Epilogue Two
Harley
FOUR YEARS LATER
S tanding in front of the full length mirror leaning against the wall in the corner of our bedroom, I adjust the lingerie Raven helped me pick out weeks ago. It leaves nothing to the imagination, a simple red lace bodysuit.
I’ve come to appreciate my body for all it is; every scar defines who I am as a person now. I’ve come to accept I will never be okay with what happened to me, but I can enjoy the person I have become because of it.
The scar on my face will always be there on display for the entire world to see, but most days, I don’t even really see it. It’s just a piece of me. The scars covering my back are still there, but are now covered by a large tattoo Cade has worked on over the years.
It’s a rose on a thorny stem that runs up my spine and is lit on fire. The fire spreads over the backs of my shoulders, covering most of the scars. He mixed in smoke and different lines that twist around the stem. It’s perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for something better.
Once we decided to take over the new club in Virginia, Cade didn’t want to also pursue becoming an artist while helping with the gym and the club. It took a while, but I eventually convinced him he should do it. He is talented and, selfishly, I wanted him to cover up the brand on my chest.
He started working for the guy who did Axe and Stone’s tattoos. He used to be a biker in North Carolina, but he moved out to Virginia with his family, wife and two kids and opened up his own shop here. Cade now works with him a few days a week around club work. I was his first ever tattoo job years ago. With help, he covered up my brand, and I knew pushing him to do this was the best idea. He was so fucking happy the whole time.
Stepping inside the tattoo shop, I immediately spot Cade bent over a desk with Chains, the biker who runs the shop. The walls are covered in artwork, but centered on the back wall is a large painting of Chains, a beautiful woman, and two little boys all standing around a motorcycle and laughing.
“That’s my family,” a guy says, and I glance back over at Cade, who now stares at me alongside Chains. “You must be Harley.” He grins at me, his face covered in a dark beard, his long hair tied back in a ponytail. His arms and neck are covered in tattoos, and when he stands to his full height and makes his way over to me, I have to crane my neck to meet his bright green eyes.
“That’s me. Chains?” I ask, taking the hand he holds out, shaking it.
“Yep. Cade said you wanted something covered up?” He cocks a brow at me, and I glance at Cade, who shakes his head. So he didn’t tell Chains everything.
Taking a deep breath I remind myself this is a step forward and nod. “I do. Um– some really fucked up things have happened, and I want a brand on my chest covered up. But I want Cade to do it. I know he is nervous but–” I trail off and glance at Cade who rubs the back of his neck.
“I don’t have the experience and I am worried about hurting her,” he says gruffly.
“Well, I will be with you through the whole thing, and I have seen you practice and be willing to learn. You have this, kid.”
Chains leads us back to another private room where I take off my shirt and bra causing Cade to huff. Chains laughs, “It’s my job, Cade. I promise I’m not looking in any other way.”
Sitting on the long table in here I notice Chains take in the brand on my chest with a blank expression. “I’m not going to bullshit you with pity, but being a nomad who doesn’t stick to one place as a biker, I have heard the stories about what the Sons of Silence club went through, and if I am assuming correctly that you are Rage’s kid, you are one hell of a strong woman.” He glances at Cade not even giving me a chance to respond, “Let’s do this. I will be here with you but you aren’t going to hurt her because you know what you are doing.”
“I drew up what you wanted with Chains help.” Cade tells me as he flips around the transfer and shows me. I gasp as tears fill my eyes and nod at him.
“It’s perfect.” I murmur. My first tattoo, his first tattoo, and covering up my brand.
Chains stays with us as Cade gets to work, and I take the pain in stride, knowing this pain is good. It’s life changing pain. It’s a huge step forward for me, and knowing one of the men who loves me is the one putting it on me makes this all perfect.
Watching Cade work, I take in the small smile on his lips as he focuses. His face is its most expressive when he is creating. When he is putting his mind to it. It’s like when I get to box, I get to clear my head of all my demons. Cade may like fighting, but art is his true calling and I hope we, his real family, can continue to show him how being an artist is what he was meant to do and it doesn’t make him weak.
As I remember that day, I run my fingers over the design above my left breast. It’s piano keys with a Harley Davidson riding across them, lit on fire.
“Hey, are you ready?” Brielle asks as she pops her head in through the door. I nod, and she comes in along with Presley, Raven, Carly, and Oakley. They all grin at my lingerie, and Raven shoots me a wink. I walk over to my closet and pull out the large bag housing my wedding dress.
The girls all help me into it. I want something special for today, but I also wanted to be able to show off my tattoos so it’s a lace top dipping down between my breasts, showing off my chest tattoo, with see-through lace sleeves and a back low enough to see my spine tattoo. The lace is all red, and then it changes to a white bottom that flares out, along with a slit reaching my mid-thigh. Some of the lace runs down into the white part of the dress making it almost look like vines.
My hair is up in braids that cross behind my head so you are able to see my tattoo and instead of a veil, I chose a rose and greenery crown Carly places on my head.
We kept my makeup light. Since I am not someone who usually wears it, I didn’t want to feel like a different person on my wedding day.
“Ready?” Presley asks as she holds her arm out for me.
I smile and take her arm, and we all head out of our beach house to the waiting SUV.
Stone is in the driver’s seat, and I take a moment to collect my thoughts as I glance around at the women who have become like sisters to me. I couldn’t have gotten through everything without all their support.
A year ago, Ryker made a comment about being married, and we all laughed it off until Cade shocked us by saying he wants to get married. We weren’t sure how it would even work, so we all kind of let it slide to the back burner until one night, Grayson and I came home to a note on the counter. We were to change into the outfits on our beds and head down to the beach. So, I put on the simple black maxi dress and let my hair down before heading outside, where Grayson was waiting in casual slacks and a black button up.
We walked down to the beach and got the shock of a lifetime when Ryker and Cade had flower petals strewn across the sand and our entire family waiting for us.
Ryker proposed to Grayson and Cade proposed to me. They had come up with the idea that we would all pick one last name so it’s all the same and we’d get married to each other but do it all together and have a large commitment ceremony between the four of us. The couples were only for paper.
“Are you nervous?” Bri asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I shake my head as I glance at her. “No. I’m excited to take this step with them. These last four years have had so many ups and downs, yet we have made it through. This is just bringing us together officially, showing the world we love each other.”
“Who would’ve thought our hard shelled little Harley would become such a sap?” Raven chuckles, and I roll my eyes but smile.
She’s not wrong, this terrified me more than anything, but I need these guys like I need air to breathe.
“It’s time, my love,” Brielle says as she pulls back the curtain and takes my hand leading me out onto the beach. We decided to get married at Cape Henry on Virginia Beach so the beautiful lighthouse could be our backdrop.
As Brielle guides me towards the beach, I catch sight of Grayson, who has his back to me so he can’t see. Lincoln stands next to him and that’s when the sound of a piano being played begins. I glance at Brielle in confusion, wondering why and how a piano is out here, but as we get closer, I spot Ryker sitting at the front of our set up, playing the piano. The beginning notes of Turning Page by Sleeping At Last begin to play as Lincoln takes Grayson’s arm and leads him down the aisle.
My eyes burn as Grayson gets his moment to be the vulnerable man he is. Brielle stops and kisses my cheek before she disappears as Atlas and Colton walk over to me. I glance at Atlas in confusion.
“What, you thought you could do this part without me? Uncle Sugar has to fucking share. You’re my kiddo too.” He grins at me as they each hold out an arm. I hook mine through and laugh.
The only thing that could make this moment more perfect is if my dad was here, but as I look down at the wildflowers in my hands, I see his smiling face in the small picture Bri added to the flowers, alongside a single photo she had of my mom as a teenager.
My mom and dad are with me as I finally get my happy ending with the men who love me more than I could ever imagine. Men who have shown me how worthy I am. The three men who remind me every single day that my past does not define who I am anymore.
The second Grayson gets to the front and takes his place, we start to move, and I glance over at Ryker, who grins widely at me as he continues playing the song. Glancing back to the front, I lock eyes with Cade next, and no words can describe the pure look of love and astonishment on his face as his eyes fill with tears and he allows them to roll down his cheeks freely.
As we get closer, I look over at Grayson, who is wiping at his eyes and staring at me like he can’t quite believe I am real.
Sometimes, I’m not sure if these guys are real, and I fear I will wake up back in the basement, living my worst nightmare all over again.
Atlas and Colton each place a kiss on my cheeks and then move back to take their seats as I move to stand right next to Grayson. Ryker comes back over to us and takes his place next to Cade, directly in front of Gray.
Cayden and Ryker both decided to wear full black tuxedos with red ties while Grayson is in black, but with a red button down dress shirt and a black bow tie. We all match perfectly together.
Noah, who is standing at the head of the arch, clears his throat dramatically. “If we are all done crying now, I’d like to get through this sappy shit so we can all get drunk and party.”
Smiling, I shake my head as I take Cade’s hands and Grayson takes Ryker’s.
And after seven insane years since I met these three, we finally get to take a vow to spend the rest of our lives together.
“Alright y’all, it’s time for some first dances so we can get this party started,” Noah announces, and Ryker and Grayson make their way to the dance floor, taking the first dance as planned. Stand By Me , the Florence and The Machine edition, begins to play, and they embrace each other as they dance.
I don’t think they could have picked a better song. It fits them perfectly. They’ve built a solid relationship, between the two of them and always make sure to take time together when they need it. It makes my heart so full to see.
Once they’re done, Ryker being Ryker dips Grayson dramatically and kisses the fuck out of him, his cheeks turning pink. Cade holds out his hand for me, and we move to the dance floor for the next dance. It’s Always Been You by Phil Wickham begins to play as we wrap our arms around each other and sway. I stare into his deep blue eyes as I take in everything he’s saying through this song choice. I didn’t know this was the song he picked.
Tears well in my eyes, and as I try to blink them away, one escapes. Cade bends low enough to kiss it away before resting his forehead against mine. My heart fills with so much warmth as my broody husband embraces this day with us.
He has come so far over the years, but this by far is the biggest moment for him. I think this wedding means more to him than he will ever let on and I am okay with him showing us what it means by being vulnerable today. Especially being vulnerable in front of everyone we love, and not just the guys and I.
It has always been you.
Once the song finishes, Ryker returns to the dance floor and lifts me off my feet, spinning us in a circle. I laugh and toss my head back as the song he picked out begins to play.
When we were planning the wedding, I told them they could pick the songs for the first dances because I wasn’t sure what to do for them. Latch - Acoustic by Sam Smith plays as Ryker takes my hands and begins to dance with me. My brows raise as shock races through me. “What? You think I learned to dance just for this?”
He smirks before leaning close to my ear. “I did, little flame. Let me lead you. Just listen.”
And I do. I let him lead me around the floor as we dance together, our eyes locked as I take in every word of the song. Tears spring in my eyes as I realize how truly lucky I am to have found them.
I won’t let go of you.
When the song comes to an end, Ryker stops by Grayson and dramatically hands me off to him. “Your turn, my love.” He winks at us and struts towards Cade.
We both chuckle, and Grayson takes my hand, leading me out as the last song begins to play.
I Get to Love You by Ruelle.
We move slowly, swaying to the song as I look into his bright green eyes that have brought me nothing but peace and comfort over the years. Every panic attack, every nightmare, every time I have felt myself crumbling, these eyes always bring me back down.
Grayson leans in and rests his forehead against mine, his eyes falling shut. I let mine close as well and breathe him in as I listen to the lyrics to the song. How lucky I am.
I get to love you.
Our wedding was a day I’ll never forget. It was everything I could have hoped for and more. We danced, ate good food, and spent hours down on the beach together, celebrating the four of us.
My mom and dad may have been missing from the moment, but I felt them in my chest through the whole night. I can only imagine how happy they are for me and the guys.
Now that the wedding is over, we have to jump right back into work. Unfortunately, with the timing of things, we can’t go on our honeymoon, but we are planning a trip as soon as possible.
There’s a soft knock on my office door here at SOR club, but before I can say anything, the door opens and Bear comes barreling in, heading straight towards me, Grayson a few steps behind him.
“Hi, Bear.” I chuckle and scratch his head when he lays his head down on my lap. Once we officially took over the club, the first thing we did was build a fence around the entire property which is about ten-acres. Bear lives here most of the time, but if we are going to be gone for more than a day, he comes back to the beach house with us.
Glancing back up at Grayson, I grin at him as he takes a seat in one of the chairs across from my desk, “Hi, husband.”
“Hi, wife.” He chuckles. “We have church in about thirty minutes.”
“Okay.” I glance at my computer screen. “Are we going to go over these prospect applications?” I ask, gesturing towards my screen, where I had been scanning through them.
Grayson nods. “Yeah, Ryker thinks asking the few members who stayed with the club even with the changes will build some trust.”
I agree. Once we took over, Sugar and a few others stayed for a few months to get us settled and help us decide on roles.
Ryker is now the President of the club while I’m the VP. Grayson is our tech guru, and Cade is the sergeant at arms. Chains, who owns the tattoo shop where Cade works, decided to become a full member of our club and has since become our road captain. So now, we’re just looking for the right person for our enforcer.
A few minutes pass before Ryker pokes his head through the door. “Time for church, wife and husband.”
I grin; I don’t think those terms will ever get old. Standing, I grab my SOR cut and slip it on before heading out of my small office that doesn’t hold much yet and follow the guys down the long hall to where the large meeting room is to hold church.
We have the same set up as SOS with the long oval table and both SOS and SOR logos on the walls.
We all take our seats and the select few members we have come into the room and sit down as well.
“Let’s get started,” Ryker announces, smiling at everyone as he stands at the head of the table.
Our lives are just getting started, and I can’t wait to see where the future takes us as we navigate this new era we find ourselves in.
THE END.