Page 43 of Ranger’s Protection

"She's celebrating," I say.

"She knows her parents just got engaged. Smart kid."

"She gets that from you."

"She gets stubbornness from you."

"She gets everything good from both of us. And she's going to be so loved. So protected. So wanted."

"Yeah," Graham agrees, his hand moving to my belly. "She is. We're going to give her everything we didn't have growing up. Everything we wished for. Everything she deserves."

We sit there together, Graham's arms around me, my hand resting on my belly where our daughter is still moving, the engagement ring sparkling on my finger. Through the window I can see our neighborhood: quiet streets, small houses, the normal peaceful rhythm of Millhaven on a Thursday afternoon.

This is my life now.

Fiancée. Business owner. Soon-to-be mother. Member of the Iron Phoenix family. Woman who found safety in the most unlikely place and fell in love with the man who protected her.

Two years ago, I was nobody. A witness hiding in a motel room with no future beyond survival.

Now I'm Delilah Moore, soon to be Delilah Nash. Graham's fiancée. Mother to the baby girl currently doing gymnastics in my uterus. Friend to women who understand what it's like to find home in unexpected places. Part of a family that's chosen rather than born.

"When do you want to get married?" I ask.

"Whenever you want. Tomorrow. Next month. After the baby comes. I don't care about the timeline. I just care about you saying yes."

"I want to do it before she's born," I decide. "I want to be your wife when we become parents. Want our daughter to be born to married parents who chose each other."

"Then we'll make it happen. Whatever you want."

"Small ceremony. Just the club and family. Nothing fancy."

"Perfect."

"At the clubhouse. Where it all started."

"Even more perfect."

I lean my head against his shoulder, exhausted suddenly from all the emotion. "Did I already tell you that I burnt the cookies? And didn’t make dinner?"

He laughs. "I noticed. Want me to order pizza?"

"Yes please. With extra cheese. And those breadsticks I like. And maybe some of that chocolate lava cake."

"You want half the menu."

"Our daughter has expensive taste."

"She gets that from you too."

"Damn right she does."

He pulls out his phone to order while I admire my ring. It's beautiful. Simple but elegant. Exactly what I would have chosen for myself if I'd gone shopping, which means Graham either knows me incredibly well or asked one of the other women for advice.

Probably both.

"The other old ladies helped you pick this out, didn't they?" I ask.

"How did you know?"