Epilogue #2
Still, he was seeing Connor more now, so I hoped they could fix things.
Jolene and Smokey had left the club and moved down to Paterson to be with him.
A part of me was glad he had them, but another was sad that he didn’t want us.
He was pushing us all away. I hated the thought of them losing one another over this.
It would be just one more thing Danica had taken from us.
We got up and each took showers, I made him let me go in alone because we’d never leave otherwise.
We rode up to the clubhouse, could hear the party long before we pulled up outside.
There was a huge bonfire lit, music playing and people laughing.
There were a lot more bikes out front than normal, which let me know Mace and his chapter were here.
“Hey, how is the business plan going with Cassie?” Hudson asked as he put his arm around my neck, pulling me into him as we headed around the side of the clubhouse.
“It’s coming together,” I told him.
“You still planning on taking out a loan?”
Another bone of contention between everyone and me was the trust fund. I still wasn’t sure I wanted to take it. It felt like dirty money, even though deep down I knew it wasn’t. I didn’t feel as if I deserved it or earned it.
I’d met with the lawyers. It was due to come to me on my twenty fifth birthday.
They told me if I didn’t take it, it would sit in their account until such a time as Warren or I had a daughter.
That was the sticking point, I didn’t want to have that pressure put on my or Warren’s kids, if either of us had any.
I was in two minds about releasing some of it for the business venture I was going into. I’d only agreed to allow the club to invest if they swore the place would be clean. King agreed but was adamant Cassie would be my lawyer and Curtis Construction would build it.
My plan was to open a gym in town. There were already gyms around, but I wanted to make a state of the art place, somewhere the hospital could refer patients to affordably, specializing in physio work to help get people like Connor back on their feet.
I’d come up with a good business plan by myself, my degree was in business so if I couldn’t handle that, then I was screwed.
“We’re not at the money phase yet,” I told him.
He’d long since stopped trying to convince me to take the money from the trust fund but I could see the disapproval written all over him. If I did take it, even a small portion of it, I would only use it for the gym, and I would make sure Warren got some too. Whether he wanted to or not.
“Hey!” Handlebar saw us first. “You two finally come up for air.”
“Get fucked,” Hudson told him, but he laughed.
I blushed and walked away from them. I’d never get used to the easy way they discussed sex around this place. Although he’d done it as respectfully as a brother could, it still made me uncomfortable.
Warren was standing with a couple of guys over by the fire but his gaze was distant, like he wasn’t fully paying attention. When he spotted me he lifted his chin, said something to the man next to him then headed towards me.
“Hudson’s home,” he greeted me. I just rolled my eyes in response. “Glad he’s back,” he frowned. “I heard from Mia today.”
“Who?
“The journalist,” he cleared his throat.
I hadn’t known her name was Mia. I eyed my brother, he looked back at me, giving nothing away. I still wasn’t sure how he knew her. I wanted to ask but the look he gave me made me keep my mouth closed.
“She has a contact with the feds. They found something. It means the end of him.”
My throat closed up, any questions I wanted to ask dying there. Warren put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“A flash drive he had hidden away, they found it. There were things on there,” he lifted a brow, he didn’t need to say it.
We’d already seen what Andrew kept on his camera, or they had. I hadn’t wanted to see that.
“It’s recent, they’re underage. So there are charges coming, ones he can’t get out of. He’s going down, Wave,” he squeezed my shoulder again. “We did it.”
He hugged me, giving me a really tight squeeze, then he walked off before I could ask him any questions. Either about Andrew, or Connor. I watched after him for a while, he joined a group of people but he was on the periphery of them and his smile wasn’t real as he got involved in their chat.
I drew in a heavy breath. This was what I’d wanted for so long.
Somehow, it didn’t seem as satisfying as I’d hoped.
I just needed to actually see him behind bars.
I made a conscious decision not to let this bring me down.
We were here to celebrate. I wouldn’t let Andrew Reinhart ruin anything else for me.
I made a beeline for Rosa and Isla who were at the bar getting themselves a drink. The place was jumping, the atmosphere full of fun and camaraderie.
“Hey gorgeous,” Rosa hugged me. “Hudson’s home I see.”
“Don’t you start,” I groaned and grabbed the beer Isla was holding out to me.
“Can’t help it, it’s so good to see you both happy.”
I couldn’t stop the smile stretching across my face.
I was happy. Immensely so after we’d put all the shit behind us.
It helped we were living away from the clubhouse.
I made a face as a club girl, the one who kept making eyes at Hudson every time she saw him, strutted across the patio in heels so ridiculous I wondered how she hadn’t turned an ankle.
“You look like you’re about to kill her,” Isla nudged me.
“That’s one thing I actually miss about Lily,” I said, drawing both their eyes in shock. “Too soon?” I asked. They both gauged whether I meant it or not but Rosa eventually breathed out a laugh.
“I mean, she did keep them in line,” Isla laughed. “Maybe you should take over the role, Wave.”
“If I took over the role they’d all be gone,” I deadpanned, and the two women laughed.
We went to grab a seat and Rosa briefly brought up Andrew.
She told me the FBI were charging him with corporate fraud.
I filled them in on what Warren told me too.
Rosa was beaming at the news. There was also a lot of momentum on the civil case being brought against him, he was, quite literally, losing everything we’d set out to take from him.
I people watched while Rosa and Isla chatted about things going on in their lives. Dad was over with Dirt and Ballistic, close to the grill, drinking beers that the new Prospect kept supplying them with.
He would never let on, and none of the brothers mentioned it, but he was still recovering from the gunshot and wasn’t as active as he had been before.
He seemed okay and although we had a strained relationship again, he’d still not forgiven me for sneaking into that car, things were better.
We at least talked, he didn’t disappear as soon as I entered a room, and he was taking an interest in my plan for opening the gym in town.
Guys were grabbing girls where they could, Blade looked like he was undoing his zipper when another guy slapped his hand and pointed away from the area, saying something to him.
Was he actually telling him to take it elsewhere?
I stifled a laugh at the thought. My disdain was rubbing off on the brothers.
I hadn’t exactly hidden it or my threatening looks at that blonde bitch.
Since Smokey and Jolene left, and with Tanya gone, a new batch of ‘pussy’ had been brought in from their strip clubs.
It was gross. I’d never be able to change the clubs view on them.
My mouth dropped open when I spotted Cassie.
She was with Mace, and she had her hand on his forearm, laughing.
He was definitely eyeing her up. Holy shit.
I nudged Rosa and pointed. She looked over and her eyes narrowed.
As easy going as Rosa was, she still wasn’t fully on board with the Kingsmen joining us.
And clearly, seeing her daughter sidling up to their Prez was not impressing her.
I looked about again for Handlebar, he was still with Hudson.
Raptor and Felix had joined them. He was laughing but as he glanced around and saw what was going on, his smile slipped, his jaw went tight.
I knew it. He turned away from the sight and his eyes collided with mine.
I gave him a knowing look, but his face went blank until he got back to his conversation, never letting on what he thought.
My focus moved to Hudson, he tipped his head back and laughed loudly before taking a big gulp of his beer.
It made me smile looking at him, especially seeing him like this.
It was very different from the guy he had been when I first came back to New Jersey.
I searched all around the patio for my brother again, expecting him to want to go see Hudson, but I couldn’t find him.
“Has anyone seen Warren?” I asked the girls but they both shook their head.
Rosa’s look lingered on me. We’d spent more time together, talking about Delaney, looking at more pictures. She was able to tell me stories without me getting upset now. Warren still hadn’t asked anything about our mom.
“Oh, there he is,” Isla pointed. “Looks like he’s occupied,” she said with a suggestive laugh. “I was convinced he had a girl he hadn’t told anyone about, he was always sneaking off to be with someone.”
I sat up in my seat and looked away from her.
I blew out a long hard breath as I watched Warren groping and kissing that blonde whore.
Seriously? He’d told me he was bisexual but I’d never seen him with a woman, obviously he’d been with Connor a long time so no one would see him with one.
If he did this, there would be no going back.
Connor would never forgive him. And I didn’t see any way for them to work things out.
I started to get up, but Rosa put her hand on my wrist and shook her head. She gave me a sad smile. I sat back down and watched in dismay as Warren got up and walked away towards the annex with the girl, my heart breaking for Connor. I was glad he wasn’t here, it would kill him to see this.
Hudson was watching him too, a look I could read all too well on his face, because it mirrored mine. It was fleeting and he went back to his conversation with the guys. I knew it bothered him, but he’d been hiding their relationship for so long, it was natural for him not to show his feelings.
The party went on, everyone enjoying themselves.
King eventually got up and called everyone round him.
He officially welcomed the new chapter to the fold and everyone was just drunk enough not to show any animosity, although the men were integrating fine.
I thought Mace might say a few words, but he just nodded at King and then everyone around him.
Hudson found his way back to me a little while later and pulled me up, then onto his lap. He nuzzled his face into my neck, I could smell the beer on him, he wasn’t drunk but he was pleasantly tipsy.
“You having fun?” he asked me, a lazy grin on his face.
“Yeah,” I said, not wanting to bring him down talking about Warren and Connor. “You look happy.”
“I am,” he pulled me in tighter. He glanced up briefly as Isla and Rosa got up and moved away, Rosa with a wink that made me smile. “I have everything I want, right here,” he patted my ass.
“You’re such a romantic,” I drawled.
“You don’t want a romantic, Waverley,” he said seriously. “You want a guy who will challenge you, drive you nuts and fuck you into a coma.”
“You think you’re the man for that job?”
“I better have been the only one who made an application,” he scowled.
I laughed. He caught my chin and pulled my face down so he was looking right into my eyes.
“Never letting you go,” he said. There was nothing cocky or even possessive about the way he said it, he only meant he knew I was where I am supposed to be.
“I never want you to,” I told him softly.
“You make me want to be a better man,” he said, smoothing his thumb over my lower lip. “I want to do anything I can to make you happy, to always keep you safe,” his smile was gentler than I’d ever seen on him as he cupped my cheek. “I fucking love you. And I always will, Waverley Curtis.”
Now I knew. This was my home, not just this place, or this family.
This man. My lover, my protector, my best friend.
My soulmate.