EPILOGUE
LEXIE
“Thanks for coming with me today.” I kissed Bear on the cheek before leaning over to sign our names into the visitor’s log. “It was sweet of you.”
“Sweet?” Bear snorted. “Did you really think I’d let my old lady come to Central Prison on her own?
Old lady. With my free hand, I ran my fingers across the leather of my brand-new cut.
The one that read “Property of Bear” across the back and had Pixie stitched on the front as my road name.
He’d given it to me last night at the clubhouse after he’d announced to everyone that I was his, now and forever.
And then we’d gone up to his room where I’d tried it on for him.
Just the cut and nothing else. And then we’d—
“Pixie.” His body pressed into mine as he leaned down into me. I looked down and realized I’d stopped halfway through my name. “What are you thinking about?”
I squirmed against him and was rewarded with a jump in his pants. “Last night,” I breathed, quickly signing our names so we could move out of line.
He groaned. “Do you want to do this to me before we meet your father?”
I shrugged. “What’s he going to do? Tap extra hard on the plexiglass?” I followed Bear to the booth marked twelve, and we sat down to wait for the inmates to be brought in.
“He’s still my prez.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Okay. So he’ll what, punish you with another cookout? That didn’t turn out so bad, did it?”
Bear smiled, and his eyes looked me up and down. “No, it sure didn’t.”
“Besides, it’s not like he’s really my father. I mean, he is, but he didn’t raise me or anything. He has no say in anything I do. Not that he probably cares.” I sighed and flopped back in my chair. “And not that I care if he cares.”
Bear raised an eyebrow but wisely didn’t say anything. Apparently there were “things I needed to know” about my sperm donor. Things Bear had learned but thought I should hear from the man himself.
At first, I didn’t care, especially after seeing how the MC took care of each other.
My father could have shared this with me, and he chose not to.
He could have told them about me, and they could have found me a home when my grandparents died.
One of the guys could have taught me to drive or beat the shit out of Justin Mitchell in seventh grade when he stood me up at the school dance.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to smooth away the tension.
At first, I was content to ignore the man.
To leave him on mute, so to speak, even though Bear said he wanted to talk.
But talking with Michael convinced me to give it a try.
His relationship with his father hadn’t been ideal either, and with his father’s death, that’s how their relationship would always be.
Sinner was still around, so maybe we had time to build something.
Or I might confirm that he was the indifferent asshole I’d always thought him to be.
But I owed it to myself to at least find out.
A loud buzzer sounded, and the door to the room on the opposite side of the plexiglass opened. I reached for Bear’s hand and clutched it in a death grip.
“Breathe. I’m right here. And he may be my prez, but you’re my old lady. So if he says anything to hurt you, I’ll kick his ass.”
“Oh really?” I asked, a hint of a smile crossing my lips.
“Absolutely.” Bear grinned. “In eight to ten years.”
I laughed and the pressure in my chest lightened as Sinner sat down in front of us.
“It’s good to see you, Alexandra. Bear.”
Bear gave him one of those manly chin lifts.
“It’s Lexie,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Which you would know, if—“ Bear squeezed my hand and I took another breath. “It’s good to see you too, Father.” There. I didn’t say sperm donor. Progress.
“I, uh.” Sinner scratched his neck and looked around.
Was he nervous? The big scary MC president who’d been living in Central Prison over half my life? For some reason, that made me soften a little.
“I see congratulations are in order.” He nodded toward my vest. “I’m happy for you both. Bear is a good man.”
My mouth dropped. This was a big change from the shouting man from a month ago. “Thanks.”
“And you two are living together?”
I rolled my eyes. Here it comes.
“I’m glad. You deserve to have a happy home, and I’m sorry I didn’t provide that for you.”
That was unexpected. Bear squeezed my hand again and gave me a soft nudge with his leg as if to say give him a chance, he’s trying.
I took another deep breath. I had a choice. I could choose to despise the man for his past, or I could choose to move forward. I didn’t have to forget, or even forgive at this point, but I could be civil. I could get to know the man and let him get to know me.
“Well, we do. Have a happy home, that is. But it’s not just us. We have a teenager, Michael, who lives with us, too.”
“Damn Bear, that was fast.” Sinner grinned.
I groaned, but inside another piece of my heart loosened. My first dad joke.
“We’re his guardians. He’s an orphan from another MC.”
Sinner smiled. “That’s good, real good. I’ve always wanted to be a grandpa.”
I chuckled. “Then I’ll be sure to bring him next time. The more adults in his life, the better. And maybe seeing this place will encourage him to do better in school.”
“How’s the catering business? I’ve heard your food is amazing. I can’t wait to try it someday.”
“It’s going. The Reapers are my main client at the moment, but word is spreading. I’ve got a baby shower next week. It’s part time now, but I’m getting there. And in the meantime, I’m also the club’s bar manager, so I’m getting a chance to test out new recipes.”
An awkward silence filled the air. I felt like I should ask him something, but what? How’s the yard? Do you work in the laundry room? Seen any good movies lately?
Sinner cleared his throat. “I fucked up.”
“What?” I looked up from my hands.
“Your mom wouldn’t let me see you unless I married her, which I wasn’t willing to do.
I knew I’d never win a custody battle, so I didn’t fight it.
I just tried to catch you guys in public and see you that way.
Then when I heard you were with your grandparents, I convinced myself you were better off.
This life can be harsh, and if no one knew you existed, you couldn’t be hurt.
After your grandmother died, CPS came here and asked if I had any family that you could go to.
At the time, the MC wasn’t a place for a kid.
The lady assured me they had dozens of families that wanted to adopt a sweet little girl, and I thought that was best. I was wrong, and I’m sorry for that. ”
I brushed a tear from my eyes and nodded. What could I even say to all that?
“But I never forgot about you, Alexandra.” He shook his head.
“Lexie. I never forgot about you. I had a trust set up in your name, and every year I put half of my earnings from the club. Ask Blade, he can get you access to it. It should be enough to give you a jump start on your business. Or whatever you want.”
Bear made a choking sound. “Half?”
He shrugged. “It’s not as if I needed it.”
I was stunned. Might have been nice to know when I couldn’t afford the deposit for a nice apartment and had to move into the sketchy—
Deep breaths. Moving forward, not backward.
“Thanks. Maybe I can finally get a catering van,” I said, smiling at Bear.
“Or three,” he mumbled.
I scrunched my eyes. How much money were we talking? Not that it mattered. I would have rather had a dad. But knowing that he had thought about me and had done something to support me was more than I had before I walked in here.
A bell rang, signaling our time was almost up.
“Thanks for coming, Lexie. Having you back in my life means a lot. I made mistakes. I see that now. But I’m going to make them better. You’ll see. Bear, have Mav get in touch with the lawyer.”
“You got it, Prez.”
I smiled at my boyfriend. Old man. Co-guardian. All the titles. So much had changed since I’d met this man in the cart corral of Costco. I wondered if anyone had ever had their wedding at Costco? It would be an exclusive, members only event. I snickered and Bear raised an eyebrow.
I waved a hand in the air. “It’s nothing.”
I stood up and waved goodbye to my father. It had been a nice visit, better than I had thought. And maybe I’d come back for another one.
Bear’s hand warmed the small of my back as we walked out of Central Prison.
“Come on, Pixie. Tell me what was so funny back there.”
I sighed. “Fine. I was thinking about having our wedding at Costco.”
His mouth dropped, and I laughed again.
“Wedding? Are you proposing to me, baby girl?” he asked, wiping a bead of sweat that suddenly appeared on his brow.
I shrugged. “Seems like I’m always the one that has to make the first move.”
Bear laughed. “Well, I’m all for any move that ends with you tied to me in every way possible.”
My heart exploded as I leaned into his side. I finally had the life I’d always wanted, full of friends, family, and a forever kind of love.