Epilogue
Dakota
Three Months Later
I ran my hand over my belly and smiled at the technician.
A quick glance at my husband was enough to tell me he was still processing.
Or maybe he’d turned to stone out of fear.
Things had been so crazy since the fight with the Cartel.
We’d buried Cobra and the club still mourned his loss.
Those who’d been shot had needed time to heal, but everyone seemed all right now.
Then there’d been Charming’s constant worry about retaliation.
My brother had called last week with the news the Cartel wouldn’t be coming for us.
It seemed they weren’t too fond of the men who’d died at the compound and were willing to look the other way.
With all that going on, we’d had to continually reschedule my appointment.
This was our first visit having an ultrasound or getting to hear the heartbeat.
Except there wasn’t one. There were two.
“Twins, Charming. Can you believe it?” I asked. He didn’t so much as blink or move. I shook my head, wondering if we’d broken him. I’d already put my clothes back on and I was ready to leave. I wrapped my fingers around his bicep and gave him a tug. “Come on, Daddy. Time to go.”
He shivered from head to toe. “Don’t call me that. As old as I am, and as young as you are…”
I snickered. “Scared people will get the wrong idea?”
“Yeah.”
“Fine. But you know what this means. We need another crib. More clothes. More… everything.”
He ran a hand down his face before lacing his fingers with mine and following me out of the clinic. “Twins.”
“On the plus side, they’re both boys,” I said. “Could have been worse. You could have had two daughters.”
“In which case we’d have needed more ammo and not blankets,” he mumbled. “Good thing the boys are coming first. They can protect their little sister.”
I drew him to a halt. “Halden, are you kidding me right now? I’m going to pop out two babies in a few months and you’re already planning to knock me up again?”
He smiled. “First chance I get.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re insane. Just wait. All those sleepless nights will make you change your mind. I’ve heard newborns require a lot of work, and we’re going to have two.”
“Can’t wait,” he said, hugging me. His lips brushed mine and I melted against him. “Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Same.” I smiled up at him. “You’re everything to me. My life would have been so dull if we’d never met. Specter would have kept setting me up with his associates, and I’d have kept running from them. But sooner or later, I might have been lonely enough to give in. I’d have been miserable, though.”
“Yeah?” he asked.
I nodded. “Because the only man I’m meant to be with is right here. You’re my one and only. My husband. The love of my life. My very own Prince Charming.”
He snorted. “You told me I was more caveman than prince.”
“Fine. You’re my very own Charming Caveman.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Come on, woman. I’ll get you a milkshake before we head home.”
“Ohh.” I rubbed my belly again. “That sounds amazing. Make it a chocolate one and you just might get lucky when we get home.”
He swatted my ass. “Honey, I’m lucky every day.”
I’d have refuted his statement except I couldn’t.
The man only had to look at me and I wanted to unzip his pants.
It had gotten even worse the last few months.
More than once, I’d tracked him down and dragged him home for a few orgasms. The guys in the club laughed their asses off when they saw me coming.
Charming had gotten a lot of grief over having a magic dick, but he took their jibes gracefully. Most of the time.
I hadn’t seen my brother in months, and he seldom called.
I knew something was brewing for him, and I hoped it didn’t get him killed.
My babies would need their uncle. Of course, Anatoly would be an honorary uncle to them.
Even though he was based in Los Angeles, he’d already flown out twice to visit with us.
I had a feeling we’d be seeing more of him.
My life wasn’t perfect, but whose was? We had ups and downs, and trouble would probably find us again. But we had each other, and the club. A family. Our family.
No. It wasn’t perfect. It was messy. But it was full of love and laughter, and that was all that mattered.