Epilogue
THE BLISTERING HEAT of summer had long since given way to the cool breezes of fall, the change of seasons just one more thing Zander had overlooked before his accident.
These days he was counting every blessing.
It was mid-November, and they were at the Salty Hog for Madigan and Tobias’s wedding.
The last four months had been a hell of a ride.
Four months, four seasons. His and Shauna’s signs were everywhere.
All he had to do was look in the mirror.
He was the fourth child in his family, after all.
He hadn’t known he could fall so hard, but with Shauna he was in a constant state of freefalling deeper and more passionately in love with her by the moment.
Love wasn’t something he’d looked for, but now it—she—was the one thing he lived for.
He looked around the room for his beautiful wife.
The rustic restaurant had been transformed into a bohemian dream for Madigan and Tobias.
Strings of twinkling lights decorated the wooden beams like stolen stars.
White roses and eucalyptus garland spilled from colorful vases, their scent weaving into the hum of voices and the steady beat of the band.
Dark Knights had come from near and far, including his cousins from Colorado, Maryland, and Upstate New York.
The sea of leather cuts was a familiar, comforting sight.
He might have changed, but he was glad some things never would.
“It’s a hell of a wedding, isn’t it?” Preacher said as he sidled up to Zander with Zeke and their mother in tow.
“I didn’t know Tobias knew how to smile like that,” Zeke said.
Zander glanced across the room at their new brother-in-law, who looked sharp in a crisp white shirt, black slacks, and a fitted vest. He was talking with his sister, father, and some of Zander’s cousins, and he was grinning from ear to ear.
“He looks like a man who feels like a king because he’s won his queen. ” Zander knew that feeling well.
“As he should,” his mother agreed. She looked beautiful in a floor-length champagne dress.
“I’m really glad he decided to prospect the club,” Preacher said.
“He’d better stay safe. I don’t want to deal with Madigan’s wrath,” Zeke joked.
Zander chuckled. Their sister had complained that Tobias joining the club meant she’d forever be outnumbered, but she’d confided in Zander that she was thrilled with his decision.
She’d also laid out a threat to each and every one of them, saying if they put Tobias in a situation where he got hurt, they’d have her to deal with.
“Our baby girl turned out to be one tough cookie,” Preacher said.
“She had to, to survive the likes of these boys,” his mother said. “She looks like a boho princess tonight, doesn’t she?”
Zander followed her gaze to Madigan, who did look like a princess in her bridal gown with a corset top, off-the-shoulder sleeves that fell in soft layers, and a gauzy skirt with a slit that climbed too high for their father’s liking.
The white snakeskin boots peeking out from beneath showed off her rebellious side.
She was dancing with Shauna and the other bridesmaids.
Zander’s pulse ratcheted up, like it always did when he saw his wife.
Shauna looked like a dream in wine-colored lace, holding Baz and Emerson’s three-month-old baby girl, Ashlyn Lockhart Wicked, named for Ashley, and for Emerson’s parents, but given a name all her own to conquer this wild world.
“She sure does,” he said. “But my wife outshines everyone in this room.”
Shauna had cried the day Madigan had asked her to be a bridesmaid and had shocked the hell out of Zander when she’d gone shopping with the girls and had come home with that killer dress that knocked him on his ass.
He couldn’t believe she’d bought a dress after the way she’d fought him seven months ago.
But his confident wife had stayed true to herself, and she was beyond breathtaking with a swooping neckline, fitted bodice, and lace that trailed all the way to the floor.
Beneath the sheer lace skirt were sewn-in thigh-skimming shorts with scalloped trim that he got flashes of as she spun.
She was fearless, unapologetic, and sexy as hell.
And she was his.
“Shauna looks like she’s waited her whole life to hold something as precious as that little girl,” his mother said. “She was going gaga with the girls over a picture of Silas.” Silas, Bear and Crystal’s new baby, had been born last week.
“I think that’s a nudge toward having grandbabies, Zan,” Zeke said.
Zander’s heart beat a little faster every time he saw Shauna with one of his nieces or nephews, but he was in no rush to share her, or to bring more responsibility to the woman who’d already carried more than her fair share.
“Maybe one day, but she’s never had the luxury of just enjoying life… or me.”
Zeke barked out a laugh. “In no hurry to give up those private pole dances, huh?”
“Zeke,” his mother chided.
“He’s not wrong, Mom.” Zander laughed. “But honestly, I want nothing more than to give her everything she could ever want, and if or when that turns out to be a kid or a pack of them, then so be it.”
“You both got new leases on life this year, and you’re not the only ones.” Zeke nodded at Brian heading for Shauna as she handed Ashlyn to Emerson.
Shauna hadn’t been sure how Brian would react when she told him she and Zander were in love, but Brian had surprised them and said he’d known since her birthday.
He’d seen it in her eyes on the video call and claimed to have seen the same in Zander’s that first time they spent the day together after he got home from rehab.
The transition hadn’t been easy. Zander made sure she and Brian got time alone, but he couldn’t give up starting each day with his dimpled darlin’.
He was on their doorstep every morning, coffee in hand—for him and Shauna, and their plus one.
The three of them had carved out a new rhythm and had not only developed a great friendship, but a family of three in its own right.
As Brian swept Shauna into a twirl, Aria stepped away from the rest of the girls, and Zeke said, “I’ll catch up with you later,” and went after her.
Zander had seen him and Aria in a heated discussion earlier, but when he’d asked about it, Zeke had shrugged it off.
“That boy’s head is sharp, but his heart? That’s where his fire lives,” his mother said.
“That’s where all of our fires live,” Preacher said, pulling her into a kiss. “Speaking of hearts and fire, Alexander, you did the right thing helping Brian.”
Brian was working hard at his recovery, attending several meetings each week, working with Saint as his sponsor, and seeing a therapist, and he was doing a fantastic job for Blaine and Maverick.
He joined Zander and Shauna at the gym and for outings and barbecues with friends and family and had made a few new friends on his own, too.
Shauna had moved back home with Zander six weeks ago, and Brian had moved into a one-bedroom cottage not far from their place.
Some mornings he showed up bright and early on their doorstep, three coffees in hand, and Zander and Shauna welcomed it.
“We never should have doubted you,” Preacher said.
“I appreciate that. As much as I hated thinking you didn’t believe in me, those early doubts made me stronger. You helped me realize how badly I wanted to be there for Shauna, and in turn, for Brian.”
“Brian is such a nice young man. We’re really proud of him,” his mother said. “He’s come a long way.”
He’s not the only one.
Zander had watched his beautiful wife flourish as he and his family walked alongside her and Brian on his recovery journey.
But since she’d moved back home, the pieces of their lives had come together even more connected than before, and she’d roared to life like a bike that had finally found an open road.
He looked across the room at her now, taking in the music, the laughter, and the din of family, so happy Shauna had become a part of it.
As he headed for the angel who had saved his life, the woman who had changed his world, “Never Stop” came on, the lyrics so perfect, they could have been torn from his soul just for her.
THE LIVELY CELEbrATION had eased into the comfortable hum of an evening nobody wanted to end.
Shauna stood by the dance floor with Zander, Brian, and a handful of others, volleying conversations.
Brian was arguing with Sid about the best barbecue in town, while Gunner and Zeke tried to stir the pot by telling them both they were wrong.
Chloe was leaning against Maverick’s side, shaking her head at them, and Madigan was holding court in her wedding gown like the queen she was, commenting on everything.
Aria stood beside Zeke, taking it all in, while stealing glances at Blaine and Reese, and Starr and Justice, who were slow dancing by the band.
Emerson sat a few feet away, nursing baby Ashlyn, while Baz stood beside her with Brennan asleep on his shoulder, chatting with his best friend Evie and her fiancé and two of Zander’s cousins from Colorado. There were so many people there, Shauna couldn’t keep their names straight.
Across the room, Grandpa Mike hovered near the dessert table like a man on a mission, while Ginger and Reba kept eagle eyes on him, ready to swat his hand away.
Rosie was sneaking behind them, hoarding cookies for him.
Shauna wasn’t about to tell Rosie or Grandpa Mike that Ginger and Reba were one step ahead of them.
Every dessert on that table was sugar free.
They were simply playing a part, so as not to spoil Grandpa’s or Rosie’s fun, because Grandpa enjoyed sneaking around and Rosie was delighted to be his coconspirator.