CLINT’S EPILOGUE
A fter each of my boys was born, my club brothers—and a few foxes—teased me about how Hank and Gus might grow into micro versions of me. What if they were itty-bitty like their mom? I always chuckled as if the thought didn’t terrify me.
However, my sons were bound to face more pressure than I did as a kid. Even if they grew up to be short men with badass natures, I worried about them having to work twice as hard to prove themselves to people.
As much as I adored Ivy's small size, I also knew how easily she could get shoved aside. Hell, I often lost her in crowds. She even joked about putting a bell around her neck like we did Hanzee.
I wasn’t wholly insane to worry my sons would be at a disadvantage if they weren’t as tall as their cousins and pals within the Crimson Guard MC family.
Fortunately, Hank and Gus took after me height-wise. They were already taller than Ivy by sixth grade. They towered over her by the end of high school. Yet, despite their size, their mom could break them with a single disappointed look. Ivy was small, but she knew how to wield her power.
Ivy’s pregnancies might have been the most difficult time of our marriage. I wanted to give her everything, and she dreamed of becoming a mom. During each pregnancy, the doctors kept a close eye on her. Each checkup showed the baby doing well, and Ivy’s body holding strong. Yet, I walked around in a constant state of mild panic. Every time she felt sick or slept too much, I assumed the worst. I couldn’t face a world without her in it.
I was relieved when the time came for me to get snipped. Our two sons were perfect. Ivy’s body kept them safe. It was my turn to protect her by ensuring Gus was our last.
Those first few years of our marriage were wild. As much as I loved the condo, I didn’t miss it once we were in the house. Living in the Sleepy Eye Community allowed me to leave unexpectedly for work without worrying about Ivy and the kids. The house included a safe house and was close to my parents’ place. If Ivy and the boys were in trouble, the retired men of the Little Memphis MC would ride to their rescue.
Fatherhood was both easy as fuck and the most difficult thing I ever faced. I never felt as vulnerable as I did when I held my sons in those early years.
“It gets easier,” Ford told me one day when we were at his place and he saw something on my face. “Just like how you can be away from Ivy without constantly worrying about her, you’ll get used to stuffing your fears for the boys down deep. It’s how men like us function.”
My father wasn’t an easy man to know. People didn’t warm up to him like they did with a funny fucker like Joker. I always knew my dad had a scary side.
But he was also the man who laughed at my stupid kid antics and wiped my tears when I hurt myself. Even when I was running my club and had kids of my own, he stood in the shadows ready to save my ass if I ever came up short.
Ivy and my mom clicked the day they met and never looked back. Shay and Geraldine were like night and day when it came to motherhood. I couldn’t understand why Geraldine turned cold toward her child. It wasn’t how my parents were wired. As much as Ivy still missed her mother, most of her wounds healed after finding unconditional love from Shay.
With a big fat bank account at her disposal, Ivy splurged on the family each year by taking us on a dream vacation. Once the boys were five and three, we took our first international trip. Barcelona was almost as beautiful as my beaming wife. Whenever she spoke Spanish, Ivy glowed with pride. She’d taught herself many skills back in the Reno mansion. Now, she could use them to make our lives better.
Fortunately, Ivy never needed to use her kickboxing skills on any perverts. Despite Little Memphis’s new dangers, I didn’t feel guilty for introducing a delicate woman to my world. No one would ever love Ivy like I did. No family could ever accept her like mine had. Ivy was right where she needed to be.
Just like I was where I needed to be on the day she escaped her uncles. My parents fought and bled to offer me a good life. They raised me to be stubborn about what I wanted. That was why when I found a gift standing in front of me, I didn’t hesitate to claim what was mine.
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THE END