Epilogue

Geek

Ten months later

S ITTING IN THE nursery , I have our son Zayne in my arms as his brothers sleep peacefully in their cribs. Zayne is a night owl and tends to stay awake later than Bishop and Korbin. Yes, our girl gave us triplet sons. Bishop and Korbin are identical and Zayne was actually hidden until Alana went into labor. We got the surprise of our lives when the first two were pulled out and then Dr. Craven announced the birth of our third son. I almost passed out right there in the operating room where Alana was having her cesarean section done. The boys were bigger than Dr. Craven thought they’d be and one of them started to go into distress during Alana’s labor. So, with the help of Dr. Craven, we made the decision to deliver them as safely as possible. That meant surgery for our girl to help her and the boys. Now, we’re a family of six and the boys have everyone in our families wrapped around their fingers. Everyone spoils them so much already and we always have more help than we’ll ever need.

Alana had a pretty easy pregnancy once she was taken off bed rest. Her morning sickness never got too bad and her biggest complaint was the amount of weight she was gaining. We thought during the first few months of her pregnancy that she was having twins but an ultrasound confirmed our suspicions. Alana was bigger than normal and that was the only reason that made sense to us. Plus, she was so much hungrier than we’d ever seen her and was constantly munching on food or snacking at all hours of the day and night. During the months leading up to the birth, Dr. Craven did multiple ultrasounds just to keep an eye on things after the hell Alana went through. Every single one never showed Zayne so we were all shocked in the operating room. Especially Dr. Craven.

“Zayne, we gotta figure out a way to get you on a better sleep schedule. We all love spendin’ time with you at night, but we all also need some sleep, Little Man. How about I tell you a story. We always talk late at night with you. Once upon a time there was a girl who liked to cause problems for your Mama. The day we found your mom after she was taken from us, your aunt, great aunt, Mimi, and granny beat the absolute hell out of her. Your great aunt landed the kill shot without hesitation and made sure this woman could no longer hurt your Mama. It was a day of celebration for the entire club because an entire chapter was ended. Plus, we moved forward with the changes we made the decision to put in place when it comes to the Phantom girls. We don’t ever take kindly to your mom bein’ hurt for any reason. It’s somethin’ we’ll teach you boys over the years. Always protect those you love and make sure the females in your life are safe and happy at all costs. Make sure any female you come across isn’t bein’ hurt for no reason. Especially if it’s a man who thinks he can hurt her.

“Shortly after you mom got taken off of bed rest when the three of you were in her belly, Daddy and I claimed her as our ol’ lady and proposed to her. You’ll learn all about claimin’ your woman when you get older if you choose to join the club. The day we got married will be a memory that lives in my mind for the rest of my life. Your mama looked so fuckin’ beautiful in her white dress with her hair in curls as it flowed around her face and down her back. We decided to have a small ceremony here at the clubhouse with the club and our family members. The rest of the clubs and our friends showed up for the reception and to celebrate all of us. It was a great night but your mama tried to push herself and do too much as usual. Still, it was perfect and for once, she wasn’t the one behind the camera lens since we hired a photographer to come in and do the pictures for us. It was the best day of our lives tied with the day you and your brothers were born.

“Since the day you three came into our lives, we’ve learned to adapt and have been more focused on bein’ here for you three. Daddy and I quickly learned to balance work, club business, and bein’ here with all of you. Bein’ with your mama is the most important part of our day because she brings us a sense of calm and peace we don’t find anywhere else. When you find that in a woman, Zayne, don’t let her go. If you can find a woman who makes your life easier and brighter, that means you’ve found your person. Daddy and I found our person when we were young and didn’t have the first clue what we were feelin’. As we got older, we realized we were slowly fallin’ in love with your mama every single time we saw her. Still, we didn’t do anythin’ about it because we wanted her to live life and have no regrets when we finally made our move.

“Our relationship might not be conventional or what you’ll see from most other families around us, but that’s okay. We don’t judge anyone for who they love or what kind of relationship they chose to have as long as they aren’t hurtin’ others around them. You’ll soon learn that we’re not the only group where three people are in a relationship as you get older. Honestly, I kind of think it’s easier. If I can’t be here to help your mama through somethin’, I know Daddy will be. The same can be said if he’s not here and I am. We work as a unit and have ensured your mom feels all the love we have for her on a daily basis. The same we’ll do for you guys. No matter what you need, we’ll always be here for you.

“Everythin’ with the club has calmed down and we really haven’t had any issues movin’ forward. For the first time in a very long time, your mama can leave the compound without havin’ a panic attack and she loves to take you boys shoppin’ with her and to a park to watch the other kids play and race around until you can join them. When we’re on the compound, you’re all surrounded by your cousins and loved ones from the second we step foot in the clubhouse until we leave to come home each day. We’ve learned to rely on the help of everyone here because we still need help if there’s only one or two of us here.

“The only time your mama leaves you is when she’s out for a photo shoot. She loves to capture memories with pictures and has turned her love for that into a thrivin’ business. It’s gotten to the point she actually has to turn people away because she’s so busy and doesn’t want to be away from the house and not be able to spend any time with you. The three of you fill her heart in ways your Daddy and I can’t. However, between the five of us, we’ve finished healin’ your mama and filled her with the same sense of peace and a calmness that she’s given to us for so long now,” I tell Zayne as his little eyes flutter closed and he has no clue what the hell I’m even saying to him.

For me, it’s a chance to work through our past and the shit we’ve been through. After learning she did in fact kill Terrence, Alana didn’t have any nightmares or break down like we thought she might. She did talk to Debbie about it and learned to deal with any kind of guilt she might feel in the best way possible. That guilt never came though. Alana knew if she didn’t kill Terrence he never would’ve left her alone and she would have been looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life. Plus, if he did manage to stop being obsessed with her, we all knew he’d just turn his focus on someone else and would hurt another woman until someone eventually took him out. Knowing this deep in her heart, Alana has slept peacefully each night and all thoughts of the monster who hurt her for so long have vanished.

As I sit in the rocking chair in the nursery watching Zayne as he finally starts to fall asleep, my head snaps up when I hear Bishop and Korbin start to stir in their cribs. Each of our sons has his own crib with his name on the wall above it. Pops brought down three custom cribs with toy boxes for each of the boys. Bailey gave them the outfits Ma started so long ago. Alana cried tears of happiness when she opened the boxes from her aunt and couldn’t dress our boys fast enough in their little jeans, white onesie with the club’s colors on them, and their little jackets that look like our cuts. Instead of the Wild Kings colors, Bailey brought us ones with the Phantom Bastards on them. So fucking cute! Alana took the outfits off of them that night and put them up in a box for each of them. She plans on keeping special things for them to have when they’re old enough to leave home.

Kaden and Alana enter the nursery before the boys can fully wake up. With the baby monitor in our room, the second any of the boys starts to even whimper, Alana is up and racing in here to check on her babies. No matter what we said to her, we couldn’t get her to stop so we just accept it and let her check on her boys when she hears them. It didn’t take us long to get into a routine of changing and feeding them before putting them back to sleep. If we’re all home and each of us take care of one of the babies, we can get them fed, changed, and back asleep sooner than if one or two of us are doing it. Alana pumps so Kaden and I have bottles and can bond with our boys while she nurses one of them. Zayne is the only one who doesn’t always go back to sleep at night. Like I said, he’s our night owl and prefers to be up at night instead of sleeping. Still, he gets up with his brothers in the morning.

“He wouldn’t sleep again?” Alana asks, her voice a soft whisper as she lifts Korbin from his crib and changes his diaper before joining me in the rocking chairs. Yes, we have three of everything in the nursery.

“No. He’s just startin’ to sleep now. His brothers aren’t even wakin’ him up tonight,” I answer her as I continue to rock our boy.

I watch as she nurses Korbin while Kaden changes Bishop’s diaper before grabbing a bottle from the mini refrigerator in here and puts it in the bottle warmer for him. When the bottle is ready, he joins us in the last rocking chair and starts to feed our last son. Korbin and Bishop eat like champs as normal and burp when they need to. It doesn’t take very long for them to fall back asleep. Unlike most nights none of us are quick to put them to bed tonight.

“Are you both happy?” Alana asks us as she stares down at Korbin in her arms with a smile on her face.

“Of course we are, Tink. Why would you ask us that?” Kaden questions her, his voice soft and gentle so we don’t wake the boys up.

“I just want to make sure that you’re both happy and I’m spending enough time with each of you. If at any time you’re not happy or feel as if I’m spending more time with the other one, you need to tell me. If I have to, I’ll walk away and remain here in Pine View so you can see the boys whenever you want,” she says, surprising my best friend and me as we look over her head at one another before I use a finger to turn her head so she’s looking at me.

“Sweet Angel, if we weren’t happy with anythin’, you’d be the first one to know. However, that doesn’t mean you get to step away in order to make us happy. We’ve been fallin’ in love with you since we were still boys who didn’t know what the fuck we were feelin’. If that was gonna fade into nothin’, it would’ve happened long before now. I am in love with you and will never let you go. Are you happy with us? Are we not doin’ somethin’ right?” I question her, wondering where this is coming from because Alana hasn’t given us any indication she’s been having these kinds of thoughts.

“I’ve never been happier in my life. I’m so in love with the two of you and love our family. I just want to make sure that no one is unhappy,” she says, yawning and trying to hide it as Kaden turns her face so she’s looking at him.

“Like Colton said, we fuckin’ love you and there will never be anyone else for us, Tink. You were made for us the way that we were made for you. We’ve gone through the hardest times in your life with you and will continue to be there no matter what’s goin’ on. At the end of the day, I want to walk in this house that you’ve made a home and pull you into my arms while kissin’ you senseless. I want to watch our boys grow up and build memories in our home as they become independent and follow their dreams. Every fuckin’ night I want to climb into bed with you and hold you in my arms as you fall asleep and know if you happen to have a nightmare we’ll chase it away. I love watchin’ you with Colton and knowin’ you give him the same thing you give me every fuckin’ day. I love you, Tink, and that will never go away or change,” Kaden says, standing up from his rocking chair and placing Bishop back in his crib, making sure he’s covered up before taking Korbin from Alana’s arms and repeating the process with him.

Getting out of my chair, I put Zayne in bed and cover him up, watching him for a minute to make sure he doesn’t wake back up again. When he doesn’t stir, I follow my best friend and our wife from the nursery and enter our bedroom once again. Alana’s body has changed since she gave birth. She’s softer and fuller than before and it only makes her sexier in our eyes as I watch Kaden strip her out of her nursing gown and tossing it to the floor next to the bed. After removing my sweatpants, I slide in behind them and pepper kisses up and down Alana’s spine, paying attention to her neck after sliding her hair to the side.

The rest of the night when we should be sleeping while the boys do, Kaden and I worship Alana’s body and show her how much we love her. She returns the favor and doesn’t let us do all the work, not that that’s ever been her style. By the time we’re ready to collapse in an exhausted heap, a soft whimper sounds over the baby monitor and we know it’s time to get up and take care of our boys once again. This is our life and I couldn’t be happier with how things turned out than I am every single day I wake up with Alana in my arms and get to see our boys. They’ve already changed so much from the day they were born and it’s an amazing sight to witness and know you’re a part of those changes. It’s a truly humbling thought to realize you’re responsible for a tiny human that depends on you for everything. Thankfully, Alana chose us and we get to live our dream with the best woman and mom in the world.