surreptitious way toward the bar, hiding behind a white lattice that Chloe totally blended into with her wedding dress. Not so much Mia, in her forest green. In fact, with the lights flashing on the other side of the lattice, she probably looked like a Christmas tree.
But the guys were paying them no attention at all.
“You know she’s only twenty-two,” Ford was saying to Nick.
Mia opened her mouth at this because she was twenty- three , dammit. Or at least she would be next month. But Chloe squeezed her hand to keep her quiet.
“Yes,” Nick said. “She’s twenty-two. A grown-up. Listen, I get that you’re her family and you’re all very protective of her, but she kicks ass at life. You can trust her to make her own decisions.”
“She hasn’t decided on you yet,” Sawyer pointed out smoothly. Calmly. Eyes steady. He wasn’t wearing a gun on his hip today, not with his tux, but Mia would bet he had one hidden on him somewhere.
Chloe rolled her eyes at her new husband and muttered something about him being the sexiest stubborn ass she’d ever met.
“I realize she hasn’t chosen me,” Nick said. “But I’m still going to be here for her.”
“Even if she dumps you?” Jax asked.
“Yeah.”
“That’s quite a promise.”
“It’s a fact,” Nick said.
Chloe sighed dreamily.
Mia did the same. And her heart melted into a puddle of love that swelled against her rib cage.
“We weren’t always here for her,” Ford said quietly. “So we’re a little overprotective. I won’t apologize for that. But she’s everything to me, and I’m not a complete idiot. I can see that you’re everything to her. All I want is for her to be someone’s everything.”
“Done,” Nick said without hesitation. “And maybe you weren’t always a part of her life, but you gave her life. A great life. And she’s made the most of it. She’s really amazing.”
Chloe sighed again.
Mia didn’t have breath left in her lungs to sigh. Pulling free of Chloe, she walked around the lattice, eyes only on Nick.
Some things take time , Chloe had said. And that was true. It’d taken her seventeen years to get to meet her birth parents and find this great big family waiting to embrace her.
And six months to give her heart to Nick.
He’d come here for her. He’d picked her.
She walked right up to him and into his arms, which closed hard around her. “Mia,” he breathed into her hair, burying his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. Taking comfort, she realized. It wasn’t something he’d ever done before, actively sought comfort from her. She whispered his name and hugged him to her, aware that everyone had moved off to give them some privacy.
He pulled back enough to shove his hand into his pocket and come out with a small black box.
Her heart stopped. She pulled it open and stared down at the delicate white gold promise ring that was two ribbons woven together leading to a knot lined with tiny sapphires.
Her birthstone.
“It’s after midnight,” he said softly. “Merry Christmas.”
“We weren’t going to give each other a present,” she said just as softly, mirroring his words back to her from a few days ago as she ran a reverent finger over the beautiful ring.
“Then it’s just a present present,” he said, a smile in his voice. “A promise for the future. Our future.”
“Oh Nick,” she breathed, slipping the ring on, so happy she could scarcely contain herself. “I wasn’t sure you wanted a future.”
“I do, very much. I think about my life before you came into it, Mia. It sucked.” He met her gaze. “I need you. I want you to know that. I should have told you sooner, but I thought that made me weak. I was wrong about that. You’re the only thing I care about. You’re the only thing that matters to me. I turned down the job—”
“Nick,” she gasped. “No. You—”
“I took a different one, with the same company. Still restorative justice, but I’ll be staying within the
But the guys were paying them no attention at all.
“You know she’s only twenty-two,” Ford was saying to Nick.
Mia opened her mouth at this because she was twenty- three , dammit. Or at least she would be next month. But Chloe squeezed her hand to keep her quiet.
“Yes,” Nick said. “She’s twenty-two. A grown-up. Listen, I get that you’re her family and you’re all very protective of her, but she kicks ass at life. You can trust her to make her own decisions.”
“She hasn’t decided on you yet,” Sawyer pointed out smoothly. Calmly. Eyes steady. He wasn’t wearing a gun on his hip today, not with his tux, but Mia would bet he had one hidden on him somewhere.
Chloe rolled her eyes at her new husband and muttered something about him being the sexiest stubborn ass she’d ever met.
“I realize she hasn’t chosen me,” Nick said. “But I’m still going to be here for her.”
“Even if she dumps you?” Jax asked.
“Yeah.”
“That’s quite a promise.”
“It’s a fact,” Nick said.
Chloe sighed dreamily.
Mia did the same. And her heart melted into a puddle of love that swelled against her rib cage.
“We weren’t always here for her,” Ford said quietly. “So we’re a little overprotective. I won’t apologize for that. But she’s everything to me, and I’m not a complete idiot. I can see that you’re everything to her. All I want is for her to be someone’s everything.”
“Done,” Nick said without hesitation. “And maybe you weren’t always a part of her life, but you gave her life. A great life. And she’s made the most of it. She’s really amazing.”
Chloe sighed again.
Mia didn’t have breath left in her lungs to sigh. Pulling free of Chloe, she walked around the lattice, eyes only on Nick.
Some things take time , Chloe had said. And that was true. It’d taken her seventeen years to get to meet her birth parents and find this great big family waiting to embrace her.
And six months to give her heart to Nick.
He’d come here for her. He’d picked her.
She walked right up to him and into his arms, which closed hard around her. “Mia,” he breathed into her hair, burying his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. Taking comfort, she realized. It wasn’t something he’d ever done before, actively sought comfort from her. She whispered his name and hugged him to her, aware that everyone had moved off to give them some privacy.
He pulled back enough to shove his hand into his pocket and come out with a small black box.
Her heart stopped. She pulled it open and stared down at the delicate white gold promise ring that was two ribbons woven together leading to a knot lined with tiny sapphires.
Her birthstone.
“It’s after midnight,” he said softly. “Merry Christmas.”
“We weren’t going to give each other a present,” she said just as softly, mirroring his words back to her from a few days ago as she ran a reverent finger over the beautiful ring.
“Then it’s just a present present,” he said, a smile in his voice. “A promise for the future. Our future.”
“Oh Nick,” she breathed, slipping the ring on, so happy she could scarcely contain herself. “I wasn’t sure you wanted a future.”
“I do, very much. I think about my life before you came into it, Mia. It sucked.” He met her gaze. “I need you. I want you to know that. I should have told you sooner, but I thought that made me weak. I was wrong about that. You’re the only thing I care about. You’re the only thing that matters to me. I turned down the job—”
“Nick,” she gasped. “No. You—”
“I took a different one, with the same company. Still restorative justice, but I’ll be staying within the
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