Epilogue
Matlock
Two weeks.
Two weeks since the DA dropped the charges. Two weeks since I’d claimed Simon in front of everyone at the diner. Two weeks since I’d stopped being a fucking coward.
And tonight, the clubhouse was packed.
Music thumped through the speakers and laughter echoed off the walls.
Simon sat on my lap, his back against my chest, my arms wrapped around his waist. He was laughing at something Cash had said, his head tilted back, his throat exposed.
I pressed my lips to the side of his neck, feeling his pulse jump under my mouth.
Mine.
He turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting mine, and I kissed him. Not giving a single fuck who was watching.
“Jesus Christ, Matlock,” Gunner called from across the room, his voice carrying over the music. “Get a fucking room. Nobody wants to see that shit.”
I pulled back from Simon’s lips just long enough to flip Gunner my middle finger. “Fuck off, Gunner.”
Simon laughed, the sound vibrating through my chest. “You jealous, Goliath?” Simon called out.
The entire room laughed, and Gunner glared back at Simon. I tightened my arms around him, burying my face in his neck.
This was what I’d been missing.
This freedom. This ability to touch him without fear.
My mind drifted back ten days ago, a beautiful warm spring day where I finally did something I’d been too fucking scared to do.
“Where are we going?” Simon whined.
I grabbed his hand without a word and led him outside to my bike. I pulled a helmet out of the saddlebag and held it out to him. His eyes widened, and he stared at it as if it might bite him.
He looked up at me and blinked. “Are you sure?”
It was a common question he’d been asking for days. Every time we went out in public, he asked if I was sure.
I fucking hated it.
But I had no one to blame but myself. “I’m sure, baby.”
His smile melted any lingering doubts that might have been hiding inside the dark parts of me. I placed the helmet on his head and clipped the strap. Then I swung my leg over my bike and held out my hand.
I’d never had anyone on the back of my bike. That seat wasn’t for just anyone. It was sacred. It was a claim that told the world this person is mine.
His hand trembled in mine as he climbed on behind me.
Then his body pressed against my back.
Fuck!
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, reveling in the moment. The weight of him, the solid warmth of his chest against my spine, the way his thighs bracketed mine, and the way his arms wrapped around my waist and held on to me was a feeling I’d denied myself for far too fucking long.
Simon relaxed against me as we rode through town where everyone who saw us waved. His love and trust in me were something precious that I would never again take for granted. Because for six years I’d touched him only in the dark corners of The Sanctum.
And he’d stayed.
He’d waited for me to pull my head out of my ass and my sexuality out of the fucking closet I’d been locked in.
And now he was mine.
“Tony?”
Simon’s voice pulled me back to the present. He was looking at me over his shoulder, his brow furrowed. “You okay?”
I kissed him again, softer this time. “Yeah, baby. I’m good.”
Better than good.
Because this time, I’m not hiding. This time, I’m not letting him go.
The music shifted, and King’s voice cut through the noise. “Alright, everyone, listen up!”
The room quieted, all eyes turning toward the front where King stood, Jack beside him, holding a white box.
My chest tightened.
Here we go.
King’s eyes found mine across the room. “Matlock, get your ass up here.”
I stood, gently lifting Simon off my lap and setting him on his feet. He looked confused, his eyes darting between me and King.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“You’ll see,” I said, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead before walking toward King.
The crowd parted as I moved through them, my brothers clapping me on the back, murmuring words of encouragement.
Say something. Tell them what this means.
I cleared my throat and looked out at the room. At my brothers. At Simon’s parents, who were standing near the back with proud smiles. At Sadie, who was in the corner with Keys, her expression guarded but curious.
And at Simon, who was watching me with wide, uncertain eyes.
“This is harder than I thought,” I started, my voice rough. “I’m used to giving a speech fighting for other people’s lives. Not my own.”
A few people chuckled.
“This club,” I continued, “has been my family for years. We’ve had each other’s backs through shit I never thought I’d survive. You gave me a place to belong when I didn’t think there was one.”
The room was silent now, everyone listening. I paused, my eyes finding Simon’s.
“My entire life I’ve hid who I was out of fear,” I said, the words coming easier this time. “And for six years, I’ve been in love with a man I was too afraid to claim publicly. I kept him in the shadows because I didn’t think you all would accept who I really was.”
I looked at King, then at the rest of my brothers.
“But you didn’t turn your backs on me,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “You stood by me. You accepted me. And that means more than I can ever fucking say.”
King clapped me on the shoulder, his grip firm.
“Loyalty,” I said, looking back at Simon. “Brotherhood and acceptance. That’s what this club is built on. And I’m damn proud to be a part of it.” I looked back at King and stepped aside.
King stepped forward, his expression serious. “Simon Nelson, get up here.”
Simon’s eyes widened, his face going pale. “What?”
“You heard me,” King said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Move your ass.”
Simon hesitated, then slowly made his way through the crowd. When he reached us, he looked between me and King, his confusion evident.
King removed the lid from the box Jack held. Jack’s grin was wide as he looked from me to Simon.
Inside was a leather cut.
Simon’s breath hitched.
King lifted it out, turning it so Simon could see the back.
Property of Matlock.
The room erupted in cheers, whistles, and applause.
Simon stared at the cut, his eyes wide, his mouth slightly open. “I... what?”
“You’re a member of the Silver Shadows’ family, Simon,” King declared, his voice carrying over the noise. “Officially.”
I stepped forward, taking the cut from King and holding it out to Simon. “Put it on.”
Simon’s hands trembled as he reached for it. “Tony, I—”
“Put it on, baby,” I repeated, my voice softer this time.
He slipped his arms through the sleeves, and I adjusted it on his shoulders, smoothing the leather down. When I stepped back, the sight of him wearing my name, my claim, made my dick swell.
Mine.
Finally, completely, undeniably mine.
The room erupted again, and Simon turned to face me, tears streaming down his face.
“I love you,” he said, his voice barely audible over the noise.
“I love you too,” I said, pulling him into my arms and kissing him hard.
The cheers grew louder, and for a moment, everything was perfect.
And then a glass shattered against the wall.
The room went silent.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Sadie was standing in the corner, her face flushed, her hands clenched into fists. Keys was in front of her, his expression furious, a broken whiskey glass at his feet.
“You don’t get to make that decision for me!” Sadie shouted, her voice shaking.
“Then make the right fucking decision for once in your goddamn life!” Keys shot back. “I’m trying to fucking help you!”
“I don’t want your help!” Sadie yelled. “I don’t want anyone’s help!”
“You’re pregnant, Sadie!” Keys roared, his voice echoing through the clubhouse. “You can’t just pretend that doesn’t fucking matter!”
The room went deathly silent.
Sadie’s face crumpled, and she turned and ran toward the door.
Keys stood frozen, his chest heaving, his hands clenched into fists.
Simon pulled away from me, his eyes wide. “Did he just—”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice tight. “He did.”
Simon looked at me, then at the door Sadie had just disappeared through.
“Go,” I said, nodding toward the door. “Go after her.”
Simon hesitated for only a moment before taking off after his sister.
I looked at Keys, who was still standing in the corner, his expression a mixture of rage and devastation.
Fuck.
King stepped up beside me, his voice low. “This just got a hell of a lot more complicated.”
“Yeah,” I said, watching Simon disappear through the door. “It did.”