Epilogue
Eight Months Later
It was my thirty-fourth birthday.
Birthdays were special on any day—but when they fell on a Saturday, they were exceptionally special. And even though I was only twenty hours into my thirty-fourth year, I had a feeling it, too, was going to be exceptional.
As I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, applying my makeup for my birthday bash, I thought about how full my life was in that very moment. I was so happy it almost didn’t feel real.
Tess was pregnant. She was just a couple weeks away from the end of her first trimester; and since the moment she’d told me, I had a serious case of baby fever.
When Kade and I talked about the future, both of us imagined kids, but now—now I wanted to do more than imagine. At thirty-eight, Kade felt mentally ready as he’d ever be to start a family, but there were a couple things he was adamant he wanted in place before I got my IUD removed.
First, he wanted us under the same roof. We’d been in the market for a house on my side of town, closer to the hospital, since the new year. Surprisingly, Kade was pickier than me, and it took us a while to find a place we both loved. He’d put in an offer on a great ranch style home just that morning, and I had a good feeling about this one.
Four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a garage and an unfinished basement. It was perfect, and Kade had offered more than the asking price, so I was pretty sure that box would be checked before the weekend was over.
He also wanted me branded with a ring on my finger before he put a baby inside of me.
The tattoo was for him in his world. The ring was for me in mine.
I didn’t need either. I loved him deeper than I knew it was possible to love anyone, and I wasn’t going anywhere.
There was something about loving a man as wild and unbridled as my Maverick. I had seen enough life and death in the ER to know that nothing was guaranteed, and none of us were promised tomorrow. But giving my heart to a Stallion, it felt riskier than if I’d given it to someone else. That risk made me cherish what we had so much more.
We weren’t invincible. My man was tough, but he could still bleed. I’d seen it. I’d feared it. Only, rather than run from that truth, I stayed close and held onto him. I always would. No matter what—because he’d made the same promise. He was always there, at my back. My protector. No one had ever made me feel safer, and I adored that about him.
Nevertheless, I understood why Kade wanted us branded with symbols that promised forever. His parents had been reckless, abandoning him as a child. He didn’t want to bring new life into a home that was anything less than whole. Having grown up in a home with both my parents present, I echoed his desire for the same and respected his wishes.
He’d been calling me his ol’ lady since the night we first said I love you. In some ways, it felt fast, but it wasn’t. Not for us. I’d told him a while ago he could hurry up with that ring. Especially considering he had already branded himself as mine.
He’d done it right before Christmas. I didn’t even know he was thinking about it. I’d gotten so used to the naked spot underneath his left arm I was shocked when he came home with his bicep covered in new ink. Even more incredible, he’d gotten the piece in color.
The image was a face of a fox, depicted in such a way that it looked like she was sticking her head through a bunch of roses.
It was gorgeous. I teared up every time I saw it for a week.
It wasn’t every day a man branded himself for his ol’ lady.
I was no expert when it came to the MC life, but I knew that much.
I wasn’t fully immersed in his world, and I knew that would likely always be the case. I was there enough. I saw what he wanted me to see, and I’d learned to be less anxious about all I didn’t see. I might have been his ol’ lady—but I was his lady first and foremost. He told me often how he wanted to preserve that part of me; how he’d found me in my world, and he didn’t need me to force-fit myself into his. I knew this to be true, not simply because we didn’t lie to one another, but because I saw the way he showed me off when he brought me around.
Just as I loved him as he was, he loved me the same.
And unless he had to ride, he was in bed with me every night.
So—my tattoo would be for him, and the ring was for me. The best of both worlds.
A compromise.
We were really good at those.
“Babe, let’s go!” he hollered from the other side of the closed bathroom door.
I smiled at my reflection, amused by the annoyance I heard in his voice. The weather was nice. We’d had a random bout of snow the first weekend in May, but spring was now in full bloom, and the roads were clear. He wanted to be on his hog that night, but I had other plans.
I wasn’t worried about his mood. He could only stay grouchy at me for so long. It was my birthday, after all. Also, I had a couple surprises in store for him I knew he would appreciate.
The first of which was my outfit.
Tess and I had gone shopping for the dress a couple of weeks ago. It was, without a doubt, the sexiest piece of clothing I owned. Just because I was getting older didn’t mean I was old.
The black, halter top, mini-dress hugged my subtle curves and stopped about an inch above mid-thigh. It was backless with a plunging neckline, a small strap underneath my breasts the only thing keeping the draped fabric at the front from flapping open and exposing my naked torso completely. I’d paired it with my black, stiletto, strappy sandals, which allowed me to show off my most recent pedicure—my toes painted bright red.
Finished with my makeup, I spritzed on a little perfume, and then opened the door to greet my man.
“Fuck me,” he muttered as he stood stalk still.
I watched as his eyes traveled up and down my body three times and fought the urge to laugh.
“I will, honey. Later. I promise.”
He lifted his eyes to meet mine, clearing his throat as he reached down to adjust himself in his jeans.
The giggle that bubbled out of me was unavoidable.
“Did you get my overnight bag?”
“Yeah, babe. In the truck.”
“Just need to grab my purse, and I’ll be ready to go.”
Two minutes later, we were closed in his cage , headed for Steel Mustang.
My work schedule had synced quite nicely with my birthday. That morning, I’d finished the last of my overnight rotation shifts, which meant I was free to go out with my friends in the evening. It was going to be pretty low key—just a few people from the hospital. My parents were going to drive in the next day, and we’d celebrate with a dinner. Gran would be there, as would Mustang, Tess, and Mary-Kate.
When we walked into our destination, Lindsey and Wayne had already arrived. They were ordering drinks at the bar. As Kade and I went over to say hello, I was surprised to see Tess there. Of course, Steel Mustang was her favorite haunt; but since she started growing a human, she could barely keep her eyes open after nine o’clock.
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
She slid off of the barstool she was occupying with open arms. I walked into her embrace, giving her a squeeze in return.
“I couldn’t miss seeing you on your actual birthday. I’m literally here to give you a hug and tell you that you look hot in your new dress.” She pulled away, holding onto my shoulders at arm’s length before she grinned and declared, “You look so hot in this dress. Seriously, I’m surprised Maverick let you out of the house.”
She really was the best friend a woman could ask for.
True to her word, she was headed home sixty seconds later.
Even though I usually sat at the bar when we frequented Steel Mustang, Kade cleared a table for my friends and me near the back—far enough away from the stage that we could actually talk to each other, but situated in a spot where we could still see the band performing.
Abbie was the next in our group to arrive, Conrad showing up shortly after. He’d come straight from the hospital and delivered the news that Heather wasn’t going to be able to make it, needing to stay behind with a patient.
“She sends her love,” he added. “And she told me to buy you a shot on her as soon as I got here. So, pick your poison.”
An hour later, I was pleasantly tipsy and having a great time. The band was awesome, the drinks were good, and my company was the best.
We lost Abbie first. When I noticed she’d left to order another drink but hadn’t come back, I looked over to find her flirting with Rodeo at the bar. It was nice to see her flirting with someone her own age. I wondered if she’d finally get her one night with a biker.
Rodeo would have been a fool to turn her down.
Lindsey and Wayne were the next to leave, needing to relieve their babysitter. Conrad, who had work the next day, followed shortly after. We hadn’t yet reached midnight, which meant the night was still young—but I felt a bit anxious to leave, myself.
Leaning toward Kade, I nodded in Abbie and Rodeo’s direction and asked, “Think he’ll take the bait?”
“No doubt,” he answered with a smirk.
“In that case, you want to get out of here?”
He brought his lips to my ear before he muttered, “Twenty-seven.”
“What?” I asked, not sure I heard him correctly.
“Twenty-seven, foxy. That’s how many times I didn’t start a fight when some fucker looked at you sittin’ here sexy as hell in this damn dress. That number hits thirty, can’t promise I won’t throw a punch.”
I pulled away enough to see into his eyes, and I knew he wasn’t joking.
“Right. Let’s go.”
He took my hand in his, and we were gone without a backwards glance.
I made a mental note to text Abbie in the morning.
Kade and I didn’t talk much on the short ride to his house. I could feel the sexual tension as it rolled off of him and filled the cab of his truck. It awakened the butterflies in my stomach and ignited an ache between my legs only Kade could satisfy. But the promise of great sex wasn’t the only thing that had me antsy in anticipation.
It might have been my birthday, but I still had another surprise for my man.
When we pulled into his driveway, he killed the engine, then looked at me before he demanded, “Stay put.”
I said nothing in reply but obeyed, then watched as he exited the truck and made his way to my door. He helped me down onto the ground then bent over, jammed his shoulder against my hips, grabbed me around my thighs, and hoisted me off my feet. I squeaked and then laughed as he carried me inside.
As we passed through his kitchen, I tossed my purse onto the island. He didn’t stop until we hit his bedroom. He switched on the lights then finally set me on my feet beside the bed.
He swept my hair away from my face and tilted my head back gently.
Then he kissed me.
When he swept his tongue decisively through my mouth, I leaned into him, grabbing hold of his wrists as I pressed up onto my tiptoes.
He consumed me hungrily, and I loved every second of it.
He was still the best kiss I’d ever known.
We kissed until my lips felt swollen and I couldn’t breathe, and yet I wanted more.
I whimpered when he stepped out of my grasp, but he didn’t take his eyes off of me as he shrugged his way out of his kutte and tossed it onto the foot of the bed. When he was in reaching distance again, I went straight for his shirt. As I began to tug at the hem, he reached between his shoulders and yanked the fabric over his head. It was still on its way to the floor when he began to pull at my dress.
My heart began to race as I held up my arms, sure he would notice as soon as he had me naked.
Sure enough, before I could even put my arms down, his eyes went straight to it, my dress slipping from his fingers as he stared at it.
The ink was barely thirty-six hours old. I’d gotten lucky. It was rare he and I went that long without seeing each other naked. It usually only happened when I was working night shifts.
Tess and I had gone to see Ryan, the Stallions' tattoo artist, the previous afternoon, before my shift started. It hadn’t been hard to hide it from Kade when I’d gotten home early that morning. He was asleep when I climbed into bed with him, and he was gone when I woke up. It wasn’t until he came and got me in his truck that I saw him again.
He palmed my right breast and got a little closer, still staring at it.
It was a small, blossoming rose in black and gray. The stem transitioned into the delicate cursive that spelled out Maverick . The piece was inked forever into the skin along the outer curve of my breast, where only Kade would ever see it.
“Fuck me,” he muttered, lifting his eyes in search of mine.
I grinned. “I was planning on it. You’re the one who stopped.”
He didn’t laugh or even smile. Instead, he squeezed my breast and then let me go, headed for his nightstand. I watched as he reached inside, took out a small box, and opened it. When he came back to me, he took my left hand in his, and slid a ring onto my third finger.
“Didn’t even have to ask, and you said yes.”
He leaned in to kiss me, and I sucked in a breath as I lifted my left hand and pressed my fingertips against his lips, stopping him.
My eyes jumped from the round cut, solitaire diamond to his face and then back again. It was no less than two carats on a thin, gold band, and it was gorgeous.
“Honey,” I murmured, forcing my eyes to meet his brown ones once more. “You still have to ask.”
“Babe, you already totally upstaged me,” he muttered against my fingers.
I coughed out a laugh, moving my hand to his cheek as I replied, “I won’t know what I might have missed if you don’t ask.”
He smiled at me and nodded, as if he’d been bested.
Rather than get down on one knee, he wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me close before he said, “Found myself on a hog, ridin’ in formation with my brothers. Found what I was livin’ for when I met you. Marry me, Jenna Hayes.”
He got blurry in an instant.
“Yes,” I replied on a whisper. I closed my eyes, freeing a couple tears as I pressed up onto tiptoe, circling my arms around his shoulders. “Baby, I would have hated to have missed that. Now, make love to me before I start crying.”
He brought his lips to mine, and I could feel his smile as much as I heard it when he said, “Watch that sass, foxy.”
I hummed a laugh in response, but the sound got lost in his mouth as he began to kiss me.
I kissed him back. And once I started, I couldn’t stop.