Chapter 60
Thick, silent sheets of the first heavy December snow fell soft, blanketing everything in deep pristine white.
Inside the Iron Angels Maternal Wing, the biting cold never stood a chance.
The great roaring stone fireplace at the heart of the lobby crackled warm, carrying the rich comforting scent of burning wood, casting deep amber light over polished oak floors and gleaming clinical white corridors.
I stood before the wide panoramic window of my private office, watching the snow fall but barely seeing it.
My fingers traced the cool cast metal edge of a stethoscope resting on my desk, while above the door, the silver nameplate read clear: Danika Carter, Head Midwife.
That old surname felt like a distant memory now – washed away by a new name, a new ring, and a whole new life.
“You alright in here, sweetheart?” The familiar heavy thud of combat boots sounded soft against the floor, and then warm solid heat pressed firm to my back. “Don’t tell Pres I snuck away from the garage… but I needed to steal my kiss.”
Rage wrapped his arms tight around my waist, burying his face in the curve of my neck, his rough beard scratching soft against my skin as he let out a long-contented rumble.
“Just admiring the view until an even better one walked in,” I whispered, a breathless happy laugh escaping me as I leaned my head back against his shoulder, resting my smaller hands over his forearms.
“The best view’s right here in this room,” he rumbled deep, vibrating right through me, turning me slow in his hold so I faced him.
He ran one rough thumb gentle along my jawline, his gaze swimming with that endless devotion that still made my heart flip every single time.
“One whole year, Danika. A year since you walked in here, passed your exams, built everything you dreamed of. Half a year since you married me… making me the luckiest bastard breathing.”
“The best choice I ever made,” I breathed out, my chest swelling so full it felt ready to burst.
I looked up into his eyes and my mind drifted back to our wedding day – wild, perfect chaos.
The old ladies had stepped in to organise everything just how they liked, turning the open field behind the clubhouse into something like a fairy tale garden.
The brothers built a wooden archway draped in wildflowers, and Rose had pulled every string she could to bring the priest all the way out to Iron Angels land – the third time he’d ever come here to marry one of us.
It was a sight no one would ever forget rough, tattooed bikers all scrubbed up in their cleanest leathers, standing awkwardly around delicate floral arrangements, but with enough love and pride to light the whole county.
And a few months later, we gathered again for the babies’ baptisms – the strangest, most beautiful service ever held, with grown tough men trying so hard not to cry while holding tiny bundles of life.
Beneath all the leather and ink, we were something rare and true: a family, forged in fire and bound by choice.
Glancing through the glass of my office, movement in the corridor that caught my eye, pulled a soft smile to my lips. Maeve walked with that quiet natural grace I admired so much, clipboard held firm against her chest. And right behind her, like her own personal shadow, was Tiny.
That six-foot-nine mountain of a man stood straighter than I’d ever seen him, chest puffed out like he was on parade, but with a goofy lovesick grin plastered all over his face.
He carried three crates of saline like they weighed nothing, following a step behind her, and for once didn’t look like he could crush a wall with one hand – he looked like he’d do anything just to hear her say his name.
Over by the fireplace, Rose and Ivy sat side by side on the sofa, watching the pair go by, sharing a look that said our little matchmaking plan was working perfectly. They raised their mugs of tea in a silent toast – mission accomplished.
“They look good together,” Rage murmured quiet against my hair, his gaze following his brother down the hall before turning back to me, softer than ever. “But they don’t look half as good as us.”
“Nobody does,” I laughed, looping my arms tight around his neck and pulling him down to me. Our kiss was slow and deep, carrying the weight of everything we’d survived, everything we’d built, sealing the promise we’d made right here.
When we finally pulled apart, my breath came light and fast, and a spark of nervous excitement fluttered bright in my chest. Ivy and Rose had slipped away with the children, leaving just the two of us alone.
Time to give him his surprise.
I’d had this hidden in my uniform scrub pocket all morning, burning a little hole right through the fabric.
I’d taken the test at dawn, before anyone else was up, and still couldn’t quite believe the result myself.
I’d wanted to wait until Maeve and Tiny had their moment first… but now the moment was right.
“You’ve gone far away on me,” Rage said, his brow furrowing soft as he brushed a stray lock back from my face. “Everything alright?”
“Everything’s perfect,” I beamed, pulling the slender plastic stick from my pocket. “I’ve got an early gift for you. And you can’t return it.”
He narrowed his eyes playfully, fighting a grin. “You know I’d never return anything from you.” He held out one big hand closing his eyes, and I placed the test carefully into his rough palms, folding his fingers over it. “Alright then. You can look.”
He lifted it up, his dark eyes tracking the window on the stick. First confusion, then shock, then something so bright and fierce it took my breath away – two clear pink lines, glowing proof of what I already knew.
In an instant he was on his knees before me, pressing his face to my stomach, his shoulders shaking with quiet emotion.
He lifted my scrub top and kissed my still-flat belly over and over, tears spilling hot down his beard.
Then he stood, swept me right up into his arms, and spun me round and round the office, letting out a roar of joy that echoed off the walls so loud I was sure the whole town heard it.
When he finally set me down, we leaned breathless against one another, laughing at the sheer wonderful craziness of it all.
All the celebrations we have had. The party that had started with the wedding and baptisms carried on for three more days – most of the brothers nursing hangovers long after.
Then it was the ribbon cutting for the new maternity ward.
Now when they find out, another celebration will break out.
Life felt more perfect than I ever dared imagine. Even when Rage hovered over me like a shadow, scared to let me out of his sight, I couldn’t be cross. He loved so loud it filled every corner of my world.
Tiny and Maeve were officially seeing each other now, taking things slow and steady, just like normal people. He’d even looked up proper dating rules so he wouldn’t scare her off. Now we just needed to help the last two lonely brothers find their own happy ending.
That was Benji – or Doc and Hacker. Doc would be coming to work here soon, taking over from his dad Dr Cole as he retired.
He’d been training three towns over and had already been lined up to advance to surgeon early but had butted heads constantly with another doctor at his old hospital.
They fought like cat and dog, but the spark between them was obvious.
But for now, plans could wait. I looked up at the man who’d given me everything and rested one hand over the tiny life already growing deep inside me. I was going to live every single day like it was my last.
This was the life I’d never even dared to dream of back in London – a life of freedom, loyalty, and a love so loud it could shake the mountains. I’d been given more than I ever hoped for… and I was never, ever letting go.