Epilogue
ROCHELLE
It has been six months since Daisy’s birth, and I watch her sleep soundly in the pushchair. Drifter has thrown a party, a chance for all the brothers to relax, now club life had started to settle down.
I watch as the kids play on the bouncy castle, Clay throwing Noah repeatedly in the air and catching him just before he drops.
“You look happy again, Hell,” Red says.
I glance down at Daisy, and my heart swells with love. “I am. It’s not been easy, has it?” I laugh.
“Understatement of the century,” she says. “But you’re genuinely happy, yes?” I hear the concern in her voice.
“Counselling was one of the best things we could have done.” I stare across the courtyard at Drifter. “We had a lot to unpack, including some things I actually needed to work on by myself, too. It’s made us better parents, better people.”
“Can you truly trust him again?” Bella asks.
I think for a beat. “I mean, do I have doubts? Of course. But if I chose to try again, I can’t continue to throw it in his face, else I should have just walked away and never looked back.
But I couldn’t, because he was the first boy I loved, the one I had spent my life with.
If I gave up, I would always regret not trying.
He’s given me no reason to doubt him again.
But I’d be lying if I wasn’t scared that one day he’ll break my heart.
I’m sure that’s normal. And with time, it will get easier. ”
Bella and Red smile warmly.
“Well, you know where I am if you ever need an alibi,” Red jokes.
I stare across the courtyard, watching Drifter tentatively.
It really had been a rollercoaster; counselling had opened a lot of raw emotion.
Learning that he had confided in Siren when he was struggling was a hard pill for me to swallow; he’d admitted that he only slept with her once.
He knew how much he had fucked up, he didn’t use drink as an excuse but it was a major factor in his actions that night, he’d explained that he was blind drunk and although he went down there to tell her to back off he was in such a haze with his own emotions he didnt truly understand what he was doing till I walked in.
One of the biggest changes has been leaving the bottle alone, and that, for me, is a huge relief.
I needed to understand why we’d got to that point in the first place.
We needed to work on our relationship to make sure that, in the future, we were both open with each other and that we listened.
During counselling, Drifter had told me that Siren had attempted to kiss him and when he tried to tell me, I’d shut him down.
It made me realise that I’d closed him off, meaning that he couldn’t confide in me.
Listening to everything was painful, but a necessary evil in order for us to move forward.
Drifter approaches us, holding out his hand. I take it, and he pulls me to my feet.
“I’ve got a surprise for you.”
He leads me into the building and takes me to the doors that led to almost ruining my life.
He reads my expression and immediately takes both my hands.
“Having that memory in your head must be hard, so I wanted to change that. Over the last few months, I’ve been working hard to erase those memories and what I left behind.
” He pushes open the door and holds it for me as I enter.
I gasp, scanning the room. It’s completely different, redecorated in bright colours. In the corner is a soft play area. In the opposite corner is a reading nook with oversized beanbags and books scattered on the shelves.
I walk further into the room and see game consoles set up for the older kids, and where the pool table once was is a large table set up for the children to do their homework.
I turn to look at him. “But how?”
“You’ve been busy with Daisy. I thought we needed a place for all the kids now.
The club is growing, and they need a place to hang out.
Hopefully, we can grow our family one day.
This club should always be about family, be that blood or not, and we are protectors of our family.
It was never supposed to be about club girls and broken loyalty. I want to change it.”
I look around in awe. This is so much more than I could have wished for, and he really is taking the club in a different direction than his father.
Tears collect in my eyes.
“You hate it?” he asks, sounding defeated.
“Oh my god, no. Drifter, I love it.” He smiles, wiping away my tears. “This is amazing. Thank you,” I whisper.
He grabs my hand, leading me back out into the corridor. “I’m not finished.”
He opens another door and pushes me inside. It’s a small office, with books lining the shelves. It’s homely.
“I know we only spoke about it briefly before Daisy was born, but I was serious. I want you to do something for you. The way you helped Marissa showed me that you really have a calling. There’s still work to do here, but the old rooms the club girls used will be redone.
And when you’re ready, you can start working towards helping more vulnerable women, however you want to.
This will be your domain, and the brothers and I will support you. ”
A small sob escapes me. “I’m speechless.”
He really has gone the extra mile, taking all our advice and acting on it. “I . . . I . . .”
“Only when you’re ready. There’s no rush. You’ve given your entire life to me and this club, and I wanted you to have something for you. I want to give you everything and more.”
“Drifter,” I say, my voice shaking with emotion, “I love you.”
He pulls me into his chest, holding me close as he runs his hand over my hair. “Hell, I said I would never stop fighting for you. I want to help you blossom, not hold you back. And I was holding you back. I will love you ‘til my final breath.”
I sniffle into his kutte. “Maybe it’s time you get your bike repaired,” I say, looking up at him and seeing the sparkle in his eyes. “I did ask Gears, but he told me he will only do it when you’re ready. I had an idea.”
“And what’s that?” he asks, invested in what I have to say.
“Why don’t we have a single daisy added to the paintwork?”
His grin widens as he leans down and kisses me, taking my breath away. “I love that.”
My heart is heavy, filled with what-ifs, full of pain from the road we’ve taken.
But it is also filled with love, support, and a way to finally move forward, not just with words but with actions.
He is no longer the boy I met, no longer the one who broke my heart.
He is more. He has made mistakes, broken promises, but he is no longer that boy.
Our daughter has made him a man, shown him what it is to truly love unconditionally, and she came at just the right moment.
Destiny has a strange way of putting us on our paths. It has been a hard one, but from the ashes of what our relationship was, I see a future of not just surviving but thriving together.
THE END