Epilogue
Thanksgiving
I loved this holiday. The family, food, and fun. What more could you ask for?
This was my first Thanksgiving as a wife and mother. I would be nervous; except I wasn’t alone. We were having dinner at the club.
It would be a huge undertaking for one person. Thankfully, many hands made light work.
Everyone would be here today, with almost a dozen more added in. We needed all the hands we could get.
Mark and Abby would be joining us. As Ryder’s parents, there would be no question he would want to spend the holiday with them, and King was happy to extend the invitation.
Then there was Jessie. She was my family. It always surprised me how well she got along with everyone. The guys loved her blunt, snarky attitude. Even Jingles had taken to teasing her the way he does me. I got the feeling he had taken her on as another little sister. Even giving her a nickname, Jester. She said she hated it, but secretly, I knew she loved my brother for it. Jessie had finally found her people.
Avery was here as well. I considered her part of our family and wouldn’t dream of leaving her out of the holidays. Ryder was concerned with the attention Shotgun was showing her. But I reminded him she was an adult and could make her own decisions.
Of course, Grace was here. She seemed to be an unofficial part of the club. I was sure there was something going on between her and King, but I hadn’t figured out what.
Derek, Jack’s brother, hadn’t been able to make it back for this holiday, but we expected him to be here by Christmas. He agreed to build their house, and given the timeline, we had decided to wait until he was done, then have him start on ours. We would make do with our tiny apartment if it meant Jack could have more time getting to know his brother.
James and Evelyn Samson, Lily’s parents, were here as well. I didn’t know them very well, but I was hoping that would change after today. They seemed like wonderful people, and they were comfortable in the clubhouse. Rachel had told me that because of their relationship with Ace, they had been a pretty regular fixture around the club.
Of course, the sheriff was here. Not only was he Beck’s dad, but being King’s brother meant he was a part of the club, despite being a cop.
That just left Maureen. She was new to town.
She was the woman stranded by the side of the road who King found a little over a week ago. She was a mystery. She appeared to be right at home in the clubhouse surrounded by big, scary bikers.
Let’s face it, despite how hot they are, they are still bikers, which makes them scary.
I found it strange that the one person that made her uncomfortable was the sheriff. Most people would be fine around law enforcement. Except criminals.
Oh!
Is Maureen a criminal?
She showed up out of nowhere. I knew she was from the east coast, because that was where I grew up. We easterners stood out like a beacon in the Midwest.
Her accent was definitely New England. I was making an educated guess that she was from Boston, or at least close to there.
King had invited her to spend Thanksgiving at the club. The ladies had decided we would all cautiously make an effort to get to know her. Hopefully, that wouldn’t return to bite us in the ass.
Today though, was a day to give thanks. To celebrate everything we had been blessed with over the past year.
I was most thankful for my family. I had a husband, two daughters, and a baby on the way. That also included the town I had grown to love. For two years, I traveled around, looking for my people. Who would have thought I would find them in Diamond Creek?
A girl raised among the glitter and glamor of New York City had found the middle of nowhere in Nebraska to be her diamond in the rough.
THE END