Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
hades
Six months later, and the backyard looks like something out of Evangeline's dream.
White chairs are arranged in neat rows. Flowers strung between posts. String lights are ready to glow when the sun sets. Simple, elegant, exactly what Evangeline wanted.
I stand at the makeshift altar, Tempest beside me as my best man. The rest of the brothers line the front row, cuts polished, expressions solemn. This isn't just a wedding. It's a promise. A vow that family is everything.
Mason, Jake, and Emma sit in the second row, dressed up and trying not to fidget. Lily holds Sophie's hand, both of them in matching lavender dresses that Evangeline spent weeks picking out.
My kids. All of them.
The officiant, a retired judge Ghost knows, gives me a subtle nod. Any minute now.
Music starts, something soft and acoustic that Evangeline chose. The guests turn, and my breath catches.
There she is.
Evangeline walks down the makeshift aisle toward me. She's choosing this. Choosing me. Choosing us.
Her dress is simple, cream-colored and flowing. Her hair is down, natural waves catching the late afternoon light. No veil, no elaborate makeup. Just her, beautiful and real and mine.
Our eyes lock, and everything else fades. The guests, the music, the setup. It's just her walking toward me, and me trying not to let my hands shake.
When she reaches me, I take her hands in mine. They're warm, steady. Grounding me.
"Hey," she whispers.
"Hey, yourself."
The officiant clears his throat, beginning the ceremony. I barely hear the words. Something about love and commitment and forever. All I can focus on is her.
The woman who changed everything.
"The couple has prepared their own vows," the officiant says. "Hades?"
I clear my throat, squeezing her hands. No paper, no script. Just the truth.
"Evangeline, six months ago, I got a call that destroyed my world.
I lost my sister, gained five kids, and had no idea how to handle any of it.
" I pause, making sure she hears every word.
"Then you showed up, and everything changed.
You took my chaos and made it a family. You took my rage and turned it into purpose.
You didn't just save those kids. You saved me. "
Her eyes are already wet.
"I've done things I'm not proud of, been to places darker than most people can imagine.
But with you? I want to be better. I want to deserve you and those kids and this life we're building.
" I brush my thumb across her knuckles. "So I promise you this.
I'll protect you. I'll love you. I'll be the man you deserve, every single day. And only death will take me from you."
Tears spill down her cheeks. I want to wipe them away, but the officiant is already gesturing to her.
"Evangeline?"
She takes a shaky breath, composing herself. "I planned a whole speech. Wrote it down and practiced reading it. But standing here, looking at you, none of it seems right."
A laugh escapes me.
"So here's the truth. When Marcus and Calla died, I thought my life was over.
I thought I'd spend the rest of my days just surviving, just getting through.
" She squeezes my hands tighter. "But you showed me that surviving isn't living.
That family isn't just blood. That love can grow from the darkest places if you're brave enough to let it.
"You made me brave, Hades. You took me at my worst and loved me anyway.
You gave me a home, a family, a future I never thought I'd have.
" She's crying openly now, not bothering to hide it.
"So I promise you this. I'll stand beside you.
I'll love you. I'll be your partner in everything, for as long as we both live. "
She pauses, then adds with a small smile, "Then we'll live forever."
The words hit me square in the chest. My own eyes burn, but I refuse to cry in front of the entire club.
Barely refuse.
"The rings?" the officiant prompts.
Tempest hands me Evangeline's ring. It's a platinum, simple band with a single diamond. Not the biggest I could afford, but the one she chose. Perfect for her, perfect for us.
I slide it onto her finger, my hand steady now. "With this ring, I thee wed."
Tempest passes Evangeline my ring, a matching platinum band. Her hands shake slightly as she slides it on.
"With this ring, I thee wed."
"By the power vested in me by the state of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The officiant grins. "You may kiss your bride."
I don't wait for him to finish. I pull Evangeline into my arms and kiss her like my life depends on it. She kisses back with equal intensity, hands fisting in my shirt.
The backyard erupts. Brothers whooping and hollering, kids cheering. Someone, probably Tempest, lets out a piercing whistle.
When we finally break apart, Evangeline's laughing and crying at the same time. "We did it."
"We did it," I confirm.
She's my wife now. Mine in every way that matters.
The officiant barely finishes introducing us as Mr. and Mrs. before Lily is charging down the aisle, lavender dress flying. She crashes into our legs, wrapping her arms around us both.
"You're married! You're married!"
The other kids follow, creating a tangle of limbs and laughter. I look down at all of them, at Evangeline in my arms, and something settles deep in my chest.
This. This is what heaven looks like.
* * *
The reception is chaos in the best way.
Tables scattered across the lawn, covered in food that the club wives prepared. A sound system pumping out music. Kids running wild while adults drink and laugh and celebrate.
Tempest stands, tapping his beer bottle with a knife until the crowd quiets. "Alright, alright. Best man speech time. Don't worry, I'll keep it short."
Laughter ripples through the crowd.
"I've known Hades for over a decade," Tempest starts. "Watched him go through hell more times than I can count. Watched him fight, bleed, and nearly die for this club." He pauses, his expression sobering. "But I've never seen him truly alive until now."
He looks at Evangeline. "You did that. You and those kids. You gave him something worth living for instead of just something worth dying for."
My throat tightens.
"So here's to Hades and Evangeline. May their love be as strong as their fights." He raises his beer. "And trust me, they fight."
Everyone laughs, including Evangeline.
"To found family," Tempest continues, his voice thick with emotion. "To the bonds we choose instead of the ones we're born with. To making heaven out of hell."
"To heaven from hell!" the crowd echoes, raising their drinks.
I stand, pulling Evangeline up with me. "Speech?"
"Just one thing." I look around at all the faces. Brothers I'd die for. Kids I'd kill for. A woman I'd burn the world down to protect. "Thank you. All of you. For being here, for supporting us, for being our family."
"Now let's eat and get drunk," I add, which earns cheers.
The party kicks into high gear. Music louder, laughter freer. Mason and Jake challenge some of the prospects to arm wrestling. Emma and Sophie are teaching Lily how to dance. Brothers cluster in groups, telling stories and passing bottles.
Evangeline and I move through it all, greeting guests, accepting congratulations. But my hand never leaves the small of her back. Keeping her close, keeping her safe.
"Dance with me?" she asks after a while.
"Always."
We find a clear spot on the grass. No formal dance floor, just us swaying to whatever song is playing. Her arms around my neck, mine around her waist.
"Happy?" I ask.
"Deliriously."
"Good. That's the plan. Keep you deliriously happy for the rest of your life."
She laughs, the sound warm and content. "Think you can manage that?"
"I'll die trying."
"Don't die. I need you alive."
"Then I'll live. For you, for them, for us."
We dance through several songs, just enjoying being close. Around us, the party continues. But in this moment, it's just us.
"I love you," she whispers.
"I love you too, Angel. More than I knew I could love anything."
"Even more than your bike?"
"Don't push it."
She laughs again, burying her face in my neck. I breathe her in, memorizing this moment. This feeling. This perfect peace.
Eventually, the sun starts to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The string lights flicker on, casting everything in a warm glow.
The kids have claimed a corner of the yard, playing some game that involves a lot of running and shouting. Mason's in charge, naturally. Emma's keeping Lily from getting trampled. The boys are being boys, rough and tumble and happy.
I watch them, my chest tight with something that might be pride or love or both.
"They're going to be okay," Evangeline says, following my gaze. "We're all going to be okay."
"Yeah. We are."
She leans into me, and we stand there watching our kids play as the sun sets on our wedding day. The party continues around us, but we're in our own little bubble.
This is what I fought for. What I bled for. What I'd do all over again without hesitation.
Not revenge. Not violence. Not the club.
This. Family. Love. Peace.
Heaven from hell.
* * *
Later, after the last guests have left and the kids are finally asleep, Evangeline and I collapse on our bed. We’re still in our wedding clothes, too exhausted to change.
"That was perfect," she sighs.
"It was."
"Thank you. For all of it. The wedding, the family, everything."
"Don't thank me. We built this together."
She rolls to face me, propping her head on her hand. "What are you thinking about?"
"How different everything is. Six months ago, I was just the club enforcer. No family, no future, just violence and brotherhood."
"And now?"
"Now I'm a husband. A father. A man with something worth protecting." I trace her jawline with my finger. "You changed my entire world, Angel."
"You changed mine too."