She crouched down and tried to smooth down one of Oliver’s cowlicks. “Remember when I told you your dad was my best friend from a long time ago?”
“Yeah. You said he moved away, and you couldn’t find him,” Oliver said.
“I couldn’t find him, but it turns out he found me.” Sammy put her hand on Oliver’s shoulder and turned him so they both faced me.
My heart jumped straight into my throat.
“Juice is your dad, Oliver. I was waiting for the right time to tell you.” Her eyes met mine, and the gravity of the moment hung in the air around us.
Oliver wrapped his arms around my waist and buriedhis face in my abs. “I’m glad you’re my dad. Just like Hades is Sirius’s dad, right?”
“That’s right, kiddo.” A deep love—the kind I’d never felt before—bloomed in my chest. I held him close with one hand and pulled Sammy to her feet and into my side with the other. The three of us stood there, wrapped up in each other, until the guys started revving their engines and honking their horns.
Hades and Sirius jumped through the window and joined us on the stoop. Oliver bent down and wrapped one arm around each of them. The three of them were going to be thick as thieves if I didn’t keep an eye on them.
Sammy took the ring from me for the second time. I’d added some tape to the band so it might fit her finger better. “I suppose we can put off a visit to Aunt Agatha’s for a while. Are you sure about this, Juice?”
“This has got to be a record. I never thought I’d propose, and here I am asking you to marry me for the third time in twenty-four hours.” I got down on one knee in front of my woman and our son. “Oliver and Sammy, I want us to be a family. You two mean everything to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you marry me?”
Oliver laughed and looked up at his mom. “Say yes, Mom.”
“Yes.” Sammy nodded. She lit up from the inside and had never looked more gorgeous. “Okay, we say yes.”
I picked her up and twirled her around as I captured her lips with mine. Then I scooped Oliver up and spunthem both around until all three of us were too dizzy to stand up straight.
“She said yes!” I called out to the guys who’d followed me all the way to Silver Creek. Thunder and Lightning raised their fists. Motor Mouth clapped while Priest and Arrow whistled.
I didn’t know what the next few months in Mustang Mountain would bring, but we’d be ready for it. I’d go through hell and back if that’s what it took to protect the people I loved.
Especially the family I’d made.
EPILOGUE
ARROW
Normally,I'm excited for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally every year. The club has visited many times, but this year feels different. This year, I only have a few of my MC Brothers with me, and we're not here for fun.
This year we're here to try to meet with as many clubs as possible to see if any can offer us some help. We're at the point where we don't know what else to do. We just know we need more manpower if we're going to defeat the Savage Bones.
This is our best shot to get help. Meeting clubs in their hometowns can take weeks or months, whereas here we can meet with over twenty clubs in just a matter of days.
I brought Crank, Motor Mouth, Thunder and his girl Ashley, and Lightning and his girl Piper with me. We each have a list of who we want to talk to while we're here. I'm talking with a few of the clubs that have donecharity runs with us in the past—the Lone Star Riders and the Whiskey River Riders.
Lightning's girl Piper is coming with me when I talk to the Whiskey River Riders because she just found out her family on her dad's side used to be part of the club. We're hoping that maybe that will be enough for them to agree to help us if nothing else.
We pull into one of our favorite biker bars on Lazelle Street before we even head to the house we rented. We decided against a hotel so we had a place to meet with other clubs without drawing too much attention. We don’t know who is on Savage Bone’s side or who will be watching us here.
Thunder and Lightning didn't want to bring their girls, but Atlas said it would be suspicious if we only sent single guys. It would draw more attention, and I agree. We need to look like we are here for the fun of it.
As we park our bikes and I pull off my helmet, I get a few looks. I’m used to it, but now, the big scar down the side of my face looks a bit like an arrow. That was the guy's intention when he carved into me, at least. He told me my heart was next if I didn’t give him what he wanted.
I shake my head, pulling me from the past. The scar isn’t easy to hide once my helmet is off, and I’ve gotten used to it. It used to bother me because I could tell people were looking, and they always had the same questions.
It’s a big part of why I’m still a virgin at almost forty years old, though not many know that. It wasn’t until I joined the Mustang Mountain Riders that I realized therewere people who didn’t really care about my scar and actually cared about me. It’s still hard to accept sometimes.
“Let’s grab a drink and scout the place out,” Thunder says.
As the Vice President, he’s basically in charge while we’re here. Atlas didn’t feel comfortable with leaving Mustang Mountain or he’d have been here himself.
