Gravel's Road (13 page)

We all sat down at the table, making a list of all the things we need to do and buy.

I glanced out the window when Meg and Cyn were arguing about what kind of cake to make and saw Gravel looking in the window, smiling at me. I gave him a little wave, and it took all my willpower not to throw the pen and paper down and run into his arms.

I tore my eyes away from his and tried to focus on what Meg and Cyn were saying. Except all I could think about was the fact that Gravel planned to ask me to marry him one day.

For a man who, a month ago, never wanted to settle down, that was a huge step. I just wished he wasn’t lying, because the second he asked me, I was going to say yes and never let that man go.

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Chapter 16

Ethel

“Hand me the tape, would you?” Meg asked me, leaning off the ladder and holding her hand out to me.

I placed it in her hand and looked around. Lo was going to shit a brick when he saw what we had done to the clubhouse.

There were red and black streamers taped to the corners of the room and draped, so they all meet in the middle. There was a shit ton of red and black balloons that Cyn had been blowing up the past hour that were scattered on the floor. We had a long table weighed down with huge trays of taco fixings and a full sheet cake that Meg had made.

“Do you think we went a little overboard?” Meg asked, standing on the ladder looking around.

“No turning back now girls, everyone will be here in half an hour. Gravel just texted saying we had fifteen minutes before church is over,” I said, holding the ladder while Meg stepped down.

“Holy fucking shit.”

Meg and I turned around to see Marley walk through the door of the clubhouse. She walked towards us, kicking balloon as she walked. Yeah, we definitely over it did it on the balloons.

“How old is Troy going to be, ten?” Marley asked, looking around.

“Cyn! Stop blowing up balloons!” Meg yelled.

I looked over to where Cyn was sitting, and she had a half blown up balloon to her mouth, and she let it go. It flew around and landed next to my foot.

“Thank God,” Cyn said, as she fell backward, out of breath and panting.

“He’s thirty-one, tomorrow,” Meg replied.

“Well, it’s very festive.” Marley laughed.

“Woman, you done yet?” I heard Gravel yell. He walked around the corner and stopped dead in his track.

“Hi,” I said timidly, giving him a little wave.

His gaze traveled over the streamer and balloon masterpiece and shook his head. “I didn’t know cowboy was turning ten.”

Marley and the girls burst out laughing, and I just shook my head at him. I was coming to find out the more time I spent with Marley and Gravel, the more I realized how much alike they were. Even though they barely spent any time together the past years, there was no denying they were related.

“Ok, I admit it. We might have gone a little overboard with the decorations, but I can guarantee the tacos and food are going to knock your socks off,” Meg said, walking over to the food and stirring the crock pot full of steak.

“If they are anything like that bonfire at your house, it’ll be all good, darlin’,” Gravel said, walking over to me and draping his arm over my shoulders.

“Miss me?” I asked. Gravel had bitched and moaned at me last night because I had spent all day yesterday in the kitchen and according to him, I had neglected him. When we both laid down, exhausted from me making it up to him, he said I could spend all day in the kitchen if I came in the bedroom and did that to him.

“You’ll make it up to me later,” he whispered in my ear, placing a kiss on my neck.

Shivers ran through my body with that one little simple kiss. Lord, I was falling in love with this man. I couldn’t remember what it felt like not to see him every day.

“We could always sneak out to your room later,” I said, leaning into him.

“I like the way you think.” He smirked.

I looked to my left and saw Marley pull her phone out of her pocket and walk down the hall towards the bedrooms. I hoped everything was ok.

Gravel had Edge do digging into her fiancée’s family and found out they were way more loaded than any of us thought. Right now all the info Edge had was all public info anyone could get. He was still working on finding out more. She had said they hadn’t tried to make contact with her, but I think she was lying about that. Whenever she would come over, she would always get phone calls and have to leave the room and not come back for fifteen minutes.

Gravel followed my gaze, seeing Marley slip down the hall. “I’m worried about her too, darlin’. Turtle has been following her, and he said as far as he can tell, no one is watching her. We’ll figure it out, promise.”

“When you asked me what my favorite color was, I thought it was for the cake, not for redecorating the whole clubhouse,” Troy said, standing in the doorway, running his fingers through his hair.

“You’re all asses,” Meg said, throwing her hands up in the air and walked into the kitchen.

“Holy shit balls,” Rigid said, walking behind Troy.

“Yeah,” Troy said, his eyes still taking everything in. There was also black and red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and black and red confetti on the tables.

“You like red and black, dude?” Rigid asked, a smile spreading across his face.

“Not this much.” Troy laughed.

All the other guys slowly trickled in from the garage and their rooms and had the same reaction to the decorations. Everyone mingled around filling their plates and finding a place to sit.

Gravel and I were sitting at one of the tables our plates loaded down with delicious steak tacos piled high with all the fixings. Meg really did know how to make a mean taco.

“Where’s Troy?” Meg asked, plopping down next to me. She set a large margarita glass filled to the brim down on the table and took a long sip off the straw.

“Last I saw, he said he was headed out for a smoke,” Gravel said, mounding his fork up.

“Dumbass, he’s gone over two months without one, and now he’s fucking it all up. I swear I don’t know why I even talk to him.” Meg huffed.

“He’s his own man, babe,” Lo said, sitting down next to her.

“I know,’ she said, ‘I just don’t want one of my best friends dying of lung cancer. Although he would probably die from crashing his truck while he lights the fucking cigarette.” Meg laughed.

“If he’s anything like you and Cyn, you’re right,” Lo agreed.

“Come find him with me,” Meg said, standing up, grabbing her glass and held her hand out to Lo.

“I just sat down, babe. He’ll come back in,” Lo said.

“You’re an ass,” she said, flouncing out the door.

Lo shook his head, watching her leave and got up and followed her.

“Those two are made for each other,” I said.

“They sure are something.” Gravel chuckled.

Gravel and I sat, eating our food watching people flow in and out of the clubhouse. Meg had invited all of the brothers and various friends of Troy’s. There were quite a few people there.

“Can I ask you a question, darlin’?” Gravel said, pushing his chair out and leaning back.

“Yeah,” I said, wondering what the heck the question was. I glanced over at the food table seeing Marley was filling her plate with Hammer right behind her filling his plate for the third time. Thank god Meg had made a ton of food. Meg and Lo walked back in the door with Troy following close behind.

Meg walked over to the stereo, turning the volume down.

“Ethel,” Gravel said, trying to get my attention.

“What is it, Gravel?” I asked, turning my head to look at him, except he wasn’t sitting when I looked at him. He was down on one knee, holding his hand out to me.

“I need to ask you a question,” he said again.

My eyes filled with tears, and I just shook my head at him.

“I’ve been traveling down the same road for the past fifty-seven years thinking I had everything I would need. Then, fifteen years ago, I met you and saw what I wanted, but couldn’t have. I never want to go back down the road I was on before. These past few weeks of spending time with you and getting to know you has only made me want you more than I’ve ever wanted something. Will you marry me and give me what I’ve been searching for, for the past fifty-seven years?” Gravel said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ring box.

He flipped the lid open, revealing a single solitaire diamond set in white gold. It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen.

I nodded my head yes, tears streaming down my face. He took the ring out of the box and slid it on my finger. It fit perfectly.

I lunged at him, flinging my arms around his neck and buried my nose in his neck,

Everyone whooped and hollered.

“I love you, Gravel,” I croaked out, leaning back, looking him in the eye.

“I love you, too, darlin’. I think I fell in love with you that first day you came to the clubhouse,” he said, leaning in and kissing me.

“You’re crazy,” I said against his lips.

“If I am, I think I’ll fit in pretty good with your family,” Gravel said, looking at Meg who was pumping her fist in the air and whooping like Julia Roberts in
Pretty Woman.

“I think you’re right.” I laughed.

Someone turned the music back up, and my favorite song started playing. I looked over, seeing Marley by the stereo. I had told her yesterday when we were working on the food that this song reminded me of her father. She remembered.

“Dance with me?” Gravel asked.

We both stood up, and Gravel wrapped me in his arms while Stevie Nicks ‘Leather and Lace’ played around us.

I rested my head on his shoulder, not believing that Gravel had just asked me to marry him. The man who had starred in so many of my fantasies these past years was going to be mine.

When Don Henley started signing about walking into her house and knew he would never want to leave, I looked in Gravel’s eyes and knew this was the man who I would spend the rest of my life with. All of my roads had been leading to Gravel.

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Chapter 17

Gravel

“Have you seen Marley?” I asked Ethel, who was curled up in my lap, sitting on the couch. The party was in full swing with people coming and going. I was still on the fence when it came to cowboy, but I didn’t dislike him as much as I had before.

“I’ve been glued to your side the whole night, Gravel. If you haven’t seen her, neither have I,” Ethel said, yawning.

“You ready for bed, darlin’?” I asked, looking at the clock seeing it was after midnight.

“Oh yeah. I was ready an hour ago,” she said, sitting up.

“I’m worried about Marley,” I said, looking around for her. I had seen her about an hour ago talking to Meg and Cyn, but I hadn’t seen her since.

“Don’t worry, Gravel. I’m sure she’s fine. Send her a text if you’re so worried,” she said, standing up and stretching.

I pulled my phone out, sending off a text asking her where she was.

“Come show me your room,” Ethel said, grabbing my hand and pulling me up.

I planned on showing Ethel more than my room.

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Ethel

We walked through the crowded clubhouse, nodding at some of the brothers on the way.

“Hey!” Meg said, walking up to us.

“Hey, honey. Gravel and I are headed to bed. You sure know how to throw a good party.” I said, hugging her.

“Thanks, Ethel. I know next time more food, fewer decorations,” Meg said, winking at me.

“Are you guys staying here tonight?” I asked, noticing Meg was a little tipsy.

“Yup. I think I am on my fourth margarita, and I’m pretty sure Lo has finished off a twelve pack. We are most definitely crashing in his room,” she said on a hiccup.

“Alright, honey. We’ll see you in the morning. Maybe we can scrounge up breakfast for everyone.”

“Late breakfast,” Meg yelled as Gravel, and I walked down the hall.

“End of the hall, turn left, and we are the last door on the left,” Gravel said, his hand on the small of my back, guiding me down the hall.

“Thank god you aren’t close to the main room. I don’t think I could sleep with all that noise,” I said, sounding like an old lady.

“Me too, darlin’. I’m definitely not as young as I used to be.” Gravel laughed, opening his door for me.

Gravel’s phone dinged and he dug it out of his pocket while I looked around.

There really wasn’t much to his room other than a bed, dresser, desk, and chair. The walls were painted a dark forest green, and he had a pitch black comforter on the bed.

“Marley texted, said she was fine. Probably heading home soon,” Gravel said, shrugging off his cut and draped it over the chair.

“I don’t have any pajamas,” I said, flipping off my shoes and shimmied out of my jeans.

“Two options,’ Gravel said, pulling his shirt over his head. ‘You can sleep naked, or you can sleep naked.”

“Um, I guess I’ll take option two.” I laughed, throwing my pants at him.

“I would have gone with one, but whatever you want,” he said, throwing the pants I threw at him on the floor. He took off his, throwing them on top of mine and slid into the bed.

“If you can sleep in your underwear, I can sleep in my shirt,” I said, sliding in next to him, no pants but my shirt still on.

“I can’t guarantee how long my underwear will stay on, darlin’,” Gravel said, pulling me into his arms.

He grabbed my hand and looked at the ring that was now sitting on my finger. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

“Not as beautiful as you,” he said, placing a kiss on my finger next to the ring.

He looked up at me, his eyes locked on mine. “I love you, Lincoln,” I whispered.

“I love you, too, Ethel. You are exactly what I need. There is no other place I would rather be than right here in this bed with you. My road lead me right to you,” he said, leaning in, his lips claiming mine.

“Thank God for that, although I would have done some off-roading if it meant finding you,’ I whispered against his lips. ‘I love you more than I ever thought I could.”

“Sleep, darlin’. I got plans for you in the morning.”

“What happened to me losing my shirt?” I joked.

“Come morning, there won’t be anything in between us, but right now I need sleep,” he said, yawning.

I reached over, turning off the bedside lamp and cuddled back into Gravel. I was right where I was supposed to be, and I wasn’t going anywhere.

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