smiles and wraps her arms around me.
"I’m so glad you’re here," she whispers, and there seems to be another word on the tip of her tongue – but before she can say it, the door to the house crashes open, and I am met with a familiarly unwelcome sight.
"Todd," I mutter, and I turn to see that crooked-ass cop storming towards me. Right behind him is the man in a wheelchair that I assume is Spring’s father – he's glaring at me like he already knows that I’m the one who got his daughter pregnant. Not exactly the way that I had planned on meeting her family, but I don’t much care. I’ll take whatever I have to right now, if it means that I can help her through this.
"You!" her father bellows at me, as he jabs his finger in the air. "You’re the one who did this to her!”
"Looks like it," I reply calmly.
Todd holds back, crossing his arms over his chest, glaring at me.
"I know your type," her father continues. He’s still got casts on a leg and arm, but it doesn’t look as though he’s going to let that stop him giving me the chewing-out of a lifetime.
"And what’s that?” I ask him. I know that he’s got every right to be mad. No reason to rile him up by trying to throw down.
"You do this with a girl and then you just vanish," he exclaims, waving his hands around wildly. "You never have anything but bad intentions for good girls like her, and if you think I’m going to let you break her heart–"
"Daddy, he drove all the way here without even knowing why," Spring tells him, wrapping her arms around my waist and gazing up at me. "You really think he’d have done that if he just wanted to forget this ever happened?" she points out.
He opens his mouth again to protest, but then closes it, seeming to understand that she has a point.
Todd looks at Spring. "Do you honestly believe that he’ll be there for you?” Todd glares at me with open disdain. "You know these men, these bikers–"
"Men of Valor, actually," I cut him off. "Not that I expect you’d know the difference between a good one and a bad one. Given that you can’t even keep yourself on the good side."
Todd’s eyes widen, and Spring has to stifle a giggle by burying her face against my chest.
"I’m not going to let you just leave her like this," her father jumps in. He sounds furious. But I get that. He’s probably still trying to wrap his head around the idea that his daughter has a life outside of his. And that it might just revolve around me.
"That baby needs a father," Todd remarks, and he steps forward. "You know I’m willing to raise it as my own."
"You should marry her," her father agrees at once. I have to laugh. These two – I swear, they’re going to have to do a hell of a lot of learning about me if they’re going to understand what kind of man I am.
"With all due respect, I don’t need anyone else to marry this woman," I tell him firmly. "I can manage that all by myself."
"You can?” Spring squeaks, and I look down at her with a big-ass smile on my face.
"I can," I promise her. "I love you, Spring. Have from the moment I set eyes on you."
"I love you, too," she breathes, and she throws her arms around me and plants a kiss on my lips. I laugh against her mouth.
"Does that mean that’s a yes to my proposal?”
"Of course it is!” she exclaims, and I sweep her off her feet and swing her around. And I know that things might not always be easy with us, but they’re right – and that’s all I care about.
Epilogue
Spring
"You look so beautiful," he murmurs
