Chapter Thirty-One
Elise
Four Days Later
Looking down at my beautiful Belle sleeping soundly in my arms, I suddenly knew what it was to hold the entire world.
Leaving her, Sophie, and Atlas would shred me, but unlike before, we’d talk every day, and I’d be back eventually.
It was unbelievable how it took me more than thirty years to find my Constance, and here I was, months later, about to leave her again.
So much had happened in such a short space of time that my head spun with it.
I’d found my daughter and acquired a granddaughter and a new son. I’d fallen back in love with John and acquired his family too. I’d started off married; then, I’d been made a widow when my husband finally got what he deserved for his sick crimes.
Everything had been set up, so Bear took the fall. He was accused of knifing Robert Henderson to death before driving his SUV off a five-hundred-foot cliff in Farmington Canyon, Utah.
The vehicle exploded as it hit the earth, with him inside, and the car burned so hot that there was nothing left of him to find.
The Speed Demons were finally enjoying a time of peace and growth.
Cash had already expanded the building company into Mapletree and was talking about setting up a yard over there. The Demons couldn’t infringe on the Sinners’ territory before, but now they no longer existed, Cash had taken immediate advantage.
Two new members were joining the club from the Vet Center in Grand Junction, along with a vet that Kit had met at one of his meetings. Billy—now known as Carbine, seeing as he was so good at shooting one—couldn’t wait to meet three new prospects he could boss around.
John and I were leaving that day.
He was in Church at that very moment, making a speech to his brothers. I was on tenterhooks in the kitchen with all the girls, worrying myself sick and trying not to cry because we were leaving almost everything I held dear behind.
John’s bike had been secured to the bed of his Ford F150, along with our luggage, and we’d said all of our goodbyes.
All I needed now was the man himself.
Our road trip would begin with a drive across the country to New York to see Niagara Falls. We’d planned to stay overnight in every state we drove through, so it would take us a week or so. From there, we planned to drive back west through the most northern states until we hit California, where I was going to meet my doctor, Melanie, in Sacramento. Then, we planned to vacation in San Diego until mid-December, after which we’d head home for Christmas.
I hadn’t had another full-blown episode since the big one, but I did have a couple of smaller meltdowns, which I survived with the help of my man. Whenever I felt myself getting stressed or my anxiety got too much, he’d guide me into his room, and we’d lay down on his bed and talk about all the things we were going to do and see together, the same way we did back when we were two starry-eyed kids who thought we had the world at our feet.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Sophie asked from the chair beside mine.
My gaze veered up from Belle and I stared at my beautiful, kind, beloved daughter. “Yeah. I’m okay. Just feeling melancholy.”
“I know,” she smiled, “me too. But you’ll only be gone for three months, and it’s only right that you and John should spend some time together. God knows it took you two long enough.”
Reaching toward the countertop, I covered her hand with mine. “I’ll FaceTime every day. I refuse to miss seeing my granddaughter grow up; they change so quickly at this age.”
Our eyes met, and she smiled sadly.
Sophie knew I was thinking how I never got to see her change, or any of the other beautiful children John and I were meant to have. She also knew it was my biggest regret.
“Yo!” Mason called from the door. “Prez wants you all in Church.”
Silence fell over the room briefly before Sophie repeated, “John wants us in Church?”
Mason grinned. “Nope, Prez wants you in Church. He said you gotta keep your mouths shut and stay at the back.”
Cara looked around the kitchen, beaming, and I didn’t blame her one bit. It seemed her man was already doing things his way.
If I’d been around when John made his new traditions, I’d have beamed proudly, too.
Mason took Belle from my arms and ushered us down the hallway to the bar.
As we drew closer, we heard a roar so loud it almost lifted the room. Goose bumps rose on my skin as I heard Cash’s voice bellow, “Mess with a Demon?”
What seemed like a hundred voices yelled back, “And we’ll raise Hell!”
Cara cracked the door open and slipped inside the bar, motioning for us all to follow.
Once inside, I looked around and grinned.
Speed Demons sat on every surface. Chairs, tables, the bar, and even the pool tables were heaving under the weight of bikers. The atmosphere in the room was so electric that I could almost see sparks fly through the air. Every man stared at the makeshift stage where three long tables had been pushed together for the officers.
“It’s been my honor, boys,” John declared, his ass perched on the edge of the same table his sons sat behind. “Thank you for allowing me the privilege of leading this club.”
He stood straight and tall, and I noticed his eyes desperately searching for something. Our gazes locked, and my heart fluttered when his white teeth flashed through his beard. John shot me a wink before turning back to his son.
“Stand up, Cash,” he ordered, taking a cut from a pile folded neatly on the desk.
Cash immediately got to his feet and walked around the table to stand beside his dad.
“I’m honored to give you this, Son,” John announced. “Haven’t always been the dad you wanted, but I hope I’ve been the dad you needed to prepare you for this.” My man slipped the new prez’s cut over his shoulders and clapped him hard on the back.
“Boys,” John bellowed. “Welcome your new prez, Cash Stone.”
The place erupted, the men’s roars so loud, they hurt my eardrums. Hollers filled the air, along with wolf whistles and shouts of appreciation.
A soft hand slid into mine, and I turned to see Cara staring up at the stage with tears in her eyes. Her face swiveled to mine, and my heart squeezed when I saw a tear track down her face before she turned back to gaze up at her man.
Cash held up a hand and waited for the shouts to die down. “Brothers. If I can be half the president my old man was, I reckon we’ll do alright together.”
More roars went up, the brothers shouting their encouragement as they watched Cash and John go in for a man hug.
Cash smacked John on the back and pulled away, visibly gulping. “Brothers. I want to present your new VP; a man I know you already love and respect as much as I do… Breaker!”
Kennedy gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
Kit’s jaw dropped. Almost dazed, he stood, walked around the table, and accepted his new cut from his prez before hugging Cash, then John, manly back slaps and all.
After congratulating his brother, Cash turned back to the crowd, perching his ass on the desk, much like John just did. “We’ve got two officer positions to fill: Road Captain and Secretary. On your way out, pick up a ballot paper. I want you to write down the names of the men you want to promote to these positions. The two brothers with the most votes will sit at the officers’ table.”
John gazed down at his men, taking every face in with a huge grin.
Anybody looking at him right then would think he was happy, and he was, to a point. But I’d loved John Stone since I was a sixteen-year-old girl; therefore, I also knew he was torn up inside.
He’d explained the night before—when we lay facing each other in bed—how they’d been in his life for so long, he wasn’t sure how he’d be without them. John’s brothers had been with him through births, deaths, sickness, weddings, and divorces. Those wonderful men were his family, and not leading them anymore would leave a hole.
Stone assured me he was at peace with his decision and knew he was doing the right thing by leaving, but the club was such a big part of his life that it would take some adjusting.
My throat heated as I watched John pull his shoulders back and salute his brothers. “Godspeed,” he said huskily before walking down from the stage and making a beeline toward me.
Our eyes locked. Gold met green, and my heart fluttered in my chest.
John approached with his hand held out to me. “You ready for an adventure, Duchess?”
Unable to tear my gaze from his, I nodded, placing my fingers in his.
He shot me the same handsome grin I’d loved since I was a young girl with stars in my eyes, then I smiled as my man slid his arm across my shoulders, pulling me close to him as we walked out together.
When we reached the main doors, I felt John hesitate.
Slowly, he turned and grinned at the entire room.
Craning my neck, I caught Sophie’s eyes, and my stomach jerked when I saw tears streaming down her face . I love you, she mouthed.
I love you , I mouthed back, my breath hitching from the pain shooting through my chest. Swallowing the emotion clogging my throat, I turned back for the door, and we walked outside into the warm sunshine.
John’s body stilled, and I looked up, the knot in my stomach unraveling at the sight before us.
Abe stood next to a new silver Chevy Silverado with his arm slung across Iris’s shoulders. “Jesus Christ, John. What the fuck you been doin’? Cryin’ into your Cheerios? Get a damned grip, bro. My Rissy and I are in the mood for a road trip.” He shook his head, grinning. “Chop, chop. Don’t got all day.”
“Thought you weren’t leavin’ until the kids got sorted,” John called over.
Iris grimaced. “To be honest, John, Wilder’s worn me out. I don’t think I could take another day with him.”
“ I knew it,” Cara’s voice yelled from behind the door of the clubhouse. “Cash, your demon spawn drove Mary fucking Poppins away!”
Abe choked out a laugh.
John chuckled.
My heart soared.
Abe dipped his chin. “We’re going to New York with you, then we’re driving down to Missouri so Iris can watch the first game of the season. Rissy’s crossing her fingers that Taylor will be there. She wants to send pictures to Kady and Sunshine. We may come over to San Diego and stay with you at the place you’ve rented, then head back with ya for the holidays.” He grinned. “That okay with you?”
John twisted his face to the side to look down at me. “What d’ya think, Duchess? We gonna let the old timers tag along?”
I laughed and nodded excitedly, feeling my heart swell with relief because I knew John would feel better if Abe and Iris left with us. Leaving his boys wouldn’t be such a blow if his brother was there to support him.
“Watch your mouth, John Stone.” Iris sniffed.
Abe pulled her toward the Silverado. “Come on, Rissy. Let’s get our asses outta here.”
John led me to his F150 and opened the passenger door, helping me up. The instant I sat, he hauled up and grabbed my seat belt, pulling it across me and securing it with a click.
My gaze lifted to meet his. “I love you, John Stone,” I murmured, my heart filling up with everything that was him. “You make my butterflies come alive.”
He grinned and bent his neck, nuzzling my nose with his. “Get used to it, Duchess,” he breathed. “Gonna make those little fuckers flap their wings every day for the rest of our lives.”
Pulling back, he jumped down, slammed my door closed, and jogged around the hood to the driver’s side. Then, pulling himself up, he settled in, and fastened his seat belt, turning his head right to address me. “So, baby,” he rumbled. “You ready to go on an adventure with me?”
A smile spread across my face, my eyes sliding to meet the beautiful golden orbs I’d loved since I was a girl. “I’m ready, Johnny.”
The engine fired up, and his hand reached toward the radio. “Springsteen or R.E.M?” he asked.
I grinned and gave him the only logical answer I could.
“Let’s go with Springsteen.”
He stabbed the controls, and the cab was suddenly filled with the opening bars of ‘Born to Run.’
I smiled.
Perfect.