Page 117 of Jax & Knox

"What—" Ainsley starts, but Jax takes her hand and leads her toward the center of the room.

I follow, my heart pounding.

Mason steps forward, his presence commanding the room into silence. "Brothers," he says, his voice carrying. "We're here tonight to witness something important."

Ainsley looks at me, then at Jax, her confusion clear.

Jax squeezes her hand. "Just listen, baby."

Mason nods to us, and Jax steps forward first.

"I'm not good with words," Jax starts, his voice steady but rough. "Knox is the quiet one. I'm the one who talks too much. But tonight, I need to say this."

He looks at Ainsley, his green eyes intense. "When we found you on that highway, I thought we were just helping someone in trouble. I didn't know you were going to wreck me. I didn't know you were going to take everything I thought I knew about myself and flip it upside down."

Ainsley's eyes are shining now, her hand trembling in his.

"You made me want things I never thought I'd want," Jax continues. "A family. A future. A reason to be better. You and Owen, you're everything. And I'm done pretending this is temporary. I'm done pretending I could ever let you go."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black box.

Ainsley gasps, her free hand flying to her mouth.

"This isn't just a ring," Jax says, opening the box to reveal a simple silver band with two intertwined lines. "It's a promise. Will you be ours forever? Will you marry me, Ainsley Reed?"

She looks from Jax to me. I can't say anything, hell, I can hardly breathe. She bites her lip and looks back at Jax. "Yes, I'll marry you."

He slides the ring onto her finger, and she's crying now, tears streaming down her face.

Then it's my turn. I step forward, and the room is so quiet I can hear my own heartbeat. "I'm not good at this," I say, my voice low. "Talking. Sharing. But you already know that."

Ainsley laughs through her tears, and it loosens something in my chest.

"I've spent my whole life keeping people at a distance," I continue. "Keeping my walls up. Keeping myself safe. And then you showed up, terrified and fierce, holding a tire iron like you could take on the world."

I reach out and cup her face, my thumb brushing away her tears.

"You didn't just break down my walls, Ainsley. You made me realize I didn't need them anymore. You made me realize that being vulnerable isn't weakness. It's strength. And you're the strongest person I've ever met."

I pull out a second ring, identical to the first, and slide it onto her other hand.

"Two rings," I say. "One from each of us. Because you belong to both of us. And we belong to you. Will you marry me?"

With tears in her eyes she nods. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Our dad, Switch, steps forward, his eyes shining with pride.

"My boys," he says, his voice thick. "I've watched you grow up. I've watched you make mistakes. I've watched you figure out who you are. And I've never been prouder than I am right now."

He looks at Ainsley. "You're good for them. You make them better. And you're family now. Welcome to the Iron Reapers, Ainsley."

Mom is crying as she pulls Ainsley into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart."

The Old Ladies descend next. Tessa is the first, throwing her arms around Ainsley. "You're officially one of us now, bitch! No take-backs!"

Lucy is next, her smile warm and genuine. "We've got your back. Always."

Hadley, Erica, and Scarlett follow, each of them hugging Ainsley, welcoming her into the sisterhood.