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I nod. “Yes.”
Ghost smiles, like an actual big, real smile, and it only makes it even more obvious how amazingly handsome he is. Him and Riot and Tex. Then he holds up the bundle and lets it unfold. It's a leather jacket, shiny and black. He turns it so I can see the back.
In the middle is the Outlaw Sons logo. Over the top, it says "Property of" and around the bottom, it says "Ghost, Tex and Riot." Then he turns it again and holds it so I can put it on.
I pull my shawl off so it doesn't get bunched up under it and hand it to Tex. Then I slip my arms into the smooth leather until I'm all the way in. When Ghost lets go, it settles on my shoulders. "It fits perfectly."
Riot grins. "Got a little help from Bonnie."
I turn around to the crowd just as Hellfire declares, "Make a little noise for Jessica, the first old lady to claim three Outlaw Sons at one time. Welcome to the club."
And everyone cheers. The members, Mom, Bonnie, Anne, whose high pitched voice cuts through all the men's rumbling, even the Screaming Eagles and Mila. And I feel so loved, in a way I never thought I could. That I never thought I would. I'm the most protected girl in the whole city, and I'll sic my bikers on anyone who tries to tell me otherwise.
43
JESSICA
I usedto hate the holidays.
It's been a year since I stood in Victor's beach estate, not daring to hope for freedom, but just hoping to live to the next year. And the universe answered. Ghost, Tex and Riot charged into my life, guns blazing and shattered my entire world. Who'd have thought they’d be the ones to help me put it back together, better than I could ever have hoped for?
We’re gathered at Bonnie's, with a real Christmas tree, complete with presents, eggnog, decorations, so many blinky lights I almost want to switch my regular glasses out for sunglasses. And I'm part of it. I can barely believe it myself. This isn’t a life I ever would have imagined. It’s so much better. I’m surrounded by people who actually care about me. I know how much work the boys and Bonnie put into making this right, and I love them so much for it.
Even Anne is smiling, rearranging the ornaments that she made so they show better on the tree.
My arm aches a little. One of the gifts from the guys was taking me to get my first tattoo. A sunrise on my right arm, so I’ll always remember where my life really started. It hurt less than I thought it would, but then, maybe I’ve just known what being hurt really feels like, and a few needle pokes didn’t seem so bad. Like Ghost told me, we're always going to be a little bit broken. But that doesn't mean we have to let it rule us.
And they got some, too. One each. My name right near their hearts.
My only complaint is that it isn't snowing, but that would be exceptional around here. Still, it's been cold this year, more than last year, so I've been hoping.
"Jess! Look!" Anne holds up something for me to look at, so close that I have to take a step back to see what it is.
I read the cover of the plastic case. "Mayhem City Six?"
"It just came out! Now me and Bonnie can start the campaign from scratch, and they've added building your own homes and designing them, and a whole new fight mode where you can pick up almost anything around you to use it as a weapon, and there's a ladder now and a battle pass with all these cool cosmetics, and?—"
I hold up my hand, laughing. "You lost me like five steps ago, but I'm glad you're happy." Bonnie's grinning almost as widely as Anne, so much that I suspect it to be something that’s just as much for her as for her overly energetic adoptive daughter. It wouldn’t be my first choice, but so long as it makes them happy.
Tex swings up behind, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close. "Everything good?" He kisses the top of my head.
"Everything's amazing." I reach behind me to give his hard ass a squeeze. "Just perfect."
Riot toasts me with his beer from the couch. "We did our best. Everyone deserves a little Christmas, right?"
Oh God, that almost has me tearing up. I never thought I’d be here, and it’s so much better than I imagined.
Mom smiles as she comes out of the kitchen and stops next to me, sipping on eggnog taken from the grown-ups bowl, the one with the rum in it. “Well, I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first, but I’m really proud of you, you know? This isn’t the life I would have chosen for you, but they love you so much. Your dad and I had that once, and it’s worth grabbing and holding on tight when you find it, no matter where that may be."
"Oh come on, I'm going to get weepy soon." Never mind that I'm basically there already.
"Then I won't drag it out." She finishes her mug, before giving me a warm hug. "It's getting late, and I'm getting back to my place. The taxi is here already. These old bones could do with their own bed tonight." Once she managed to prove that she was in fact still alive, it turned out that she had considerable assets to draw on. Now she's got a nice little house, just big enough for her and a big orange tabby named Cooper.
"Jeez, you're still in your forties. Don't you old bones me."
She smiles and pulls me in for another hug. "Fine, but I'm tired. I can tell that Anne and Bonnie are itching to get that game up and running, and I'm sure you and your boys have celebration plans of your own." She winks, and I don't know whether to blush or just be scandalized that the suggestion is coming from my own mother.
"Honestly, you're welcome for as long as you like."
