Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“It’ll be cute the entire time. You’re beautiful pregnant.”
He kisses me, long and deep, then leads me toward the reception—an elegant room in a seaside hotel. Inside, chandeliers swing above a dance floor dotted with miniature bike centrepieces. Rough metal meets delicate crystal, just like my parents: steel and lace, rebel and princess. When Bill raises his glass with a booming “To Chief and his Angel!” the room shudders with cheers and clinking champagne.
Slow music drifts through the air. I lean against the balcony railing, watching my parents’ first dance. Their silhouettes sway under the glittering lights, and joy blooms in my chest so fully it aches. Travis finds me and takes my hand, guiding me down. Reagan and Harley slip in beside us, but not before Reagan tells me just how beautiful my mother is as a bride.
She’s not wrong.
Travis pulls me into him, and we move slowly to the music. “You make a man real proud to call you his own.”
“Right back at you,” I murmur, pressing my cheek to his chest.
We dance like that for a long time, until a warm, rugged voice comes from behind us. “May I cut in?”
Turning, I see Chief standing behind us, a proud expression on his face.
“Always,” Travis nods and then, remarkably, he asks Jasmine for the next dance.
My heart swells as I watch them glide away. Chief draws me close, and we begin our dance.
“You looked real beautiful today, kid,” he murmurs.
“You too, old man,” I reply, grinning up at him. “Feel like the happy ending you always wanted?”
He bows his head, a silent laugh in his throat. “Never thought I’d see it, but yeah. Now we just have to find yours.”
I smile up at him. “It’s coming.”
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I don’t say it much, but I love you, Mischief. You make me proud.”
“Don’t let Jazzy hear you,” I tease.
He laughs, “Don’t worry, I told her the same thing.”
I lift my eyes and see Jasmine smiling at us. Chief and I finish the dance and then we all make our way to our spots for dinner. As I settle back at the table, I wonder, is my own happily ever after just beyond the next dance?
God, I hope so.
22
“I would like to make an announcement,” Chief says, rising to his full six-foot frame.
The murmur of voices and clinking glasses falls silent. We are sitting at the club, a few weeks later, enjoying a cookout when Chief decides to get up and speak. I have no idea what announcement he is about to make, but if he says my mother is pregnant, I may actually leave and never look back.
“My entire life has been this club,” he continues, voice steady. “Since I was a boy, I’ve worn this patch like a second skin. But everything changed when I lost the woman I loved—and nearly lost my little girl.” He glances at me, and my heart clenches. “My brothers on two wheels have always been my family. But my girls... my girls are my everything. So today, with all the fuckin’ happiness I can handle in my heart, I’m stepping down as President.”
A collective gasp ripples through the crowd. The fading sunset casts long shadows over scuffed Levi’s and battered leather vests. Chief holds out his hand. “Bill—come on up, brother.”
Bill, his square jaw slack with surprise, walks over to Chief. He steps forward, and Chief clasps his hand in a firm grip before pulling him into a bear hug. “This man has stood by me since day one,” Chief says, voice thick. “Nobody deserves this club more than he does.”
Bill chuckles, eyes bright. “Well fuck, brother, a warning would have been nice,” he says, slapping Chief’s broad back.
A roar of approval rises from the brothers. I catch Mom’s gaze, tears glistening in her eyes. I know what’s running through her mind—her entire life devoted to Chief and me, yet today someone finally sacrifices for her.
“To Chief!” Bill calls, lifting a chipped glass of amber whiskey.
“And to new beginnings!” Chief hollers, nodding at Travis, who stands near the roaring fire pit. Travis raises his own glass and gives a proud nod in return.
Glasses clink and voices rumble through the night. Chief steps down, weaving through all the handshakes and back slaps until he reaches my mom. He cups her face in rough, gentle hands, leaning in to kiss her with a fierce tenderness. “I should have let go back then,” he murmurs against her lips, “but you are my soul, Angel.”
Well fuck, the man knows how to use his words.
I swallow hard, my chest swelling with pride for the moment they have both been waiting for, for a damn long time. A cool hand brushes mine. I turn to see Travis behind me, silent invitation in his dark eyes. I don’t ask, I just turn and follow him away from the clubhouse. He leads me into the garden, where my mom has already put up Christmas lights.