Epilogue
CHAR
One Year Later
“Well, hey there, Miss Char.”
I smiled as Deputy Carlyle came up to the bar. “Well, hey there, Deputy.”
He leaned against the bar. “Mind if I get another round for me and Lindley over there?”
I peeked over at the cute little redhead who waved back at me.
“She’s cute, Carlyle,” I said as I wiggled my eyebrows.
He looked over his shoulder at her and waved. “I’ve still got no clue why she agreed to this date.”
“Because you’re a handsome gentleman, that’s why,” I said as I pulled two glasses down from the rack above my head.
“You think she’s into me?”
I stole another glance over at the booth and saw her beaming at him. “Oh, I think she’s in deep with you, Carlyle.”
His eyes lit up. “You think so?”
I dumped all of the contents for their margaritas into a shaker. “I know so.”
He drew in a deep breath. “So you don’t think dancing and dinner and drinks is overkill for a first date?”
As I shook up the margaritas, I watched people on the dance floor as M.J.
taught them how to do the two-step. Apparently it was something she learned while on her vacation last year, and the guys hired her to give lessons three times a week on our dance nights.
The entire bar had been renovated over the last year, and the shining new establishment was fully opened for business.
It was a long year, trying to bring the building up to code every time we ran into some hinky electrical wiring or plumbing.
But we finally managed a wonderful grand reopening a couple of months back that left this place stocked every single night with people.
“I think it’s perfect,” I said as I poured the margaritas into glasses.
“Thank you so much,” he said as he scooped them up.
“Want a pro tip for your date?”
He leaned forward. “I’ll take any and all advice.”
I grinned. “Slide your feet against hers underneath the table. Just a small little touch. You’d be surprised how many women enjoy playing footsies.”
His eyes widened before he cleared his throat. “I can do that, yeah.”
“Good,” I said as I slapped my rag over my shoulder. “Now go get her. She’s been staring you down practically this entire time.”
His chest puffed out with pride at that. “Footsies. Small movements. Got it.”
And as I watched him take those drinks back over to his little lady friend in the booth, the way she smiled at him reminded me of the first time I saw the guys.
The way I smiled at them just to make sure they never forgot me.
“Way to go, Carlyle,” I murmured as a smirk spread across my cheeks.
I felt a presence staring me down from the backroom.
“Hello, Deacon,” I said as I turned to face the darkness.
His grin was the first thing I saw as he lumbered out of the darkness. His grin stirred something within me as he wiggled back behind the bar and plucked my rag from my shoulder.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
I watched him place it over his shoulder before he gripped my waist and scooted me off to the side.
“Deac? You need something?” I asked.
He didn’t say a word, though. All he did was move me out of my place behind the bar before he put on his best smile.
“What’ll it be?” he asked as another customer came up to the bar.
I felt something slip against the palm of my hand.
“What the?—”
I found Dallas’s fingers wrapped around me. “Let me show you something.”
I furrowed my brow. “What’s going on?”
“Just go with the man!” Gauge hollered from the kitchen.
Deac chuckled behind me as he clinked glasses around. I had to admit, I was curious. So I motioned with my head for Dallas to lead the way. He pulled me through the backroom and I braced myself. Was he really about to take me back there with all those customers out on the dance floor?
“Such a naughty girl,” Dallas said as he shoved his hip into the door that led out into the alleyway.
I giggled. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
He led me all the way up those wrought iron steps and up to my apartment door.
I still hadn’t officially moved into the clubhouse yet—not for lack of wanting to.
With Bait’s memorial to plan, the bar renovations to sort, and the guys still deep in their grief cycle, we’d quietly settled into using my place as a way to get away from it all.
A way to get out from beneath the heaviness of their guilt and their grief so that they could breathe.
Some days we had to close the bar down completely just because none of them could stomach coming into work.
So when Dallas slid his master key into the lock and threw the door open, I figured he was having a hard time. Maybe he just needed me, some silence, and a bit of darkness.
Gauge rushed up the steps behind us. “Got the whiskey. He’s almost ready.”
I whipped around and watched him breach the threshold of my darkened apartment. “Gauge, what’s going on?”
All he did was wink at me, though.
“Seriously, guys,” I said as I pulled my hand away from Dallas’s grip, “it’s dark in here and you’re letting out the air.”
“I’m here, I’m here,” Deac said as he climbed the steps. “Gauge, did you get the good stuff?”
He held up the top-shelf whiskey with pride. “Hell yeah, I did.”
“The good stuff?” I asked. “For what?”
When Deac flipped the light on, I expected to see something. Anything. A banner signifying what the hell was going on, or a present, or a new piece of furniture. Something that they gave to me. I mean, what the hell was with all the pomp and circumstance?
“Seriously guys, what’s with the creeping around?” I asked as I brushed past them and closed my apartment door.
I turned around and faced all of them, and I saw Dallas’s eyes wandering around my place.
“I still think this place could be a nice V.I.P. room.”
Deac nodded. “Or we could rent it out. That’s a nice passive income.”
Gauge shrugged. “I still think we should make it a private party area to rent out.”
I held up my hands in utter surrender. “Okay, okay, okay. Are you guys trying to get a rise out of me? Because I won’t lie, it’s working. What the hell are you three talking about?”
Dallas smiled. “God, you’re so cute when you’re agitated.”
I shot him a look. “Don’t try me.”
Gauge grinned. “She really is.”
That’s when Deac walked up to me. “You want to know what this is about?”
I tilted my head back to keep him in view. “Yes. I really do.”
“Very well then.”
He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out his fist. I furrowed my brow as he held it out for me, and when I opened my palm, he dropped something cool into it. Something hard. It almost felt like… metal.
I gasped when I found a key on a keyring sitting in my hand.
“What is this?” I asked breathlessly.
“Gauge?” Deac asked.
He came over and crooked his finger beneath my chin, lifting my gaze to his. Then he shoved his hand into his pocket, pulled out his fist, and dropped yet another key into my palm.
“What?” I whispered.
“This past year has been amazing, Char,” Dallas said as he pulled my attention back to him.
“It’s been a journey, that’s for sure,” I said.
“An amazing one,” Deac said as he stared down at me.
“Especially with you at our side,” Gauge said.
Dallas walked up to me and cupped my cheeks. “You’ve helped our crew get back on track. You’ve helped us cope. You’ve helped us adjust. You helped us reopen the bar, and you’ve filled a hole in Rat’s life that Bait absolutely left behind.”
“But,” Gauge said as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, “things still don’t feel complete.”
I swallowed hard as I stared down at those keys in my hand. “How so?”
That’s when Deac’s lips pressed against my ear. “Because you’re not living with us yet.”
Tears crested my eyes as I closed my fingers around the keys. “These are to the clubhouse, aren’t they?”
Dallas wiped away a tear trickling down my cheek. “One for the front door, and one for your bedroom.”
“If that’s what you want,” Gauge added.
I didn’t even hesitate. “Of course, that’s what I want.”
Dallas’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
I shoved those keys into the pocket of my jeans. “Of course really. I just… it never felt like the right time to say anything about it, you know?”
“We know,” Deac murmured as he kissed the shell of my ear.
“So you’ll move in with us?” Gauge asked.
I beamed with pride. “Yes. Yes, of course, I’ll move in with you guys.”
“Ha-HAH!” Dallas yelped as he hugged me and spun me around. “See!? I told you she’d say yes!”
“Was there ever a doubt?” I asked through my giggles.
“There’s always a little bit of doubt,” Deac said with a grin on his face.
Gauge popped open the whiskey. “Who wants the first gulp?”
Dallas put me back down and I quickly reached for the bottle. I tipped it up to my lips, taking three massive swigs before handing it back to Gauge.
“Oh yeah,” I growled softly as I wiped at my lips, “that’s the stuff.”
“That was hot,” Gauge said as he stood there, grasping the neck of the bottle in his hand.
“Very,” Deac growled as he charged me, capturing my lips with his. “Mmmmm, tastes good coming from the source, too.”
“Let me try,” Dallas said.
I watched him pluck the whiskey from Gauge’s hand before he held the bottle back up to my lips.
I looked up at him from beneath my eyelashes, then I slid my tongue out and allowed him to pour it into my mouth.
I took a big gulp before he stopped pouring, and before I could even swallow good, his mouth was on mine.
His tongue, lapping the alcohol out of my mouth as I collapsed into him.
“You’re right,” Dallas murmured as he came up for air. “So much better coming from the source.”
“The source is the bottle,” I whispered mindlessly.
“Not when you’re with us,” Gauge growled.
He gripped my hair and yanked my head back.
I opened my mouth as he poured even more whiskey down my throat, and I knew I wasn’t going back to work.
He covered his mouth with mine, his tongue demanding entrance as he drank the same whiskey as me, and I swear the bones in my legs evaporated.
I collapsed, swallowing the rest of the whiskey as the alcohol quickly rushed to my head.
“Fuck,” I whispered as I collapsed.
Deac caught me with a grunt. “Looks like a bed is necessary.”
“Mmmm, just what I always wanted,” I said through my giggles.
“I think someone’s a bit tipsy,” Gauge said as he led the way into my bedroom.
“Guess she’ll just have to lay there while we use her,” Dallas foreshadowed.
And as my body shivered, Deac laid me down gingerly upon my mattress.
He stroked my hair away from my face.
“You’re stuck with us now, I hope you know that,” he said.
I felt someone taking off my shoes and socks. “Promise?”
“Promise,” he whispered.
And as I lifted my hips for whoever was taking off my pants, I couldn’t help but smile up in his face as Dallas and Gauge took both of my hands within theirs.
“Just how I like it then. Good.”
Trapped with my boys? For the rest of my days?
Bring it the fuck on.