Epilogue
ASHLYNN
T he hum of voices filled the converted warehouse, blending with the clink of glasses and the occasional burst of laughter.
String lights looped from beam to beam overhead, casting a warm glow over the tables lined with auction items. This felt more like a family event than one for charity.
That was what so many people here had become to me over the past three years. My giant, rowdy Redline Kings family.
And this event wasn’t just an auction. It was a celebration.
Savannah had been the one to suggest combining our worlds—my art and Mason’s racing—for the annual Crossbend Children’s Fundraiser.
A few sketches of vintage muscle cars had turned into a full illustrated series.
Sleek lines and roaring engines frozen mid-motion, each paired with a short story written by kids in the program.
The moment Mason heard the idea, he’d been all in. Same with Kane.
Now those framed illustrations hung along the far wall, each one with a bid sheet already half full. I still couldn’t believe people were willing to pay real money for my work, let alone that it was for something good.
“Quit starin’ like you don’t belong here,” Mason’s low voice rumbled beside me. His arm was slung casually around my waist. Our squirming two-year-old was in his other arm, doing his best to grab at the shiny auction paddles stacked on the table.
“Mylo looks like he’s about to break free.”
“You think I can’t multitask?” Mason pressed a kiss to our son’s head. “I can keep him from tearing the place apart and keep my eyes on you.”
I smirked. “Sounds like a challenge.”
He gave me that dangerous grin that always promised trouble. “I already won everything I could ever want.”
Before I could fire back, Blitz came up with a clipboard. “Number seventeen just hit five grand.”
My jaw dropped. “Five—? For one drawing?”
“Shoulda started the bidding higher. Our prez is a fucking billionaire. He knows people with deep pockets,” he quipped before wandering off again.
The rest of the night passed in a blur of handshakes, congratulations, and the thrill of seeing my work make a difference. By the end, the series had raised enough to fund the kids’ summer program and replace the busted van they used for field trips. I’d never been so proud…or so ready to get home.
Mason didn’t even wait until everyone was gone to lace his fingers through mine, our son balanced on his hip as he muttered, “Let’s go, angel.”
When we stepped into our bedroom, I set my purse on the dresser, my hands going up to unpin my hair when Mason caught my wrist.
“Leave it.” His gaze roamed over me in my fitted black dress, heat banked but still simmering. Our little boy was already snoozing in his crib after a quick handoff, so it was only the two of us now. “It’s never gonna get old, seeing you all dressed up with my property patch on your back.”
I glanced down at the leather vest still hugging my frame over my LBD. “Maybe you should show me how much you like it again, because that doesn’t get old either.”
His answering grin was wicked. “Always, angel.”
Then his hands were on me, pushing the dress down, but leaving the vest right where it was.
When his palms slid over my hips, one settled over the gentle swell of my stomach. His thumb stroked slowly, reverently, and his voice dropped even lower. “I should show you how much I fucking love that our little family’s gettin’ bigger, too.”
My breath caught, emotion swelling in my chest until it ached. “Yes, please.”
“Whatever you want, baby.” His mouth covered mine, filled with heat and hunger that had become my home.
As we kissed, the rest of the world fell away. There was just me, him, and our son sleeping down the hall. The future we’d fought so hard for. One that Mason sealed with every touch, knowing in four months, we’d be holding the newest member of our family.
Find out what why Kane thinks he needs to order another property patch in Nitro !