Page 67 of Gunner

“King, you gotta help me. I only claimed Sarah because I didn’t like the way everyone was treating her. She’s smarter than me by a mile, but everyone treats her like a kid.”

“Because she is one, you idiot,” Priest sighed, shaking his head before looking at King. “Maybe this is fate. I’m with Scribe on this. I say we hogtie him and force him to marry the girl. He clearly likes her. He claimed her.”

“Gunner,” King sighed, holding up his hand, halting everyone from speaking. “Do you love Sarah? I mean really love her. When you see yourself in twenty years, do you see yourself alone or with her?”

I knew what he was asking.

I knew the answer. She was my everything. I never wanted anyone more than I wanted her. I knew from the first second I saw her beautiful face that she was my future. She was everything good and wholesome in this world. I wanted to spend the rest of my life seeing her smile, hearing her laughter, loving her as she deserved to be loved. I wanted to watch her belly grow with my kids and stare in awe as she nursed them from her bountiful breasts. I wanted the messy house, the screaming kids, the fights, the make-up sex. I wanted her under me, over me, beside me, holding me on the back of my bike. I wanted everything. I wanted it all.

King smiled as he leaned back. “If you could see your face right now, Cord. It says it all.”

“I can’t lose her, Callum.” I muttered.

“And you won’t but you need to start acting your age. You are thirty-eight years old. It’s time to grow up, brother.”

“I hear you.”

King leaned over and opened the bottom drawer in his desk. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small box and placed it on the desk right in front of me. “After Cassie disappeared, Mom took me aside and told me she knew she wouldn’t be around much longer. The weight of our sister’s disappearance weighed heavily on her. Anyway, she gave me this. It belonged to her mother, grandma Annabella. Mom asked me to hold on to it. She instructed me to give it to you when you found the right woman. Honestly, Cord, I never thought you would, but seeing you now and knowing how you truly feel about Sarah, it’s time. When you’re ready, give her this.”

Reaching for the box, I opened it and stared at a cluster of emeralds surrounded by a small diamond set in a vining gold leaf ring.

It was stunning.

“Wait a minute,” I muttered, looking up. “Wasn’t grandma Annabella bat-shit crazy?”

King chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Yep, and she was promiscuous as hell, too, before she met Grandpa Nolan, according to mom. Nanna slept with anyone with a dick. Grandma Annabella marched to her own tune. A lot like you. And like you, she eventually found the love of her life. They married and lived happily until she died. Grandpa Nolan followed her a month later.”

“They were married close to fifty years before they died,” Chase added, walking over to stand beside me. Placing his hand on my shoulder, I looked up at him as he continued. “I would give anything to be in your position right now, Cord. I miss Ellie every damn day. It’s a pain I pray you never experience. You have a chance at something I will never get. Grab it with both hands and don’t ever let go, brother.”

Chapter Eighteen

Gunner

Sitting on my bike, staring at Beth’s coffee shop, I wondered what my chances were of walking out of this place alive.

After leaving King’s office, I checked on Babydoll to find her sleeping. Not wanting to wake her, I headed into town to do the unthinkable. I was going to ask Mike for his permission to marry his daughter.

I mean...I already claimed her.

The only logical next step was marriage. We were going to have a baby and I wanted my kid to have my name. Coupled with the ring King gave me weighing heavily in my cut, I figured there was no time like the present.

Kind of like ripping off a Band-Aid.

Best to just get it done fast.

Then why was I so scared? Not that I would ever admit to shit, but the thought of walking into that shop and facing her gun-toting and furious father didn’t bode well for my future existence.

The man was a sniper in the Marine Corps, for crying out loud.

It was his job to kill people.

“Hi, Gunner!” Jamison smiled and waved as he walked across the street with his cousin Bailey. “You here for another coffee?”

“Not exactly,buddy,” I muttered, looking at the pain in my ass who was hiding her signature conspiratorial smile that immediately caused men from far and wide to cup their balls and send up a prayer to the good lord above. Narrowing my eyes, I growled. “What?”

“Nothing. Just walking with my cousin across the street. What brings you here, of all places? Would have thought you’d avoid this place like the plague.” Bailey snickered.

“He told you, didn’t he?”