Shadow Epilogue
Things were progressing along for the club.
For me personally, it was the wedding that Mom, Blythe Marie, and Aubrielle were planning with help from the other Punisher old ladies.
And one other person was helping. With the holidays coming up, we wanted to let those pass first, so we agreed to a January wedding.
I could hardly wait, but I wanted Aubrielle to have a real wedding.
But Aubrielle and I weren’t the only ones who had positive things happening.
Two weeks after I asked her to marry me, Mayhem and Astrid had stood before the club one night and announced that they were joining Spawn and Kimera in becoming parents again.
They were almost exactly two months behind them, so that meant their baby was due at the end of March.
The club always celebrated pregnancies, births, engagements, and patch-ins with fanfare.
It was no less this time. And that brought us to tonight.
Twenty minutes ago, Reaper had called Jonas to join him in the middle of the clubhouse.
All of us saw Jonas fighting anxiety. Being part of the Punishers was his dream.
It was two months until his two years of prospecting were up.
In preparation for him, hopefully, becoming one of us, and soon after, Pax, the club had brought on someone as a new prospect two weeks ago.
The guy wasn’t someone I would’ve ever thought of bringing into our fold. However, I’d run into him several times after our initial meeting that day at the apartment complex where my old lady had lived. My initial ire at the idea that he was after my woman faded.
Derrick was respectful. Talked about bikes and asked me about my club.
When he came to see if we were accepting prospects, he mentioned meeting Aubrielle and me.
Reaper asked me about him. I admitted that Derrick had run off her family the time they came to her apartment complex and wouldn’t stop knocking.
Pres asked if I’d object to him prospecting if he passed Spawn’s background check.
I thought about it, then agreed that as long as he passed the check and stayed appropriate in his behavior, then no, I didn’t mind.
Fast forward a week after we got rid of the Carters and Truce.
Spawn verified he wasn’t a danger to the club.
Reaper checked with me again. Since Derrick didn’t know anyone besides me and all prospects needed a sponsor, I stepped up and agreed to be one.
Derrick’s thank you was heartfelt. He promised he wouldn’t let me down. Time would tell.
However, the other possible meaning behind bringing on Derrick struck Jonas’s mind when he was called to join Pres in the middle of the common room.
It was no doubt making him fear the worst. He wondered if he was about to be booted out.
Rather than training his replacement so Jonas could become a member, it was to replace him altogether. I knew it was running through his mind.
How the hell he ever thought that, I didn’t know.
He’d been an excellent prospect. He not only did everything asked of him without complaint, but he also exemplified the characteristics we valued—no doubt due to surviving his terrible upbringing.
Jonas began by protecting the other kids and Lark at the Fortress, then moved on to protecting the old ladies and kids at the club.
It was his protective characteristic that led to his road name.
We’d talked about it, voted on it, and agreed on his road name in church two weeks ago.
Tonight, he was told. The relief on his face made us chuckle as he was told he was no longer a prospect but a brother.
Maniac presented him with his new cut. It was only right, seeing as Maniac was a father figure to him.
We watched Maniac hug him and whisper in his ear.
Jonas blinked rapidly to prevent tears from falling.
Then Reaper loudly announced his road name, Watcher.
Lark was next in line to hug him. Jonas stood there, returning handshakes and hugs, looking as if he were in a daze. Now, the joy had settled down, and he was being treated to his first night as a Punisher.
“He deserves it. He’s such a great guy,” Aubrielle said, from next to me. My arm was around her.
“He does. Jonas has survived a lot to get here,” I replied.
“Yeah, he shared with me what his mom was like growing up. Lark and her fortress saved him.”
“And he became a protector long before he joined us. That’s why we chose Watcher for him. He watches over and protects so many.”
“I love it. Thank you, honey,” she said.
“For what?” I asked.
“For finding me, loving me, and giving me such a wonderful family and life.”
“I helped you to find it. You deserve it. Thank you for not telling me to go to hell when I finally got my head out of my ass and told you how I feel about you.” I told her.
“You’re welcome.” She winked, causing us both to laugh.
We held each other closer as we watched Jonas grinning across the room with three of his new brothers.