King captures my hand in his, bringing it to his lips. "No promises," he says, but his eyes tell a different story.
One of devotion and commitment and a love that neither of us says out loud very often but proves every day in countless small ways.
Later, as we lie tangled together in the quiet darkness of our bedroom, King's breathing slow but not yet surrendered to sleep, he pulls me closer against his chest.
"I love you," he murmurs against my hair, his voice low and rough with emotion. "More than I ever thought possible."
Even after three years together, those words still make my heart race. King isn't a man who expresses his feelings easily, preferring to show his love through actions rather than words. But in these private moments, when it's just the two of us in the darkness, he lets down every barrier.
"I love you too," I whisper back, tracing my fingers along the tattoo that covers his forearm. "Always."
He presses a kiss to my temple, his voice already heavy with approaching sleep. "Big day tomorrow."
"Mmm," I agree, nestling deeper into his embrace.
The twins' birthday party, club business, clinic appointments… Tomorrow will be chaotic as usual. But right now, in this peaceful moment, nothing exists but us.
As King's breathing deepens into sleep, I think about how the most unexpected journeys sometimes lead to exactly where you're meant to be.
I came to Blackwater Falls looking for a connection to my grandmother, for a piece of my past that I could hold onto. What I found instead was a future I never could have imagined: a husband who challenges and cherishes me in equal measure, daughters who fill our days with chaos and joy, a community that has become family, and purpose that goes beyond just surviving.
The Savage Riders will always be feared by those who threaten what's theirs. King will always be the man who rules this territory with absolute authority. But they're also the guardians who rebuilt a dying town, the brothers who found their way back to something like peace after war, the fathers and husbands and partners who discovered they could build something more lasting than fear.
And I'm proud to stand beside them, beside him, as we continue to protect and nurture what we've created together.
Not just surviving anymore but truly living.
