Epilogue
Ripper
Eight Months Later
Garret was sighing as Creedence giggled.
Connor was wincing, and Christian was happily teething on his fingers.
I had Belle perched on my hip.
I moved in behind Creedence, wrapped my arm around her waist, and pulled her to my front, my hand cradling her belly in a protective gesture.
She sighed as she leaned back into me and placed her hand on mine, and I pressed a kiss on the top of her head.
“Okay, that’s the perfect one,” Valerie said.
“The perfect one, what? We didn’t pose,” Garret asked.
Valerie smiled up at him, “It’s not when you pose that makes the perfect picture; it’s the moments you capture.”
And then a sound and a smell lit up the living room.
Tears hit my eyes.
“Oh. My. God,” Creedence said as she covered up her nose.
“He just crapped on me,” Connor growled.
I burst out laughing right along with Garret.
And we both received elbow jabs from our women.
Creedence looked at me and smirked, “He’s all you, honey.”
I lifted a brow, “My cock ain’t inside you. That’s not what you call me.”
Garret growled.
Connor paled.
Gage gagged.
I chuckled as I handed her Belle and took my boy from Connor.
Then I took him to the bathroom and cleaned him up.
***
Now it was my turn to bite my lip in indecision. Was this the right gift for her? Out of thousands of things I could get her, I chose this.
But then... those nights... yeah, it was perfect.
She looked at me as she winked, then unwrapped the package.
Tears hit her eyes as she stared down at the wrapped books of Harry Potter in her lap. I leaned in and whispered, “They’re signed.”
She gasped, “What?”
I nodded.
She flipped through them and saw the author’s signature there.
“Alexander,” she whispered.
I winked, “Love you, Star Shine.”
***
Valerie was right.
The real moments are the right ones to carry.
Because Garret was looking down at Valerie with so much love that even the camera had captured it, and she was looking up at him in the same manner.
Connor was making a face at Christian, not because he was teething on his fingers, but because Christian blew out.
***
Four Months Later
I sent Creedence to bed as I cradled Christian in my arms and swayed him back and forth.
He had colic.
His tears tore at my soul.
But I kept at it.
Whispering to him.
Calming him down.
Or trying to.
And at two in the morning, as I yawned, I started to softly sing our song.
“She was a black haired beauty with big dark eyes...”
He stopped crying.
I should have known.
I sang the song all the way through.
And then... just like it did with me, it helped calm me down.
All these years later, and my woman was still taking my back.
***
Five Years Later
I cheered as my daughter pedaled her bike on her own, a smile on her face.
Then, well... I also pulled my gun out and shot the tire of the bastard that got too close to my girl outside the clubhouse sidewalk.
Creedence burst into laughter.
We didn’t offer to fix the damage.
***
Creedence
Five Years Later
I looked at my husband, who was beaming with pride as our daughter got the terrific kid award.
Then I watched as my daughter looked at her dad and winked.
I giggled.
He looked at me and said, “Thank you.”
I frowned, “What are you thanking me for?”
He looked at Belle, then back to me, and said, “For never giving up on my pathetic ass.”
I melted, “You're my heart.”
He leaned forward and kissed me so softly.
And uncaring of anyone who it bothered, he bit my bottom lip.
I shifted in my chair.
His eyes flared.
Thank goodness the windows in the Tahoe were tinted... after.
***
Garret
One Year Later
On days like this, I thought back to the day Creedence was placed in my arms.
She was so fucking small.
A preemie.
I never told a soul about this but Cotton.
They gave her a few hours to live.
That bitch fucking did drugs while she was pregnant with her.
And to this day, as I look upon Cree, I’m thankful every day that it was her that I’m proud to call my daughter.
Even when I fuck up.
We were at the Pinewood Lake Clubhouse for fight night.
All the kids would be going to the room Storm had created for his woman, Lena, later in the night.
As I approached my girl who was helping get the food on the table, I winked at her and said, “You know something?”
She chuckled, “What?”
“I’m so goddamned proud of you.”
She bit her lip and then stepped forward as I wrapped her up in my arms.
“Love you, old man,” she said.
I chuckled, “Love you too, princess.”
Valerie
I smiled at Belle, who was telling me all about a boy in her class.
She liked him.
I heard Ripper growling.
I giggled.
Belle ran to her father and rolled her eyes in his face.
He chuckled.
It still amazed me to watch how different he was in front of others.
With Creedence and his kids, he was this big softie.
But with others, he didn’t talk to you unless your question warranted a response.
He didn’t tolerate you.
And if you dared wrong Creedence, Belle, or Christian, it didn’t matter who you were, he wouldn’t hesitate to put a world of hurt on your ass.
He proved that already when Garret fucked up.
But I knew, just like I knew the back of my hand, if something ever happened to Creedence, he’d give up in this life.
And I knew that he, too, would stop breathing a minute after she did.
Then Christian ran up and handed him a plate that Creedence had plated for him.
He took the plate, thanked his son, then he looked at the tables, and I watched as his eyes softened at the sight of her.
He glanced at me, and I watched as something worked behind his eyes.
He swallowed, then shifted in his chair after he put his plate down.
Then he looked at Belle and Christian and said, “Go tell Uncle Clip that I need a few minutes. Okay?”
They nodded, then raced with smiles on their faces to their Uncle Clip, who saw them coming, looked at Ripper, and lifted his chin.
I looked at Ripper and asked, “What is it? You got that look.”
He smirked, then he asked me something I won’t ever forget.
“I didn’t have the best mom. You can talk to Creedence about it later, but... well... I’d be honored to be your son if that would be cool with you.”
I smiled at him, “Ripper, you became my boy when you knew you had Cree’s heart and held it with care and protected it.”
He nodded.
Then I looked at my girl, and then I looked up and whispered to her birth mother, Tasha, “You were a shit mom. But thank you for bringing my girl into this world.”
Storm
I leaned back in my chair as I watched Ripper.
He had just sat there waiting while his food got cold.
Helping cut up whatever the kids needed him to.
But still, he sat there, his plate untouched.
He waited for Cree to be done and sit down before he started eating.
That right there was the measure of how good a man he was.
And I’m thankful as fuck that I took a chance on him.
But... had I known more about how he felt for Cree... I would have gladly pissed off the entire Mountain of Clearwater Chapter when I kidnapped her and brought her here when she was seventeen years old.
Knox
I won’t hesitate to go toe to toe with any motherfucker.
But as I watched Ripper beat the shit out of Tank... my ass was staying in my seat.
I wouldn’t admit it to a living soul except one; he scared the shit out of me.
Just then, my woman walked over, and I watched as her eyes sparkled. She lifted a brow, “You're not getting in the ring against Ripper?”
I shook my head, “Nope. Don’t want to upset Cree when I beat the shit out of him.”
She burst out laughing.
Then, when she finished, I told her the truth.
“He scares me.”
She nodded, “I get that.”
Clip
Four Years Later
I sat in my chair with my woman and kids at my side as I watched Ripper and Creedence renew their vows.
Then I looked at my woman, and asked, “You want to do this?”
Her eyes were misty, then she smirked, “Will you wear a tux?”
I grumbled.
She chuckled.
I looked in those crystal blue eyes of hers and whispered, “For you. Anything.”
Cotton was behind me, growling.
I flipped him the middle finger.
Ripper
Age 50
Had I known that when I said, Sadly... the dreams and wishes of a nine-year-old... of this nine-year-old, didn’t come true, I would have kicked my own ass.
Because nine-year-old me hadn’t met her.
I had just finished making sure the house was locked up tight and checked on our kids, when she walked out of the bathroom after having a bath.
Yes, I prepared it for her.
Yes, I had candles for her.
Yes, I had a bottle of wine in an actual bucket this time.
Yes, I put her towels in a towel warmer.
She looked at me and smiled.
My heart skipped a beat.
Even after all these years.
Then I flipped over the covers before she slid inside and covered her up.
Like she always did at night, she curled into my side.
“Love you, Alexander,” she whispered as she yawned.
“Love you too, Star Shine,” I told her.
I fell asleep with the light to my darkness curled up against my side.
And as long as there was still air in my lungs, and blood in my body, I would be her Armor against this great big world.
The End.
Continue reading for a sneak peek at what is next in this series.