Colson (The Henchmen MC 20)

The two of them had become fast friends, often ganging up on me or Jacob—or the both of us. I would come home from the clubhouse to find them cuddled up on the couch watching Jelly's cheesy teen romance shows or movies, eating ice cream out of the tub, or to both of them slaving over an intricate dinner in the kitchen, or spending time with Maeve or doing some little DIY house project to get Eva's place spruced up for the eventual sale.

Eva was who Jelly ran to when her first serious crush dashed her hopes and dreams for a happily-ever-after, crying loudly into her arms as Eva tried her best to convince Jelena that this only left room for an epic love story later in life, and that Devon was probably going to lose all his hair and get a beer belly anyway after college, so she was better off anyway.

I was pretty sure Jelena was waiting for us to officially marry before she started using the "M-word," but I knew it was coming.

As for Jacob, I wasn't his father. I knew the D-word was saved for Rob. And that was okay by me. I was Colson. Sometimes, I was "old man" or "dude" or even, once in a blue moon, "Pops."

I was happy with that.

I knew my role in his life.

And it was an important one.

Even if the label was different.

"Okay. Let's get on with it," Eva said, smiling at me. "I hear there is going to be cake after," she added, wiggling her eyebrows.

So we moved inside, ready for a small, intimate wedding.

Or so we thought.

"Did you really think you were going to get away with it?" Gus asked, shaking her head, clucking her tongue. "We want to see this too."

"We?" I repeated, brow raising, already having a feeling.

"Let's just say, the people here aren't too happy about the crowd we have assembled," Gus said, shrugging. "Come on. Let's get you two cool cats married. Don't worry, West paid off all the people ahead of you, so you can do it today. He's a keeper, that one."

"Gus!" Eva said, mouth falling open.

"What? Oh, shush. They were happy to have the money. They will all get a nice honeymoon with it. Come on. I have a speech prepared and everything."

"Should we be scared?" I asked, wrapping an arm around Eva, falling in step behind Gus.

"Well, it's Gus," Eva said, shrugging. "So, probably."

The whole club didn't show up. There wouldn't have been room. But Gus and West and a few of the others—including Lo, who could never resist a wedding—and Reign, whose disappearance had been a major factor in our relationship, were there.

Jelena had also texted Freddie who gathered up Thad, and come to be witness to our big day as well.

Gus's speech, as predicted, was wildly inappropriate, making Eva put her hands over Jelly's ears more than once, and having Jacob's cheeks going a bit red.

But then things turned more serious as I stood up there with my woman—the woman I never thought I would have in my life—and giving her my future, accepting hers, with our kids standing there as witness, Jelena openly weeping, Jacob casually brushing a manly tear away.

It was one of the highest moments of my life.

Behind Jelena being born.

And Eva telling me she loved me.

"Okay, now that is done," Eva said afterward, wiping the stray tears clinging to her eyelashes away. "Let's go eat some cake!"Eva - 13 yearsThe house was strangely quiet these days.

No more Jelena and Jacob arguing over whose turn it was to use the basement gym or what music artist was great or not.

I was pretty sure no one stepped foot in that basement since Jelena went off to college several years before. I still preferred getting my workout in the old-fashioned way.

There was no Gus hanging around or, later, the live-in nurse we'd hired toward the end of my mother's disease and life.

That absence was a pang that never went away, a wound that hadn't healed right.

"What's wrong?" Colson asked, coming up behind me at the French doors as I stared out into our yard, the bright red, orange, and yellow leaves falling from the trees.

"It's so quiet," I told him.

"Hmm," he said, leaning down, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck. "We could do something about that," he suggested, arms going around me, hands settling at my waist as the warmth spread through me. "We haven't worked out yet today," he added, his cock pressing into my ass.

"This is true. And I did eat half a box of brownies last night."

"I really care about your health, you know," he agreed, his hand moving upward, slipping under the waistband of my pants and panties, finding my clit.

I had to say, that was one definite perk to having an empty nest.