Epilogue

Tempe

Three Weeks Later

Austin bounces up and down as much as he can for being strapped into his booster seat. He’s bursting with excitement while Havoc drives us to the clubhouse.

“What are you so excited about?” I squeeze Austin’s knee.

He smiles at me. “It’s a secret.”

I glance over at Havoc, who’s holding back a grin at Austin’s comment. “Why do I feel like the two of you know something I don’t?”

Havoc winks at Austin, both refusing to answer my question, which only confirms something is going on.

Austin turns back to me, smiling and pretending to lock his lips.

He’s as tight-lipped as Jameson was this morning about why he needed us at the clubhouse, and I’m curious what they’re planning.

Whatever it is, I’m not complaining about the excuse to get out of the neighborhood. It feels good to be doing something.

After everything that happened with Dimitri, Austin and I have been spending a lot of time inside the compound gates. I always knew the Twisted Kings attracted danger, but now I realize it’s more complicated than I thought—especially finding out Austin has blood ties to a rival club.

Dimitri might be dead, but the threat will always be there. All I can do is try to protect Austin, hoping he chooses a path that follows the missions of a club like Jameson’s and not that of a club that aims to destroy and hurt women.

I now realize my mom had many secrets and that not all the bad things she did were because she was being hurtful or selfish. Some of her choices were to protect my brother, knowing his father was after him.

She loved a bad man once, and what Dimitri forced her to do wasn’t her fault. She tried to stop him that night, and it changed the course of everything. Her fighting back is the reason I was the one sent to Jameson’s clubhouse.

Mom made a lot of bad decisions, but I’ll always be grateful she unknowingly brought Jameson into my and my brother’s lives. She drove us to a man who will protect us with all he has .

I should probably fear Jameson for what I saw him do to Dimitri at the Iron Sinners’ house. Every violent rumor about his blind vengeance played out in front of me as he made Dimitri pay for what he did to me and Austin. But at the end of the day, Jameson only did it to protect us— his family .

Dimitri might have been Austin’s dad, but he also sacrificed me and my mother—the only people Austin cared about—to get what he needed. Whatever he felt for Austin wasn’t love. The only thing he was loyal to was his club.

He’s as much family as Helix was, maybe even less so. I have no regrets about Austin having to live his life without him.

Someday, I’ll need to talk to Austin about what really happened that night. I’ll have to tell him about his father and the terrible things he wanted to do. For now, Austin needs to heal, especially with his nightmares getting worse. Just because he doesn’t know the truth doesn’t mean he isn’t battling the memories.

Jameson found a therapist to come to the compound and meet with Austin a couple of times a week. Now all we can do is be here to support him and love him while he heals.

While we all heal.

I’ve been quietly battling my own trauma from that night. Overwhelmed with guilt about the fact that I’m the one who led Jameson into his enemy’s trap. Jameson swears it’s not my fault, but I played a part, nonetheless .

I’ve tried keeping busy to take my mind off it, but it hasn’t worked out well.

My first shift back at Dirty Drakes ended with me hiding behind the bar when someone dropped a glass on the floor, and I haven’t been back since.

For now, I’m going to focus on my degree. And when I’m in a better place mentally, I might find a quiet job at a physical therapy office. A place I can help people.

In the meantime, I’m helping my brother adjust to this new life. We’re reestablishing a routine while we grieve our losses and move forward. And when Jameson isn’t with his club, he’s there with us, helping us see it through.

Havoc rolls the truck to a stop, and Austin jumps out of his seat the moment I undo the buckle. He climbs over me and hops out, jumping up and down with excitement. Soul gives him a high five when he reaches the top of the steps to the clubhouse, and I have to rush to catch up to him.

“Hand.” I slip mine into his when I come to a stop beside him.

Jameson has enforced stricter rules for the clubhouse during the day, so Austin and Bea can come and go freely without the risk of walking in on anything. But I still don’t like Austin wandering the clubhouse unattended. In the event someone decides to rebel, I’d rather not have to explain it to a four-year-old.

Austin holds my hand as we make our way inside.

It’s late April and already warm. A week ago, the club switched from fans in the clubhouse to air conditioners. I can only imagine how expensive that is, given the size of this place.

Havoc leads us to a back room at the clubhouse. It’s a lot like the bar up front but smaller, and not open to outsiders when they throw parties. There are three pool tables in the center and four dartboards along one wall. A small bar sits off to one side, and a few of the guys are milling around.

“Steel, your old lady’s here,” Havoc calls out to him when we walk into the room.

Jameson turns around, and Austin immediately runs across the space to jump into his arms.

“Big man.” Jameson lifts him up, setting him on his knee.

He’s sitting at the bar talking to Chaos. And when he catches sight of me, he winks.

Chaos doesn’t offer as friendly of a welcome. He has his back to the bar, and Wren, one of the patch bunnies, is standing between his legs, whispering something to him. She giggles, licking the side of his neck as he takes a sip of his drink, watching me walk over.

Unlike the rest of the Twisted Kings members, he hasn’t been as welcoming.

He rarely acknowledges my presence, and even if he’s not rude, his glares prove he’s only holding his tongue out of respect for Jameson. It’s clear he’s not as supportive as the rest of the men that Jameson claimed me as his old lady.

Jameson says it’s because Chaos was behind bars when it all happened and that he’s still adjusting to being out. But as Chaos’s dark gaze narrows, I get a feeling there’s more to it.

“You look beautiful, wildfire.” Jameson catches me when I stop beside him, pulling me in for a kiss.

“Eww.” Austin wiggles out of Jameson’s lap, skulking toward Havoc to get away from us, and Jameson laughs.

He slides off his barstool and snags my hand. “Come with me for a second?”

“Okay…” Once more, that tension I’ve felt all morning stirs, and I wonder what they’re all up to.

Jameson glances at Havoc.

“I’ve got him.” Havoc pats Austin on the head. “We’re gonna shoot some darts.”

“Please be safe. Aim at the dartboard.”

The guys chuckle, and I know I’m being overprotective. But I can’t help it after everything that’s happened.

Jameson tugs my hand, guiding me toward his room at the clubhouse. It’s rare that we stay here, but sometimes, it’s our getaway when Pearl offers to take Austin for the night.

“Didn’t get enough of that this morning?” I smile as he guides me into the room and kicks the door shut.

“I could never get enough of you.” He grabs my ass and tugs my body to his, planting a kiss on my lips. “But that’s not what we’re doing here.”

I pull back, and that’s when I take in the room around me. The shades are pulled shut to keep out the heat, but the darkness is warmed with a candlelit glow. Rose petals scatter the floor and bed.

“What is this?” My smile grows as I look around .

Jameson steps back, holding both my hands in his. “It’s where we met.”

“You mean where I tried to kick your ass?” I correct him, and he laughs.

“Exactly. And that’s why you’re my wildfire.” He grins. “So, this felt fitting.”

“For what?”

Jameson leans in and plants a kiss on the center of my forehead. “To ask you a question.”

He looks down, and I’m lost in his gaze. In the intensity of his focus on me. It’s like he hasn’t taken his eyes off me since the first time we locked gazes across the bar.

My stormy ocean I’ll forever be lost in.

“I was going to do this weeks ago, but with everything that happened, I wanted to make sure you knew what you were signing up for when I asked you this.” Jameson cups my jaw. “I’d like to say that’s the last time we’ll ever see anything like we did, but I can’t. And I hate it, but it’s the truth. If I were smart, I’d let you go, but I’m too selfish to do that.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.” I rest my hand on his jaw, brushing my fingers over the scruff. “Besides, that would be too simple. If you did that, you wouldn’t be the man I fell in love with.”

He smirks. “I don’t make this easy, do I?”

“I don’t need this to be easy. Hard I can handle if it means having this. All I need is you.” I cup his jaw. “All we need is you.”

“Good.” Jameson sinks to his knee in front of me, pulling a ring out of his back pocket. “In that case, you need to know you’re all I need to. You and Austin are my whole world. The air in my lungs. My heart learned to beat when I met you, and losing you would stop it. Tempe Madeline Evans, please say you’ll marry me.”

My hands fly to my mouth as I look down at him. Tears spring to my eyes as my fingers shake.

“You want me to marry you?”

It’s one thing for him to claim me as his old lady, but this would be on paper. Legal . Something I know most of the guys in the club resist for that very reason.

Jameson nods. “I want you to be mine in every sense of the word. As my old lady. As my wife. I want you to be mine without question.”

“Well… when the president gets on his knees, how can a girl say no?” I smile, and he kisses the back of my hand. “Of course I’ll marry you, Jameson.”

He stands up and pulls me in for a kiss before even placing the ring on my finger. My body melts to his. I grab his cut and hold him close.

Leather. Cinnamon.

A man strong enough to fight the beasts I had guarding my heart.

“How long can Havoc keep Austin busy?” I skate my hands down and grab onto his belt, but Jameson grabs my wrists, stopping me.

“Sorry, wildfire. We’ve got one more surprise.”

“This is more than enough,” I say, wiggling my fingers to show off the ring.

Jameson shakes his head. “This one’s not for you. ”

I groan but don’t argue as he leads me back out of the room toward the bar, where Austin and Havoc are shooting darts. Havoc is clearly winning, but Austin is smiling, not caring.

“Hey, Havoc,” Jameson shouts. “I think I promised someone something if they helped me change the oil on the bike last week, didn’t I?”

Havoc grins, looking from Jameson to Austin. “I think you did.”

Austin’s attention snaps in Jameson’s direction. “A bike?”

Jameson chuckles. “Come on, big man. Let’s take a trip out back.”

Austin nearly runs to the back slider as Jameson follows him into the backyard.

Jameson presses a kiss to my forehead, letting go of my hand to walk over to a bike sitting in the center. It’s painted black and silver, just like Jameson’s motorcycle. But thankfully, this one doesn’t have an engine.

“It looks fast.” Austin runs circles around it, inspecting every detail. “How fast is it?”

“Guess we’ll have to find out.” Jameson holds it up so Austin can climb onto the seat.

His toes rest on either side, and he’s grinning.

“Not too fast,” I remind them, and Austin frowns.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got him.” Jameson winks at me, and it flutters to my core.

To my heart.

Because I know in my soul he’s telling the truth. He’s got him—he’s got us. We’re safe, and we’re home.