"To Rookie," King says, raising his glass. "Who punched a cop to protect a woman and ended up falling for her."
"To love making us all fucking stupid," Tank adds with a grin.
"To pussy that changes everything," Beast laughs.
We drink, the whiskey burning down my throat. Then another round. And another.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Shadow says, leaning against the bar beside me. "You and a cop. Making it work."
"Neither did I." I glance at Amanda, who's talking with Luna and the other old ladies. "But she's different. She's—"
"Worth it," Shadow finishes. "Yeah, I get it. Rachel is worth it too."
Rachel, the woman Shadow found during our raid on the Eagles a year ago. She's standing with Amanda now, laughing at something Jenny said, her dark hair falling around her face.
"We all found women who shouldn't make sense," I say, looking around the room. "Luna married King despite him being ahardass. Amelia chose Tank even though he's terrifying. Jenny fell for Beast when he was too scared to commit. Claire saw past Rage's anger. Sidney gave Torch a second chance. Holly stood by Steel when her brother was a mess. Rachel trusted Shadow after being kidnapped. Ruby ran to Chaos when everyone else abandoned her."
"And you fell for a cop," Shadow concludes. "Despite hating everything she represents."
"Except I don't hate her." The admission comes easy now. "I hate the system. Hate the corruption. But Amanda?" I shake my head. "She's trying to fix it from the inside. Trying to be the kind of cop who actually helps people. How can I hate that?"
"You can't," Shadow says simply. "That's why you love her."
Love. I haven't said it to her yet. Haven't found the right moment. But it's true. I love Amanda Collins with everything I have.
She's my opposite in every way. Light to my darkness, hope to my cynicism, faith to my doubt. But somehow, we balance each other. Make each other better.
"I'm going to marry her," I say suddenly. "And I’m proposing today. I'm going to make her my wife."
Shadow's eyes widen slightly. "Yeah? Today?"
"Yeah." I drain my whiskey. "She's already mine in every way that matters. Might as well make it legal."
"King's going to give you so much shit about marrying a cop," Shadow warns.
"Let him." I grin. "I don't give a fuck. She's worth it."
The party continues around us. Music playing, people laughing, kids running wild. This is my family now. These bikers and theirwomen and their children. This chaotic, violent, loving family that accepted me when I had nothing.
And Amanda fits right in. I watch her laughing with Luna, see her helping Amelia keep track of Anna, notice her rubbing her pregnant belly while talking to Sidney about babies.
She's one of them now. An old lady. My old lady.
Later, when the party winds down and people start heading home, I pull Amanda aside.
"Come on," I say, leading her toward the door. "Let's go home."
"Home." She smiles at the word. "I like the sound of that."
We've been living together for months now, but it still feels new. Still feels like a miracle that she chose me. That she stays.
At home, I help her out of her clothes: her uniform long since traded for comfortable maternity jeans and a soft shirt. Her body has changed with pregnancy, curves even more pronounced, belly swollen with our daughter.
"You're staring," she says, blushing.
"Can't help it." I run my hands over her belly. "You're beautiful like this. Pregnant with my baby. Marked as mine."
"I'm always yours." She pulls me down for a kiss. "Patch or no patch. Badge or no badge. I'm yours."
