~*EPILOGUE*~
ONE YEAR LATER
“ W ould you look at them?” Ciara grins, nodding her head.
I peer over to see Jackson, Spike, Cade, and Muff, all talking and chatting around a fire. Jackson is bouncing our baby daughter, Ava, on his lap. Her dark hair is flying around in different directions and she has a chubby fist stuffed in her mouth. Spike is holding Daniel ‘Danny’ and every now and then he tickles his ribs and the little boy squeals with delight. Muff has his arms wrapped around Ebony, and she’s smiling happily, engrossed in the fire.
“Who knew we’d end up here?” Addison says, leaning against me.
Her belly is starting to swell with her and Cade’s first bundle. Ciara is pregnant again, too, though she’s only a few weeks along. Muff and Janine started dating a month ago, completely shocking us all. I’m so happy for her and Ebony. Muff is amazing, and he can give them everything they need. Janine knows that I slept with Muff and Jackson, but she’s ok with it.
“Can you believe how much she loves him?” Janine says, joining us with a plate of food in her hand.
I grin over at my friend, and she returns my smile. “He sure does love her, though I’m pretty sure you’re up there, too.”
She laughs. “I sure hope so!”
“Oh, he’s totally checking you out!” Addison giggles.
We all look, to see Muff grinning at Janine. God, he’s a shocker. I roll my eyes, and he catches it, winking at me.
“We’re lucky you know,” Ciara laughs. “We got the good ones.”
“Yeah,” I say, meeting Jackson’s gaze. “We sure did.”
Jackson suddenly scrunches his nose up, and turns to baby Danny. “Little man, what does your momma feed you?”
Spike groans, and lifts the little boy into the air. “Ciara, woman, he needs you.”
Ciara ducks down behind us.
“I can see you Tom Cat!” he bellows.
She giggles. “He’s your child too,” she yells from behind us.
“Aw, come on! I want to eat sometime soon!”
“Close your eyes, you’ll be fine!”
Spike stands, muttering about kids and shit, and carries the boy inside. I throw my head back and laugh, before walking over and sliding onto the chair next to Jackson. I run my fingers over my daughter’s hair and lean down to kiss her chubby little cheeks.
“Give me my baby sister, she needs love,” Addison says, sweeping over and taking Ava from Jackson.
“Greedy!” Jackson says, grinning at both his daughters.
Addison pouts. “She’s mine too, you know. Come on baby, yeah, let’s go and find that silly uncle of yours and make sure he hasn’t passed out on the ground.”
“Oh hey, while you’re there, check her diaper?” I yell, smothering a giggle.
Addison scrunches up her nose. “Oh hell no!”
“She’s yours too,” Jackson adds with a grin. “You just said so yourself.”
“Ripped off!” Addison says, and then grins down at Ava. “But for you, I’ll do it.”
We both watch as they disappear inside. I turn to Jackson, sliding off my seat and onto his lap. He wraps his arms around me, and nestles his face into my neck.
“Our baby is fuckin’ cute.”
“Gets it from her momma,” I grin.
Muff snorts beside us.
“Hey!” I say, giving him a look. “She so does!”
“Yeah princess,” he chuckles. “It’s all you.”
“Aunty Senny!” Eb’s says, turning.
“Yes honey?”
“Is Muff going to be my new daddy?”
We all fall silent, and Muff meets my gaze, giving me a helpless expression. I smile, and meet Ebony’s little eyes. “You know honey; I think it would be really cool if Muff was your new daddy. You know why?”
She shakes her head.
“Well, he’s really fun. And he’s good at giving cuddles.”
Ebony grins, big and beautiful, before turning to Muff. “I love your cuddles.”
He grins down at her. “I love them too, little princess.”
I roll my eyes, but my heart is thudding. I turn back to Jackson, and he’s smiling up at me.
“What?” I say.
“You, darlin’. You make everything beautiful.”
I bite my lip, and my entire body reacts to his words. I grip his face, bringing his lips down over mine. We kiss, long and deep, forgetting the world, forgetting where we are, and just existing in that kiss. Jackson makes everything real, and being with him has changed who I am. He saved me from my life, even though he doesn’t realize it. He made me who I am. He became my everything. He gave me what I needed, in more ways than one.
He gave me his club...
And these guys, they are our family.
To some, they might be crazy and dangerous.
To us, they are the reason we breathe.