Epilogue
Rooster
One Year Later
Christmas at the clubhouse has always been a big event, but this year, the brothers outdid themselves.
There wasn’t a corner or crevice that didn’t have some kind of light or decoration, and there were countless presents under the enormous tree.
We’d had a big year. Cotton’s new role had given the club new life.
We were both feared and respected by everyone in our line of work, and other than a few normal hiccups, our runs had gone off without a hitch.
We’d done well, and we wanted to celebrate our success.
It’s what we always did, but this was taking it to a whole new level.
Hell, I could barely even walk through the family room to get over to Torch and Savage.
They were standing in the corner with Wrath and Q, watching as the kids chased each other with pool sticks, and neither of them even attempted to make them stop.
“You know it’s only a matter of time before one of them loses an eye, right?”
“Awe, they’ll be alright,” Torch snickered. “And if not, patches are cool.”
“Yeah, you have a point.” I looked to Savage as I said, “I’m not sure Londyn will agree.”
“You’re probably right.”
Savage handed me his beer, then rushed after Dalton, taking his pool stick from his hand. He talked to him and the other kids for a moment, then sauntered back over to us. He took his beer back as he said, “That should be the end of that.”
“For the time being, anyway.” I chuckled. “Give ‘em a minute. They’ll be into something else soon enough.”
Savage motioned his head over to the corner of the room where Grim was sitting. “He doesn’t look so good.”
“No, he doesn’t.” The usually fierce, unstoppable man was leaned back in his chair with his shoulders slouched ,and his eyes fixed on something in the distance.
He’d been sitting there for the better part of the day, tossing back one drink after the next.
“It’s been a year since that shit went down with Beckett.
You know it had to be bad if it’s still fucking with him now. ”
“Yeah, the guilt is eatin’ him up.”
“But it’s not his guilt to carry.”
“Well, he’s carrying it all the same. Hell, he came all the way here just to try to escape it.”
“Doesn’t look like it’s working.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Clearly wanting to change the subject, Torch turned his back to Grim and looked over at the dart board where the kids were playing. “Nathan seems to be doing good. Hell, looks like he’s grown two feet since the last time I’ve seen him, and that was just a couple of weeks ago.”
“Yeah, they’re both growing fast. No doubt about that. They both seemed so young when Maggie and I started dating. It’s hard to believe that in a couple of months, Nathan will be trying for his permit.”
“How’d he like the bike you got him?”
“He’s a little unsure of it just yet.” The year before, I’d gotten Nathan a dirt bike, and he’d damn near ran the wheels off of it.
Since he was getting older, I decided to get him a 1967 Harley that we could restore together.
It would take us some time to get it up and running, but when we were done, he’d have something to be proud of. “But he’ll come around.”
“What about his father?” Torch asked. “He cool about you gettin’ it for him?”
“Probably not, but so far, he’s been good about it.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up helping Nathan out with some of the parts.”
“That’d be good.” Savage glanced over at Maggie and Samantha. “And what about the girls?”
“Samantha’s been begging for these ugly, brown slipper things, and they’d been out of stock for weeks.
But Maggie worked her magic and was able to find ‘em. And I got that new claw foot tub she’s been hinting at for the past year.
So, I’d say all is good. What about you two?
Did your crew get everything they wanted? ”
“Dalton got a house full of shit. Everything from games to an electric scooter, so he’s tickled. Londyn, on the other hand, is still very pregnant, so she didn’t get her Christmas wish,” Savage chuckled.
“Pretty sure Mia feels the same.”
I glanced over at Londyn and Mia, and they were both sitting on the sofa with their hands propped on their round bellies.
It wasn’t their first rodeo. They’d both already had a kid, but that didn’t seem to help matters.
In fact, it might’ve made it worse because they both seemed pretty miserable in their gargantuan state. “It looks like they’re about to pop.”
“That’s because they are,” Savage scoffed. “Londyn was due yesterday, and Mia’s due next week.”
Before I could respond, Prez stepped into the center of the room and announced, “It’s been brought to my attention that it’s time to open gifts. Torch and Q, why don’t you guys do the honors and start passing out? I’m sure the kids will be glad to help.”
And just like that, chaos ensued.
I went over and sat down on the sofa with Maggie. I leaned in close and whispered, “How are you making it?”
“Good. I’ve just been catching up with Jules and the girls.” She glanced over at all the presents under the tree and sighed. “Looks like the guys went overboard.”
“It wouldn’t be Christmas if they didn’t.”
The room buzzed with excitement as everyone started tearing open their gifts.
Echoes of laughter and cheers erupted with each reveal.
Some were gag gifts, while others were valued treasures, and I couldn't help but smile as I watched Nathan and Samantha open their gifts.
They both seemed pleased, and that made me pleased.
Torch brought my gift over to me and announced, “This one’s from me.”
“Ah, hell. What’d you do?” I knew my brother well enough to know that his gift would be one to remember.
I just didn’t know if it was a gag gift or one that was legit.
As soon as I ripped the paper and pulled it back, I could see that it was an old picture of him, me, and a bunch of the brothers that was taken back when I was prospecting. “Where in the hell did you find this?”
“It wasn’t all me,” Torch admitted. “Prez found it in an old stack of pictures in his office.”
“This is awesome, brother.”
“Glad you like it.”
He went back to passing out gifts, and Maggie and I continued watching everyone open their gifts. Just as things were starting to settle down, Maggie reached down to the floor and picked up a small package. “I have one last gift for you.”
“What?” I took it from her hand. “I thought we’d opened everything at the house.”
“Yeah, well, this is a last-minute surprise.”
“Okay?” I reached inside and pulled out a small package of pills with three rows of white and one of orange.
It took me a minute to get that they were her birth control pills, but once it sunk in, I was over the moon.
We’d gotten married a few months after she and the kids had moved in, and while I hadn’t pushed, I’d been hoping that this day would come. “Are these what I think they are?”
“Um-hmm.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve been sure for a month or so.” She smiled as she announced, “Those are from November.”
“So, you could be pregnant right now?”
“Maybe.” She giggled. “But if not, we can keep working at it.”
“Ah, that’s my kind of work.”
“I thought you might think so.” She slipped her arm around my neck. “So, you’re good with this?”
“I’m more than good with it, babe.” I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. “You just made me a very happy man.”
“I love you, Ronin, and I can’t wait to have a little you running around.”
“I was just thinking the same about you.”
I leaned down and kissed her once again. I couldn’t believe it. In just a few brief moments, she’d managed to change my life once again, making me happier than I ever dreamed possible.
As I sat back and looked around the room, I thought back to the days when I prospected for Fury.
I wasn’t just joining another club. I was becoming part of a family—a family that wasn’t defined simply by names or blood.
Satan’s Fury was a group of men who valued brotherhood, and they committed their lives to one another.
It wasn’t always easy. There were days when I thought it would all fall apart, but here we were—strong and as determined as ever.
We were family, through and through, and together, we would face whatever came our way, and we would prevail—just like we’d been doing from the very beginning. And when we did, I would have my woman and my kids right by my side. I couldn’t ask for more than that.
The End