32. Epilogue
Epilogue
Thunder – Ten Years Later
“You are very gentle,” Lina says with a husk as I gently finish off shading her blackbird, and I grunt a nonverbal answer.
She’s been in my chair for two hours and continues to try to get my attention. Even though I’ve mentioned my amazing wife several times, the woman won’t fucking quit.
Ten years and I fucking love Scottie even more than I did when we first met. If she hurts, then I hurt, if she’s happy, then so am I. We’re completely in tune, and despite having three kids, two biological, we’ve never grown apart.
She’s my universe, and I can guarantee that if she dies before me when we’re old and gray, then I’ll be following her.
“You know, I understand you want to pay attention to your work, but it is rude when you ignore someone,” she tries, and I sit up and eye the blackbird on her arm before I give her attention.
“You mean like how it’s rude to hit on a married man with three kids all because he has a cut on?” I retort, and she tenses for a moment before slowly opening her legs, and I lock my jaw.
“Your wife isn’t here,” she husks, and I open my mouth to snap at her, but my son beats me to it as he states, “But I am!”
“And who are you?” the bitch sneers, and I stand up and take my gloves off before throwing them on the counter and glare at the bitch.
Sammie snaps, “I’m his son!” and I look at him with awe.
Ten years and not once has he claimed me as his dad, only his uncle. There have been times when he’s gone to call me ‘dad’, but he’ll pause, breaking that hope I’d hold.
Fuck, is he finally seeing he is my son?
“Son, huh?” she husks, and I glare at her way and snap, “He’s fucking sixteen!” then demand, “Get out and don’t come back,” and her eyes widen.
“What about my aftercare?” she gasps.
I growl, “You’ve got plenty of tats to know what to do, pay at the counter and don’t fucking come back!”
She looks between us and opens her mouth like she’s about to say something, and I step forward, causing her to jump off my chair and run away.
Fucking bitch!
“Are all clients like that?” Sammie asks, and I nod as I glare at the door before looking his way.
“They can be, but I know you won’t allow it,” I say, and he nods but still looks unsure, so I ask, “How was school?”
“Good,” he admits, “I aced my paper then walked Lily home before coming here.”
I smile his way before I grab the spray bottle and clean the chair. The woman’s juices are clear as day, making me want to shudder in disgust, but I hide it for Sammie’s sake.
He and Lily are best friends, but I do see the look she gives him, a look I know he’ll refuse to see until she’s eighteen, but both Stone and I are all for it.
“Rachel got out on good behavior, Uncle Lo rang,” he admits, and I drop the cleaning solution and look his way, giving him my whole attention.
Ten years and it had been radio silence from Rachel, no letter, no prison visit and no phone call.
She kept in contact with her parents, explained she had sought out counseling, but no one had fallen for the act.
Even now, Ellie and Marshall refuse to believe her words, especially when she continued to demand I’d cheated on her sister and left her, despite knowing we had two more kids.
Fucking bitch should have rotten in prison, which is what I said when Lorenzo called me.
I knew about her being released, I also, along with my wife, gave Lorenzo, who had married his office fling and had three kids with her, the go-ahead to tell Sammie.
Scottie was terrified he’d say he’d want to see his birth mom and she didn’t want to influence him.
My wife is all fucking heart.
“And how do you feel about that?” I reluctantly ask, and he shuffles slightly.
“I’m more worried about-about Mama,” he admits, and I sigh with relief.
“Well, it’s about time, son,” I say softly, and he sniffles. “Really?”
I nod and reply, “Yeah, really. We’ve been waiting until you were ready to call her your mom.”
“And you think she’ll be happy?” he confirms hesitantly, and I agree, “She’ll be ecstatic, Sammie.”
He looks down for a moment before he looks back at me and says, “Dad, can you make sure Rachel doesn’t get in touch with me?”
Fuck me, and there it is.
“Yeah, son,” I choke, not bothering to tell him there is already a restraining order in place until he said otherwise. I push off the seat and grab hold of him before pulling him into me for a big hug, and he squeezes me tightly as he whispers, “Thank you for being my dad.”
“Always,” I whisper before we pull back and I grin as we hear, “Well if it isn’t two of my favorite boys.”
I melt as Scottie, who is still in her scrubs, walks over and kisses Sammie’s cheek, then walks into me and asks, “Where are Bowie and Billy?”
I smile at the mention of our nine-year-old son, who, unfortunately, just like Sammie, is like me, much to my wife’s and the club's dismay and our five-year-old daughter.
“Bailey and Kai have taken them to the park,” I admit, and she hums, a smile lacing her lips at the mention of Doc’s daughter and Anchor’s son who always help out with the little ones. She looks at Sammie with a large smile, a mothers love shining in her eyes.
“How was school?” she asks, and Sammie looks my way, and I give him a nod before he looks back at the woman he sees as a mother and says, “It was good, how uh, how was work, Mama?”
Scottie is probably one of the best attendings at the hospital, and those were Doc and Tanks words, not mine. Every fucking doctor wants to work with her because of how thorough she is and in the ten years she’s worked with Doc and Tank, she’s only lost two patients.
Scottie sucks in a breath, and Sammie looks at her with concern, and I know her eyes are tearing because fuck, mine did as well, and she chokes, “It was good, baby,” before she moves out of my hold and grabs him in a hug despite him now being taller than her.
Sammie melts into her, and she lets out a little sob before demanding, “Family dinner tonight,” and I chuckle while Sammie grins wide.
“Can Lily come?” he asks, and Scottie nods instantly, and Sammie grins and says, “I’ll give Uncle Stone a call,” and leaves the room, and Scottie moves back into my embrace, not taking her eyes off the door.
“He called me his mama,” she chokes, and I squeeze her tightly, ensuring all of her back touches my front.
“I know, he called me his dad,” I admit, and she whispers, “I’ve waited ten years for this,” and I press my lips against her head when she sobs, “We’re finally a full family.
” Just before I lock eyes with Sammie, his tears are there, but a smile so wide on his face it melts my heart, and I agree, “We are…”
I know he was concerned, especially when he is aware of how he was conceived, but fuck, this moment right now is top five for me. The first, meeting this amazing woman and making her mine, the second, adopting Sammie, third and fourth, the births of our two other kids and this one fifth.
“Thank you for coming into our lives, Bradley,” she chokes, and I squeeze her even tighter and mutter, “Any fucking time,” just as Sammie wraps his arms around us and I grin.
Three kids, a home full of love, a little gravesite where Demon is, after passing away five years ago of old age when he finally calmed down and became a loving cat, brothers who hold you up and a lifetime of memories.
I’m one lucky fucker, and no, I don’t stop hurting myself to get my own way. I wouldn’t change anything, or well, maybe the dog Brittany bought my girl after we lost Demon, who gives the fucking cat a run for his money.