And I do… Just like I’m going to wear this cut proudly.
I’m finally home. It’s different, but Skull is right.
It is as it should be.
Hayden
“Home sweet home,” Michael exhales as the kids run toward the house, Connor carrying the house key he bummed off his dad.
I lean into my husband as we look at the house we built, the large garage where he works, the wide-open fields, our greenhouse and the garden, which come spring will be bursting with new life and food that we planted. In the distance, you can see the pond and hear the ducks and the beginnings of the barn that Michael started before cold weather set in. To me, it is complete beauty. It is home. I would have been happy in Kentucky, but this place does feel like where my family and I belong.
“Do you have regrets?” I ask him. I haven’t seen any, but I can’t help but worry—just the same.
“Not a one. I’m actually looking forward to the challenge. This chapter of the Devil’s Blaze will be small, but it will be good to show the world the unity and heart behind a good club,” he says, and I nod approval. How could I not? After all, if there had been a chapter of the Devil’s Blaze here when I was here the first time, I might not have lived through the hell I did.
Of course if living through that hell brought me the joy of Michael’s love and my life with him and our family, I would endure it all again.
“I love you, Michael.”
“And I love you, Hayden. You’re my heart, my soul and you will always be all of the beauty this world holds,” he says and then he kisses me, all while picking me up and carrying me inside our home.
Our love might be a darker, slightly off kilter version of a fairytale, but it’s a fairytale and Beast is every inch of a prince… a dirty prince, but a prince just the same.
Epilogue
Beast
“One last push, Beauty, you have this,” I urge her, our hands joined. She’s been in labor for over twenty-four hours now. Axel is determined to punish his mother—and me since I have to watch her in pain—before he makes his appearance.
“Oh God, I feel it coming,” she cries, her hand tightening on mine.
“Okay, Hayden, it’s time to push,” her doctor orders.
Hayden lets out a cry that bounces off the walls in the room.
“We’re never having another child, Michael!” she screams and right now I’m in total agreement with her.
Except the next moment is different. Because Hayden is no longer yelling, but the sound of our son crying rings out.
My hand trembles as I slide my hand against the side of Hayden’s face, kissing her forehead.
“Can you see him?” she asks excitedly, all signs of the earlier pain gone.
“Does Daddy want to cut the cord?” the doctor asks.
I grunt and I hear Hayden’s laugh, it’s tired and weak, but I love hearing it.
“He’s not really the type to do that,” Hayden explains, and I don’t say anything, I just agree silently. I’ll change dirty diapers all day long, every day—but I’m not touching anything that might hurt him or my woman. It’s not happening.
It takes them a bit to get everything done. I can’t say how long, but I sat and held Hayden’s hand the entire time. Eventually, we’re alone in the room, my beautiful woman feeding our child. I watch as he suckles on her breast and a feeling of rightness sweeps through me.
It’s been almost two months since we got back from Kentucky and I worried I made the wrong decision, but now I’m positive. Leaving Kentucky wasn’t easy, but I still have my family—in fact, Skull, Beth, Torch and Katie are outside—having come in just to be here for Axel’s birth. They can be here in a little over six hours, and I know my brothers will make it even sooner if I need them. I took two days to get to Kentucky with Hayden and the boys, but that was me picking up on her nervousness and wanting to give her time.
I’ve started the beginnings of Devil’s Blaze MC—North Carolina Chapter. I asked the guys I get to help me in the garage that I trusted to be my main officers and once Skull met with them, I went ahead with finding a clubhouse. It will take a bit and we’ll always be a smaller chapter, but it feels good. I had an emptiness in my life that my club once filled. This way, I get the best of both worlds. Even Skull is liking the idea more and more. He has the name of a couple of men about to get out of the military in my region and he thinks they would be a good fit. I’m supposed to talk with them in a couple of weeks. Skull joked and told Dragon he was going to make the Devil’s Blaze bigger than the Savage chapters. He’s not going to, but he and Dragon love to irritate one another—usually on a daily basis.