The Rampage MC #4: Max and Briony

Epilogue (Max): My Solemn Vow

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

Eight years later...

Two years after Briony told me she was ready to move forward with me, she looked at me one night when we were out to dinner and said she was ready for that proposal she hadn't been ready for before. We'd left it up to her as to when we'd take that final step. During those two years, we'd continued building what we'd started, and even though on some days old hurts re-surfaced, she'd tell me when she was struggling and we talked through the pain and met the hurt head on. By not internalizing any of those feelings, by not keeping anything to ourselves, we built a solid foundation on which our relationship grew. 

So the minute she said she was ready, I'd bolted out of my chair, gotten on one knee and pulled out the diamond ring I'd been carrying with me for one year, eleven months and three weeks in hopeful anticipation of Briony someday saying she was ready to marry me.

"I don't deserve you," I'd said to her, "but I want to spend the rest of our lives loving you so well that you don't realize you're much too good for me. Even knowing this, I'm selfishly hoping you'll marry me, Briony, and let me love you forever."

Her smile was sweet and surprised, and it was a minute before she said anything as she fought back tears. She hadn't been expecting an immediate proposal, complete with a ring but I'd be fucked if I was going to give her a chance to re-think her go-ahead. My girl's eyes were teary...but sparkling.

"Max, I want to say yes, but I feel like I need to negotiate this." 

"OK," I sighed, happy to play along, "let's hear your counteroffer."

"First, if I say yes, you  promise to never say you don't deserve me again."

"Bri --"

"That's non negotiable, Max." Her voice was firm.

"OK," I promised never to say that again. I could think it, though.

"And the second thing..."

I watched her bite her lip to force back a smile.

"And what would that be?"

"You promise me a lot, and I mean a lot, of naked options all of our lives. Plus chocolate chip cookies -- Joy-made ones an extra bonus."

I blew out a breath. "You drive a hard bargain, Briony. But I feel like those are concessions I can live with, so if you say yes, I accept your counteroffer."

The next day, after I'd put that diamond on her finger, I'd gone to tell Beard the news. He was alone in his office and looked up from the paperwork when I walked in.

"She said yes," I said, showing him the empty ring box. 

He'd known I had it because I'd taken Twist, Genny and Joy with me to offer opinions on the rings I'd already been considering. In the end, we all thought the classic round, two-carat diamond set in a simple platinum band was pure Briony. I'd bought a thick titanium wedding band for myself since it could take a lot of abuse from the tools I used for my job, and a daintier platinum version with channel-set diamonds all around it for Briony.

"Max, I'm so damn happy for you," Beard said, getting up, coming around the desk and pulling me into a tight hug. He pounded me on the back a few times.

"My boy's getting married. My boy's getting married," he repeated before he choked up.

By that point, I was a little choked up, too, thinking of the day this man found me living behind a dumpster and took me in, giving me the Rampage as my family. Thinking of the ways he'd been a father to me in his harsh, no-nonsense way. He'd given me a safe home and without any fanfare, he'd given me my bike when I'd turned eighteen.