Epilogue Callie
SIX MONTHS LATER…
It hadn’t taken long for Hawk to get my shop back up and running.
I had run of the shop at the club too, but I loved spending time in my original space.
Things had changed so much since that night where the Hellhounds went down.
Support for the Vultures came in from every side.
Parts deliveries ran smooth. Security checks were never an issue and they fixed problems before they became an issue.
I stood in the open bay and stared out at the club house where we all lived.
Cody zoomed past on his brand new bicycle. Colt ran behind him, one hand outstretched. “Good job. You got this.”
“Look, Mom. No training wheels!” Cody whooped and pedaled faster, forcing Colt into a lope to keep up.
“Good job.” I wiped my hands on an old rag and stuck it into my pocket. Yeah, things were definitely looking up.
Cody had complained last night about Colt making up a horrible bedtime story, then laughed and said he was starting to enjoy them. And he’d called Colt Dad for the first time a month ago when he asked if Colt could start picking him up from school.
He kissed scraped knees and told awful bedtime stories, and he was ours. They all were.
Diesel stood underneath the old oak with his arms crossed.
His protection and Hawk’s insistence no longer felt like a prison.
Diesel would never relinquish that protective status, and I didn’t want him to.
It made me feel safe…and seen. I had every right to come and go as I pleased.
I ran deliveries when I wanted, worked bikes when I wanted, and we all fell into bed together almost every single night.
Hawk kept the club on a tight leash, but we hadn’t lost any more members despite the discipline.
No one said a thing about our unconventional relationship.
At least not to my face, and I had a feeling if they said anything to Hawk, they’d be out on their asses.
Hell, they’d be out if he so much as overheard a comment that put me in a derogatory light.
“Hey, Colt, you’re getting slow.” I heckled him without mercy, and he shot me a fuck you look that brought out a deep belly laugh.
Saturdays were becoming my favorite day. It was the one day of the week when all business shut down and we hung out together, doing anything we wanted. I had a routine that didn’t feel like I was constantly waiting for the next hit.
A horn beeped from the house.
Hawk held up his hand and waved it side to side, announcing our visitor and calling us in.
I closed the bay door and fell in step with Diesel. Colt and Cody came in behind us, and we met up with Hawk and Agent Hart at the front steps.
Hart wore jeans and a light jacket, his badge and gun hidden away somewhere. He’d come by a couple times over the last few months, always giving us updates in person.
“Hell, Hart, you keep this up and I’m going to think you want to be part of the club.” Colt punched Hart in the arm.
Hart eyed Colt with zero emotion. The staredown lasted several seconds, then Hart snorted.
“Just came by to let you know that convictions are moving. A few deals have been cut.” He held up a hand.
“I’ve been there for every single one. There are a few guys who we can cut deals with and not have any risk. The Hellhounds are done for now.”
“Doesn’t mean they’ll stay gone forever.” Colt said what we were all thinking.
“No.” Hawk agreed with a shake of his head, almost like he wanted to contradict himself. “But this gives us stability. That’s the only victory I trust.”
Hart and Hawk kept talking. I’d heard what I needed and headed into the kitchen for a glass of water.
Cody skipped beside me. “Can I watch TV? My favorite show is about to start.”
“Just one episode.” I held up one finger. “Then we’re going to pick up pizza.”
He whooped again, fist-pumping the air. His hoodie bounced around his body, and the leap caused his brand new shoes to light up. He dove onto the couch and snuggled in, twirling the hoodie strings around his fingers.
Colt followed me into the kitchen, stopping with his back to the door. He propped his hip against the counter, the weight of his gaze settling on me. “You seem different today. What’s up?”
Damn it. I’d wanted to wait until they were all together.
I still could. I could lie and tell him nothing or brush him off, but a giddy kind of excitement bubbled and spilled over.
This time, it didn’t feel like a trap or a secret.
It didn’t push me into a panic or a countdown that drove me away.
I poured water from the pitcher in the refrigerator and closed the door.
“Well. If you must know.” I took a step toward him, swinging my hips side to side. “I’m pregnant.”
His mouth fell open with a tiny pop, his exhale forcing a gust of air past my cheek. The rest of him froze, his hand half lifted to settle on my hip. His eyes searched my face, then the front of my body. He nodded, that grin of his that I loved most curving his lips. “What do you need from us?”
Hawk and Diesel walked in from the living room. One look at their faces and I knew they’d heard my confession.
Diesel walked up behind me and wrapped both arms around my waist, while Hawk took up the space beside me. The three of them hemmed me in a circle of love and trust. This was what they should have done last time.
We’d all made mistakes. We were bound to make a few more.
But for now, they gave me everything I needed, everything I’d never let myself dream of or hope for.
I rested my head on Colt’s chest and leaned into him.
My breathing remained steady, my heart speeding up in anticipation of the heat swirling between us. But there was no worry. No fear.
This was where I belonged. I would never leave them again.
Thank you for reading Single Mom’s Biker Brigade.