Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ADDISON
You kidnapped me, ya big oaf.
Six months later…
“I’m proud of you, Addison.”
Tears spring to my eyes as my father wraps his arms around me. I was awarded a medal of honor for everything that went down with Gary, and the ceremony just ended. Other than me, Crow and Journey are the only two people who know how he really died. The official story is that I had to kill him in self-defense.
There was a time when I would’ve hated that there were two different versions, but that time is long gone.
“Thanks, Chief,” I whisper into his neck.
My Dad still struggles with the betrayal of his best friend, and I’m not sure it’s something he’ll ever totally recover from, but we have each other, and we’ll get through it together.
“I thought Crow was going to be here,” he says when he steps back.
I swivel my head to search the crowd and spot Crow, along with several Soulless Kings, standing at the back of the room.
“How could you miss that?” I ask, nodding toward the group.
“I should’ve known they’d all be here to support you.”
One positive thing that came out of Gary’s crazy is that my dad now knows the real culprit behind who killed his wife. Having all the information allowed him to open his mind to the possibility that the club isn’t as bad as he thought.
Sure, he doesn’t know they still have their hands in illegal dealings, but what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him. Crow and I make sure of that.
“Go, be with him,” Dad says, gently shoving me in that direction.
“You’re still coming for dinner tonight, right?”
“Are Lucia and Enzo cooking?”
There’s been numerous family dinners at the Carino’s house over the last few months. Those nights are one of the things that helped bring my dad around as far as Crow is concerned.
“You know they are,” I tease. “It wouldn’t be a celebration if they weren’t.”
“Then I’m still coming. Seven, right?”
“Yep. But you can come earlier if you want.”
I watch as my Dad walks away, shaking the hands of other cops as he weaves through the crowd. He beams at them when they congratulate him on such a ‘fine daughter’, and it warms my heart.
“Hey, Ace.”
I smile and turn on my heel at the sound of Crow’s voice. “Hey.”
“Congrats, Addi,” Journey says and wraps me in a hug. “Proud of you.”
“We all are,” Ghost adds when he takes Journey’s place.
“You’re my hero,” Sunny jokes.
“Would you all get your damn hands off my woman?” Crow snaps.
He pushes them out of the way playfully and grabs my hand to yank me into his chest.
“You’re amazing,” he tells me.
I wrap my arms around his waist. “So are you.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but whatever it was, I’m grateful.”
I tip my head back and smirk. “You kidnapped me, ya big oaf.”
He glances around the room. “Shh. I don’t wanna be arrested.”
Crow
I’m in this forever, Addison.
“Can we talk?”
I shift so I’m sitting up and leaning against the headboard. Addison’s leg is draped over my thighs, and her expression is more serious than I’m used to after having sex.
“It’s never good when those words come out of a woman’s mouth.”
She rolls her eyes. “Can we talk or not?”
Nerves rattle me, but I nod. “Sure.”
“You know I’m never gonna give up my job, right?”
“And I’d never ask you to.”
“Will that work?”
“What?”
“A cop and a biker… can that work?”
“It’s been working the last six months, hasn’t it?” I counter. “Or am I missing something?”
“It’s been working, but we’ve never really discussed how it would work long-term if we stayed together.”
“Do you want to stay together?”
“Can it work?”
“Answer my question first.”
‘But I asked you first.”
“Dammit, Ace, just answer me.”
She huffs out a breath. “Yeah, I want it to work. I love you, Crow. And I know you love me.”
“If we want it, it can work. We’ll make it work.”
“We shouldn’t have to force it.”
“Have you felt like you’ve had to force anything?”
“No.”
“Then, I repeat, it can work.”
“Are you in this for the long haul?” she asks, lowering her gaze as if she’s afraid of the answer.
I grip her chin and lift, staring into her eyes. “I’m in this forever, Addison.”
“Are you in this to the point where you’d move in with me?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “You think I wanna live apart for the rest of our lives?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “But…”
“Spit it out,” I growl.
“I think you should move in here.”
“You don’t want to live at the clubhouse?”
It’s not a question I need to ask, but I want her to know she can tell me. I’m not a stupid man. A detective shacking up with an entire one-percenter club is bad optics. And I’m not about to make her look bad. She’s too good for that and deserves better.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” she hedges.
“Yeah, we’re not living at the clubhouse,” I say, having no desire to make her squirm. At least not until she’s ready for round two.
“You’re okay with that?”
“As long as you understand that there will be times that I’m needed there or nights we might have to stay there. I’ll keep it as limited as I can, but that club is as much a part of me as being a cop is a part of you.”
“I can live with that.”
“Then I can live here.”
She grins. “When?”
“When what?”
“When can you move in?”
“Is tomorrow too soon?”
“Tomorrow can’t come fast enough.”