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“A warrior,” I giggle, then give Shiloh a curious look. “Hold on, what are you doing here?”
“Me? As in, what am I doing here, or what are we doing here?” Shiloh shoots me a cool grin, then pushes the front door wide open to reveal the entire MC present in our house. All twenty of them, clad in jeans and the Steel Knights leather, all laughing and cheering and waiting for us. “We figured you’d appreciate a proper welcoming party after everything you’ve been through,” Shiloh adds.
“I’m going to cry again,” I reply.
Sky laughs, and Shiloh rushes down the steps to hug her brother. “I’m glad everyone made it,” he tells her. “Let me guess, it took some arm twisting, right?”
“And then some,” she groans and rolls her eyes. “But Spike has been very good at enforcing the club rules in your absence. He deserves a raise.”
“That man deserves a raise just for having married you,” Raylan quips.
But Shiloh doesn’t mind. She knows he’s right.
“How are you feeling?” Shiloh asks me.
“Exhausted,” I say. “But happy.”
Kendric takes over the baby carrier and gently kisses my temple. “I’m just going to take the little guy in for a quick tour, then let him sleep. We need to enjoy this quiet state of his for as long as we can. Remember what the doctor said, right?”
“Yeah, three days, tops, and then it’s sleepless nights for everybody,” I laugh.
I watch him go inside the house and listen to the guys laughing and congratulating him. I’m so happy that my son has so many reliable men to grow up with. Good men, strong riders, honorable fighters who stuck with the club even when everything seemed lost.
“It’s going to be a bumpy end of the year,” Sky grimly reminds us, casually leaning onto the car while Raylan slips his arm around my waist and holds me close. “We might as well celebrate as much as we can while we still can.”
“Oh, don’t be such a gloomy Gus,” Shiloh shoots back. “All of the Black Hand fuckers are in jail, and those who somehow manage to get out when the Feds are done with them, are ruined for life.”
“Shiloh’s got a point,” Raylan says. “Asset seizure is a thing, and we all know the government isn’t giving anything back to those they can’t put behind bars. That’s black ops money, right there.”
“Most importantly, do not let Mom hear you talking like that,” Shiloh tells her brother. “She just got the shop back up and running, and she needs her peace now more than ever.”
“It’s why we’re out here, talking,” Sky replies. “I’m just saying the worst part is over, but we still don’t know how it will end for them. Not for all of them, anyway.”
I exhale sharply, simply thankful to be alive and healthy and a mother. We almost didn’t make it, so just being here today feels like the greatest victory against the Black Hand. They took everything from me. My mother. In a way, my father, too. My childhood. They almost stripped me bare of my future, as well. But my men saved me. And it’s all that matters.
“I say we just count our blessings and move forward, no matter what,” I tell them, content to feel Raylan’s warmth enveloping me while Sky’s gaze lovingly scans me from top to bottom. I know he’s dying to get under this floral-printed dress of mine, but the doctor said six weeks, minimum. Besides, there’s a whole welcoming party eagerly awaiting us on the ground floor, his mother included.
“The Steel Knights’ reputation has been restored, and that’s what’s most important. Now, they can go back to doing all the good things they were doing to help the neighborhoods. I still can’t believe those cable news anchors with their official apology. It felt so … weird.”
“Yeah, but well-deserved,” Shiloh replies, then looks at Sky and Raylan. “Ariana’s right, though. We’re good. The club is good. We can keep doing our thing. We can even do better things in the future. We’ve got our assets back; our operations are back on track. The clubhouse is open for business. On top of that, the interim mayor seems to be doing more for the city in the span of six months than Henry David did in three years!”
“That’s because the Feds purged everything out of Everton’s law enforcement branches. Not to mention the sheriff’s department and the state troopers. It was one hell of a shakedown,” Raylan says. “I’ve got faith in the future, folks. It’s looking nice and bright for once.”
“Except for Henry David,” Shiloh snickers but quickly stops herself and gives me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Ariana, I just can’t stand the man.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “He got what he deserved. I may be his daughter, but what he did to me, to Mom… there’s a special place in hell for that kind of betrayal. You know, they say you don’t get to choose what family you’re born into—”
“But you do get to choose what family you stick with,” Sky completes the thought, a congenial smile stretching across his handsome face.
“One way or another, the city will survive,” Raylan ultimately declares. “We’ve got our affairs in order, and we’re moving on and taking care of our people. We’re going to keep doing our work—we’ll be liaising with local law enforcement where needed because we need to build a good rapport with the new sheriff and whatnot—but Everton City is still standing.”
“And we’re still standing with it,” Sky adds, nodding in agreement.
“We may not be standing for much longer,” Shiloh cuts in. “Mom needs you both inside. She’s fuming, I might add.”
Sky’s humor fades. “Why is she fuming?”
“You promised you’d help set up the barbecue the way we used to do it with Dad.”
