I'm home. Finally, truly home.
Not because of the house or the town, but because of the man beside me and the family we're building together.
Marcus will sign the papers. My parents will eventually give up when they realize the Savage Riders won't let them take Liam. And I'll stop running.
Because I found something worth staying for.
I found love. I found family. I found home.
And I'm never letting it go.
Epilogue - Chaos
One year and a half later.
I check my phone for the tenth time in as many minutes. 4:47 PM. Ruby should be home any second now from her shift at Henderson's Blooms.
My hands won't stop shaking.
I look around the living room. Our living room now, since she moved in with me six months ago when her lease ended. The space is transformed. Flowers everywhere. Roses on the coffee table. Lilies by the window. Carnations arranged in vases on every available surface.
It looks like a fucking flower shop exploded in here.
"Is that too much?" I ask Liam, who's sitting on the floor playing with his toy trucks. He's four now, talking in full sentences, and calling me "Daddy" instead of "bike man."
Daddy. Still makes my chest tight every time I hear it.
"Pretty!" Liam announces, not looking up from his trucks. "Mama likes pretty."
"Yeah, she does." I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans. "You remember what we practiced?"
"Uh-huh." He finally looks up at me, his hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. "I give Mama the ring!"
"That's right, little man." I crouch down beside him, pulling the small velvet box from my pocket and opening it.
The ring inside catches the light. It's not huge. I'm not made of money, but it's real. A simple gold band with a small diamond that Luna helped me pick out three weeks ago. She said Rubywould love it because it was thoughtful and classic and exactly her style.
I hope Luna was right. I hope I'm not about to make a complete ass of myself.
"Ring!" Liam reaches for it, and I quickly snap the box closed.
"Not yet, buddy. You give it to her when I tell you to, remember?"
"When you say the special words," Liam recites dutifully.
"Exactly." I ruffle his ginger hair. "You're a smart kid, you know that?"
He beams at me, and fuck, I love this kid. I love him like he's my own blood. I'd die for him without hesitation. Same way I'd die for Ruby.
Actually, I'd rather live for them. Which is why I'm doing this terrifying thing called proposing.
The sound of a car door slamming outside makes my heart jump into my throat. I shove the ring box back into my pocket and stand, trying to look casual and probably failing miserably.
"She's home," I tell Liam. "Remember, act normal until—"
The front door opens and Ruby walks in, one hand resting on her small but noticeable baby bump. Four months pregnant and already glowing. She's wearing one of those flowy dresses she loves, her short ginger hair tucked behind her ears, freckles standing out against her pale skin.
She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
