Inked Babies (Inked Brotherhood 6)

And the Lost Boys. I didn’t know for sure that they were coming. I knew they’d been placed with Dakota’s relatives. That due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the case, and the boys’ desire to stay together and close to us, social services agreed to our proposal.

Smiling, I head their way. They clean up well, the boys. Dressed in pressed shirts and dark pants, their hair combed, their faces scrubbed clean, they look good. Nothing like the broken creatures we found in that fucking basement, or even later, at the clinic.

The memory jolts me, but I keep walking, keep my smile on. That’s over. Kenneth Shaw is in jail, waiting for his trial. And these kids will be fine, if I have anything to say about it.

“Hey, man,” their leader of sorts, Quint, greets me and lifts his hand for a high-five.

We do that, bump fists, and I glance at the rest of them. “Glad you made it, boys. Settled in well?”

They all nod, looking uneasy. Well, they hardly know anyone here, although they’ve met the rest of the Brotherhood at least once.

“You’ll be just fine,” I tell them. “You may not realize it yet, but we’re family now. And family means a lot to me. Hell, to all of us here. We’re not leaving you, no matter what, got it? We’re not letting you go unless you want to. You’re part of the fucking Brotherhood.”

Dakota’s aunts are wincing at my choice of words, but the boys are paying attention, and their eyes are bright.

“When I was a kid in foster care, I met a girl. Emma.” I take two steps to stand at their center. “She was a sister to me. She decided she was my family. When she turned eighteen, she got a job, rented an apartment, tracked me down and adopted me legally. She was…” I swallow hard. “She fought for me. She proved to me that DNA doesn’t matter. That becoming a family is a matter of choice. A matter of caring for someone.”

“What happened to her?” the blond boy, Sawyer, asks.

“She died,” I say and my heart thumps hard. “But she gave me a family. She showed me I wasn’t alone. Well, you aren’t alone. Remember that. We’re here, whatever you need, even if it’s just to talk.”

They’re quiet, but I think my words are slowly sinking in.

Then there’s an announcement that we can move to the tents where the tables are set for the wedding dinner.

It was about time. Weddings make me hungry, and I’ve got a speech to make.

***

We’re seated near the end of one of the long tables where the newlyweds are sitting, and it’s damn funny because we’re overtaken by small children. It’s like a daycare center, only with wedding gowns and suits and tiaras, and lots of wine on the table.

It’s a good sight. For instance, Lee is still stuck to Dakota’s nipple. I know how he feels.

Grinning, I stand up and clear my throat.

A hush falls over the tables. Poor people. Did anyone warn them I would be the one talking?

“Evening.” I let my glance pass over the many familiar faces. “I’ll be the one giving the speech tonight, so brace yourselves. I’m not good at this. In fact, I suck, so I hope you’re already drunk off your ass.”

Dakota breathes a horrified, “Zane!” from beside me, but then she laughs.

“Look, I already had the rings, and nobody else volunteered. So don’t blame me. Oh, did I mention I swear a lot? Better cover your children’s ears, because here we go.”

I raise my glass, shove my other hand in my pocket. “Here’s to my friends who got married today. I won’t be telling embarrassing stories from their childhood or more recent times. I’m gonna keep this brief. I just wanna wish them all the best, because they are the best and they deserve all the fucking happiness in the world.”

I take a sip and put the glass down.

“This is a small gathering. I look around and see friends and family. So I think it’s safe to say that I owe you all my life. This has been a fucking bad time of my life, but you never left my side. Never left me behind, never abandoned hope, not even when I did.”

I feel Dakota’s hand slip into mine and I wrap my fingers around hers.

“These past two years have changed our lives around. We were lost and found, we built a family that keeps growing—with the Brotherhood, the Damage Boyz, and now the Lost Boys. We found amazing girls who put up with us, we had beautiful babies. They’re fucking beautiful, guys. Look around you. We’re so damn lucky, all of us. That’s why I’m not gonna tell embarrassing stories about you. Because this isn’t about the past. This is about the future. So let’s eat and drink and have a damn good time. Celebrate all the good things in our lives.”

“Hear, hear!” Rafe calls out and a cheer goes up. “To Zane. Our friend. Our brother.”

I shake my head, a lump forming in my throat as the glasses go up and I see smiling faces and happy eyes all around me. “Not to me, fucker. To all of us. To a damn good ending.”

Yeah, I’ll drink to that.