"Better?" I look at Cole, who's trying very hard to maintain his neutral VP expression.
"Happier," Gemma clarifies. "Less isolated. He needed someone who could handle all of him, not just the controlled parts."
Cole turns to Will. "You gonna let your woman embarrass your VP in public?"
Will grins. "Yep."
Gemma laughs and squeezes my arm. "Welcome to the family."
Cole glares at both of them, but there's no heat in it. Just resignation that his sister gets away with everything.
Family—not club member, not outsider, but family.
Will bangs a bottle on the bar for attention. The noise level drops as Brothers turn toward him.
"Church," Will announces. "Back room. Brothers only."
The patched members move toward the back of the bar where Church is held. Cole kisses my temple before joining them, and I stay at the bar with Gemma and Mira, watching the Brothers disappear into the meeting room.
Church doesn't take long. When the door opens again, the Brothers file back out. Will gestures to Axel, who's been waiting with the families. They take him into Church and the door closes again. A few minutes later, they all emerge with Axel wearing his kutte.
Will addresses the room, voice carrying over the crowd. "The Brotherhood has voted. Welcome to the Iron Brotherhood, Brother Axel."
The celebration erupts. Brothers clap Axel on the back, someone cranks up the music, and Axel looks overwhelmed and grateful—raw emotion from earning acceptance into something that matters.
Cole returns to my side and hands me a fresh beer. "Positive future. Club's growing stronger."
"He earned it," I say.
"Yeah. He did." Cole's hand settles on the small of my back, claiming and protective. "One more thing."
Will raises his beer. The room quiets again, everyone turning toward the President.
"To fallen warriors," Will says. "ATF Special Agent Blake Walsh gave his life in service. He was one of the good ones, and we honor that sacrifice."
The Brothers raise their beers. "To Blake Walsh."
My throat tightens. Blake would have appreciated this moment—an MC honoring a federal agent, recognizing the shared bond of service and sacrifice. I raise my beer with everyone else.
"To Blake," I say quietly.
Cole's hand tightens on my back, offering support without words and understanding without explanation.
The celebration continues around us. Music plays, people laugh, Brothers and their families filling Ironside with noise and warmth. Shaw and Mira dance near the jukebox, Will and Gemma talk with other couples, Axel gets hazed good-naturedly by the other Brothers.
And I stand here with Cole, ATF agent and MC VP, choosing this complicated, dangerous, beautiful life together.
Later, after the celebration winds down and we've said goodnight to everyone, Cole and I walk out to the parking lot. My Triumph is parked next to his bike, and both machines gleam under the streetlights.
"Feel like a ride?" Cole asks.
"Always."
We mount up and put on our helmets. Engines roar to life, the familiar vibration settling through my body. Cole pulls out and I pull out beside him, the two of us riding north along the coastal highway.
The wind cuts cold against exposed skin. The ocean stretches dark to our left, and stars begin to emerge overhead. The highway curves and climbs, and Cole keeps pace beside me, close enough to be present, far enough to let me choose my own path.
My comm crackles. "You good?" Cole's voice comes through clear.
