Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Adam

Christmas

Something smelled really good.

I turned over, expecting to find my wife's warm, soft body, but instead found the space beside me empty. Cold. Like she'd been up for a long time.

Dammit.

I reached for my phone, shaking my head when I saw that it was only eight thirty.

We'd agreed that she wouldn't do all the work for Christmas.

Juliet and the boys' wives and girlfriends would help.

She'd had that mini-stroke just a few weeks ago.

I got up and made short work of using the bathroom and freshening up, pulling on shorts and a T-shirt.

The sound of laughter greeted me, and I paused outside the kitchen, listening.

"…frosting all over you!" Juliet was saying. "Knock it off."

"But it's so good." The voice belonged to Tony's wife, Desi.

"It'll spoil your breakfast!" That was Maria.

"It's Christmas ." Diana was Robbie's wife. "Let her enjoy."

"Hey!" Juliet laughed again, and it sounded like someone got swatted with a towel.

"Ow!" Desi yelped.

"The quiche!" Maria shrieked.

More laughter.

I stood against the wall just around the corner from the kitchen, listening to the laughter. The love. The camaraderie of family.

"Pretty cool, right?" Vaughn's voice startled me, so I could only nod.

"It's a little hard to believe this is my life."

"Our life." He put a hand on my shoulder. "We're family, Dad. This is our family."

Were those tears in my eyes?

What the fuck.

Bikers didn't cry.

Except I wasn't a biker anymore.

I'd spent almost everything I had to leave that life so I could be a new man.

A better man.

Apparently, a man who cried.

I swiped at my eyes. "Yeah."

I cleared my throat.

"It's okay to care. It's okay to enjoy this incredible new family we found. I feel the same way. I love my wife, but being part of her big, crazy family is a bonus I never dreamed of. Brothers. Sisters. Nieces and nephews. It's so fucking cool."

"Your mom would have loved this," I said quietly.

"Yeah." He nodded, his eyes suddenly a little misty too. "I think about her a lot."

"I…" I grimace. "I haven't thought about her as much lately. I'm sorry. I?—"

"Don't apologize." He shook his head. "Maria's your wife now. She's who you should be thinking about. I know you loved Mom. She loved you too. But now you have Maria. And I love both of you."

Fuck, I was going to bawl like a baby if he kept this up.

"I love you, too, son." I hugged him tightly. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." He paused, pulling something out of his pocket. "So, I got these in the mail yesterday." He proffered a couple of envelopes.

"The stock money?" I asked, my eyes widening. "Is it a lot?"

"I didn't open them, but yes, it's supposed to be a lot. We saw the pre-tax numbers so we already knew that."

"I wasn't sure. I've never cashed out stock before."

"You invested wisely, Dad." He smiled. "Now go give your wife her Christmas present."

I snickered. "She got that last night."

He rolled his eyes. "Jesus. Did you have to say that?"

"Well, yeah." With a laugh, I ambled into the kitchen. "Merry Christmas, everyone!"

Maria

My husband was gorgeous.

Even wearing nothing but cotton shorts and a Nickelback T-shirt, he looked amazing.

Almost as good as he looked in a suit.

Or naked.

I really liked how he looked naked.

"Good morning." I leaned up to kiss him. "Why do you look like the cat who swallowed the canary?"

"I have something to show you," he replied. "Can you escape for a minute?"

"Ewww," Diana groaned. "We don't need to hear that."

He pretended to give her a stern look. "Get your mind out of the gutter, young lady! It's Christmas."

Desi laughed as Diana held her hands over her ears, muttering, "La la la."

"Is sex all they think about?" Adam demanded.

I threw a towel at Desi. "Probably."

He took my hand and led me back to our bedroom.

"You aren't really going to do what she thinks you're going to do?" I asked, though I'd be all in if he wanted a Christmas morning quickie.

"You've got a dirty mind too," he said, closing the door behind us. "Anyway. This is for you. For us." He handed me some unopened envelopes.

"What are these, Adam?"

"Open them."

I opened the first one and there was a check inside.

A very large check.

Six figures large.

"Where did you…" My voice trailed and worry momentarily washed over me. "What did you do?"

"Remember I told you I had some investments the club didn't know about? I sold the stock. All of it."

"How many…" I opened the second envelope to find an even bigger check. "Adam!"

"How much?" he asked when all three envelopes were open.

"Just over a million," I whispered. "What did you…I mean, what do you want to do with it?"

"Whatever the fuck you want."

"Oh. No." I shook my head. "I don't want this! I don't need money from you."

"Of course not. But this is my contribution to…us. Our life. Our family. Retirement."

"Adam, you should have left them where they were, accumulating wealth. Why did you sell them?"

"Because I'm not great with money. I made a lot of it, took care of my family, and saved quite a bit thinking I might need to buy my way out of the club someday. But in general, I've always lived paycheck to paycheck. I've been better since I got here, but our marriage feels upside down. I want us to be equals. Partners."

"We are. We were before…this." I waved the checks around. "But how about we talk to our financial planner after the new year and figure out the best way to maximize the earnings or residuals from this kind of money?"

"Whatever you think," he said. "It's for you."

"No. Absolutely not." I put the checks down and moved against his chest. "I have more money than I'll ever need. All I need or want is you. That money is for a rainy day. Or all the traveling we want to do. Retirement. College funds for the grandkids. But it's ours. Just like everything I have is now ours. I know you signed that prenup because you wanted to prove something to the kids, and I appreciate it, but this—" I looked to where the checks were on the bed. "Well, it's not necessary."

"Fuck. Have I told you how much I love you, woman?" He dropped his mouth to mine, kissing me hungrily.

"No," I murmured between kisses, "but I like hearing it."

"I think the kids were right," he said, tugging at my shorts.

"About what?" I asked in confusion as he pushed me onto the bed.

"I have something to show you." He dropped his shorts.

A laugh bubbled out of me. "You're a wicked man, Mr. Elliott."

"And you love it, Mrs. Cicero-Elliott." His eyes twinkled with a beautiful combination of amusement and arousal.

"Almost as much as I love you." I stroked my hand along his steely erection.

I loved how this man reacted to me.

How good it was between us.

"Merry Christmas, baby." He whispered the words as he slid inside of me.

" Merry Christmas , Adam."

It really was a wonderful life.