Epilogue
Elaine - One Year Later
“Where on earth are you taking me?” I demanded.
Reese and Mikey held my hands, leading me through the snow, blindfolded. The frigid air seeped through my scarf and slipped down my coat with a shiver. The rush of wind in the trees echoed somewhere nearby, and the hum of town seemed distant, muted.
“Just a few more steps,” Reese said.
“No peeking, Mom,” Mikey repeated for the fifth time.
“I’m not peeking, I swear,” I said. “I can’t see a thing. You boys better make sure I don’t trip over anything…”
Then we came to a stop. Reese’s mouth was at my ear, his hands firm and steadying on my waist. An instant sense of calm settled over me. His presence had a tendency to do that these days.
For the first three or four months of dating, I wrestled with anxiety.
Waiting for the other shoe to drop. This couldn’t possibly be happening.
Was I truly falling in love so soon? And this fast?
Was Reese really going to remain true to his word and stay with us?
Or would he change his mind and decide that a single mom and her son was too much trouble that he didn’t want to bother with after all?
Then we celebrated our sixth month anniversary.
Reese proposed. And I said yes.
It had been a whirlwind of rapid-fire changes ever since. The wedding, with Mikey as the ring bearer, using one of his toy cars to hold the rings. House hunting for a bigger place. My rental could barely house three people. We certainly couldn’t raise a family there.
I smoothed my hand over the swell of my stomach. On our wedding night, I got pregnant with our baby. I was so scared to tell Reese that I was shaking like a leaf, terrified that this would finally be the moment when he left us.
But he simply laughed with delight and wrapped me in a crushing hug, kissing me until I was breathless.
His baby fever had been worse than mine ever since.
Making plans for a nursery. Reading one baby book after another.
Talking to Mikey about the serious responsibility that accompanied his role as a future big brother.
“You can look now,” Reese said, removing my blindfold.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust in the searing sunlight. Snow sparkled all around us. The sky was a crisp, brilliant blue, free of clouds. Mountains towered in the distance, capped with white.
“What do you think, Mom?” Mikey declared, spreading his arms wide.
Before us was a huge house. Two stories, with a garage attached, and a few acres of land. It was beautiful, with dark green shutters, a fresh coat of white paint, and giant windows to let in plenty of sunlight. On the front door was a massive red ribbon tied in a bow like a Christmas present.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” Reese said, smiling, his eyes so warm and full of love.
“You…you bought us a house,” I sputtered in shock and disbelief. “But how did you…? There’s no way we could afford this.”
“You can thank the Reckless Order for that. They pooled their resources and pitched in to help build this place. Ruby’s husband is handy with a set of tools when it comes to carpentry.
And Ironside has a knack for telling everyone what to do, so it worked out pretty smoothly.
We built it in about a week or two. The tricky part was keeping this yapper’s mouth shut,” Reese added, grabbing Mikey by his coat.
“He almost spilled the beans a few times.”
Mikey grinned, laughing at Reese’s rough housing.
“Can we go inside?” I asked.
“Of course.” Reese retrieved a key from the pocket of his coat and pressed it into my palm. “Scope out your new home, Mama.”
Giddy with excitement, I hurried inside.
A Christmas tree covered in lights and ornaments was tucked in a corner of the living room.
Hot cocoa and cookies waited on the counter in the kitchen, with all the trappings for extra sweets—peppermint sticks, marshmallows, caramel syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles.
Mikey and I always made cocoa and cookies together for Christmas. This year, Reese would be included in our tradition.
The rest of the house was empty, a blank slate waiting for us to fill it with our lives.
Mikey’s boots thundered throughout the house, investigating his new home.
Reese leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching me as I ran my hands over the brand new counters. Marveling that he’d managed to do so much work and I never suspected a thing.
“Do you think it’s big enough for our future family?” he asked.
I turned to face him with a soft smile on my lips.
“It might be. That will depend if my biker husband can keep his hands off me.”
“Oh, well, in that case…” Reese circled the kitchen island, guiding my arms around his neck as he placed his hands on my swollen belly. “I’m afraid you should prepare yourself for about a dozen kids running around here, Mrs. Wingman.”
“Mom! You have to see this!”
Mikey barreled around the corner, holding up a box. The torn remains of Christmas wrapping paper drifted in his wake. Inside the box was a toy motorcycle, and a leather cut, just like the one Reese wore. On the back, it read: Capone, Jr.
“Reese,” I said in a warning tone. “Did you get those things for him? I told you, no motorcycles, and now you’re getting him a cut and giving him a road name?”
“It’s a badge of honor,” Reese protested. “Every brother needs a road name. Besides, technically, you can’t blame me. I didn’t get those things for him.”
“Oh, really?” I arched an eyebrow with a no-nonsense look and crossed my arms. “Then how did they end up in our house?”
God, that sounded so good to say. Our house. The way it rolled off my tongue. If I wasn’t scolding my husband, I would have said it over and over again, just to taste the sweetness of those two wonderful words.
“Ironside,” Reese replied, pleased with himself at his cleverness. “He was the one who had them custom made. He knows a guy who owed him a favor. All I did was make the request.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Reese held up his hands in surrender.
“Don’t give me that look, sweetheart. Listen, if you have a problem with it, you’ll have to talk to Ironside. I’m innocent.”
I huffed with dry amusement and grabbed his belt, yanking him toward me.
“You are never innocent.”
He grinned and cupped my cheek in his palm, pulling me in for a kiss.
“I thought that’s what you liked about me.”
“Only under very specific circumstances that don’t require clothes,” I whispered low enough for his ears alone.
Mikey wasn’t paying us any attention though. He stripped off his coat and grabbed his new cut, shrugging it on. I sighed, resigned to my fate. My husband was going to turn my boy into a biker, whether I was ready for it or not.
“Hey, I look like you, Dad,” Mikey said, his eyes shining with pride.
Reese went stock still. He blinked in surprise. A heartbeat of silence settled over the kitchen. I touched his shoulder.
“That’s—that’s really cool, buddy,” he stammered. “Did you…um…did you pick a room yet? We can start getting your stuff moved in soon.”
Mikey gathered up the box and his coat into his arms.
“I’m working on it. But the room above the garage has these shelves built into the wall. They would be perfect for my collection. I’ll keep looking before I make a decision though.”
Reese nodded, but I could tell he was too stunned to say more. After Mikey left, I rested my cheek on Reese’s shoulder.
“He called you Dad,” I said softly. “He’s never done that before.”
Reese kept nodding. He clenched his jaw tight, pressing his lips together, fighting to stay composed. That one word—Dad—had struck the heart of a raw nerve.
I interlaced our fingers together and kissed his cheek. He blew out a shaky breath.
“That’s one hell of a Christmas present,” he said.
“Well, brace yourself,” I murmured, placing sweet, slow kisses along his jawline. “Because there’s more where that came from.”
“What do you mean?”
Reese turned his gaze on me, searching my face. I brushed my thumb over his lips, curling my fingers around the back of his neck to steady him.
“It’s a surprise,” I said. “I’m not supposed to tell you.”
He groaned.
“Don’t fucking tease me, sweetheart.”
I breathed a faint laugh and pressed my forehead to his.
“Mikey asked me if you might be willing to adopt him as your son. The adoption papers should be in your stocking on Christmas morning.”
Reese swayed into me, turning several shades of white in the span of a split second.
“You’re serious?”
I nodded. He looked terrified and thrilled at the same time.
“Of course I’ll adopt him. I’d be proud to be his dad.”
I shifted closer, snuggling against his chest. Reese wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. When he placed his palm on my belly, I covered his hand with my own.
This Christmas truly gave me everything I wanted. A husband who adored me and our son. A baby on the way. And a beautiful home, ready and waiting for our family to grow.