Epilogue
Doc
One Month Later
The weight of the ring box in my cut pocket felt like it might drag me straight through the earth’s crust. I adjusted the seat of my bike, checking the time for the fifth time in as many minutes.
Everything had to be perfect. The club had transformed the area beyond the eastern edge of the compound according to my detailed instructions.
Solar lights strung through the surrounding trees, a soft blanket spread across the mossy ground, champagne cooling in a container hidden behind the old oak.
“You sure you don’t want to tell me where we’re going?
” Nova asked, leaning against her new Jeep as she watched me fidget with my phone.
The setting sun caught in her hair, turning the brown strands almost golden.
She’d grown more confident since moving into my house, since accepting her place in the club.
The haunted look that had shadowed her eyes during the preliminary trials had gradually faded, replaced by something I treasured more than my next breath -- contentment.
“Patience,” I replied, pocketing my phone after confirming that everything was ready. Tank’s simple text -- All set, Doc -- had settled at least one of the knots in my stomach. The rest would have to wait until I had her answer. “It’s just a short walk from here. Or we can take the bike.”
She raised an eyebrow but took my offered hand. “You’re acting strange, Winston. Should I be worried?”
I smiled, hoping it didn’t look as nervous as it felt. “Not worried. Just trust me.”
The path to the clearing was barely visible, deliberately kept that way to maintain its seclusion. I led Nova carefully through the underbrush, hyper-aware of her small hand in mine, of the delicate pulse I could feel at her wrist.
We rounded the final bend in the path, and the clearing came into view just as the sun dipped below the tree line.
The timing was perfect -- early evening settling in, the solar lights beginning to glow as darkness gathered under the trees.
The blanket waited in the center, surrounded by scattered wildflowers I’d collected that morning.
Black-eyed Susans, like her mother had loved.
Nova stopped at the edge of the clearing, her hand tightening around mine. “Winston, what is all this?”
I watched her take it in -- the lights, the flowers, the careful preparation. Her eyes widened as she stepped forward, releasing my hand to bend down and touch one of the black-eyed Susans.
“They’re like Mom’s. Did you do all this?”
I nodded, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep from fidgeting. The ring box pressed against my knuckles, a solid reminder of why we were here. “Had some help from the brothers, but yeah. Wanted it to be special.”
“Special for what?” Her gaze searched my face, curious but still not understanding. That innocent confusion steadied me somehow. For all her strength, Nova still had moments of pure openness that made my chest ache.
“For us.” I took her hand again and led her to the blanket. “Come sit with me.”
She settled beside me, legs folded underneath her. I took a deep breath, seeking the calm focus that had carried me through firefights and emergency surgeries.
I smiled. “You’ve changed me. Changed everything.”
Her smile faded into something more serious, more intent. “Winston…”
“Let me get this out,” I said quickly. “I’ve been rehearsing all day, and if I don’t say it now, I might lose my nerve.”
She nodded, fingers tightening around mine, waiting.
“Before you came into my life, I was just… existing. Patching up brothers, doing my job. Then you showed up, this tiny woman with fire in her eyes and justice in her heart, demanding help for a cause no one else would touch. And somewhere between bandaging your wounds and watching you face down monsters, I realized what had been missing.”
Her eyes glistened in the fading light, but she remained silent, giving me space to continue.
“You made me live again, Nova. Not just exist, not just function, but truly live. Feel things I’d closed off after too many battlefields and lost patients.
” I released one of her hands to reach into my pocket, fingers closing around the small velvet box.
“I’ve patched up men in combat zones with steadier hands than I have right now. ”
A small smile touched her lips. “You’re doing fine,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
“The thing is,” I continued, heart hammering against my ribs, “I don’t want to imagine a future without you in it.
The club is my family, but you’re… you’re my heart.
My home.” I shifted position, moving from sitting to kneeling on one knee before her, the box now out of my pocket and held between us.
“I know this life isn’t easy, what you’ve sacrificed to be here, but if you’ll have me, I want to build something permanent with you. ”
I opened the box, revealing the vintage ring I’d found after weeks of searching -- a small diamond surrounded by sapphires that matched her eyes when she laughed. Not flashy or ostentatious, but full of character and history, like the woman before me.
“Nova Treemont,” I said, my voice steadier than I’d expected, “will you build a life with me? Will you be more than just my old lady? Will you be my wife?”
She stared at the ring, then at me, tears spilling over onto her cheeks. For one heart-stopping moment, she didn’t speak, and I felt cold sweat break out along my spine. Then she was nodding, her whole body seeming to say yes before her voice caught up.
“Yes,” she whispered, then louder, “Yes, Winston. Yes.”
She tugged at my hands, pulling me up from my knee and into her arms. The box nearly tumbled from my grasp as she pressed herself against me, her lips finding mine with urgent need.
I kissed her back, tasting salt from her tears, feeling her heartbeat racing against my chest. The ring was momentarily forgotten as we clung to each other in the gathering twilight, the world narrowing to just us, just this moment.
“I love you,” she murmured against my lips. “I love you so much.”
Words I’d heard from her before, but never with this weight, this certainty. I pulled back just enough to see her face, to memorize the joy written there, knowing I’d put it there.
“Let me do this properly.” I took her left hand. With fingers that finally steadied, I slid the ring onto her finger, watching as it settled into place like it had been made for her. “Perfect fit.”
She held her hand up, admiring how the remaining sunlight caught in the facets of the stone. “It’s beautiful, Winston. How did you know --”
Her question was cut short by the unmistakable rumble of motorcycle engines, growing louder as they approached the clearing. Nova looked up, startled, then understanding dawned on her face as bikes began appearing at the edge of the trees, headlights cutting through the growing darkness.
“You didn’t,” she said, a laugh bubbling up through her tears.
“Wasn’t my idea,” I admitted, rising to my feet and helping her up. “The club insisted on being part of this.”
One by one, brothers cut their engines, dismounting and approaching with broad grins and raised beer bottles. Savior led the procession.
“Took you long enough,” he called, his normally stern face cracked wide with a genuine smile. “We were getting cramps hiding in those damn bushes.”
Nova laughed, her hand finding mine, the new ring pressing against my palm. “How long have you all been out there?”
“Long enough to hear our doctor get all poetic,” Tempest rumbled, his massive frame emerging from behind a particularly inadequate tree. “Never knew he had it in him.”
Heat rushed to my face, but I couldn’t find it in me to be embarrassed. Not with Nova’s hand in mine, her ring catching the last light of sunset. Not with my brothers gathering around us, their approval obvious in every face.
Tank approached, clapping me on the shoulder hard enough to make me wince. “Congrats, brother. You did good.”
“She said yes,” I said, hearing the wonder in my own voice.
“’Course she did,” Venom scoffed, joining our growing circle. “Girl’s smart. Knows quality when she sees it.”
Savior popped the champagne with practiced ease, the sound echoing through the clearing. He poured generous measures into the plastic cups, passing them around until everyone held one. Then he raised his own cup high, commanding attention without effort.
“To Doc and Nova. May your road together be long, your troubles few, and your love strong enough to weather whatever comes.”
“To Doc and Nova,” the brothers echoed, cups raised high.
Nova pressed herself closer to my side, her body warm against mine as we accepted congratulations from every brother in turn.
Her face glowed with happiness, with belonging, with a certainty I shared down to my bones.
This woman, this moment -- this was what I’d been searching for since leaving the battlefield behind.
“Ready to head back?” I asked softly as the impromptu celebration began to wind down, brothers mounting their bikes and preparing to return to the clubhouse or their homes. “I imagine the real party’s just getting started at the clubhouse. The women are all there waiting.”
She nodded, her fingers intertwined with mine. “Lead the way, Doc.”
We walked to my bike, the ring on her finger catching the gleam of headlights as brothers started their engines around us.
I helped her onto the seat, then mounted in front of her, feeling her arms wrap securely around my waist, her cheek resting against my back in a gesture so familiar it felt like coming home.
“Hold on tight, future Mrs. Thorvald,” I said over my shoulder, starting the engine with a satisfying rumble.
Her arms tightened around me, her voice close to my ear despite the growing noise of motorcycles. “Always.”
I led the procession of bikes down the narrow trail, back toward the clubhouse. Nova’s ring pressed against my stomach where her hand rested, a tangible promise of the future we would build together. The road ahead stretched clear and full of promise, leading us forward into whatever came next.
Together, as we’d promised. As we always would be.