Chapter 18

Chapter 18ForgeMy Bella had been feeling like her old self for a couple of weeks after her long recovery from her injuries. She was back to hiking with me, practicing shooting, and had even joined Crystal’s community theater. She’d bought a convertible, since it wasn’t always practical to have her on the back of my bike. She’d been delighted with the sleek, black sports car and loved to ride up and down the coastline with the top down. She’d insisted on getting it from one of the local used car lots, I guess with having such an uncertain past she was still being careful with money and wasn’t in a rush to spend the thirty thousand dollars she’d inherited before her abduction—the contents of Lombardo’s hotel room safe.She threw the last of her things into her suitcase and snapped the top closed. “You sure you don’t want to tell me where we’re going?”I slipped my hand into my pocket to touch the small velvet ring box hiding there. “It’s a surprise. If I told you, it would take all the fun out of the weekend.”She nodded and said, “Lead the way, handsome. I’m all in.”I squeezed my bulky form behind the wheel and waited for her to buckle her seatbelt before pulling out of the parking lot. We chatted and listened to music as I drove to LA. Somewhere along the way, she realized where we were going.“Promise me you’re not taking me to the Trip Easy. That place has too many bad memories for me.”I shook my head, bewildered that she would think for one single second that I’d take her back to where she’d been held prisoner. “You know I’d never do something so reprehensible and call it a surprise. I’m taking you somewhere I know you’ve been wanting to go.”She burst out crying when I pulled into the Heavenly Hills cemetery. I’d contacted them ahead of time to get a map and directions to her grandmother’s grave. When we got out of the car, she had managed to get her tears under control. Until I pulled a bunch of fresh flowers out of the trunk for her grandmother. Then the waterworks started again. Although I had no family, I understood the bittersweet feelings she must be experiencing.We kneeled at her grandmother’s grave, and I began clearing off the leaves to make it nice and clean. We laid the flowers down near the headstone and I ran my fingers reverently over the name carved into the headstone, Genevieve Martinez. It was such a pretty name, much like Bella’s name.I asked, “Is there anything you want to say to your grandma that you didn’t get to say before she died?”Bella nodded and began speaking to her grandmother, thanking her for always taking such good care of her and telling her she was sorry she hadn’t been able to spend more time with her at the nursing home. She told her that she hoped she’d found peace and happiness in heaven.I just stood there and listened because I strongly felt like she needed this in order to stop feeling such guilt about her grandmother’s passing. We stayed for nearly an hour before leaving to check into the luxury hotel I booked for us. Bella was quiet during the ride, and I gave her the time she needed to work through her feelings. I wanted her to put that behind her before I moved on to the next important reason for this trip.***Once we had changed into dress clothing and were seated at the table I reserved at a five-star restaurant, I reached out to hold hands with her. “You’ve been pretty quiet. If you want to talk about anything, I’d love to listen.”She sighed. “Visiting her grave healed something in my heart. I feel that I can move on with my life, carrying all the life lessons she taught me.”“I think she’d be so proud of you, my Bella. I know I am.”Her lips curved up into a bright, genuine smile that seemed to come from deep inside. “This was a really good idea, Forge. Thank you for bringing me here.”The waiter stopped by our table and set down two glasses of Dom Pérignon Rose, which I remembered as being one of her favorites from the club. Her eyes lit up and she twirled the stem of the glass in her fingers. We gave our orders, and when the waiter left, she said shyly, “You don’t have to take me to expensive restaurants and buy me champagne to get on my good side. I adore you already. You know that I do.”“Sure I do. Tonight is a special evening, though. The night men are supposed to go all out for the woman they love.”She took a sip of her champagne and gave a happy sigh. While we were waiting for our food, we chatted about all the other activities I had planned for our weekend. Bella took another mouthful of the champagne. While she had the glass to her lips, I placed the box with the ring on the table in front of her.She set the glass back down on the table and her eyes widened. “What’s this?”“A special gift meant to cement the beginning of our life together, open it,” I replied.She opened the red velvet box and slid the ring out. “Oh my god, Forge.”“This is what tonight’s about, me asking you to become my wife. I know we’ve only known each other a few months, but when you know, you know.”She nodded as she slid the ring on her finger. “You had this made just for me, didn’t you?”“Of course. You deserve the very best. I had them add little gold musical notes to each side in honor of the beautiful music you make.”“It’s absolutely gorgeous. I love it almost as much as I love you.”Every single time she said those words my heart swelled a little larger, filled with even more love for her. “So, is that a yes?”She nodded enthusiastically. “Of course it is. I can’t imagine ever loving anyone as much as I love you.”“I’ll remind you of that in a few years when we have our first child.”She laughed, love for me stamped over every square inch of her face. I was once a shiftless drifter with no goals or plan for my life. Being accepted as a prospect for the Dark Slayers MC had changed all that. Now I had a brotherhood, a good job, and a fiancée who adored me. It felt like getting every single thing I’d ever wanted. Next, we’d be picking out a home together because there was no way I was taking my wife back to my bachelor pad at the clubhouse. We would live and love and out of that would come children. Tiny happy beings that she would nurture, and I would protect. Our kids would play with those of my club brothers and my Bella would form fast friendships with the other wives. This was the future I was never brave enough to dream of. This was my own personal happily ever after and I knew better than to take any part of my life for granted.