Epilogue
ASPEN
Six Months Later
The music stops, and Dove steps forward.
“Thank you for being here today as we celebrate the life of Charles ‘Mustang’ Wilson. While he has left us, he has entered the house of God and knows eternal peace.”
Do badass biker men go to heaven?
As soon as the thought enters my mind, I wince.
I shouldn’t be having thoughts like that. At least not right now.
“Are you okay?” Asher murmurs.
“I’m fine. Are you okay?” I ask quietly.
My man would never admit it, but watching Mustang deteriorate in front of us the last few months made a lot of the past resurface for him. It was like watching his mom slowly die all over again.
Like the good man he is, he didn’t walk away or avoid Mustang because of it. He sat with him when asked. He listened to stories and made sure the man never had a moment of loneliness.
I don’t know what all they talked about during those private conversations, but I know Asher became close to the man, which makes me hate this situation even more.
The frigid air cuts through the cemetery, making me shiver. Asher wraps his big body against mine, trying to block the chill. As Dove drowns on, I look up at the sky. A storm is rolling in. The predictions say we will get several inches of ice followed by feet of snow.
The storm of the century.
Seems fitting considering where we are.
A sob cuts through the air, and I look over at my friend. Like every time I’ve looked at her recently, my heart begins to hurt. Ridge wraps his arms around her, letting her cry all over him.
Her father is gone.
I didn’t know Mustang that well, having only spent a little time with him when I would visit, but I knew he was a tough man who loved his daughter fiercely.
Rain never got over the fact that he didn’t want to continue treatment, and I don’t blame her, but at the same time, I understand where he was coming from.
I wouldn’t have wanted to live in pain if I’d had the choice either.
Instead, for the last six months, he lived his best life. He went on rides, hung out with his brothers, spent time with his daughter, and everything in between. Day by day, we watched him decline slowly.
It was hard enough for me to watch. I don’t know how Rain did it.
My eyes drift back to the man at her side.
Ridge has been with her the entire time, stuck to her like glue. At first, she hated it. She wanted nothing to do with him, but the worse her dad got, the less she fought.
Dove draws the service to a close. Asher and I don’t move. We let the strangers who aren’t welcome back to the clubhouse give Rain their condolences.
“Hey,” my brother and Maggie say as they approach.
“Hi. How are you holding up?” I offer them a soft smile.
“I’m fine, more worried about Rain.” My brother shrugs.
“I think we all are,” Maggie says softly.
“The lawyer is still adamant that he meet with her once we are done here?” Asher asks.
Calloway nods. “Yeah, her and Ridge. I don’t know why the asshole refused to give her a few days.”
“He’s just doing his job,” Maggie reminds him.
The wind howls, making us all shiver.
“You guys got everything you need before the storm hits?” my brother asks.
Asher nods. “Yeah, I went into town the other day and grabbed extra supplies.”
For the last few days, the guys have been stocking the clubhouse, preparing it for all of us to be snowed in together.
“Good.”
“Did Ashley decide if she was going to come ride it out with us?” Maggie asks him.
Asher shakes his head. “No, she wanted to stay close to home in case something happened there.”
“Do you think it will be as bad as they say it will?” I ask, looking between the two guys.
“Never know. Usually, weathermen get it wrong, but there is that 1 percent chance that they could be right,” Calloway says.
Asher nods. “Besides, it’s not like we won’t use the shit we bought anyway. We didn’t go crazy and buy shit we won’t use.”
Maggie giggles, making us all look at her like she’s crazy.
“I’m sorry, bad time to laugh, but I just remembered the police report I read this morning. Apparently, there was a fight at a pharmacy last night between two people prepping for the storm,” she tells us.
“Let me guess, fighting over toilet paper?” I smile.
“No, paper towels,” Asher says.
“You’re both wrong. They were fighting over lube. Like they both had carts full of lube,” Maggie tells us.
Calloway, Asher, and I all stare at her, waiting for her to tell us she’s joking, but she doesn’t.
“Wait, you’re being serious?” Calloway asks after a moment.
“Yes. I read it while you were in the shower. If it wasn’t reported by the Jefferson County Police Department, I would have thought it was fake,” Maggie says.
I shake my head. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“They are on the move,” Asher says, nodding toward Rain and Ridge.
“Hey, I have a question,” I say to my brother as we start walking toward the truck we brought to the cemetery.
“What’s up?”
“Why do you own a cemetery?”
Calloway smirks. “It wasn’t intentional, if that’s what you were asking. This land came up for sale a couple of years ago after I bought the main piece. I bought it because it backed up to our land. Then, when I was touring it after I signed on the dotted line, I realized it had a cemetery.”
“Really?”
“Really. What? Did you think I bought it only because of the cemetery?”
“Easy way to dispose of our enemies,” I say quietly.
Calloway and Asher laugh.
“Fucking morbid, babe. Fucking morbid.” Asher chuckles.
As we get into the truck, a drop of rain hits the windshield, and we all stare at it for a second.
If only we knew how rough it was about to get.
ASHER
Brothers are scattered around the clubhouse, drinking and hanging out. The sound of pool balls clapping together is louder than the music playing and the chatter. Compared to how this place is usually, it’s quiet.
We’re all waiting for Rain and Ridge to get out of their meeting with the lawyer, one Rain went into, all but kicking and screaming in protest.
I wince as I think about what I know.
If she was mad before, she’s going to be even more pissed off when it’s over.
Hell, knowing her, she will learn necromancy just to bring her father back from the dead to kill him herself.
I tried to talk him out of it, but when you’re old and dying, you don’t give a fuck what people around you think.
She and Ridge are in for a rude awakening.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out.
Ashley
Hey, just thought I would let you know I made it home safely. They let school out early for the weather.
Me
Do you have everything you need? It’s not too late to head this way. Hell, I’ll come get you.
Ashley
Yes, Dad. I’m fine. Like I told you before, this isn’t my first storm. Besides, we both know you are exactly where you need to be. How’s Rain doing?
Me
As you would expect. You might want to check on her in a day or two.
Ashley
Will do. Love you.
Me
Love you more.
“Was that Ashley?” Aspen asks as she takes a seat next to me.
“Yeah, she was letting me know she’s home.”
“Good. Here I got you this,” she says as she slides a beer in front of me.
“Thank you,” I tell her as more people join us.
“It’s so fucking quiet in here. It’s making my skin crawl,” Yak mutters.
I bite back a smile. Yak is one of those guys who constantly has to be around a bunch of people. He doesn’t do well alone or in the quiet. Not for long, at least.
“Because we just put our brother six feet in the ground,” Eagle tells him.
“Fair enough.” Yak sighs before looking back at me. “Did your sister decide to ride out the storm here?”
I narrow my eyes at my friend. “No, she decided to ride it out at home. Why?”
“I’m just trying to make conversation,” he says, raising his hands in surrender.
“You’ll have to forgive Asher, Yak. Sometimes he forgets people ask questions out of curiosity, not because they have ulterior motives,” Aspen tells him.
Panther comes up with a frown on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Just got a weather report. It’s raining hard up in the mountains, and the temperature is already starting to drop.”
“Damn, that fast?” Yak asks.
“Guess so,” Panther mumbles as he takes a drink of his beer.
“At least the storm waited until after the funeral,” Eagle says quietly.
“No kidding.” Aspen sighs as her eyes drift back down the hall. “How long is that lawyer going to keep them locked in there?”
“Who knows,” Panther says.
“I wonder what they could be discussing. Do you think Mustang had a secret fortune? Oh, what if they are learning Rain isn’t his only child, and she’s supposed to set off on a quest to find her long-lost sibling?”
We all look over at Yak like he’s lost his mind.
“What? It’s a possibility,” he says.
I shake my head. “I don’t even know how you come up with half the shit you do.”
“Never fails to entertain, that’s for sure,” Eagle says.
Yak perks up. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Eagle rolls his eyes.
Before anyone can say anything else, a door slamming gets our attention, making us all sit up straight.
“I fucking hate you! You knew about this, didn’t you? You knew about it, and you never said shit. No, you know what, I bet you helped him plan it. Well, fuck you, Ridge Harris. I’m not complying!” Rain screams before another door slams.
Panther stands up and faces a devastated Ridge when he walks into the room.
“What’s wrong?” Panther asks him.
Ridge wipes a shaky hand over his mouth and shakes his head.
“Ridge, what happened?” Eagle presses.
“What happened?” Ridge laughs maniacally. “What happened is the man is insane. Was.”
“Ridge…” Panther growls.
“He left Rain everything, but there are stipulations,” Ridge says.
I look down at the table. I feel Aspen’s eyes on me, but I can’t look at her.
“What kind of stipulations?” Eagle presses.
“She only gets everything if she and I live together for two years. He wants her to be protected, and the only one he trusts her with is me. Rain has forty-eight hours to decide whether she’s going to walk away from her inheritance or accept the terms and do what her dad wanted. ” Ridge’s voice cracks.
I avoid eye contact at his words. Truth is, Mustang saw how the two interacted and had a feeling they both cared for each other more than they let on. He hated that he wouldn’t be here to help guide them, so he thought he would force their hand.
“What the fuck?” Yak mutters as the brothers start to whisper.
“That can’t be legal,” Eagle says.
Ridge laughs. “Trust me, it is.”
“This sounds like something out of a romance movie,” Maggie whispers.
Aspen leans over and whispers, “Did you know about this?”
I nod. “Yeah, I told him it was a bad idea, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“This is so fucked.”
“I agree.”
Aspen leans in closer. “I’m telling you right now, if we ever have kids, and if you ever try to pull this shit, I will haunt you.”
Kids. Is she thinking about having kids with me?
Her threat makes me smirk. “Thinking about having kids with me, Songbird?”
Her eyes drop to my lips for a second. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Well, when you do, let me know. I’m open to all possibilities but happy either way.”
Her eyes soften. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
I don’t know what our life will look like or what it will bring, but I do know one thing. As long as my songbird is next to me, I’ll be happy. She’s all I need, and that will never change.