Final Epilogue Five Years Later
AINSLEY
The sound of chaos wakes me.
Not the terrifying kind, the beautiful kind.
The kind that comes from a house full of children who feel safe enough to be loud, wild, and completely themselves.
I stretch slowly in bed, my body warm and relaxed, and reach for the space beside me. Empty. Both sides. I smile, already knowing where they are.
Downstairs with the kids.
I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feet hitting the cool hardwood floor. The morning sun streams through the curtains, casting golden light across the room Jax and Knox built for us five years ago when we moved into this house.
Our house.
Not club housing. Not a safe room. Not a temporary shelter.
Home.
I pull on one of Knox's hoodies, still too big, still smelling like him, and pad barefoot down the hallway.
The walls are covered in family photos. Owen at two, grinning with frosting all over his face.
Our daughter Olive at six months, sleeping between her fathers.
The twins, Emmett and Elizabeth, at their first birthday party, covered in cake.
And the newest addition, our four-month-old Maisie, who looks exactly like me but has Jax's mischievous grin.
Five kids.
Five.
Sometimes I still can't believe it.
I pause at Owen's bedroom door and peek inside. His bed is empty, the dinosaur sheets tangled at the foot. Posters of motorcycles and superheroes cover the walls. A bookshelf overflows with chapter books he's already reading on his own.
Eight years old. Confident. Smart. Kind. Brave. Everything I hoped he'd be.
I move down the hallway, peeking into each room. Olive's room is an explosion of pink and purple, her bed already made because she's a perfectionist like Knox. The twins' room is chaos, toys everywhere, bunk beds unmade, stuffed animals scattered across the floor. Maisie's room is our nursery.
All empty.
They're all downstairs.
I follow the sound of laughter and the smell of pancakes, my heart swelling with every step.
When I reach the kitchen, I stop in the doorway and just watch.
Knox is at the stove, flipping pancakes with the kind of precision only he could manage. He's shirtless, wearing low-slung sweatpants, his tattoos on full display. Maisie is perched on the counter beside him, "helping" by stealing chocolate chips from the bowl.
Jax is at the table with Owen, Olive, and the twins, all of them laughing at something he just said. He's got Emmett on his lap, and Elizabeth is trying to braid his hair with her tiny fingers.
"Dada, you're silly," Elizabeth says, giggling.
"Yeah, well, you're sillier," Jax shoots back, tickling her until she squeals.
Owen looks up and sees me standing there. His face lights up. "Mom! You're awake!"
"Good morning, sweet boy," I say, walking into the kitchen.
He jumps up and runs over, wrapping his arms around my waist. He's gotten so tall. In another year or two, he'll be taller than me.
"We're making pancakes," he announces proudly. "I helped mix the batter."
"Did you?" I ask, ruffling his dark curls.
"Yep. Dad said I did a good job."
Knox glances over his shoulder and smirks. "He did. Kid's got skills."
Jax stands and walks over, Elizabeth still clinging to his back like a baby monkey. He leans down and kisses me, soft and slow and full of promise.
"Morning, baby," he murmurs against my lips.
"Morning," I say, smiling.
Maisie reaches for me from the counter, and Knox hands her over. She immediately buries her face in my neck, her little arms wrapping around me.
"Mama," she says sleepily.
"Hi, sweet girl," I whisper, kissing her head.
Knox steps closer and cups my face, his thumb brushing over my cheek. "You sleep okay?"
"Better than okay," I say honestly.
He leans down and kisses me too, deeper than Jax's, more possessive.
When he pulls back, his hazel eyes are warm. "Good."
Breakfast is chaos in the best way.
The kids are loud and messy and full of energy.
Syrup gets everywhere. Emmett spills his juice.
Olive insists on cutting her own pancakes even though she's not quite coordinated enough yet.
Owen tells a story about something that happened at school, his words tumbling over each other in his excitement.
And through it all, Jax and Knox are right there.
Patient. Present. Loving.
I watch them with our children, and my chest tightens.
Five years ago, I never could have imagined this.
Hell, seven years ago, I was running for my life in a beater car, convinced I'd never be safe again.
Now?
Now I'm sitting at a table in a house we own, surrounded by children we made together, watching the two men I love more than anything be the fathers I always hoped they'd be.
"Mom, can we go to the park later?" Owen asks.
"Maybe," I say. "We'll see."
"Please?" Olive chimes in.
"We'll talk about it after breakfast," Knox says, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The kids grumble but don't push.
After breakfast, Jax and Knox handle the cleanup while I get the kids dressed and ready for the day.
It's a well-oiled machine at this point.
We've learned how to move around each other, how to anticipate each other's needs, how to parent as a team.
It wasn't always easy.
There were hard days. Sleepless nights. Moments when I doubted myself, when the old fears crept back in.
But they were always there.
Steady. Strong. Unwavering.
By mid-morning, we're loading the kids into the SUV.
Today is a big day.
Steele and Erica are renewing their vows at Perdition, and the entire Iron Reapers family will be there.
It's been five years since Justin was dealt with. Five years since I stood in that warehouse and told him he had no power over me anymore.
Five years since I became an official Old Lady.
And in those five years, everything has changed.
Jax and Knox's landscaping business has exploded. They've got a full crew now, multiple contracts with the city and local businesses, and a reputation for quality work that's brought in clients from all over the state.
My boutique has expanded too. I've got three locations now, one in Jackson, one in Ann Arbor, and one in Detroit. Plus a thriving online business that ships nationwide.
I'm not just surviving anymore.
I'm thriving.
And so are my babies.
When we pull up to Perdition, the parking lot is already packed with bikes and cars.
The clubhouse has been decorated with string lights and flowers. There's a long table set up outside with food, and music is already playing.
The kids tumble out of the SUV, and Owen immediately runs over to where Weston and Wyatt's kids are playing.
Olive follows, always the responsible one, keeping an eye on her younger siblings.
Jax scoops up Maisie, and Knox grabs the twins.
We walk inside together, and the moment we do, we're surrounded by family.
Bella is the first to reach us, her arms open wide. "There are my grandbabies!"
The kids squeal and run to her, and she scoops them up one by one, kissing their faces and making them giggle.
Switch is right behind her, grinning. "Took you long enough."
"Traffic," Knox says dryly.
Switch laughs and claps him on the shoulder. "Sure it was."
Brooke and Bri appear next, both of them cooing over the kids. Revolver and Blade are close behind, already teasing Jax about something.
It's loud and chaotic and overwhelming in the best way.
This is family.
Not just by blood, but by choice.
I find the Old Ladies in the back room, all of them gathered around Erica.
She looks stunning in a simple white dress, her hair pulled back in loose waves.
"Ainsley!" Tessa shouts, pulling me into a hug. "Finally! We've been waiting for you."
"Sorry," I say, laughing. "Four kids take a while to wrangle."
"I bet," Hadley says, smiling. She's got her hands full too, she and the twins just had their third baby a few months ago.
Lucy is holding her son, who's almost two now. Scarlett is adjusting Erica's dress. Tessa is pouring mimosas.
"Sit," Erica says, patting the seat beside her. "I need you here."
I sit, and she takes my hand.
"Thank you," she says softly. "For everything."
"For what?" I ask, confused.
"For being here. For being part of this family. For showing me that it's possible to heal and build something beautiful."
My throat tightens. "Erica."
"I mean it," she says. "When I first met you, you were so scared. So broken. And now look at you. You're a badass businesswoman, a mother of four, and one of the strongest women I know."
"I learned from the best," I say, looking around at all of them.
Tessa raises her glass. "To the Old Lady Mafia. The baddest bitches in Jackson."
We all laugh and clink our glasses together.
The ceremony is beautiful.
Steele and Erica stand in front of the entire club, renewing the vows they made five years ago.
Mason officiates, his voice strong and steady.
When Steele kisses Erica, the entire club erupts in cheers.
I'm standing between Jax and Knox, their hands resting on my hips, and I feel it.
This is where I belong.
When we get home, the kids are exhausted.
We put them to bed one by one, tucking them in and kissing their foreheads.
Owen is the last one. He's already half-asleep when I sit on the edge of his bed.
"Mom?" he says sleepily.
"Yeah, baby?"
"Today was fun."
"It was," I agree.
"I'm glad we're a family," he says.
My throat tightens. "Me too, sweet boy. Me too."
Later, after the kids are asleep, Jax and Knox find me in our bedroom.
I'm standing by the window, looking out at the yard.
"You okay?" Knox asks.
"Yeah," I say. "I'm just… grateful."
Jax steps closer, his hands sliding around my waist from behind. "For what?"
"For this. For you. For our family. For everything."
Knox cups my face, his thumb brushing over my cheek. "You gave us this, baby. You gave us everything."
"We gave it to each other," I say.
Jax presses a kiss to my neck. "You're ours. Forever."
"Forever," I echo.
And as they hold me, as they love me, I know.
This is my life.
This is my family.
This is my home.
And I'm never letting it go.