AXTON: I LOVE YOU, MILL.
I love you, too, Axton.
AXTON: I CAN’T WAIT TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH YOU.
And I melt. I simply melt.
I wasn’t sure coming back to North Carolina was the right move to make, but I came here anyway, knowing it was probably going to be the smartest decision. And my instincts were right. It was the absolute best thing I could have done for myself.
I made my dreams come true in the form of a tall, muscular, tatted biker who has held my heart in his hand since I was eighteen years old. And I’m never going to let him release it.
It’s his.
Forever.
EPILOGUE
MILLIE
TWO YEARS LATER
“Happy birthday, Lainey,”Dakota cries.
Tonight is a private party.
My music is slowly turned up, and then the lights follow. I begin to dance. Not only is it Lainey’s birthday, but this is also my last night on this stage. It seems fitting that the Vicious Reapers rented the whole place for the night.
We do every show just like normal, except that the only people in the audience are the old ladies. All my friends. Dakota, Lainey, Posey, Briana, Zadie, and Cidney. I should probably feel embarrassed that they’re going to see every inch of my naked body.
But I’m not.
I’m excited because this is my last show… maybe ever.
Twelve years on the stage is longer than most, and I’m ready for a break. I’m ready to have two nights off in a row, to sleep at night and be awake during the day.
And beyond all of that…
I’m excited and ready to sleep beside the man of my dreams every single night in our brand-new house. It’s a seventies ranch in need of a slight remodel, but it’s a four-bedroom, three-bathroom, two-car garage home that we can start a family in.
And I’m thirty years old.
I’m ready for a family.
As soon as my lights are up, I dance. My body can do every single move without my brain being involved. I press my lips together as I curl my arm around the pole, arching my back as I throw my other arm as elegantly as possible over my head.
Then I lift one leg, curving it around the pole as I spin. The girls scream, and I can’t help but smile. The men don’t usually get so vocal when I dance. As I spin around the pole, I decide that I’m not going to take everything off.
This is a show for fun. This is to show off my talents. I’m not making any money on this, and I don’t want any. I’m just happy to be done with the whole thing. When the music fades, the lights dim, and I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as the girls applaud.
When I leave the stage, I don’t bother going back to the dressing room. I make my way down to the floor and straight for Lainey. She stands and throws her arms in the air, her curls bouncing all around her shoulders.
“That was awesome,” she cries. “I loved it. You were gorgeous up there, all shimmery and gold. You look like an angel.”
I almost laugh, but decide against it. She’s a little tipsy and excited. I can’t blame her. I remember the first time I watched Heidi on stage. I think I had the exact same reaction. Maybe I was even more excited, I’m not sure.
“Happy birthday, Lainey,” I say as I wrap my arms around her in a hug.
A few moments later, the stage lights begin to rise again, the music grows louder, and I know exactly who is going to dance. It’s Heidi. And if these girls think I’m badass, they have no idea just how much their minds are going to be completely blown.
