Epilogue
EPILOGUE
DILLON
One Year Later
The annual Hellions barbecue is here. Every year it grows bigger and bigger. Maritza is standing with Dia and Emmalee arranging side dishes on the table inside the clubhouse.
I’m leaning against the bar taking a pull from my beer when Toon comes over. He looks right to Dia.
“How’d you do it, brother?” He asks me and I look to him confused as he nods to the prospect to get him a beer.
“What exactly?”
“Get Ruby okay with you and Zizi?” That is a loaded question coming from him.
“Ah, I get it. You and Dia?” he nods at my question, “Shit with me and Zizi has been broken and backwards. We basically had this pseudo-family thing for years even when Anna was around. Ruby knows how much she loves Hollis. Hell, they all embrace him as their own. It’s a different situation, brother. We played house without playing house for years.”
He takes a pull from his beer. “Tripp will never,” he begins but doesn’t finish the statement.
I shake my head, “No, he won’t, and BW might kill you before Tripp if he catches wind, you’re even thinkin’ of his baby sister like that.” I hate killing his desire, but it’s the damn truth.
“Don’t I fuckin’ know it. But I can’t resist her. And she’s not about to let this thing between us, whatever it is go.” He sighs in frustration. “I gotta get outta here. She’s killin’ me slowly.”
I sympathize with him, but I don’t have an answer. Seeing us, Dia grabs Maritza by the hand and half drags her over. Once my woman gets close, though, she picks up the pace coming directly into my space, wrapping her arms around my waist to settle in against me.
Home.
The instant warmth of that comfort fills me. “I love you,” I whisper kissing the top of her head.
Dia leans in and says something to Toon. Instantly, his face changes and I feel Maritza tense as she takes in the difference in them. Dia puts a hand on each of Toon’s cheeks pulling him to her before she kisses him. He doesn’t wrap his arms around her as their kiss intensifies. We aren’t tucked away where no one can see. This is a dangerous thing she’s doing. I know Dia cares for him and doesn’t understand why she can’t have him. But I don’t know that Tripp or BW will be okay with a brother dating her. It’s not what they want for her. Thank fuck, just for this moment, no one is actually watching them.
“Fuck,” I mutter as BW walks in at the exact moment, I think this will go unnoticed.
Toon pulls back wiping the back of his hand across his lips. Dia studies the move. Her hurt is visible at the rejection.
“I can’t fuckin’ do this shit. You know it.” Toon tells her what I’ve heard him say before.
Dia puts a hand on her hip, “what I know is you and I have something. The kind of something Roundman had and my parents have. Just take a chance so you can see what I know. No, I don’t have all the answers like you want. What I know is what I want, and deny it all you can, but you know you want it, too. Life is fuckin’ short, Justin.”
“It’ll cost me my cut. My fuckin’ family. They’re gonna love you no matter what. I got no one but you and this club. In order to have you, what do you think Tripp is gonna want from me?”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” she argues.
“Yeah, the fuck it is that way. I can’t do this shit. Might as well, tell you now, I’m transferring to Catawba. Rex and Shooter already approved me and got me a place set up. I leave tomorrow when the Catawba club rides back out.”
Dia reaches up grabbing the sides of his cut yanking them, unsuccessfully trying to shake him. “Fuck you! Why would you do this to me? Fuck you and fuck the Hellions,” she half whisper yells and takes off.
Maritza rushes off to follow her to the back bathrooms. This is not how I expected things to go today at all. Fuck.
“Brother, you laid that shit out all wrong.” I tell him the truth.
He shrugs as I see the war behind his eyes. “She won’t stop pushing things and I keep fucking up and giving in. I’m not strong enough to stay here and resist her. She needs to be happy. For her to be happy I can’t be here. She has to move on. If that means I have to leave so, be it. I’m setting her free which is how it should have stayed from the beginning.”
I take a pull from my beer knowing he’s twisted up inside. “I don’t know if this is what is best, Toon.”
“Neither do I,” he stammers setting his beer on the bar before walking away.
Other charters begin arriving as does Ruby, Vida, and Mariella who brings Hollis in with her for us. They approach and give the usual greetings. Luckily, Maritza comes out with Dia behind her looking composed once again like nothing happened. She is certainly resilient Dia Crews, that is. Maritza moves to stand beside me wrapping her arms around my waist and I am instantly at ease again having her with me.
“Hija, can you help me at the mini storage office really quick?” Vida asks Maritza.
She pulls away from me, but not before rolling up on her tip toes and placing a soft kiss to my lips. “Sure thing. Mariella, you want to come with us?” Maritza invites.
“No place I’d rather be,” her sister replies which luckily comes off sarcastic, so Maritza is none the wiser. “Everyone loves going to work on their day off,” she adds.
As they begin to walk off in the direction of the office, Vida looks over her shoulder to me and winks.
“Alright, Hollis, it’s go time,” I tell my son as Ruby files in beside us.
Walking slowly, we give them time to get the office unlocked and walk inside. Following in, I have Ruby to my right, my son to my left, and the woman I love directly in front of me much like the first time I walked in here years ago.
Hollis steps forward, “Zizi, we became a family here,” he starts and looks over his shoulder to me.
I step forward and go beyond him dropping to a knee in front of Maritza. “Baby, I came into this very office a broken man. My life was a mess, I had no solid place for my son, and my heart was hard. Piece by piece you were the glue holding me together. You are home for me. I can’t promise I’ll always get it right, but I can promise you I’ll try. I can promise you love for this lifetime and beyond.”
Then I look to Hollis, he adds, “we can promise you family, Zizi.”
“I can’t promise the ride in life will be easy, but I can promise to ride this life with you with every breath I take.”
Hollis nudges me before reaching in his pocket and pulling out the box. “Save the promises for the preacher, Pops.” He mutters just above a whisper causing Vida and Mariella to life.
Maritza seems to be in shock as she stares at me and my son who drops to his knee beside me. Tears begin to roll down her cheeks, but I can’t wipe them just yet.
“We’re a package deal.” Hollis explains.
“I came in here years ago and asked you to watch my son. I come in here today to ask you to watch out for my heart and my sons. I come in here to ask you today to let me watch yours in return. Maritza, today I ask you, will you marry me? Will you ride this life out with me?”
“Don’t answer yet,” Hollis stops her as she’s nodding her head yes. “Zizi, I don’t know what it is to not see you. I don’t want to ever know that feeling. I lost my mom, but the truth is Zizi, I didn’t because I have you. Will you marry my dad and be my mom for everyone to know?”
“Oh my God,” she cries, “yes,” she looks to Hollis, “yes, buddy.” Before I can even put the pear-shaped full carat solitaire on her finger, Hollis jumps up and wraps her in his arms holding her close.
He’s grown so much, he’s taller than her, but she still clings to my son, our son telling him she loves him.
I tap my boy on his shoulder, “you think I could put the ring on her finger and maybe give her a kiss.”
He looks to me without releasing Maritza and pulls her back in for another hug. Finally, after everyone around us practically is laughing through tears, he releases her. She jumps into my arms planting her lips to mine as she wraps her legs around my waist and arms around my neck holding tight.
Pulling away, she beams as she leans in to whisper. “Yes, Dillon Jacoby, I will marry you. Yes, I will be a mother to your son. And Dillon, yes, I will be a mother to your daughter,” she pauses, “or maybe another son.”
I jerk back as she locks her eyes to mine. “Broken body, yes, but miracles happen. I hope you’re ready to start over with a teenager and a baby, because he or she is coming early next year.”
Tears fill my eyes.
She is giving me a real family. Unlike anything I ever could have planned for myself.
Life can sometimes go down a broken road, but there is always more to the ride.
Never give up.
The End…
Until the next ride.