“What?”
Sienna pulls back from my embrace and turns around to look at me. She cups my face in a way that sends my heart melting into a marshmallow and the affection I read in her eyes undoes me. “Let's get married tonight,” she says, brushing her lips against mine. “Just us two. Let's find a chapel in the strip, and maybe a witness and just get married. Tomorrow, we’ll celebrate with everyone else without having to worry about one other thing happening to stop us.”
“Is that what you want?”
She nods. “Yes, I want to marry you. Tonight.”
I press my forehead against hers. “Alright, baby, let's get married. Tonight. Just us two."
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Pope
Growing up, birthdays were never a thing in Deacon Cassidy’s household. My old man acknowledged milestones with a nod and you just had to be happy with that. No cake, balloons or colorful banners. The thought of celebrating the birthday of a one-year-old would have sent Deacon Cassidy into a stroke but watching everyone come together to work on the decorations makes me glad I listened to my wife.
Two years since I first laid my eyes on her. In a room full of people but the second I saw her, I knew deep in my gut that she would be mine.
And now, she is.
And so is the one-year-old currently dozing off in his uncle’s arms. Cross Taylor Cassidy. My own flesh and blood. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday, twelve hours of labor for my wife before he came into the world screaming his little lungs out. It was a given that he would carry mine and Sienna’s family name. I never got to meet Taylor Ford but everything I learned about the man from his family was enough to earn my respect, it was only right that our son carried his name too.
Birthdays weren't the only thing absent in the Cassidy household. Hell, it took being a part of the Ford family to understand what a loving home looked like. To experience it. I track my brother-in-law, seated on a couch, rocking Cross to sleep. He seems to be getting healthier by the day. A part of me was certain that Sienna’s family, especially Jude, would be scared of me considering my reputation but the boy watches me with such hero worship, so much so that he’s mentioned a couple of times on wanting to join the MC and working for me but I know how important it is to his family that the kid lives a normal life. After the shit he’s been through with his health, he needs normal.
No, there is nothing normal about being an MC.
What better example of that than the relationship my brother and I are still working on thanks to our father’s cruelty.
My eyes shift to the entrance when I spot Bishop walking in and he looks so mildly awkward and uncomfortable carrying a giant teddy bear wrapped in a blue bow. I bite back a laugh as I make my way toward my brother. Our relationship has grown greatly over the years but Bishop’s decision to leave Vegas for Reno to start his own MC chapter—the Steel Aces—didn’t exactly help speed up the process. It made sense for him to open his own casino and to carry the name we’ve shared with our cousin MCs—the Steel Order run by Priest in Austin and Steel Rebels in Chicago run by Saint. The Steel name has helped smooth operations and created great working relationships. And one day, if he chooses to, Cross will take over operations for the Steel Sinners and carry on the family legacy.
“What the hell is that?” I ask Bishop when I get to him, staring at the large bear in his arms.
“It’s a bear,” he deadpans. “I don't know what the fuck you're supposed to get a one-year-old. I was going to buy him a small bike but the kid can't walk yet so I figured it would be useless."
My eyes narrow on him. “You bought the bike anyway, didn’t you?”
His silence is all the answer I need. I want to mention that he's not the only biker who was unsure about what to get a kid and decided on a mini bike for a toddler. Whatever the hell happened to toys? “The bear will probably freak him out, it’s bigger than he is,” I say, poking the large teddy.
“He’ll grow into it,” Bishop says, shoving the giant bear into my arms. “I need a beer.”
I hide my amusement as he walks away to interact with the other guys, smiling when I see him stop by Jude to check on the baby. The scowl he wears falls when he looks at my son and I imagine that despite our rocky relationship, I can always trust Bishop to protect Cross as he did my wife two years ago.
Speaking of which…
I take the giant teddy bear to my mother-in-law who stops blowing up a balloon to look at the monstrosity before breaking out in laughter. “Now this is the biggest gift Cross has received today.”
“Yeah, I bet he’ll love it. Right after he’s done screaming his lungs out,” I say, distracted as I hand her the bear. "Hey, Elise, have you seen my wife?"
“I just saw her head into the kitchen a while ago.”
“Great, thanks.”
I make my way to the kitchen and walk in to find Sienna standing on her tiptoes on a stool, reaching for something ontop of the kitchen cabinets. She’s wearing a white dress that is not short in any sense of the word but with her arching the way she is, it stretches to reveal the back of her thighs and that juicy, round ass. And fuck, she looks so goddamned hot.
I want her, but more than anything I want her to be safe. And this isn’t safe.
“What the hell are you doing up there?”
