24. Cage

24

CAGE

T hree weeks later…

“ T hanks for your help. I owe you guys.”

Theo adjusts one of the stuffies on the bookshelf. “Doing this reminds me of when we did Rowie’s playroom. How happy she was. How safe it made her feel. I hope Ember loves this room just as much.”

She will. If I’ve learned anything about my girl, it’s that she’s so fucking grateful for everything my brothers or I do for her. I guess when you’ve never had anyone go the extra mile for you, it makes it pretty special when people do.

“It’s perfect,” Cassian adds.

My heart swells, and once again, I find myself wanting to tell my brothers what they mean to me. Maybe Ember is turning me soft.

“I love you guys.”

Rylan smirks. “Getting told you love me twice in a month. It’s like I’ve won the lottery.”

Narrowing my gaze, I flip him the bird. He’s still been a total pain in the ass. Ember has declared him the mean uncle ever since he swatted her bottom, which makes me feel better. It’s adorable watching him try to make nice with her, bribing her with candy and treats. Rylan is used to being loved by everyone, so this has been a humbling experience for him that my girl isn’t putty in his hands.

Ghost grins. “Love you too, man. We’re happy for you. Deke would be happy for you, too.”

I nod, a lump forming in my throat. “I wish he could’ve met her.”

Theo grins. “He would have fucking loved her. She would have had him wrapped around her pinky in a heartbeat.”

It’s true. Deke was the toughest guy I’ve ever known, but when it came to his Little girl or Rowie, he was absolute goo for them.

“Ember would have liked him too,” I reply. “I wish I could thank him for saving me because if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found her.”

Gunner pats my shoulder. “He knew how thankful we all were that he saved us.”

He’s right. We always made sure he knew how appreciative we were. Maybe it’s why we trained so hard for him. Most of us had never made anyone proud in our lives until we met Deke Black. After he recruited us, there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t tell us in some way or another how proud he was of the men we became.

“I forgot to ask you.” Cassian turns to me. “Did you do anything with those names I got you?”

Satisfaction spreads through me as I nod. “Sure did. By now, their lives should be well-ruined. One found out her husband’s been cheating on her… with men. Another is now completely broke and being chased down by the IRS. Another had a little accident happen while she was at the salon and is now bald. And the last one just had her house condemned and has no place to go.”

Ghost scowls. “With what those girls did to Ember, they deserve so much worse.”

I grin. “This is just the beginning of their bad luck. I suspect they’ll be hating life for the next twenty years or so. I’ll let them start to get back on their feet before I slip the rug out from under them again. I figure they need to be punished for the same length of time that my girl has had to suffer because of their cruelty.”

“Good. I hope they know how lucky they are that you’re allowing them to continue breathing,” Cassian says.

“Yeah, well, my girl asked me not to kill them, and I’m starting to learn I’ll pretty much do whatever she asks.”

Rylan snorts. “We hadn’t noticed.”

“Fuck off,” I say, grinning. “I should go get Ember to show her the room before everyone arrives.”

Theo laughs. “And you think you’re going to be able to tear her away from here once she sees it? Good luck with that.”

He’s right. I can’t wait until tonight for her to see it, though. We’ve been working on her playroom for weeks. It’s been torture not showing her.

“Guess she’ll come to dinner with a red bottom if she decides to have a tantrum about leaving it,” I reply as I stride out of the room to search for my girl in the main house.

Giggling leads me toward one of the living rooms. As soon as I turn the corner, I come to a halt. Both Ember and Rowie are on their knees, coloring at the coffee table. At least they appear to be coloring, but what they’re actually doing is trying to cover their laughing while continually pointing at Jasper, who is leaning back on the couch, fast asleep. With a smile drawn on his face in black marker.

“Girls,” I scold softly.

Both of them gasp, their eyes wide as they look up at me standing in the doorway.

“Hi, Daddy,” Ember says sweetly.

I raise an eyebrow at her, then Rowie. “What did you brats do to Jasper?”

Ember glances up at my brother and giggles softly. “We just wanted to make sure he woke up with a smile, Daddy. He’s been so tired and grumpy lately.”

Rowie bobs her head in agreement, looking quite proud of herself.

Putting my hands on my hips, I let out a slow exhale. It’s taking every bit of Daddy strength not to laugh right now because, honestly, what they did is fucking hilarious.

“You two are going to be in trouble when he wakes up and sees what you did. You’re not even supposed to use markers without supervision.”

Rowie holds up her hands and shrugs. “It’s not our fault our supervisor fell asleep.”

I glare at Rowie. “You know how much he struggles to sleep. Obviously, he felt safe to close his eyes with the two of you.”

“Yeah, but he looks so happy right now,” Ember replies.

Jesus. These two together are trouble with a capital T.

“You’re both going to lose some Good Girl Points for this. Don’t come whining to me when that happens.”

Rowie and Ember look at each other and then back at me.

“We already discussed that before we did it and decided it would be worth it,” Rowie tells me.

Ember nods, grinning proudly.

Unable to mask it any longer, a slow smile spreads as I look at my brother again. Poor Jasper. He’s never going to sleep again.

I hold out my hand to Ember. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

She comes to me without hesitation, and when she slides her fingers into my palm, I’m whole again.

“Can I come, too?” Rowie pipes up, her gaze hopeful.

“Yes, brat. Let’s go.”

Jumping to her feet, she runs to us and takes Ember’s hand and I think my heart just exploded. These two have been inseparable since I brought Ember home from DC. It’s the sweetest thing ever. Not only has Ember learned to trust someone besides me, but Rowie is smiling so much more. It makes me feel shitty that I didn’t realize she was lonely before. I probably need to talk to her about it and apologize. I should have picked up on it.

Both girls skip next to me, talking about all sorts of random things that pop into their Little minds. My baby girl is finding out just how much she loves being in this headspace. Seeing her blossom so much in these past few weeks has been the best thing I could have ever imagined.

She hasn’t asked about her father once. Unless she does, I’ll never speak about his existence around her. It will take time for her to fully know that she deserves so much more. And I’m going to give her everything.

“Where are we going? I thought your friends were coming over for a barbecue?” Ember looks up at me with confusion.

“They are. We’re just going home for a few minutes, then we’ll go back to the main house,” I reply.

Ember’s cheeks turn rosy. “Daddy, I don’t think we should have brought Rowie with us if you want to sneak in a quickie before they come.”

Jesus.

This woman. She is so sassy and quick witted. I love it. She’s so damn perfect for me.

“Ember Elizabeth.”

Both girls giggle and start skipping ahead of me. Sometimes, I feel a little ganged up on by those two. I’m not quite sure what I think about that yet.

My brothers, who helped with the room, are in the kitchen when we enter. They are about as excited as I am right now. Since my girl is still learning about what her Little likes, I had a hard time choosing a theme for her room. We ended up going with something simple for now so it will be easy to add to or change later on.

“What are they doing here?” Rowie asks, looking a bit nervous.

“Why do you look like you did something naughty, Row?” Theo demands with an arched brow.

Rowie gasps. “I didn’t do anything!”

I tug on one of her pigtails. “Really? You want to stick with that story because it won’t be long before the entire family knows what you did.”

She shrugs. “Yeah, and they’re going to think it’s hilarious.”

Shaking my head, I point a finger at them both. “You both better hope it was a washable marker.”

The girls glance at each other. It doesn’t take a mind reader to know that they definitely used a permanent marker. As a Daddy, I should probably punish them, but as Jasper’s brother, I can’t fucking wait to witness this show.

“Follow me.” I lead them toward my office. Instead of going to that door, I go to the one right across the hall.

“We can make changes, but I wanted to create a special space for you.”

As soon as they step into the room, they gasp and slowly turn around in circles.

“This is the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen,” Ember whispers, her eyes filling with tears. “You did this for me?”

“Yeah, firefly. Just for you,” I reply softly. “They helped too.”

She looks at my brothers and then back at me, her bottom lip trembling. “I love it.”

I hold out my arms, and she comes running, hugging me tightly. “I’m so glad. Go explore. We have a few minutes before we need to go.”

Both Ember and Rowie walk around, touching just about everything. When Ember gets to the day bed, which has a safety rail on both sides, she blushes. I figured it would be perfect to make her feel extra Little during her naptimes.

“I love the twinkle lights. They remind me of fireflies.” Rowie stares up at the wire lights strung from the ceiling.

“They do!” Ember squeals. “I love the pastel-purple walls. They’re so soft and calming. Everything in here is so perfect, Daddy. Thank you. All of you. This means so much.”

She goes to each of my brothers and gives them a hug. I barely resist the urge to growl at each one of them as they wrap their arms around her.

When she gets to Rylan, he almost looks nervous. “Does this mean you forgive me for spanking you?”

She tilts her head back to look up at him and smiles. “Yeah. I suppose so.”

He lets out a relieved breath and pulls her in for a tight squeeze. “Love you, Little one.”

“Love you too, Ry,” she says right before I pull her away from him.

Theo pulls out his phone and looks at it quickly and then tucks it back in his pocket. “We better go. Declan and the rest of them just pulled up at the gates.”

“ R emind me why I haven’t hired you guys for my personal security?” Declan asks when he gets out of his SUV. “It’s like a fucking fortress here. Nice, though. No city noise.”

Ember practically clings to me as several of Declan’s men and their women get out of a line of cars.

“They’re so pretty,” she whispers.

“So are you, firefly,” I say gently, stroking her back. “The most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

She gleams up at me. “Will they think I’m weird because I have a bow in my hair? Maybe I should take it out.”

I grab her wrist before she can pull it out, then point toward one of the women. “She has a huge bow in her hair, too. They’re not going to think you’re weird. I promise these women are kind. They don’t play as young as you, but they are still Little.”

Ember raises her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yeah, baby. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Cali, Paisley, and the other women are loud and excited as they all meet one another. It takes barely any time before Rowie and Ember are talking and laughing right along with them.

“Let’s go inside and have drinks,” I offer, motioning toward the house.

“Damn, dude, I kind of thought you’d live in an underground bunker or something. It’s beautiful out here,” Kieran says as he walks inside.

I chuckle. I also don’t tell him that I do, in fact, have an underground bunker here. It’s a bit odd having guests here. We’ve just never done it. The Ranch is the one place we’ve always kept sacred because it’s the first place most of us have ever called home. I used to think I’d never trust anyone but my brothers, but I trust Declan and his men. They might be in the mafia, but they are good people.

My hands start to sweat a little as I pass out drinks. Why do I feel like I could vomit? Is this what feeling nervous is like?

As I give drinks out, Jasper comes strolling into the living room. Apparently, he hasn’t visited the bathroom since he woke up.

Almost everyone does a double-take while Rowie and Ember burst out laughing, followed by the rest of the women.

“What the fuck happened to your face?” Declan asks him.

Jasper scowls at him. “What the fuck happened to yours?”

Cali snorts and doubles over; she’s laughing so hard. There are very few men who would ever talk to Declan that way. It’s pretty fucking comical watching his face morph into surprise.

“Nice to see you in a good mood,” Theo says to Jasper. “It’s about time you smiled.”

“Oh my God. This is the best thing ever,” Paisley says breathlessly.

Kieran glares at her. “Don’t get any ideas, brat.”

She sticks her tongue out at him.

“What are you staring at me for?” Jasper demands.

I go to him and slap him on the shoulder. “You should probably go look in a mirror.”

He disappears, and a second later, he storms back into the room, pointing at Rowie. “You brat.”

Rowie grins, not looking the least bit sorry.

“It was actually both of them,” I tell him.

Ember’s jaw drops. “Daddy! Tattletale.”

Jasper glares at them. “You’re both in trouble. I’m taking away Good Girl Points for both of you. Ten points each.”

“They used permanent marker,” I add.

“Daddy!” Ember hisses.

Cage!” Rowie says at the same time.

Jasper’s gaze turns dark as he slowly approaches Ember and Rowie. “Fifty points each. And you’re both helping me get this off my face.”

“Fifty points!” they both cry out.

“Yes. Fifty. Now, unless you want me to take away more, come help me wash this off.”

Ember sighs, and Rowie mutters under her breath, but they follow him from the room.

“Are you ready?” Theo asks me.

Declan furrows his brows. “Ready for what?”

Theo grins. “You’ll see.”

“Our girls are here,” Declan growls. “If you do anything stupid or dangerous with them here, I’ll kill you.”

I shake my head and grin. “Paranoid much? Jesus. Calm down. It’s a good thing. You’re an ordained minister, though, right?”

“It depends. Will she be getting married against her will? Because if the answer is yes, my answer is no,” Declan replies.

My stomach twists, and that ill-feeling comes again. “I guess we’ll know shortly.”

He rolls his eyes, and I slap him on the back, chuckling.

The girls return with Jasper, who still has a faint smile drawn on his face. He doesn’t look amused. Oh, well. Better him than me.

Ember’s gaze lands on me first, and the rest of the room disappears as I stare at her. All my nerves disappear. All I can think about is how much I can’t wait to marry her.

“Baby girl,” I say as I start walking toward her. “I have something I want to ask you.”

She draws her eyebrows together, confused. When I pull a small box from my pocket and lower onto one knee, she gasps softly.

“I know it’s only been a few weeks since we met, but I’ve never been more sure about anything. Before you came into my life, I was existing, but I wasn’t truly living. You’ve become the oxygen I need to breathe. I know I’m not easy, and you also have to deal with my pain-in-the-ass brothers, but I want to spend the rest of my days making you happy, giving you the love you deserve so much, and having the honor of being your Daddy. It’s a big question, and I’ll only allow one answer.”

Ember laughs softly, tears dripping down her cheeks.

“Will you marry me, baby?”

She nods and throws herself at me, nearly knocking me onto my ass.

“Yes,” she cries, letting out a sob.

The room erupts into shouts and congratulations. It’s all background noise, though, as I lean in and lower my mouth to hers. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me back. That one word completes me. My brothers and Rowie mean everything to me, but there are only two people in the world who have truly changed my life with one simple word. Deke. And Ember.

“I love you, firefly,” I murmur on her lips.

She sniffles and cups my face between her delicate hands. “I love you too, Daddy.”

We finally pull away and everyone surrounds us while I slip the ring onto her finger.

Ember smiles up at me, “It’s beautiful.”

I rise and hug a bunch of my brothers as they congratulate me.

“Where’s Declan?” I ask, trying to find him in the small crowd of my friends and family.

“I’m right here,” he answers.

Taking Ember’s hand, I pull her over and nod toward Declan. “Good. Marry us now.”

Ember gasps and snaps her head to look at me. “What?”

I motion toward Declan, not sure what she’s so confused about. “He’s ordained. He can marry us right now.”

She opens her mouth and then closes it. She repeats this several times. Finally, she says, “We need a license, though. Don’t we?”

“No. I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me you’re my wife. Though we will apply for a name change. Remember who you’re marrying, baby. I don’t exist on any database.

We stare at each other, and ever so slowly, the corners of her mouth stretch wide.

“You’re crazy,” she whispers.

I glance around the room and then back down at her, grinning. “Yeah, baby. So, are we doing this?”

She squeezes my hand. “Yeah, Daddy. Let’s get married!”