The Biker's Fate Chapter 534

Tate

"I'm really happy that you and Flash have worked things out, darling," Maisie said.

Flash and his dad were still talking, which meant I'd had time to finish eating and help Maisie with the bulk of the dishes. I smiled, holding my coffee mug with both hands to warm them. "Me too, Maisie. I just wish I hadn't jumped to conclusions."

"Been there, done that."

"Really?"

She chuckled. "Absolutely. I wasn't very nice to Hatch when we first met."

"You weren't? What happened?" I asked, then added, "If you don't mind me asking."

"My car broke down right after my hair appointment. Luckily, it happened very close to a mechanic's shop where Hatch was delivering parts. Hatch got me started again and I went on my way. I thought I'd never see him again but ran into him when I took Poppy to one of Cassidy's ballet classes."

"Cassidy Quinn?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Wow."

"Yes. He joined me and Poppy for pizza after the class and I was so freaked out, I ghosted him. But fate's a strange thing, and when I was involved in a bad car accident, he once again came to my rescue. Poppy decided we should keep him, and the rest is history."

I grinned. "He's pretty awesome."

"He is that," she agreed. "But this life is… well, a lot to get used to, and it can be overwhelming."

I bit my lip and nodded. "It's not so much about the life," I admitted. "I mean, Flash has always shown me nothing but respect, and I know that's because of how you and Hatch raised him. So, thank you for that."

"You're welcome, love. Just know that there will be times when the club comes first, and that's not easy to cope with. You have support, so be sure to reach out, okay?"

"I will, Maisie," I promised. "Thank you."

"Why does she need support?" Flash asked, walking back in the room with Hatch.

"This life can be challenging," Maisie said.

Flash wrapped an arm around me and kissed my cheek. "Well, yeah, I guess any life can be."

"True, love," Maisie said. "So, whatever you two need, you've got our support. Because—"

"Divorce is not an option," Flash finished, and Maisie laughed.

"Exactly."

"I like that." I smiled, leaning against Flash.

Maisie set warmed food onto the island and Flash loaded a plate.

"I'll make you coffee," I offered.

"Thanks, baby."

Flash ate quickly while I finished my coffee, and then he dropped the rest of the dishes into the dishwasher, and we headed out to his truck.

"You freaked?" he asked, starting the engine.

"About what?"

"Us. This life. Whatever."

I frowned, shifting in my seat to face him. "Are you worried that I'm freaked?"

"Well… yeah. Kinda."

"Honey, I'm in." I reached over and linked my fingers with his. "I'm not going to pretend I understand all of the club stuff and how it will affect me personally, but I figure you'll help me if I have questions, and so will your mom. I'm not freaked. Maybe I should be, but I'm not."

"You got a lot more people than my mom," he said.

I smiled. "I know."

He undid his seatbelt and slid across the bench seat to kiss me. "I fuckin' love you, Tate Burke."

I grinned, cupping his cheek. "I fucking love you too, Parker Wallace."

"Let's go get you a ring so we can tell the world."

"Okay," I whispered, kissing him again.

"Okay."

He grinned, sliding back to his seat, and we took off.

Flash

"Are you really going to make me wait?" Tate asked, for the fiftieth time since we'd left the jewelers.

"Yeah, baby. The ring has to be sized, and I still want to talk to your dad."

"Not even a hint?"

I grinned. "Nope."

The jeweler had pulled several engagement ring options out for Tate to try on, and then she'd narrowed her choices to three. In the end, there were two she loved the best, but couldn't decide between the two.

But I could.

Because when she tried on the sixth ring, her whole face lit up. She bit her lip, her cheeks pinked, and she couldn't stop staring at it.

"It's really expensive," she whispered.

"Baby, pick the one you want," I said. "I'll worry about the money."

The ring was in white gold and had a three-dimensional flower design with diamond accents that extended down the band. Petals of pavé diamonds circled the center stone, and I had chosen a one and a half carat round diamond, which I planned to surprise her with when I proposed properly.

Tate had chosen two others, almost half the price, but I knew her enough to know they didn't make her heart sing, so I'd sent her out the door to wait for me. I told her I'd make the final choice and surprise her.

"You're gonna talk to Dad today, right?" she asked.

"Why am I taking you home?" I teased, taking her hand. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes, of course, I'm nervous," she said. "Can I talk you out of this antiquated tradition?"

"I'm not asking him for his permission, baby."

"I know. I just…" She sighed. "If my dad gives you any grief, I'm—"

I squeezed her hand. "You're not gonna do shit, Tate. I've got this."

We stopped at a red light, and I glanced at her. "Do you trust me?"

"This isn't about you," she said.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't think?"

She let out a huff. "I mean, it's about me and my stupid grudge. He's going to want to protect me, and that means he might say something—"

"Quit," I growled.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, and I noticed tears forming in her eyes as the light turned green.

I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed her fingers. "Trust me to take care of this, baby."

She blinked, nodding before turning her face toward the window. I felt like an ass, so I turned down a side street and pulled the truck over before turning to face her. "Baby, look at me."

She shook her head, so I undid both our seatbelts and tugged her toward me.

"Flash," she ground out as I cupped her neck.

"Look at me," I ordered.

She faced me as tears slid down her face and she slapped them off in irritation. "I'm fine."

"That liquid escaping from your eyes says otherwise."

"I hate crying."

"Baby, you're borrowing trouble. Everything's going to be okay, and we're gonna get married and fuck like rabbits until we make babies."

She sniffed. "Well, I hope we'll fuck like rabbits after we make babies as well."

"Absolutely."

"I made my dad distrust you and I'm so unbelievably sorry about that," she whispered.

"We need a moratorium on apologies, Tate," I said. "Because we're done with you saying sorry. Got it?"

She wrinkled her nose, her eyes alit with irritation. "Well, I'm sorry I'm saying sorry too much, Mr. Perfect Pants."

I smiled. "Is your dad a reasonable person?"

"Yes. Of course, he is."

"It's totally normal and appropriate for him not to trust me completely, honey. I'm a man who's going to take his little girl away from him. But I like your dad, and I know he likes me, so there's no reason to believe he'll be anything other than fair when he and I talk."

She nodded.

"I'm gonna fix it with your dad, Tate. Cross my heart and swear at God." He dropped his head back and said to the sky, "Asshole."

She bit out a laugh. "I can't believe you remember that!"

"I remember everything," I said. "You've always had my back, now let me have yours."

I pulled her onto my lap, and she buried her face in my neck. "Okay."

"You never did tell me how you got my bike back from Scott Benson."

"How did you know it was me that got it back?"

"You're the only one who knew about it. We swore at God, and I knew you'd never break your promise," I said. "How did you get it back?"

She bit her lip and then took a deep breath. "Technically, I didn't."

"Huh?"

"I bargained with Ronan to do it," she admitted. "Traded him a whole month of my dessert for him to get the bike back and keep it secret from Mom and Dad."

"No shit?"

"No shit. Are you mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" I asked.

"Because I didn't keep our pact."

"The pact was you not telling anyone about me being bullied. You did that."

"I'm pretty sure Ronan figured it out."

I shrugged. "Did he tell anyone?"

"Nope. He totally didn't."

I chuckled. "Then the pact stands."

She nodded, and I gave her a gentle squeeze. "What's really goin' on, baby?"

"Besides my dad killing you?"

"He's not gonna kill me." I chuckled. "You do know that, right?"

"No, I know." She sighed, her body sinking further into me. "I just feel like the other shoe's going to drop."

"Okay, Chicken Little, I think what's really going on is you've had a people-filled two days and your introverted heart can only take so much. There is no other shoe to drop, I'm gonna fix things with your dad, we're gonna get engaged, and the sky is gonna stay right where it is."

She sat up and met my eyes. "How the hell do you get to the heart of me so quickly?"

I grinned. "Because I'm your match, baby. Have been since the second we met."

"Yeah, this is very true." Cupping my face, she finally smiled. "I don't want to sleep without you tonight."

"We can sleep at the club, baby. Anytime."

"I know. I just want something more permanent. I want our house to be done."

"I'll talk to Uncle Cade and see if we can speed up the timeline."

She grinned. "Yeah, that sounds great."

"I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, and kissed me.

"You ready for me to talk to your dad now?"

She closed her eyes and nodded before meeting my eyes again. "Thanks for talking me down."

"Always."

She slid off my lap and resecured her seatbelt and we took off for her parents' home.