"How do I look?" Gabby questions, spinning in her dress.
"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful," I answer, running my eyes up and down her body.
She's wearing a satin, rust-colored dress with nude heels that tie at her ankle. The best part of her outfit is the sapphire engagement ring that sits on her finger for everyone to see. It makes me feel so good to see it on her.
It's like my whole life I was searching for that person to want me exactly as I am, and I found her. I found my person, and I'm so grateful. I want to show her off. I want everyone to know that I've found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.
And I finally get to do that tonight. Everyone finally gets to know that she wants to marry me. That she chose me.
I rest my hand on her hip, feeling the satin of her dress underneath my fingertips.
"What are they going to say?" she asks me, playing with my dress shirt.
"Poison might pass out."
She giggles but doesn't fight the accusation.
"Is it bad that I'm nervous about this? I don't want anyone to be hurt we didn't tell them right away," I acknowledge, knowing that talking to Gabby will make me feel better about it.
I'm not normally one to be worried about what other people think of the decision I make, but this is new for me. I'm sure they would have wanted to be at the engagement. I know they would have wanted to know that we got engaged the minute that we did, but we both wanted to tell them in person.
We've also had many opportunities to tell them these past two days but decided not to until we were all in a big group, so we didn't have to repeat the story twenty times over. I don't want to make anyone feel bad over it.
Weddings are political. People get weird about them. They get mad when they aren't invited to certain things or aren't sitting at a certain table. I don't want to start that environment merely but waiting to tell them about our engagement.
It would be very unlike the Devil's Rose MC group to feel that way, but weddings do make a lot of people weird the fuck out. And while I know that it's about Gabby and me, they are affected by the choices that we make.
I don't want anyone to feel left out. That was never our intention. It just sort of happened, and it felt like the right moment. I'm slightly worried.
"Roman, I understand where you are coming from. Weddings make people do weird shit and feel weird and left out when they shouldn't. However, are we really going to apply those political wedding ideas to the Devil's Rose MC? I mean, honestly.
"Poison and Dakota almost went to Vegas to elope without telling anyone, and everyone was happy for them. This isn't your normal group of people. We got engaged after two months of dating. Rules don't apply here."
"You're right. I know you are. But we are all sensitive to shit. I don't want to be the one to hurt people."
"They know you're intentions though. They know that about you, and that's what counts. Your intention isn't to hurt anyone, so they aren't going to feel hurt. If you tell them the story of how it happened, no one is going to be hurt.
"Even if you don't tell them, which I don't know why you wouldn't, they wouldn't be hurt then either. You aren't setting the intention to harm anyone, so it's less likely anyone is going to be hurt by the decisions we both made. And if they are, they can fuck off because this is our engagement, not theirs."
"But I care about these people."
"Realistically, everyone is just going to want the story and know that we're engaged. These people care for you and support the decisions you make, they don't care about being petty."
"You're right. You're right. I'm nervous though."
"Are you nervous about what they might think or are you nervous because you know that they are going to be all in our business? Because I'm nervous about the questions I'm going to get, not the pettiness we are not going to receive."
I sit with that for a second. She may have a point. She does have a point. I worry that they are going to question me about me holding back information because I don't normally do that.
To answer that question, I have to be vulnerable. I didn't tell them because I wanted to hold that precious moment to myself a little longer. I wanted the feelings I felt to be mine still. I wasn't ready to tell anyone what that moment meant to me.
"You saying yes to my proposal made me feel so fucking good, Gabriella. I want to keep that to myself."
"Those feelings will forever belong to you, Roman. Telling people those feelings doesn't make them any less yours."
I draw her into a comforting hug, cradling her head to my chest.
"I love you, Roman."
"I love you, Gabriella."
She takes one more look in the mirror, making sure her hair looks good and her makeup isn't smeared by me making out with her ten times while she was getting ready. I slap her ass as she struts to my car.
We aren't taking the motorcycle because she doesn't want to mess up her hair, and the grease from the engine will get on the bottom of her dress. I firmly disagree with both of those statements, she looks fucking gorgeous with helmet hair and grease on her dress, but I'm not the boss around here.
The drive to Rosebury Park is short and doesn't take more than twenty minutes. All it is is a playground for kids with a community garden. It's practically a huge field of grass with playground structures on it and picnic tables.
The community uses it for a ton of different reasons, most recently handing out bags of fresh vegetables to the homeless that have started arriving in the area. I fucking love Westmoor. I could never leave here.
After parking the car, I glance at Gabby who's fiddling with her engagement ring, a smile on her face.
"It's pretty crazy, isn't it?"
"What?" she asks, turning to me.
"That we somehow found each other in this life. There are millions upon millions of people on this planet. Humans have been on this planet for generations upon generations. And somehow, in the middle of it, we found each other."
"Aren't you the romantic?" she mumbles, blushing furiously.
"With you? Always."
"Marry me, Roman."
"I think I already proposed, little dove."
"I wanna propose to you."
"Ask again then."
"Marry me please?"
I lay a light kiss on her lips, nipping her bottom lip.
"Yes, I'll marry you, Gabriella."
Some of the Devil's Rose MC is already gathered when we make our way into the group. Poison is the first to notice to ring on Gabby's finger, and while he doesn't faint (goddamn, I wish he did), he freaks out. He starts sobbing.
He tugs us both into a tight hug, and everyone gathers around us, wishing us all the happiness in the world and asking if we've started making any plans yet. Gabby gives me that look, the look that tells me that I had nothing to be worried about.
No one even gives a shit about not being there. All they want to know is the story. Of course Gabby was right. I never need to worry when I'm around these people. They care for me and support me against all odds.
Alpha slaps me on the back, congratulating me.
"I'm happy for you, Carbon."
"Thank you. We couldn't be more excited."
"You asked me when I knew about Persephone. When did you know?"
"The night we all went to the bar. She calmed me down and made me feel safe. No woman has ever made me feel that way. That's when I knew."
Slasher and Kate come up to me, joining our conversation.
"So, I think the reason you're engaged right now is because of me," Kate teases boastfully.
"Actually, I think it was the sex in the bathroom," Slasher nags.
"I think it was me, Slasher, fuck off," Kate hisses at Slasher.
I don't know why they have this relationship, but they do. They fight like brother and sister.
"Alright, alright, you two," Bear steps in, tugging Kate in his hold.
My eyes go searching out for Gabby, but I feel her hand on my waist, and I know she's already there. Fuck, she's always there. I fucking love it. I love every single thing about her. I don't feel lost when she's around. She starts talking with the people around me, letting me pull her in front of me and into my embrace.
She lays a hand on my tattooed arm and holds me to her. I can't remember my life before her. I can't remember who I was before her. I wasn't a jackass though. At least not that much of one. When I can, I pull her away from the crowd of people we love for a brief moment.
"Wanna elope to Vegas right now?"
"No, I don't, Roman. I want to have an actual wedding."
"Okay, I was just making sure."
She kisses my cheek and squeezes my hand.
"I'm so glad that I ended up in your office."
"I can't believe that was a life-defining night for you."
"Oh, please. It was life-defining for you."
"Hell yeah, it was, little dove. Hell yeah," I confirm, pressing a searing hot kiss to her lips.
She's life-defining. She's everything. And I get to spend my life with her. Fuck yeah.
This is the end! Thank you so much for reading! Look out on my profile for the next one :)
Love y'all,
Dustybooks16