Epilogue
EPILOGUE
SILAS, EIGHT MONTHS LATER
I paced back and forth around the large private hospital room. The window looked out to the Chicago skyline.
I watched as Mila turned toward it, taking in the setting sun, a small smile on her face. How could she be so calm about everything when I felt like I was going to pull my hair out?
“Silas, come sit with me,” she said, holding out her hand.
I couldn’t deny her anything, especially when she was asking me in that soft voice of hers. I walked over to her and grabbed her hand. She pulled me down until I was sitting on the side of the bed, facing her.
I cupped her cheek and waited until I could see those blue green eyes of hers. They were more green today. Her blonde hair was tied messily into a high bun on top of her head, and her cheeks were flushed.
She winced when another bout of pain hit her, and I worked to not squeeze her hand too hard. “How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Our baby is being stubborn,” she answered. “Why won't the little bean just come out already?”
I hated the misery I could hear in her voice. We had been here for several hours already, and she still wasn’t ready.
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” I answered. I wished I knew. Wished I could do something—anything. Hell, I wished I could carry the pain for her.
“Our little bean is probably just stubborn,” Maverick said calmly, coming back inside the room with a cup of ice. Killian followed him, looking like he was about to go out and kill all the nurses and doctors in the place. “This is probably Killian’s child.”
Mila let out a light, airy laugh when Killian’s scowl deepened. We decided it didn’t matter who the father of this child was. We all were, and we would protect this baby with our lives.
Mila rubbed her swollen belly with her free hand. “Probably.”
Another contraction must have hit because I could feel her squeezing the death out of my hand. “Sorry,” she said, releasing me.
I grabbed her hand back. “Squeeze away, angel.”
She offered me a grateful smile just as Killian took her other side. Maverick walked over to her and kissed her forehead. “Ice chips?”
“Yes, please.”
I watched Maverick feed her ice chips while Killian gently massaged her ankles. Our girl was surrounded by all of us, protecting her. And soon, we would have another person to protect. That weight on my shoulder grew heavier but in the best way possible. I would much rather live with someone to love, to protect, to dote on than to live for myself.
And I wouldn’t change any of it. I smiled when Maverick said something to make her laugh. Even Killian seemed lighter than he had in years. As for me… I finally felt like I had a purpose in life. That I was no longer just walking aimlessly around.
And all it took was four measly seconds.
Four seconds for me to take one look at Mila that first time and fall.
And how fucking hard that fall had been.
Mila noticed my eyes then. She turned to me and smiled.
“I love you,” I said.
Tears entered her eyes. She tightened her grip on me. “I love you.” Looking at both my brothers, she said, “I love all of you.”
And we loved her with everything in us. And we would continue to love her until the day we took our last breath.
The doctor came in then. A woman in her late thirties, Dr. Wong, was a no-nonsense doctor with an impressive list of credentials. And more importantly, she didn’t even bat an eye at Mila having three husbands. Which was good because I wouldn’t allow anyone to put down my girl.
“How is the mom-to-be?” Dr. Wong asked.
Mila offered a weak smile. “Good.”
Yeah, we both knew she wasn’t good, considering how pale she looked.
“Why is this taking so long?” Killian asked.
Dr. Wong barely blinked at him. “There’s no telling why. There are a number of reasons, and it is different with every woman. Perhaps the baby just isn’t ready to be out yet,” she said as her eyes moved to Mila. “If this is becoming too much, I can induce labor.”
Mila opened her mouth, then closed it, before looking around at us, her expression lost. “I don’t… I don’t know.”
Dr. Wong took a step forward, her expression calm and comforting. “Why don’t I just check on your progress? We’ll take it one step at a time. And I know this can be overwhelming, but I want you to know we are all here for you.”
Mila let out a small sigh and nodded. I hopped off the bed but stayed close to Mila’s side while the doctor did her thing.
Four hours later, Mila finally gave birth to a baby girl.
Our daughter came into this world with the biggest cry I had ever heard, almost as if she wanted everyone in the room to notice her, knowing she would never have anything to worry about.
That was true.
Maverick was quiet, his face buried in Mila’s hair while our daughter continued to cry, and Killian staggered on his feet. He stopped when he hit the wall and stayed there as if trying to hold himself up.
As for me, I couldn’t look away. Dr. Wong looked at me and held up a pair of strange-looking scissors. I couldn’t fucking breathe.
“Do you want to cut the umbilical cord?”
“What?” I asked. Or at least, I thought I asked. I couldn’t be sure with all the roaring in my ears.
“Mr. Tiernan?”
Slowly, I walked forward and took the scissors. I methodically cut the umbilical cord connecting my daughter to her mother.
The doctor and nurses moved quickly. I watched as they took my daughter to a small table nearby and started cleaning her up and checking her vitals. I followed them, keeping a small distance so as not to get in the way.
I couldn’t look away from my daughter.
She had a full head of black hair and pale, reddish skin, and she was so fucking tiny.
So tiny.
And I fell.
In just the four seconds it took to get her from her mom to the table, I fucking fell.
One…
I will protect you from all the monsters in the world. I will be the biggest, meanest of them all, just to keep you safe.
Two…
You will never want for anything. Everything that I can give you is yours.
Three…
You’ll never have the same childhood we did. Yours will be filled with love, laughter, and security.
Four…
I fucking fell.
At 11:13 p.m., Mirabelle Aisling Tiernan was born.
The most perfect little girl.
MILA, ONE YEAR LATER
I watched as Rachel played with little Mirabelle.
She had Rachel completely wrapped around her little fingers, and I knew Rachel wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was lucky.
I had a village to help me raise my daughter. To protect her and make sure she thrived in this world. To make sure the darkness never touched her. Not like it did me. I had my men. I had Liam and Conor, who, as stoic as they tried to be, couldn’t hide the fact that, like Rachel, Mirabelle had them wrapped around her finger too.
And I had my men, who had been nothing short of amazing.
Every day, they made me fall more in love with them, not just because they cherished me but also because they cherished our daughter. They were the best fathers, and I never had any doubts.
What was more, I had the power to choose how I wanted my daughter to be raised.
I smiled a little, trying hard not to be so emotional. Seeing her like this made me want to give Mirabelle another brother or sister. But I wasn’t in a rush. I had time. And right now, I just wanted to enjoy being a mom for the first time.
Arms wrapped around my middle from behind, pulling me in close to a hard body that I recognized better than even my own.
He placed soft kisses on my neck, and I bent my head over to the side, giving him better access.
“Angel,” he said softly.
I turned around and looked at him, cupping his cheek and feeling my fingers pressed up against his dark beard. He had taken to growing it out, only trimming it to keep it neat. And I had to say, I was loving this look a lot.
I licked my lips, and he shot me a knowing look.
“Fuck me, but I really, really hate to tell you no, especially when you’re looking like you want a taste of me, but— fuck .” He closed his eyes, looking like he was in pain. I giggled a little, though I was disappointed. “We can’t.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “Rachel can watch Mirabelle for a quick minute.”
He grabbed my hair and pulled on it roughly. “Woman, when I get my hands on you, you can bet your cute ass it’s going to be more than a quick minute.”
I chuckled, leaning up and kissing his lips. “Oh, yeah? You think you can last for hours?”
I heard his sharp intake of breath, and he closed his eyes, letting out a small moan. “Fucking Frederick.”
“Frederick?” I asked.
He smiled darkly, a playful glint entering his eyes. I knew that look. He was about to do something that would get us in trouble with Maverick, or Killian, or both.
He grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. “My promise to you. And you know I never break a promise to you.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah,” he said, leading me away from the garden. I caught Rachel’s eyes, silently asking if it was okay I was leaving her for a bit. She smiled and waved at us. I let Silas pull me inside the house. We took the stairs and headed to Killian’s room.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, and I only got more confused when Silas opened the door to Killian asleep on the bed, and another man sitting right beside him, looking nervous as hell.
I eyed the man curiously before moving back to Killian, wondering why he was sleeping when someone was here. All the brothers were light sleepers, but this…
I narrowed my eyes. “He’s not sleeping, is he?”
Silas laughed. “Nope. He’s drugged.”
“And I’m so fucking dead,” the man in the room said.
I turned to him. He stood up nervously. “Hi, I’m Frederick.”
I nodded, unsure if his name was supposed to mean something to me.
“I, uh, I’m the one who gave you the tattoo.”
My face relaxed. I finally understood where this was going. I smiled and turned to Silas. He laughed. He was enjoying this way more than he should be.
“We’re going to tattoo Killian?”
“Now she gets it. And it can be anything you want, baby. What do you say? Why don’t we give the fucker a tramp stamp? I was thinking of a hot-pink butterfly.”
I burst out laughing at the image, and Silas’ grin widened.
I wiped the tears away and shook my head. “We’re not giving Killian a tramp stamp.”
I tried to sound stern, but the laughter in my voice kind of took away the effect. Silas’ eyes twinkled before he looked at Frederick over my head. “Don’t worry about it, old man. I have already got your ticket to Ireland. You can go and visit your ma for as? long as you need to.”
“That won’t stop the bastard from hunting me down,” Frederick grumbled.
I looked at Silas worriedly. Would we really get Frederick in trouble?
Silas winked at me. “Don’t worry about that, sweetheart. All you have to do is bat your eyelashes and tell Killian you don’t want him to kill Frederick.”
“And you really think that will work?” I asked.
“Sure,” Silas said with a laugh.
I slapped his chest. “Be serious.”
He grabbed my hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the inside of my wrist. “I promise Killian won’t kill Frederick. And when have I ever broken a promise to you?”
“Never,” I said softly.
He nodded. “Never. Now, what do you want to give Killian?”
I turned back to the man on the bed. Climbing on, I gently touched his face with my fingers. He looked so relaxed right now. “He’s going to be so pissed when he wakes.”
Silas let out a chortle. “I know. Isn’t it great? So what will it be, angel?”
I thought long and hard about it, then I turned to Frederick and smiled. “I got it.”
I was wrong.
Killian wasn’t pissed when he woke up.
He was murderously furious.
It wasn’t until late afternoon that the drugs finally wore off, and Killian woke up. And everyone in the house knew it, considering how loud he roared.
“Mila! Mirabelle!”
I winced as Rachel's eyebrows pulled together in a frown. We were in the kitchen, baking cookies.
“What the fuck is going on?” Maverick asked, stepping into the kitchen. I backed up a step when I saw the gun in his hand. He looked around, trying to find the threat.
“Oh, Killian is awake,” Silas said casually— happily —coming up behind Maverick. He stepped over to me first, giving me a quick kiss on my cheek before walking up to our daughter in her baby rocker. She smiled when she saw him, holding out both her hands. “Dada. Dada.”
Maverick took in Silas and put the gun away, shaking his head. I let out a small sigh of relief. I didn’t care that guns were a necessity for their job. I would never get used to the sight. And Maverick had mentioned wanting to teach me how to shoot… yeah, I didn’t think so.
“Hey, my sweet girl. Your other daddy is pretty pissed off right now,” Silas said to Mirabelle.
I shook my head at the blasé attitude he was taking on.
Killian stumbled his way into the kitchen, his eyes wild. So the drug hadn’t completely worn off. I looked at him nervously. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea. Then I thought about my one and only tattoo, and well… maybe it was.
Killian looked at Maverick, then me, his eyes roaming over my body, checking for injuries, then to Mirabelle. I felt a little guilty. He obviously thought something had happened to us, and that was why he was drugged.
“We’re fine,” I said, trying to reassure him.
It took him a moment to process everything. I could see it in his brown eyes once he did. He looked at Silas.
“You.”
He moved over to Silas, who was trying to back away from him, laughing a little.
Maverick looked at me. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you what the fuck is going on,” Killian said. “Silas drugged me.”
Rachel pushed off from the counter. “I think I’m going to take Mirabelle to the other room.”
We all waited until Rachel and Mirabelle left before Killian turned back to Silas. “Why?” he gritted out.
Silas laughed. “Sweet revenge, brother.”
“Revenge? I’ve never fucking drugged you!”
Oh. I knew exactly where this was going. I rushed over to Maverick, who pulled me into his arms without hesitation. He looked at me questioningly. I smiled at him, though I knew it was off. And he knew it too.
It didn’t take him long to piece it together.
“Not me,” Silas said.
Killian turned to me. At this point, I was safely tucked under Maverick’s arms.
Killian didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, as he took stock of his body and just now realized something was off, he pulled his shirt off. I let my greedy eyes take in his hard, muscular chest and all the tattoos adorning his skin. The watercolor tree on his lower left rib stood out, then the Celtic cross on his other rib, and finally to the newest one, which was currently bandaged.
He narrowed his eyes at me as he carefully pulled the bandage off. I blushed. It had felt like a good idea back in the room, but now that we were all in the kitchen and looking at his newest ink—the realistic tattoo of my face on his chest, right where his heart was—it almost felt… conceited.
Killian carefully traced his fingers over my face tattoo, not saying anything.
No one in the kitchen said a word. I shifted a little on my feet. “Do you like it?” I asked softly.
Next to Killian, Silas glared at him as if daring Killian to say anything that might hurt me, but I didn’t want him lying to me to spare my feelings.
“Do I like it?” Killian asked.
I nodded.
“It’s a tattoo of your face over my heart.”
“So that everyone knows who you belong to,” I said. I was getting just as bad as them. Becoming more and more possessive of my men with each day that passed.
Killian nodded. “Yes, I do belong to you. And I love this tattoo, firecracker.”
I smiled. “Really?”
He nodded, opening his arms for me. I rushed forward, careful not to touch his chest. He tightened his arms around me.
“It’s beautiful. Just like the woman who inspired it,” Killian said, and I felt tears in my eyes.
“I’m glad you like it. Frederick did a great job. And especially when he was on a time limit. Did you know he did it freehand?”
“Frederick?” Killian said darkly.
My eyes widened. “You can’t kill him.”
“I can’t, huh?”
I shook my head. “No. And besides, he’s already on his way to Ireland. To visit his mom.”
“And he has to come back to Chicago sometime.”
“Killian.”
He let out a small sigh. “Fine, I won’t kill him.”
“Or hurt him.”
He rolled his eyes. But I knew I won this round. He nodded.
Then he let me go and gently pushed me aside. I barely realized what was happening when Killian pulled his arm back and punched Silas. The other man stumbled back and cupped his bloody nose.
Killian pointed at him. “Don’t ever fucking drug me again.”
Silas laughed, then let out a small groan in pain.
“Really? Was this necessary?” I asked.
Maverick came up to me and pulled me back.
“Let them work it out. I want to show you something.”
I turned to Maverick and let him bring me to the table. He sat down and pulled me into his lap. He grabbed my hand and kissed the inside of my palm as I sat there and waited for him to tell me what he wanted.
He didn’t.
I frowned.
He continued to kiss my hand, and I wondered where he was going with this when something black caught my attention.
My eyes widened when I grabbed his hand and pulled it toward me, looking at his wrist. There, in a small script, was my name.
I blinked.
This was new.
He showed me his other hand, which had Mirabelle on his other wrist.
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“You knew Frederick was here?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, but I knew Silas planned to have him come over for you. I just didn’t know when. I had this done a few days before.”
I blinked. It had been a crazy few days for Maverick. I mostly only saw him at night, which was probably how he was able to hide this from me. “You got my name tattooed on your skin. And our daughter’s name?”
He nodded. “How could I not? When you two are the biggest part of me. Of my family.”
“Of our family,” Silas said, coming up to us with Killian.
Silas held up his arm to show his newest tattoo. On the inside of his bicep was the word Angel .
I blinked.
They all got tattoos?
“All of you?”
“We’re yours,” Maverick said, cupping my cheek. “Wouldn’t it make sense that we have you permanently etched on our bodies?”
My lower lip trembled. Maverick frowned. “Baby, that wasn’t supposed to make you cry.”
I shook my head. “Happy tears. I love you guys so much.”
“And we love you too,” Killian answered gruffly. “Though I am going to spank your ass later on for conspiring with Silas.”
“I didn’t conspire?—”
Killian shot me a look.
I tried again. “I am a mother now.”
He shrugged. “So?”
I sputtered. “So… you can’t…”
“I can. And I will.”
Then Killian leaned down and kissed me, a hard press of his lips that nearly had me coming undone. Silas took his place and kissed me as well, making me want to swoon. And when he pulled away, Maverick was there, turning my attention to him. His kiss was soft and sweet and over way too soon.
He pressed his forehead against mine.
“Ours,” he said.
I nodded. “Always.”
MAVERICK, TWO YEARS LATER
It had taken years to get here, but we finally have complete control over the Midwest and spanning out toward the West.
It helped that we controlled Stocken Isle and that the syndicate was stronger than ever.
History would not repeat itself, and I would not let anyone come in and hurt my family.
But it wasn’t all peaceful.
Once the Heartless Saints MC was completely annihilated, a new gang came into our territory. Now, we were contending with the smaller gangs surrounding the area, but they weren’t brave enough to try to take us head-on.
They were resorting to dirty tricks that were nothing more than a headache to deal with.
The ones we really needed to worry about were the bratva on the East Coast, though they had been quiet. Perhaps they were trying to see how strong we were before they made their move.
The answer was a simple one. We were strong enough to take them on.
I almost wished they would come out and challenge us.
I let out a tired sigh.
It had been a long day, and all I wanted to do was get home to my wife and my daughter. It was past one o’clock in the morning by the time I finally pulled up to the house.
I looked at the guards walking around, patrolling the property. I didn’t allow for any slack, and my men knew that, especially when they were guarding the place with my entire world in it.
I got out of the car, making a mental list of all the things I needed to do, including checking up on the security of the place as I walked inside the house, locking it behind me.
Everything was silent and still. I went to check on Mirabelle first. My little girl was sleeping soundly in her room. Her nightlight nearby allowed me to see her face. She was the spitting image of Silas.
From those light brown eyes to her full dark hair.
Every time I looked at her, I was reminded of a time when my brothers had been small and innocent. When they had depended on me to protect them. I wasn’t sure how good of a job I had done, but Lord knew I tried my best.
I moved away from her room, leaving the door open a crack, and left in search of my wife. I went to her room first. I frowned when I found her bed empty. I knew my brothers weren’t home.
Things were getting pretty busy, so we were taking turns resting, though I wasn’t sure how much sleep I would be getting tonight.
And it looked like I might not be the only one feeling a bit of insomnia.
The bathroom lights were on, and I opened the door without knocking.
Mila let out a small scream, clutching her chest.
“You scared me,” she said.
“What are you doing up?”
She was sitting on top of the sink, and it looked like she might have been deep in thought before I came in.
I took her in from head to toe, wondering if she wasn’t feeling well, when I noticed something else on the sink with her.
A pregnancy test.
My heart slowed as I walked over to it and looked down.
The word “Positive” displayed on the small screen. If I were a weaker man, I might have staggered back on my feet. Instead, I could feel myself going still as images upon images flashed through my mind, from Mila’s belly swollen with our child, of our kid being born, of this kid and Mirabelle playing with each other.
“You’re pregnant?”
Her eyes were shiny with tears as she nodded. “I couldn’t sleep, and I’ve been having my suspicions for a while now. We’re going to have another baby.”
“Fuck me.”
I did stagger then. Luckily, the counter was there. Which didn’t fucking matter because moments later, Mila was climbing off the counter. She jumped into my arms. I wasn’t as steady, so we fell down to the bathroom floor, Mila on top of me.
I tightened my grip around her, breaking her fall and letting out a small grunt when we got to the floor. She covered her mouth with both hands, looking at me with wide eyes.
“I’m so sorry.”
I didn’t say anything for a moment, running my hands over her body to check for injuries. She looked fine.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I should be asking you that,” she said, a slight flush on her face. How fucking pretty. I had always been fascinated with blushes. More specifically, hers.
“Mila.”
She let out a small sigh. “I’m fine.”
I nodded. Then I threw my head back and laughed. Mila didn't say anything. Then she joined me, and we laughed together.
I didn’t fucking think I had ever laughed as much as I had until Mila crashed into my life. And I wouldn’t have it any other fucking way.
I knew I was blessed.
“I fucking love you,” I said once we calmed down a bit.
She let out another sigh. “I love you too.”
Almost nine months later, we welcomed baby Kieran Tiernan into the world. A healthy baby boy who stole our hearts at first glance.
KILLIAN, THREE YEARS LATER
I was feeling restless and volatile again.
Though the feeling wasn’t like how it was when I was young, I still fucking hated feeling like this. I might be getting too old for this shit, considering all I wanted to do these days was stay by Mila and our two kids’ sides and not fucking leave.
And Mila being pregnant with our third kid didn’t fucking help one bit.
I let out a sigh and moved away from the car, leading a group of twenty men with me to an abandoned farmhouse. Movement from inside caught my attention.
Not so abandoned after all.
The bratva bastard had been getting too fucking brave for my liking.
Brave and stupid, considering they tried to blow up one of our warehouses. They were sending in more men from the East Coast to Chicago, hoping that with more manpower, they would be able to slowly chip away at our operations.
They had gotten more reckless after the news of Agent Jones’ death. On paper, it appeared to be an accident. A biking trip gone wrong during his vacation. Only a few men knew the truth. That the fucker targeted the wrong woman, and I had been there with him on his vacation, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.
But now with the fucker gone, the Bratva thought they could move more freely, and they decided to move in on our territory. It also didn’t help that we helped Finley break apart the Bratva’s engagement to Cara.
Hard for there to be an engagement when the groom suddenly disappeared, only for his head to show up on his father’s doorstep three days later.
I smiled, thinking of the fond memory.
The slight sound from the farmhouse drew me from my thoughts and reminded me of our new headache.
What the Bratva didn’t know was that we had men everywhere, and our numbers far surpassed theirs by a long shot. And I was fucking sick of going on the defense.
We were now attacking directly, killing anyone and everyone before they could even utter the word miloserdie out loud.
I signaled for my men to span out as we closed in on the farmhouse.
Everyone waited with bated breath for my signal, and when I was sure all the men were in position, I raised my arm and slashed it down.
War cries came out as we burst through the broken door and window. I had men stationed in the back in case any of them would think to leave.
I came across the first fucker and threw my knife at him. It hit the mark, getting lodged in the fucker’s throat. I watched as he gasped, blood making him gurgle as he fell to the ground. He was dead before I even pulled my knife out, and I made my way to the next one.
The violence and bloodshed usually worked to help take out some of my energy and quiet all the voices.
Now, I found it didn’t have the same effect as before; instead, I just wanted to get this done and over with and get back home.
The more fuckers came at me, the angrier I got that they were the ones keeping me from home, and the more painful I tried to make my hits.
It didn’t take long for us to destroy them. We were outnumbered, but we had the element of surprise on our hands. Plus, my men weren’t high off their fucking asses.
I shook my head in disgust when we found their loot. Most of the bags were opened, telling me the men here had been sampling them. Whether or not their pakhan knew about this was none of my business.
“Clean this up and burn this place down with the bodies,” I said before walking away. I didn’t need to stay for the aftermath. I didn’t need to be here. We were in the position of never having to get our hands dirty if we didn’t want to, but I found it good to remind the men why we were dubbed savages in the first place.
Less room for a revolt that way.
The short walk back to my car was quiet. Peaceful, even. Just as I was about to climb in, my phone vibrated. I took it out and found an unknown number on the screen.
I picked up but didn’t answer, waiting for the person on the other line to speak first.
I didn’t have to wait long.
“She died last night. I just thought you would want to know.”
Then the line clicked off, and I put my phone back in my pocket. When I left Lilliana’s apartment that night, I also had it set up so that if her name ever entered the system, I would be alerted to it. I didn’t want to check on her, but I also wanted to know if something happened, and sure enough, it did.
She died.
I didn’t need to know how she died or where. I didn’t need to know if there had been someone with her when she took her last breath.
It didn’t matter to me.
She was dead.
The last piece that was holding my past mistake was no longer alive.
And I felt… indifferent.
I got back in the car and made the long drive home. Back to my family.
Back to Mila.
MILA, FOUR YEARS LATER
I stood by the door leading to the backyard patio and watched my children play.
I ended up having four kids.
One precious little girl and three wild but sweet boys.
They were my and their fathers’ world.
They were everything to us.
And they were happy.
And safe.
And I was happy.
I smiled when my middle boy let out a loud squeak when his brother caught him in a game of tag just before he took off running once more, chasing after his sister.
My youngest was barely two and couldn’t quite keep up with his siblings yet, but they waited for him.
Or at least, most of the time, they waited for him.
I felt someone behind me then. I tilted my head back slightly and watched as Silas came up to me and wrapped his arms around me from behind. He kept his beard, which still drove me crazy, and he now had a few wrinkles added to his perfect face.
“How are you, angel?” he asked, his voice soft.
I patted his arm. “Happy.”
“Good. We’re going to be happy for a long time to come.”
I turned my head back to look into his honey-brown eyes. “Is that a promise?”
“It is. And you know I never break a promise to you.”
I nodded. I did know that.
Caelan, our youngest, noticed his dad then and squealed, which in turn caused all the other children to scream as well.
I winced a little at the noise and laughed. “I think our children want you.”
“Our children are cock-blockers,” Silas said, sounding put out.
I laughed, slapping his chest. “Don’t say that so loud. Or at all.”
“Even if it’s true?”
I laughed harder, and Silas grinned.
He kissed my cheek before rushing over to our children, playing their favorite game, Monster.
Silas started making these silly little growls that had them screaming and laughing, trying to run away. He caught our daughter when she got too close, flipping her upside down and causing her to roar in laughter.
I could feel tears welling in my eyes.
These were the kinds of sounds that never happened in the house I grew up in.
They never happened in the house my men grew up in.
But it was a common occurrence in our household, and I found myself thanking God every day for it.
“I can see why he gets along with the kids so well. He’s like a big kid himself.”
I jumped a little at the voice that came out next to me and turned to see Killian standing there.
“He’s a big kid, and you’re a big cat,” I muttered. “You need to start making noises when you move.”
I knew he heard me because he was smiling widely. Reaching for me with one strong arm, he pulled me in closer to his hard body. That was the one thing about my men. They never lost their hard physique. Hell, I caught Maverick going at it this morning in our home gym pretty hard. And I had been nothing but one big hormonal mess of need since then, unable to do anything about it since Caelan had woken up around that time, asking for me.
Perhaps Silas was right when he called our children “little cock-blockers.”
I smiled at the thought.
“What’s got you smiling to yourself like that?” Killian asked.
I shook my head, resting my cheek on his side. I was not going to repeat Silas’ words to Killian. “Nothing. I’m just happy.”
I felt him press a kiss on the top of my head. We didn’t say anything more, just watched as Silas played with the kids. At one point, they somehow managed to get water guns out.
Caelan didn’t get a gun himself. Instead, he teamed up with Aidan—our second youngest—and tried to take down Mirabelle and Kieran.
Killian suddenly tensed. I heard Silas shout in warning, but it was too late. Kieran had his gun pointed at us.
Killian pushed me back. The kids roared in laughter as Kieran got Killian's entire back wet.
Once Kieran finished, he stayed where he was, wanting to see how Killian would react.
I smiled as I took him in. Water dripped down his clothes.
“My hero,” I sighed. After all, he did take the bullet—figuratively speaking—for me.
Killian scowled. Slowly, he turned around and faced the children and Silas, who, at this point, was doing a terrible job of keeping a stern face.
He pointed at Kieran.
Our boy looked down, trying to act ashamed, but I knew better. Of all my boys, Kieran was the troublemaker.
“Give Daddy the gun,” Killian said.
Kieran slowly handed his gun over.
No one said anything. Then Killian pointed the gun at Kieran. “You better run.”
That set the kids off completely. With a scream, all four kids started to run, while Killian and Silas chased them around the backyard.
The patio door opened, and Maverick walked out carrying a picnic basket. I turned to look at him, the smile still on my face.
The older Maverick got, the more distinguished he looked.
He was still just as intimidating—at least to those who didn't know him—his body still as muscular and foreboding.
He came up closer to me and pressed a soft kiss against my lips.
A happy scream broke apart our kiss, and Maverick let out a small groan.
“I love our kids, little monster. You know that, yeah?”
I nodded, wondering where he was going with this.
“But fuck, I really miss the days when I could have you all to myself.”
I laughed. “But we’re happy now, right?”
He nodded. “We’re happy.” He looked out over the large space, shaking his head when Silas tackled Killian to the ground, grabbed the gun, and threw it out of reaching distance. He climbed on top of Killian, laughing maniacally while the other man scowled up at him.
“Get the fuck off me.”
“Language,” Silas said, laughing.
Maverick shook his head. “They’re worse than the kids.”
I giggled. Maverick looked at me with soft eyes.
“Even after all these years, your laughter still manages to take my breath away.”
That wiped away all my amusement, and in its place was the steady strum of contentment.
I couldn’t say anything, not with the lump lodged in my throat. I grabbed his free hand in mine and squeezed it.
He nodded because he understood me, and that was all that needed to be said.
Maverick indicated to the picnic basket. “I had Rachel pack it for us.”
I smile widely. “We’re all having a picnic today?”
My men had been so busy lately, we hadn’t been able to spend any time with each other.
“Yes. I’ve cleared all of our schedules. We’re having family time.”
And with that, he led me to Killian, Silas, and our kids.
It took a lot to get us here—this moment of contentment. It might have seemed like the end of our story, but I was seeing it as only the beginning, with more adventures, more happy moments, more… just more of everything.
It was the start of our happily ever after.
end.