Chapter 30
Asher
The morning started quiet. I woke before my alarm.
My body was already tight with the rhythm of training.
Fight week did that. My brain never really shut off anymore.
Even when I slept, I felt like I was preparing, running combinations in my head, replaying tape, imagining every possible scenario.
I rolled out of bed and stretched; my muscles stiff but ready.
The orchard outside my window was still half asleep, mist clinging low between the rows.
Until my phone buzzed. Then buzzed again.
I frowned and grabbed it off the nightstand.
Eric: TURN ON THE NEWS
My stomach dipped. I threw on a shirt and clicked on the TV. The screen filled with flashing lights, police vehicles, and reporters talking fast over footage of men being led out of a warehouse in handcuffs. And then the name hit. Marcel Bellerose. I froze. The reporter’s voice filled the room.
“…after a coordinated operation involving provincial authorities and federal investigators… multiple arrests… organized crime, money laundering, trafficking…”
I stood there staring as my heart pounded.
They got him. For a second, I didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe. All those years Dad spent chasing ghosts.
Becket digging through leads. Harmony risking everything to turn against her own blood.
Now Marcel Bellerose was being shoved into the back of a police cruiser once again on live television.
My phone rang, and Becket’s name lit the screen. I answered immediately.
“You’re watching?” he asked breathlessly.
“Yeah.”
His voice shook with excitement. “Ash… they actually did it. They finally did it.”
I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to process it.
“Dad know?” I asked.
“Probably. I’m at the station, but I’m heading to the main house now,” he said. “Tell everyone. We’re all getting together.”
“What’s going to be different this time?” I asked Becket. The man had been arrested, stood trial, and got off. Then he was almost shot to death. It seemed like he had nine lives.
“I don’t know, but my gut tells me this time is different,” my brother said. Given how closely he followed the case, I found that reassuring. “Get your ass over to the main house.”
“Yeah,” I scrubbed my hands over my face.
The line went dead. I stared at the screen a second longer.
Marcel’s face flashed again on the screen.
He looked older than I remembered. Smaller somehow.
For the first time, he didn’t have that cocky grin he always seemed to have, even when he was in court the last time.
This time, the man looked beat. I quickly got dressed and showered.
Claire had wanted to spend the next few nights in her cabin because my body needed repair time when I was sleeping, and she wanted me as focused as possible.
Marc had taken over my job at the orchard until after the fight, so my only focus was on winning and now the downfall of the Bellerose empire.
The main house buzzed with energy when I walked in.
Voices overlapped. Laughter mixed with disbelief.
The smell of coffee and food drifted from the kitchen.
Harmony was talking fast, hands moving as she replayed details from the news.
Elyna stood nearby holding little Oli while Phoenix hovered protectively beside her.
Eric clapped me on the shoulder as soon as I walked in. “Can you believe it?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, still trying to wrap my head around it.
Sandy moved around the kitchen like she was hosting a holiday, setting out plates and snacks no one was really eating because everyone was too wired.
Dad stood near the window, quieter than the rest of us.
I caught his eye and nodded. He nodded back slowly, emotion flickering across his face.
Becket arrived last, phone already in his hand, jaw tight like he was trying not to hope too hard.
“They’re saying it’s big,” Harmony said as soon as he stepped in. “Multiple charges.”
He gave a short nod. “I know.”
His tone made everyone go quiet for a second.
“You okay?” Phoenix asked.
Becket shrugged. “Just waiting to see if it sticks.”
That sobered the room a little. We all knew how this worked. Charges didn’t always mean convictions. Bellerose had slipped through cracks before.
Harmony crossed her arms. “This time feels different.”
Elyna nodded slowly. “It has to be.” She looked down at her baby, her expression softening. “People deserve to be safe from him.”
The room settled into a strange rhythm after that.
Relief mixed with caution. Hope tangled with old wounds.
I leaned against the counter, watching my family.
For the first time in a while, it felt like we were all breathing the same air again.
Even Dad looked lighter somehow. Sandy touched his arm gently.
He covered her hand with his own. I felt my chest loosen.
The room stayed tense for a few minutes after the news replay finished.
No one quite knew what to say. We had spent so many years chasing Marcel Bellerose that seeing his face on the screen in handcuffs didn’t feel real yet.
I checked the time on my phone and pushed back from the table. “I’ve got to get to training,” I said.
Phoenix nodded. “Fight’s coming up fast.”
“Day after tomorrow,” I replied. Everything in my life seemed to be moving at once. Claire not knowing if she’s pregnant. I was feeling things I’d never felt before. I was scared to tell her I was crazy in love with her.
Becket slipped his phone into his pocket. “I’m heading to the station,” he said. “They’ll want reports on this.”
Eric clapped him on the shoulder. “Call if you hear anything new.”
Harmony grabbed her bag from the chair. “I need to get to the bakery before the lunch rush.” Eric kissed her temple as they headed for the door together.
Elyna carefully lifted Oli from the carrier while Phoenix gathered the diaper bag.
“Time for us to head home too,” he said.
The baby stirred, letting out a small sleepy sound as Elyna settled him against her shoulder.
Dad watched everyone move around the kitchen, the tension in his face slowly easing. “Maybe this time it sticks,” he murmured.
No one answered that. We had all thought that before. I grabbed my keys from the counter.
“See you tonight,” I said.
Phoenix gave a small nod. “Train smart.”
“Always do,” I assured.
The drive to the gym cleared my head. It was down to crunch time now. Every moment had to go into sharpening my skills instead of worrying. Still, the news sat in the back of my mind. I forced the thought aside and focused on what mattered right now. The fight.
By the time I finished training, my muscles burned and sweat soaked through my shirt. I stayed longer than usual, working combinations on the heavy bag until my arms shook. Then I went for a quick swim.
As I was swimming laps, Claire entered my mind. The night we bumped into each other here. She had slowly crept her way into my heart, and now she may be carrying my baby. A part of me wanted to have an answer before the fight, but it wasn’t up to me.
After swimming, I got out and showered, then headed back to Maple Valley. Claire should be finishing her shift by now. I called, and she answered on the second ring.
“Hey,” she said, a little breathless.
“Are you done for today?” I asked.
“Just finished.”
“Did you see the news?” I asked, knowing the arrest of Marcel meant something important to her too.
She let out a small sigh. “I’ve been getting alerts all afternoon.”
My chest tightened slightly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Marcel Bellerose and half his crew,” she said. “Including Nico Mercier.”
Hearing the name out loud made my jaw tighten.
“They’re saying investigators have stronger evidence this time,” she added. “Financial records. Trafficking charges. Organized crime connections.”
“You okay?” I asked her.
She hesitated. “I think so,” she said softly. “It just feels strange. Like something that’s been hanging over my life for years might actually be ending.”
I looked out toward the rows of apple trees as I pulled into the property.
“Maybe it is,” I said.
For the first time since the news broke that morning, the thought felt possible.
“I haven’t gotten my period yet, Asher,” she said carefully.
I sighed. “So, we wait.”
“I don’t want you worrying before the fight. I need you to have a clear head,” she said. “Maybe I should take a pregnancy test.”
“If that’s what you want, then okay. I just pulled into Maple Valley. I can pick you up and drive you to the pharmacy,” I offered.
“Thanks, Asher,” her voice had turned soft.
“We’re in this together. You don’t need to thank me,” I assured.
A moment later, I saw her standing on the sidewalk, and she walked up to my truck. I parked and unlocked the doors. She got in.
“Hi, beautiful.” I leaned in and kissed her. She tasted sweet.
“Sorry, I just ate an apple,” she said.
“I hope you didn’t skip lunch,” I said.
“No, I went to the bakery and got a scone,” she said. She looked at me and sighed. “This is such bad timing.”
“No such thing. Everything is just as it’s meant to be,” I smirked and took her hand in mine, and drove to the pharmacy.
When we arrived out front, I felt Claire tense beside me. “It’s going to be okay.”
“You’ve been very supportive and…”
“What?” I asked.
“I’m kinda shocked you aren’t freaking out about this. I am,” she was radiating nerves. One of us needed to be calm.
“I spent a lot of time running in my life. Now I don’t feel the need. I’m happy at the orchard, I’m happy with you.” I kissed the back of her hand. “We never actually discussed what your plans would be once summer ends.”
“I know,” she blinked. “I wasn’t planning on feeling this way about you.”
I smiled. “You’ve caught me off guard too, but I’m not sorry.”
“Neither am I, Asher,” she said, which felt semi reassuring.
“I’m going to drop out of my program. There’s no point in me staying in it.
This case with Sophie was personal, but I don’t see myself doing it the rest of my life.
I’ll need to apply to an environmental science program.
I mean, that’s if I’m not pregnant. If I am, that changes things… ”
“Where does it leave us?” I asked, feeling more vulnerable than I ever have.
Her eyes softened. “Asher, I want us to stay together. I…”
I didn’t know what she was going to say, but I had actual flutters in my stomach.
“Whatever it is, say it,” I encouraged.
“I want to stay to work on Maple Valley. I want us to be together,” she said.
“I want that too.” I leaned in and kissed her, and somehow that led to us making out in the car. Our tongues entwined, our hands were touching and holding. That familiar heat sparked once again then she was pulling back.
She laughed. “We can’t put this off any longer.” I knew we had to go in and buy the test. I knew I wanted to be as supportive as I could, but I was nervous too.
“You’re right,” I said. We got out of the car and walked into the pharmacy. Claire asked where the pregnancy tests were, and the lady that worked there gave us a knowing grin. When we arrived at the aisle, there were all kinds of brands and types.
“I’ve never done this before, Asher. I don’t know which one is good.” Her voice shook.
This was something I had never encountered before either. “I don’t know. Let’s ask the pharmacist.”
We walked to the back of the store and asked the pharmacist, who provided us with the information we needed.
Apparently, the brand didn’t matter, so Claire picked one, and we paid and left.
The drive back to Maple Valley was tense.
When we arrived, I asked her if she wanted to take the test in my cabin and she agreed.
Our nerves were high. If she was pregnant, it would completely upend our lives, but I liked the idea of seeing Claire pregnant with my child.
Watching her grow, knowing it was my baby inside her.
I felt like a caveman when it came to her.
I wanted to claim her in every way possible.
When we got to the cabin, she was shaking. I held her in my arms.
“We got this, beautiful. Whatever happens, we’re in it together.” The words were starting to feel like a mantra. I wasn’t the man who wandered anymore. I was a man willing to stick around with the woman who had claimed his heart.
I should’ve told her I loved her, but it felt like the wrong moment. I didn’t want her thinking I said it because of our situation. I wanted the moment to be about us.
“I know.” She blew out a breath.
She went into the bathroom. I heard her reading the instructions out loud through the door.
“It’s done,” she called through the door. “Now we wait.”
“Can I come in?” I asked gently not knowing what I was supposed to do since I had never been in this situation before.
She opened the door slowly with a nervous grin. I took her hand in mine. So many thoughts poured through my mind. I knew it must be the same for her. Part of me really wanted to be a father, which was the real shocker in all this. We stood and waited as the minutes ticked by.