Chapter 24 Hades #2
She comes with a cry, shaking apart beneath me, nails clawing my back as she gasps my name. That sound wrecks me. I chase her over the edge, thrusting deep and spilling into her with a groan, every muscle locked.
I tuck my face into her neck and just hold her. This is everything.
"Are we really doing this? Getting married?"
"Unless you changed your mind in the last ten minutes."
She smacks my chest lightly. "Don't even joke about that."
"Never. You're stuck with me now, Angel."
"Good. Because I'm not going anywhere."
We stay here in comfortable silence, my hand tracing patterns on her bare hip. Outside, I can hear the faint sounds of the movie playing downstairs. Our kids, safe and happy.
"We should probably get dressed," Evangeline says eventually. "Before one of them comes looking for us."
"Five more minutes."
She laughs, the sound warm and content. "Okay. Five more minutes."
But before we can move, there's a knock on the door. Then Sophie's voice, excited and way too loud.
"Aunt Evangeline! Uncle Hades! The movie's over and we heard you talking about getting married!"
Oh fuck.
Evangeline's eyes go wide. I sit up, pulling the sheet over us both. "Sophie, baby, we'll be down in a minute."
"Are you really getting married?" That's Mason now, and even more cautious.
"Yeah," I call back. "We are."
The hallway erupts. Squeals from the girls, whoops from the boys. I can hear them jumping around, celebrating.
Evangeline covers her face with her hands, laughing and mortified in equal measure. "They heard everything."
"Not everything. Just the important part."
"This is so embarrassing."
"This is perfect."
I kiss her forehead and quickly pulling on jeans. She does the same, throwing on clothes while still trying to hide her flaming cheeks.
When we open the door, all five kids are waiting. Lily launches herself at us immediately, wrapping her arms around my legs.
"You're getting married! You're getting married!"
"We are," Evangeline confirms, her smile genuine despite the embarrassment.
"Does this mean you're our aunt and uncle forever?" Sophie asks quietly.
"Forever," I tell her. "Nothing's going to change that."
"Well, technically they'll be our mom and dad after they're married," Emma says, ever the practical one. "Right?"
The question hangs in the air. I look at Evangeline, seeing my own emotions reflected in her eyes.
"If that's what you want," she says softly. "If you want to call us that."
"Can we?" Jake asks. "Really?"
"Really," I confirm. "We're a family. All of us."
Mason, the oldest, steps forward. He's been the most reserved through all of this, carrying the weight of trying to be strong for his siblings. Now his eyes are suspiciously bright.
"Thanks," he says, his voice cracking slightly. "For not giving up on us. For wanting us."
"Always wanted you," I tell him. "From day one."
He nods, then surprises me by stepping in for a hug. I wrap my arms around him, feeling the kid shake slightly. The others pile in, creating a mass of arms and bodies and love.
Evangeline's in the middle of it, crying happy tears. I reach over heads to touch her face, needing the contact.
This. This is everything.
After a while, the kids pull back, chattering excitedly about the wedding. When will it be? Where? Can they be in it? Can Lily wear a princess dress?
"We haven't figured any of that out yet," Evangeline laughs. "We literally just decided like ten minutes ago."
"Twenty," I correct. "We were busy for a few minutes after."
She elbows me, blushing again. The kids giggle, even if the younger ones don't fully understand the implication.
"How about we all go get ice cream to celebrate?" I suggest. "My treat."
The response is immediate and enthusiastic. Within minutes, we're piling into the SUV I bought specifically for this crew. Kids buckled in, music playing, everyone talking over each other.
I glance at Evangeline in the passenger seat. She's smiling, relaxed in a way she wasn't even a few weeks ago. Healing. Moving forward.
Building a future instead of running from the past.
At the ice cream shop, we're that family. The loud one with too many kids who can't agree on flavors. The one that takes forever to order and makes a mess at the table.
And I love every second of it.
Lily insists on sitting in my lap while she eats her strawberry cone. Emma and Sophie are debating the merits of different toppings. The boys are trying to see who can eat their sundaes fastest.
Evangeline watches them with soft eyes, her hand finding mine under the table.
"Happy?" I ask quietly.
"So happy I'm scared it's not real."
"It's real, Angel. This is our life now."
"I know. It's just hard to believe sometimes. That we made it here after everything."
I bring her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "We made it because we fought for it. And we'll keep fighting for it, whatever comes."
"Nothing's coming," she says firmly. "The threat's gone. We're safe."
"We're safe," I agree.
And for the first time in my life, I actually believe it.
Not because I'm naive enough to think nothing bad will ever happen again. But because I know that whatever does come, we'll face it together.
This family we've built from ashes and pain and love? It's unbreakable.
* * *
Later that night, after the kids are finally asleep and the house is quiet, I find Evangeline on the back porch. She's wrapped in one of my hoodies, staring up at the stars.
I settle beside her, pulling her into my side. She comes willingly, head resting on my shoulder.
"Thinking about anything specific?" I ask.
"Everything. Nothing. Just how different life is now compared to six months ago."
"Good different?"
"The best different." She tilts her head to look at me. "I was so scared when Marcus and Calla died. Scared of what would happen to the kids, scared of what being around you again would mean. And now I can't imagine any other life."
"Me either."
"You've changed," she observes. "From who you were when first met."
"You changed me. This family changed me."
"No. You changed yourself. I just gave you a reason to."
Maybe she's right. Maybe I had the capacity for this all along, buried under years of violence and vengeance. Maybe I just needed something worth being better for.
"I'm glad you said yes," I tell her.
"I'm glad you asked."
"Even without a ring?"
"Especially without a ring. Because it means you were just following your heart, not following some script of how it's supposed to go."
"I'll still get you one, something that makes every woman jealous when they see it."
She laughs. "You don't have to."
"I want to. I want everyone to know you're mine."
"I'm already yours. Have been for a while now."
"Yeah, you have."
We sit in comfortable silence, just being together. In the distance, I can hear the city sounds. Cars, sirens, life continuing on. But here, in our backyard, it's peaceful.
Safe.
Home.
"When should we do it?" Evangeline asks. "The wedding?"
"Whenever you want. Tomorrow if you're willing."
"The kids would kill us if we didn't let them be part of it."
"True. So a few weeks? A month? Let them help plan it?"
"That sounds perfect."
I kiss the top of her head, breathing her in. Lavender and vanilla and home.
"I love you," I tell her.
"I love you too. So much."
We stay out there until the cold drives us inside. Then we check on each kid, making sure they're sleeping soundly. Sophie's tangled in her pink sheets. Emma's hugging a stuffed animal. The boys are sprawled in every direction. Lily's curled up tight.
All safe. All ours.
In our room, we undress and climb into bed. Evangeline curls into me immediately, her cold feet pressed against my legs.
"Your feet are freezing," I complain without heat.
"Then warm them up."
I do, wrapping my legs around hers. She sighs contentedly.
"Hades?"
"Yeah, Angel?"
"Thank you. For everything. For saving me, for loving me, for giving me this family."
"Don't thank me for loving you. That's the easiest thing I've ever done."
"Still. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now sleep. Tomorrow we start planning a wedding."
"A small one," she murmurs, already drifting. "Just family."
"Whatever you want."
But I'm smiling in the dark because I know what family means now. The club, the kids, Evangeline and me. That's not small. That's everything.
I listen to her breathing even out, waiting until I'm sure she's asleep. Then I let myself relax, sinking into the mattress.
My mind drifts over the past six months. The phone call about Marcus and Calla. The funeral. Meeting Evangeline again after years of wanting her from a distance. Taking in five grieving children. Ethan's betrayal and death. The warehouse. Nearly losing everything.
But we made it. Against all odds, we built something beautiful from the wreckage.
Calla, if you're listening, I hope you're proud. I hope you know your kids are safe and loved. I hope you know I found my way out of the darkness you always said I could escape.
Thank you for trusting me with them. With her.
I'll spend the rest of my life proving I was worthy of that trust.
Sleep pulls at me, gentle and insistent. I let it take me, secure in the knowledge that I'll wake up to this. To her. To them. To home.
Hell's behind me now. This? This is heaven.
And I'm never letting go.