Epilogue
Treasure
Simone
Six months later…
“Rayella,” I said.
Steel ever-so-slowly swiveled his head to me. The dry, pointed look he gave me should have made me uncomfortable.
I grinned. “Raymonda? No, even I don’t like that. How about Ramona?”
He did a long blink, then held our daughter closer, though I hadn’t thought it was possible. “No. We’re not naming her after me. Come up with something better.”
A cavalcade of names sifted through my brain, but none of them fit. I thought back to Mom’s side of the family, and Dad’s, but that didn’t work well either. The night we met came back to me… but I wasn’t sure he’d like that idea either.
“You might shoot this one down too, but what about Olive?”
He deliberated it for a long moment. “Possibly. How about Felicity?”
I twisted my lips as I considered it. “Is there a reason?”
We were in our hospital room, and Steel had taken his shirt off for skin-to-skin contact with our two-day-old daughter.
He shrugged a shoulder. “I looked into the meanings behind some names. It’s probably all B.S., but the name comes from Latin for ‘good fortune.’ Even though we hadn’t expected her, and may not have planned on her, she is definitely our little treasure.”
My mouth dropped open and I narrowed my eyes. “Did you just use the term B.S. because of our daughter? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you refrain from cursing.”
He looked abashed. “Focus, woman. If you don’t like Felicity, then—”
“I love it. It’s perfect, just like you.”
He shook his head. “I’m far from perfect, but I’m fit to burst with the amount of love I have for you and this perfect little girl you’ve given me.”
Emotion clogged my throat just as a nurse came into the room.
“Have you got a name yet? They’re going to kick you out of here today, and I’d hate for you to have one more thing on your plate. Especially since we have staff here who can do it for you.” She aimed her non-nonsense gaze at me. “Seriously, you don’t need a trip to the Social Security Office with a newborn.”
I chuckled. “Yes, we just decided on a first name… as for a middle name—”
Steel’s eyes burned with intensity at me. “Felicity Jade Reynolds, that way she has a piece of you with her all the time, too.”
Tears pooled and ran over my lower lids. “That’s brilliant, honey.”
He propped a hip on my bed and leaned in close. “No, Jade. It’ll be brilliant when we get married two months from now, and both my girls have my last name.”
I leaned up and gave him a soft kiss. He’d put his cut on me not long after my abduction. I wore it any time I was in the Devil Lancer clubhouse. Even though his brothers knew I was his and he’d claimed me, he still wanted us to be legally bound. I couldn’t wait to get married, but I wasn’t certain it would be in two months.
Figuring out a wedding dress while eight months pregnant was a challenge, but I had narrowed it down to three dresses. The plan was to try on those dresses in three more weeks, after I’d dropped a few more pounds.
The nurse bustled toward us. “That’s a beautiful name, but it’s going to take some time for one of you to complete this form.”
With a small smile, Steel transferred Felicity into my arms and started filling out the form.
“She is so stinking cute,” Alexandra said, holding Felicity and staring down at her.
We were sitting on my couch in the living room the morning after I’d been discharged from the hospital. Steel was in bed catching some sleep, since it had been a long night.
“Yeah. She’s stolen my heart,” I said.
“She’ll be breaking hearts, that’s for sure.” Alexandra’s gaze met mine. “You better hope she isn’t half as good as you are at keeping secrets.”
From her tone, I knew she was referring to me keeping the secret about Rafferty’s hang-around status with the Devil Lancers. She had lost her mind almost as badly as Aunt Trixie had.
Almost.
Were Alexandra and Rafferty speaking to one another now?
No.
The sheer stupidity of that killed me, but Steel pointed out it wasn’t my business.
Which also killed me.
“It wasn’t mine to tell, Lex.”
She nodded. “I get that. I do, it’s just…I guess there aren’t any sisters before misters in MC life.”
I tilted my head. “It isn’t about putting anyone above another…it’s respecting Rafferty’s right to privacy.”
“And not sharing the Devil Lancers’ business,” she muttered.
I tossed a hand out. “Or the Riot’s. If he’d been hanging around there, it wouldn’t have been my place to tell Steel – hell, I felt like I’d done a bad thing just telling him he wasn’t prospecting with any club.”
She nodded and stroked Felicity’s cheek. “Right. And he still isn’t a prospect with either club.”
I grinned. “You’d have to ask him why that is. His phone number’s still the same. You could call him.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think MC life is for me, Simone. I’m too boring for it, I guess.”
I chuckled. “You are far from boring my friend, and even if you don’t want to hear this, you’re more cut out for this life than you think.”
Her hazel eyes filled with skepticism.
I widened my eyes. “Who wanted Jordan to pay for his stunt last December? Who wanted to befriend Tennyson to get the full scoop? That’s so diabolical, it isn’t funny.”
After a moment she gave a nod. “Yeah, and that’s the kind of thing that men like Rafferty can’t handle. The idea of sitting back and keeping my mouth shut won’t fly with me. If I can help someone, I’m gonna do that… and Rafferty especially hates when I help him.”
This was news to me and it was all I could do to keep my eyes from lighting up.
“How did you help him?”
“It was stupid and it was just before graduation, but Rafferty’s reaction really let me know where he stood.”
Felicity started to fuss and I let Alexandra hand her over to me.
“The two of you are older now, Lex. You’ve both changed even if you don’t see it, and I know you’ve both matured since then.”
She shrugged. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter though, since I’ve been dating Porter for the last four months.”
That name made me cringe every time I heard it, but I managed to hide it from her while I situated Felicity to breastfeed.
Once Felicity was latched, I asked, “Is it getting serious?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. We’ll see. Dad really doesn’t like him.”
I had nothing to say to that because my Dad really hadn’t liked me being with Steel, but I wouldn’t give him up for anything now.
“Did Uncle Cal tell you why?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Says I can do better.”
“Yeah, I’ve been there,” I said with a grimace.
She shook her head. “He has no idea how hard it is to meet people.”
I nodded. “It is hard, but I’m pretty sure the right person will come along at the right time.”
“I guess I’m impatient.”
“Don’t go getting baby fever. That will only make it worse.”
“I’m glad you’re happy, Simone. Steel dotes on you.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I’m a very lucky woman.”
Alexandra wandered to the kitchen and grabbed her water bottle. “How long are you going to stay in Jacksonville? After your baby shower at his house last month, I can’t imagine not moving to Augusta. You weren’t kidding, his place is the shit.”
“My lease is up in December. The new clubhouse should be finished by then…or at least part of it. As long as Steel finds someone to lead that chapter by the end of the year, that’s when we’ll move.”
The smile on her face didn’t shine like normal. “I’m happy for you, really. But I feel like I’m not going to see you any more.”
“You think Mom isn’t going to hound me to come visit every chance I get?”
Her smile brightened. “Totes.”
“Yeah. It’s not like I’m on the other side of the country.”
“But you won’t be at the Riot MC clubhouse much. The holiday bash won’t be the same.”
I grinned. “I thought MC life wasn't for you?”
“You know what I mean.”
I nodded. “You're right. I can still come for certain things. I’m not going to miss a low-country boil when the Biloxi brothers come to town.”
“You sure?” she asked.
“Lex, you can take a girl out of the Riot, but you can’t take the Riot out of the girl.”
She smiled. “I better go. Let you get some sleep since that little girl looks like she dozed off.”
Two minutes after she left, Steel wandered out of our bedroom wearing black draw-string pajama pants with orange Harley-Davidson logos all over them. “She leave?”
I nodded.
“You did good,” he said.
I shot him a dose of my side-eye. “Now who’s been eavesdropping?”
“Sorry, but I had to hear how you’d handle the stuff about Rafferty. You were perfect. Besides, if she’d blamed you still – I don’t care whose daughter she is – I’d have had to set her straight.”
I shook with laughter. “You’re so protective. Felicity is in trouble when she gets older.”
He shook his head. “No, anybody who fucks with her is.”
“You got that right,” I muttered.
He sat down next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “My house is the shit, Simone, but it’s just a house. If you want to live close to your folks, I can sell it and we’ll find a decent place around here.”
“Wouldn’t you have to give up the presidency to move here?”
“Not necessarily. My point is that it’s a place, and we can always find a different house.”
I widened my eyes at him. “And give up your privacy? No way.”
His lips stretched out in a grimace. “Not sure how private it’s gonna be. Harvest time for the tree farm on the left side of the property is coming up. My electric bill is gonna be outrageous without all that shade.”
I grinned. “More sunshine is awesome. That means I could get a better tan by your pool.”
His eyes took on a faraway look. “You’re right, we’re not moving.”
Steel
I stared at Simone laying on the sofa with Felicity nestled on her chest. A year ago, I’d have never envisioned living in Jacksonville, let alone living here with a woman I intended to marry, and our daughter.
They were my whole world now. I’d do anything for them because they were everything to me.
I had an uphill battle in front of me with my club. Circles had survived his attack after a three-week hospital stay. To my relief, he wanted to see the entire club get out of drugs and prostitution – that part was a surprise, but understandable.
As expected, few of the other chapters wanted to give up their drug income. Walker and Crank were the most adamant that we continue with drugs.
Walker had gone so far as to demand I let Torque lead instead.
Link, Axe, and Shark stepped up and made it clear how costly the drug business could be when a concerted attack hit.
Over the past five months, Miami, Raleigh, Las Vegas, and Augusta were serving as an experiment to show exactly how losing the drug trade would impact chapters. Part of me believed this was futile because every market would be different, but Tie had taken point on this and the results were promising.
If they weren’t, I would step down as mother chapter president. Leaving the brotherhood wasn’t happening, but I would keep Felicity and Simone safe at all costs.
“What are you thinking about over there? I can practically hear the wheels turning,” Simone said in a husky voice.
“I’m thinking about where to take you on our honeymoon.”
She grinned. “You are a shit liar when you’re worried about us.”
I chuckled. “I love that you can read me, Jade.”
Her eyes warmed. “I love that you’re mine to read.”
“You want me to take her so you can rest?”
“Let’s put her in the bassinet. I want to sleep curled up next to you.”
“Anything you want, sweetheart, I’m going to give it to you.”