41. Sage

Lyla walks into the room looking fucking dangerous. Shorts so short her legs are on full display and a white T-shirt that shows off a sliver of her stomach.

It's going to be impossible making it through the ceremony without fucking her in the corner of the room, and I swear she knows it.

"You look stunning, butterfly." I catch her around the waist and pull her to me.

She's still not fully healed, so I'm careful. But like the vixen she is, she jumps into my arms and wraps her legs around me.

"You look pretty good yourself." She smiles as I set her down.

Her fingers toy with the ridges of my cut, slowly trailing her fingers over the freshly designed patch in the corner.

Vice President.

Everything I thought I would be at one point in my life but gave up. I didn't realize how much I'd stopped being myself without Lyla until I had her again. Until she reminded me of the man I used to be. A man who believed in something. Who wanted to build the club up as much as he wanted to build a family.

Because that's what this place was—what it will be again.

"You sure about this?" I ask her.

She grips my cut and pulls me closer, lifting onto her toes to kiss me. "You better not change your mind now; the house is finally almost ready."

Lyla's been busy remodeling my dad's old house. She didn't want to move into Kane's—said it reminded her too much of Ellie and all the things she's lost. She said she wanted to hold onto the good. The reasons we were sticking around.

We're building something new, and it feels right with her.

"I'm not changing my mind." I run my fingers into the back of her hair and tip her face up so I can kiss her deeper.

She melts for me, and it's the sexiest thing.

This girl was made for me. She fits in my hands like she doesn't belong anywhere else. She's my strength, my weakness. She finds me when I'm lost and guides my way.

I don't know how I survived without her.

A knock at the front door has her pulling herself off me, and I groan.

"Ignore them."

"Can't." She smiles, but there's something devious in her gaze.

"What did you do?"

Lyla takes a step back, still holding my hand as she smirks at me. "Who says I did anything?"

"Everyone who has ever known you," I point out. "You're always up to something."

"And you love that about me." She winks.

I do, even though I'm certain that someday this girl is going to be the death of me.

Lyla makes her way to the front door, and when she swings it open, the entire Twisted Roses group walks through it. The shop doesn't close for another thirty minutes, but I should have known better.

Jude grins as he walks up to me, slapping my hand and pulling me in for a hug.

"You guys made it."

"You thought we'd miss this shit?" He smacks me on the chest where my vice-president patch sits. "You sure Blaze isn't smoking too much of his own stash, thinking it's a good idea to give you this."

"He probably is." I shrug.

"Figured." Jude glances me over, nodding. "But still, it feels right for you, man. I mean that. I think you'll do some good around here, and they've needed it."

"That's the plan."

Tonight is the official ceremony, but I've already been carrying my VP duties for a little over a month. It's been a disaster between losing the club to the attack and the traitors. Blaze has had to rebuild the ranks, and I'm running on barely any sleep.

From what Steel says, things aren't much better in Vegas.

But the Twisted Kings always meet a challenge when they're tested, and this is no different.

We're smaller, but stronger. And soon, we'll be a bigger force than we were before.

The only downside is that it splits my time with the shop, and that isn't going to change anytime soon. At least Mason has been stepping up and picking up the slack. He's been on his own and absolutely killing it.

At first, the team was weary about my decision, but they've slowly come around. Lyla worked her magic with her words and helped them understand I hadn't lost my mind when I decided to officially patch in.

I assured Jude, Crew, and Echo that club business won't go anywhere near the shop. Even if Blaze and I have plans to turn the Twisted Kings down more legal revenue streams instead of drug and gun trades, the tattoo parlor won't be involved.

We rebuilt Twisted Roses just as Blaze and I are going to rebuild the club now, and we'll all be better for it.

"Look at you all spiffy in your cut." Crew walks over, being a dick as usual. "Watch out patch bunnies."

I tip my head back and laugh. "Lyla would carve their fucking hearts out."

She doesn't get jealous, but if someone crosses a line, I have no doubt she'd get violent.

"That she would." Jude slaps my shoulder. "Or better yet, your balls. And I have the perfect knife I'm willing to loan her if she needs it."

"I bet she'd appreciate that."

I deserve all the crap and more. But it doesn't matter because it won't be necessary. There's only ever been one girl for me, and I'm not fucking that up again.

"You ready VP?" Lyla asks, and Jude steps aside so I can see her, with Fel and Echo standing on either side.

My jaw almost hits the floor at the sight of her because she's wearing her same sexy-as-fuck outfit, but now she has a leather jacket wrapped around her. And when she spins to show me the back, it says "Property of Sage."

I burst out laughing because she hates those patches. When we were younger, she'd rant about the fact that women aren't property. But she's wearing it for me. And even if it's probably a joke, it's fucking hot.

I grab her waist and spin her back until she's facing me. Her giggle lights up her entire face, and her purple eyes snare my soul.

"You like?" She pretends to do a little curtsy in my grasp.

"I love." I lean down and plant a kiss on her mouth.

I love everything about this girl. And even if I was going to wait until later to tell her that, I can't help myself at this moment. Lyla takes all my plans and throws them out the window. For a girl who is always reading the future, she tosses mine up in the air every time.

Breaking our kiss, I drop to my knee in front of her and take her hand.

"What are you doing?" She glances around, the smile draining from her cheeks with her shock.

Fel and Echo are on the verge of tears, but Jude and Crew don't look surprised. They know me, and this girl has had me since the moment I first kissed her eight years ago.

"I'm catching my butterfly." I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring. It's a diamond band shaped in an infinity symbol, and she smiles so big it warms her cheeks, all the way up to her eyes. "You make my life chaos in the best way. I never know what to expect with you, but it's always worth it as long as you're by my side. I can't do this without you ever again. I love you. And I need you. Please say you'll be my wife."

Her hand flies to her mouth, and her smile peeks between her fingers. She's bouncing up and down, leaving me on the ledge like I'm not going to fall off it if she doesn't answer me.

"Of course." She flies into my arms and kisses me.

She nearly topples me over, but I'm her base while she's everything that knocks me off balance.

"Yes?" I ask her between kisses.

She nods, grinning. "It's always yes, Sage."

I pick her up and the guys slap me on the back while the girls cheer and cry. But all I see is Lyla in my arms, looking up at me with her beautiful violet eyes.

"I can't believe you did this." She looks down as I slip the band on her finger.

"Had to. Tonight Blaze makes it official, so it was only fitting." I pull her close. "First order of business, locking down my old lady."

"You did not just call me that."

I grab her jaw. "It's what you are now, butterfly. Whether you like it or not."

"Only for you." She glares at me.

A win is a win.

"I'm fine with that."

She looks at the ring again and then glances up at me, reaching for a kiss. And I give her all of me, the parts only she owns. Her jacket might say she's mine, but that's only because she knows that I'm hers.

Destiny.