Epilogue
Venom – Two Years Later
I cheer along with the brothers as my wife, my fucking everything, walks across the stage in a cap and gown as Gregory tries to hold in his sobs beside me.
An hour ago, Grace blindfolded him claiming to have had a surprise for him and brought him here but after taking the blindfold off he was confused, not knowing why he was here.
Noticing the brothers he thought maybe one of us decided to become a lawyer, even joked about giving him some respite until two minutes ago when the dean called Raya Miller across the stage.
Raya looks my way after grabbing her certificate, and I grin widely as I whistle and cheer, and she grins widely, her eyes watering.
Fuck, after everything she went through, to walk across that stage is everything.
She still struggles, still has to see Dr. Hans a few times a month with me by her side because her kills, while they were evil people still haunt her and she sometimes see their faces.
There have been times I’ve walked in from work to find her sobbing in the corner, holding her head, begging them to leave her alone, that she can’t feel guilty with what she’d done, but fuck me, my wife, my old lady is strong.
She’s been pushing through her trauma, giving me as good as I give her, continuing with the firehouse and school.
I’m in awe of my fucking wife.
I blow her a kiss, and she grins wider as she walks past the dean and I look towards a very proud-looking Gregory, who has his hand over his mouth, his other hand on his hip, shock written all over him.
“She sits for the bar next week,” I admit as Raya moves back towards her seat while her classmates walk the stage, and he looks at me with wide eyes. I grin and admit, “She wants to become a family lawyer, hoping to join your practice part-time while still working at the firehouse.”
His chin wobbles, and I chuckle as I slap his back before looking back at my girl, whose attention is on Hudson and baby Grace, giving them funny faces that make them giggle as more students walk across the stage.
“Did Raya ever tell you that I was the one who tattooed your name on her?” Psycho suddenly asks as he stands next to me, holding my five-month-old niece, Ray, named after her favorite aunt, and I look at him in shock.
He grins and says, “She was eighteen and begged me not to tell you while Ivy held her hand.”
Son of a…
“You’re lucky you’re holding my niece,” I state, and he grins wider as Ray squeals in his arms, and I look to see what has her focus. I immediately melt seeing Raya rush our way, her white-blonde hair blowing behind her while her classmates all cheer and throw their caps in the air.
I grin as she throws herself at me and I catch her with a soft sigh, and I whisper, “I am so fucking proud of you, kitten,” and she whispers in return, “I love you, Cale.” And all thoughts of having a fit for allowing Psycho to tat her goes out of the window.
“I love you too, Raya,” I reply, kissing her neck before I gently place her feet on the floor, and she tickles Ray, who squeals again for her favorite aunt.
“I cannot believe you didn’t throw your cap,” Psycho says, and Raya snorts and replies, “I didn’t feel like celebrating with the girls beside me. They were in my class, never paid attention and only passed because they sucked off the professor.”
Psycho pulls a disgusted face, and she laughs, “They’ve also been eyeing you all up.”
“And I’m out,” he declares, making us laugh as he kisses her head and whispers, “Proud of you, sweetheart,” and she smiles before he walks over to my sister, who is waiting patiently with everyone else, knowing Raya needs to speak to her parents before they bombard her.
“Raya,” Gregory chokes and she looks at him with a fondness only a daughter can and she whispers, “Thank you for always being there for me, even when I tried to push you out,” Grace lets out a sob, most likely remembering when Raya sat her down and explained how she faked losing her memory so she didn’t get committed again, hurting Gregory in the process, as Raya continues, “Thank you for guiding me and giving me the passion to do this and help families,” Gregory’s tears fall as Raya finishes, “Thank you for being my dad when I lost my best friend and struggled to grieve. Thank you for allowing me to be your daughter, a role I am proud to have.”
I grin wide as he opens his arms and she walks into them, holding him tightly as she whispers, “I love you, Dad,” and Gregory breaks, squeezing her tightly, and it takes everything in me not to pull her back.
He doesn’t know, I have to remind myself.
I look at the club to help distract me and notice that most of the women are recording their moment, tears in their eyes, while the brothers all cheer and clap, making Raya giggle as she pulls back, and everyone surrounds her as Gregory stands beside me.
“You’ve brought her back,” he whispers, “gave her, her spark back.”
I half smile and admit, “She brought herself back, I was just there to help her up.”
“Thank you, Venom,” he says, and I look at him, “Thank you for always being what she needed, even over the years, you sparring with her, it kept her going.”
I look back at Raya as we lock eyes and I smile and admit, “I’ll always keep her going, until my dying breath,” meaning every word.
“We should tell them,” I whisper in my girl's ear as she leans her back against me and watches as the club celebrates my girl graduating two hours later.
“Isn’t it too early?” she whispers back with a little bit of worry, and I hold her a little tighter.
I understand she’s scared. She thinks her past will destroy her future, that bad karma will catch up with her, but she’s wrong. We deserve this. I mean, it wasn’t planned, so it clearly was meant to happen.
“You’re twelve weeks pregnant, kitten, you’ve passed the first trimester,” I remind her as I gently rub her stomach, a small bump appearing, and she takes a deep breath and voices her fear as she says, “What if I lose it?”
I gently kiss her head and remind her, “The doctor has said everything looks perfect. Celebrate this, kitten, celebrate the life we’re about to bring into the world, let the family celebrate, and more importantly, let’s get my sister off our backs about starting a family before I shoot her, and then Psycho shoots me. ”
She snorts before sighing and tilts her head so her lips touch my neck, giving me shivers even years later.
Kids are squealing, Luna is waddling, pregnant with the second set of twins, the poor woman, as she watches her five-month-old little boy, Callum, crawl around the room with his siblings following, fucking Blade not giving her a rest, and Lake is running after her kids while Skylar sits with Tate and her son sleeps in his big sister's arms.
Now is the time, and I know she’s ready, she’s just scared.
“You ready?” I ask, and she shakes her head, making me chuckle. Then she nods slightly, and I grin, looking around the room.
I lock eyes with Blade, who tilts his head, and I nod as I rub Raya’s stomach, making him grin wide, being the only one who knows, and he places two fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Alright, brothers, old ladies, prospects, we have an announcement to make,” he says loudly, and Raya stiffens, and I gently place my lips against her head.
“Seems we have another baby on the way,” he says proudly, and Brick snorts, “Son, Luna is pregnant with twins. Did you hit your head?”
Everyone laughs, even Raya, and Blade’s grin widens as he says, “I didn’t mean my kid, Dad,” and he nods to Raya and me, causing everyone to look our way with shock, and Blade announces, “Raya Miller, our lawyer graduate and local firefighter, is twelve weeks pregnant.”
Everyone is quiet for a moment, looking at us, before my sister reacts first, squealing loudly, making some people flinch, bringing them out of their shock as she runs over to us. The brothers cheer loudly before Psycho quickly grabs Ivy so she can’t tackle my vulnerable girl, who I help stand.
Raya walks over to a wiggling Ivy and wraps her arms around her, her tears falling as Ivy says, “Everything will be alright, I promise,” already knowing my girl's fears as she wraps her arms around her friend, and Raya squeezes her tightly as my dad wraps his arm around my shoulders tightly.
“Take it the baby wasn’t planned?” he asks quietly, and I shake my head and admit, “She wasn’t ready, but the universe has other plans.”
“This will help her son, just you watch,” he says fiercely, and I nod as I watch everyone love on my wife, my fucking heart knowing he is right.
Years of flirting, arguing, and falling in love have all come down to this, family, happiness, hope, and spending the rest of my life with this woman.
Raya makes her way over to me, much to my sister’s and her sobbing mother's dismay, and I smile as I hold my arm out for her before she nestles into my side, while our goddaughter, Grace, hugs our legs, grinning up at us.
“How are you feeling, kitten?” I ask her as I cup her cheek, “It’s been an eventful day.”
“It has,” she whispers, “but with you by my side, I’m doing okay.”
I grin wide before I gently rub my nose along hers, then I whisper, “Just so you know, now that we’re pregnant with one, I won’t stop until we have at least five.”
Raya snorts as she cups one hand on the back of Grace’s head while she fists my shirt with her other and admits, “I wouldn’t expect it any other way.”
Nothing but love and happiness fills me as I take her lips against mine, kissing her with the love and joy I feel. She kisses me back with the same affection and reverence, melting me.
The fact that she still wanted me after how I treated her growing up, giving me her body willingly, her heart, makes me one lucky fucker.
For the rest of my life, I ensure she gets treated like the queen she is, and over the years, she shows me that despite her trauma, her past haunting her, I’m worth fighting for, giving me those four extra kids along with our son and a life I never thought I ever wanted.
As I said, I’m one lucky fucker.