Raze (Dirty Soul MC: Long Beach #1)

Epilogue

1 Week Later

The club seems to have settled since all the drama that unfolded last week. Polly’s grieving hard, but she shows her face here every day and she’s getting the support she needs. I spoke to Grimm before the clean-up and ensured that Polly had a special place she could go to visit her son. He may have betrayed the club, but I blame Cliff for that. The kid spent his whole life wanting a father figure, Cliff exploited that when he decided to give him one.

Griller had himself a proper Dirty Soul send-off yesterday, it was sad, but it brought us all even closer together, and his death taught me an invaluable lesson. I judged him wrong like I’m sure many others in his life did, but I did get to tell his mom that he died a hero.

None of us know where Greaser is, and I was surprised when he didn’t show his face. Perhaps he’s found what he was lookin’ for somewhere else.

Looking around the room I see all the men who are starting to appreciate each other. The atmosphere here is changing, even Dev has agreed that Corey can hang out here as long as it ain’t on a school night.

I smile when the door opens and Peyton breezes through it, she’s got that huge beam on her face that suggests she’s been up to something. And I check that no one else is appreciating the way she looks in the pretty summer dress she’s wearing as she comes toward me.

She’s still refusing to speak to a counselor about what happened, but she did meet with her father and Billy a few days ago and it seemed to go well. So well, that she got me agreeing to go out for dinner with ‘em all tomorrow night.

“Hey, you.” She sits her hot little ass on my lap. I’ve been spending a lot of time helping her erase the memories in her head, and I’ve got no complaints about that at all.

“What’s on your mind, darlin’?” I abandon the financial report Vike asked me to take a look at and focus all of my attention on her.

“Nothing much. I was just wondering if you’d lost anything?” She shrugs and I can tell by the twinkle in her eye that whatever she thinks I’m missing, she’s found.

“Lost somethin’? No.” I shake my head.

“Oh, that’s a shame. I thought this pretty diamond ring was for me.” She raises her hand and wiggles the finger she’s wearing it on.

“I forgot about that,” I admit. I don’t know how, the thing cost a fortune and before all the shit went down, I spent a lotta time thinking of all the ways I could ask her to officially be mine.

“I found it while I was cleaning up the hut and…”

“It is for you, but you're wearin’ it wrong.” I slide my mouth over her finger and grip the ring with my teeth so I can pull it off. Then lifting up her left hand, I take the ring between my thumb and finger and pause.

“Peyton Longmire, do you want this life of madness and mayhem? Do you want a husband who can be miserable, but will cheer up in a second when he sees ya smile?”

“You want us to…Raze, I just thought you’d bought me something pretty. I didn’t expect you to wanna–”

“Marry me,” I interrupt her, “You made me see this place as a hope for the future, not an obligation. I want to make this our home even if it means I have to build a bigger hut and let you keep that damn bird.”

“I was always gonna be keeping the bird,” she tells me as her grin gets wider, “But yes.” She looks down at her hand. “I would love to marry you.”

I stare at her wondering if I heard her right. She’s so young and the world out there is so big. It would break my heart but I’d understand if she wanted to wait.

“What are you waiting for? Put the ring on my finger.” She bounces excitedly as happy tears fill her eyes and when everyone around us starts clapping and cheering I realize we’ve built up an audience.

I do as I’m told, sliding the ring onto her finger and kissing her.

“This calls for a drink.” Wrath slams his hand on the bar looking pleased for us both, and I lift my girl up in my arms and carry her across the floor so we can join him.

“Congratulations.” Polly manages a smile and Wrath pats me hard on the back

“Good job, Prez.” He winks, as he hands me a whiskey shot and takes one for himself, we’re about to clang our glasses together when the door swings open and we both stare in disbelief at what storms through it.

“Eden!” Wrath’s voice goes up a few decimals as he places his glass back on the bar and stares in shock at my sister. She’s dressed in a long, white, very expensive-looking wedding gown that she drags across the floor with her as she marches toward him.

Neither of us predict the punch that she lands perfectly across his jaw.

“I was happy. I was moving on and then…Grrrrr. I should be getting married right now.” She grits the last of her sentence through her teeth at him. Wrath blinks and presses his hand to his face as he recovers.

And I can’t help feeling proud of the hit she got on him. Something about having her here suddenly feels right and I down my whiskey and prepare for things to get interesting.