21.

D UB

“How long have you known this man?” Elizabeth asked as we drove up the long drive that wound itself between the cabins that my friend rented out to tourists. As we approached the main building, she said, “I’ve heard you talk about him, but I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned a timeframe.”

“I met him in prison,” I said honestly. “We reconnected through the club after we got out and have stayed in touch ever since.”

“What is his daughter like?” Mary asked.

“He’s got two, actually. Claire is probably around sixteen, and I think Sweetie is almost four. Claire's a good kid. I think you’ll like her.”

“What’s his fiancée like?”

I reached over the console and took Elizabeth’s hand before I answered, “Juni is like you in a lot of ways, but she’s got sharper edges. She was in the military for a long time, but y’all have the same background as far as your parents and foster care.”

“Do they know you’re not our dad? Should we call you Dad while we’re here so they don’t think we’re weird?”

“Actually, Claire is Sugar’s niece. He moved back to Montana to take care of her after her parents died, so they have a family connection sort of like we do, but they’ve been together for a long time, so she calls him Dad.”

“We’ve never really had a dad,” Laura said wistfully. She must have seen me turn and look at Dub in question because I knew they had the same father. “I mean, we did, but we didn’t see him very often, and we had to call him Father just like we called Aleta Mother.”

“That’s true,” I agreed. “He had so many wives that it was rare we ever saw him, at least for any length of time. When I did see him, he was always busy or there were so many people around that he couldn’t focus on just one of us specifically.”

“He used to call me Lori,” Laura said with a bark of laughter. “He didn’t even know my name.”

“I promise that no matter how many kids . . . or dogs we have around, I’ll never forget your name.”

“Because you’re what a real dad is supposed to be like,” Laura said earnestly. “Can I call you Dad like your friend's niece?”

I felt my heart swell and guessed Elizabeth must be rubbing off on me because my eyes started to sting. Finally, I was able to answer, “I’d be honored, sweetheart.”

“Who else is here?” Mary asked, thankfully changing the subject and giving me a second to get my emotions in check. “Are those all his motorcycles?”

“I guess we weren’t the only ones who decided to get here early before the wedding festivities started.” I said as I looked at the bikes parked in a row near the house. “That bike belongs to Rooster, and the other one is Trout’s. I don’t recognize the black one there, but the silver bagger belongs to Sugar. The ones next to it belong to Chewie and Oz.”

“More new names. All very colorful,” Elizabeth teased. “Does Trout fish a lot? Does Rooster crow at dawn? What about this Chewie guy? Is his best friend named Han?”

I laughed as I shook my head, but before I could answer her, Laura asked, “Does Oz come with Munchkins? I hope so because I loved that movie.”

“Still your favorite out of all the ones I’ve shown you so far?” Elizabeth asked as I parked next to Sugar’s bike. In the last few months as we found our new normal together after everything that had happened that day, Elizabeth had shown me and the girls so many things we’d missed because of our upbringing. Considering that we didn’t have any knowledge of pop culture and things that most people had throughout their lives, the list of movies and television shows she wanted to introduce us to, especially the girls, was very long. We’d had so much time to bond with the girls and watch them learn new things - slang terms, pop culture references, and a newfound sense of humor that they hadn’t had the opportunity to explore yet.

Laura was expounding on the miracle of her favorite old movie when Mary interrupted and said, “I’ll put Charlie’s leash on and take care of him while you two check the horses.”

“Leave him in the truck until I get the all clear from Sugar. He’s got guardian animals, and we’ll need to introduce him to them carefully,” I said as I opened my door.

The truck shifted when the horses in the back moved, and I heard Elizabeth ask, “Does he have a place for them? Did you let him know we were coming?”

I tried my hardest not to throw back a snarky comment but failed as I said, “No, I thought I’d just drop a full-grown mare and a pony at his front door and then take off.”

“Listen, Kevin, I don’t need sass from you when I ask a simple question,” Elizabeth snapped back.

“Aww, look at that. She’s beautiful, and she’s got a mouth on her,” I heard Rooster say from somewhere outside. I looked around and found him and Chewie walking up on Elizabeth’s side of the truck. I heard Mary gasp when she saw her crush. “I’m going to steal her away from you, Dub.”

“Not a chance. I tolerate him, but I’d probably have to kill you,” Elizabeth retorted before she gave our friend a hug. She stuck her hand out and said, “Which magical creature are you?”

Chewie must have understood that she was talking about his road name and threw his head back as he perfectly mimicked the movie character he was named after. Elizabeth and the girls howled with laughter.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chewie. If you can hook me up with Han, I’ll leave this guy in the dust,” Elizabeth said as she pointed at me over her shoulder.

I left Elizabeth with the guys and walked back along the trailer I’d used to transport the horses I had handpicked for Claire and Sweetie, reaching through the window I had open for ventilation to rub the pony’s muzzle as I murmured encouragement to help him through this transition.

“Do you think your friend’s daughter will like me?” Mary asked timidly.

I looked down at my sister, a stunningly beautiful young woman who was still trying to find her footing in the world outside of the one she’d grown up in and smiled. “Honey, you’re smart, funny, and one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. Of course she’s going to like you just like everyone who meets you does.”

“I love you, Dub,” Mary said as she threw her arms around my waist and hugged me. She’d started doing that a few months ago. Elizabeth and Charlotte insisted that it was a good thing she felt comfortable enough to show her emotions now when she hadn’t been able to before.

I hugged her back before I said, “I love you, too, sweetheart. Now, put your chin up and shoulders back. You’re surrounded by friends who will be more like family and come to appreciate you as much as I do.”

“Laura is right, Dub. You’re what a dad is supposed to be.”

“Thank you, baby.”

“Can I call you Dad too?”

I hugged her again and held on tightly this time as I choked back tears. “I’d be honored to call you my daughter, Mary. Completely honored.”

I wiped my eyes and found Elizabeth smiling at us from the end of the trailer. Her eyes lit up when Mary said, “I want to call Elizabeth Mom, if that’s okay.”

“I think she’d love that, sweetheart.”

“We’re a family now,” Mary said as she leaned back to smile at me. “I know we were before, but this is different. It’s like what Charlotte and Si have with the boys.”

“Yes, it is. We’re most definitely a family.”

◆◆◆

“It looks like you’ve found your happy place, my friend,” Sugar said as he walked up beside me and rested his arms on the fence rail so he could watch the girls interact with the horses.

Mary and Laura were comfortable with the horses we’d brought to Sugar’s girls because they’d been instrumental in helping me train them. I was happy to see that Mary was patiently giving Sweetie instructions on how to hold her hand as she fed her pony the treats I’d given her and watched as Claire smiled at her and then asked for advice on how to interact with her own horse.

“I’ve got it all,” I answered. I thought about it for a second before I said, “And if we’re lucky, we might have more soon.”

“Is that so?”

“We’re trying for a baby. Originally, we planned to wait until after the wedding, but neither of us is getting any younger, so we decided to let fate decide.”

“That’s what me and June Bug are doing, and let me just say, I enjoy every opportunity to give fate a helping hand.”

I laughed and agreed, “I do too. Who’d have thought all those years ago when we met that we’d be standing here watching our kids talk while our old ladies are off somewhere plotting our futures and getting ready to drag us down the aisle?”

“I sure as hell never imagined life would ever be this good. Did you?”

“Hell, no. I thought I’d probably die alone as that old man who bitches at random strangers for taking his parking space and yells at the neighbors for playing their music too loud.”

“Be honest. You do all of that except you’ve got your girl by your side.”

“Actually, Elizabeth is the one who plays her music at top volume, and I can’t even begin to explain how much that irritates me.”

“Yeah, but you love her so you keep your mouth shut,” Sugar guessed.

“I’m learning to.”

“Every day with my girls is a learning experience.”

“Isn’t it, though?” I grumbled.

“Yeah, but you’ve gotta admit - they keep you on your toes and you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Are you ready for married life, my friend?”

“It’s an adventure I’m wholeheartedly looking forward to. What about you? Are you ready to dive in?”

“I can’t wait. We’re planning to have the wedding at the house. You’ll bring the girls with you when you come?”

“Who says I’m gonna come to your wedding? You know I don’t like to leave my mountain.”

“You better be there. I expect to have you standing next to me when I say my vows.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

◆◆◆

ELIZABETH

“What are you thinking about right now?” Dub asked before he lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles.

“I was just looking around and thinking how much things have changed. How much I have changed.”

“Since you met me?”

“Well, yes, but I was really thinking about how different I am from the young woman who thought her life would never be normal again.”

“You’d gone through a kind of hell that most people can only imagine. It’s no surprise that you didn’t have any hope.”

“I was terrified of my own shadow and couldn’t imagine being around any man, let alone being in the mountains surrounded by a huge group of them.”

“You’ve met everyone, haven’t you?”

“I’ve met so many people that there’s no way I’ll ever keep their names straight,” I admitted with a laugh. “The fact that their names aren’t like anyone else’s might make it easier, but it’s putting the faces with the names that gets me.”

“Like who?”

I looked around at the people mingling on the grass, some sitting at big round tables laughing and others standing in small groups. I pointed at a huge man who was standing next to a much shorter woman and asked, “What’s that guy’s name?”

“That is Chef. His old lady is Brea.”

“And why is he called Chef? Does he cook?”

“I don’t know how well he cooks food, but he cooked up a poison that killed a house full of drug dealers.”

“Shit!”

I burst out laughing and Dub smiled at me. “You weren’t expecting that, were you?”

“Not at all. What about that couple sitting with Santa and Frankie?”

“That’s Hook. He’s a vet. Paula is his old lady. She grew up with Frankie in New York. Her family is part of the mafia too. As a matter of fact, I believe her son is now the head of a major crime family.”

“No shit?”

“Yep. And that one over there that you recognized earlier? That’s Stamp. His twin sons are mafia dons too. He would have been if he hadn’t gone to prison.”

“And the man that performed the ceremony?”

“That’s Preacher. His old lady is Blue. And, before you ask, I don’t believe he’s ever been an actual preacher, he just tends to go on and on about things that he’s passionate about.”

“Do you think all of them will come to our wedding?”

“I’m sure they will. I’ve already told them all the details and gotten addresses for the formal invites.”

“You’ve changed my life, Dub.”

“I hope it’s for the better,” he said hesitantly.

“It definitely is. You’ve made me a mom to Laura and Mary, and you’re going to make me a mom to another child soon.”

“Speaking of, we haven’t had a chance to shoot our shot today.”

I laughed softly at his analogy and then held his hand tightly before I twisted around on the bench to face him. He was looking at me with a smile when I reached up and touched his cheek before I said, “What would you think about sneaking off into the woods with me and doing that?”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Well, it’s kind of a moot point now, but I think it might be fun.”

“What do you mean?” Dub asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about sneaking away, but I just didn’t think you’d be comfortable with all those trees and . . .”

“I can go anywhere with you because you make me feel safe. But one of those shots you were talking about hit the mark, so whatever we do in the forest here will just be to make a memory, not a baby.”

“Hit the mark? You mean . . .” Dub’s eyes lit up when he figured out what I was trying to tell him, and I gasped when he pulled me into his arms. “Holy shit, Karen!”

“Yep, Kev. You knocked me up. Now, you’ve gotta make an honest woman out of me!”

“I’d do it today if I could, but it doesn’t matter what the law says or what anyone else says. You’re the love of my life, and I’m going to spend the rest of my days making sure you know that.”

“Take me out into the trees and show me how much you love me,” I ordered before I pulled out of his arms and stood up. I held my hand out toward him and smiled when he took it and stood up in front of me.

“I do love you, Elizabeth. More than I ever thought possible. You’re a great mother to the girls, and you’re gonna be a great mother to the baby you’re going to bring into the world.”

“I couldn’t do it without you, sweetheart, and I wouldn’t even want to try.”