AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, daddy. I’m okay. Can my brother come home with us?”
“Excuse me, your what?”
“My brother, Nicky.” She laughs, as she points toward Eagle. She says it with such innocence, not realizing she just shocked her father into complete silence. We turn our attention toward Eagle and Nicholas nervously stares at us. He’s holding Eagle’s hand in a death grip as everyone looks on in shock. I hate to move from my husband’s comforting arms, but I have a scared little boy who needs me right now. Maneuvering Harper onto her daddy’s lap, I slide off of E’s lap and onto the couch. Opening my arms, I coax Nicholas over, hoping that he doesn’t see Max’s legs sticking out from the side of the desk. He hesitates at first, looking around, unsure of what to do. There’s sadness in those big green eyes, but there’s also curiosity.
When his eyes finally lock on mine, a bond clicks into place, sealing the connection I instinctively feel for my son. It’s one of those unexplainable things that occurs naturally between a mother and her child. Just like Harper, I carried Nicholas close to my heart. Fate has given us a second chance and I’m committed to giving him every ounce of love he deserves from me. I can’t imagine what’s going on in his little head, but I’m all he has right now and I have to gain his trust. Reaching my arms out, I say,
“Nicholas. It’s okay. Come here, sweetheart.”
His steps are hesitant as he moves closer to me, but then bolts into my arms, burrowing into my chest. Looking over at a confused E, I mouth, “I’ll explain everything” before holding Nicholas away from me. Looking him in the eyes, I gently tell him,
“Nicholas, you’ll be coming to live with me, if that’s okay with you.”
Using the backs of his hands, he wipes the tears from his eyes and asks,
“What about my dad? Is he coming too?”
“No, baby. He had to leave and thought it best that you come stay with me.”
“Will he be back?”
“No, sweetheart. He won’t be back, but he wants what’s best for you and that is for you to stay with me and Harper.”
He looks over at Harper who happily nods her head up and down, eager for him to agree to come live with us.
“Okay, mommy. I’ll come live with you,” he replies as he wraps his arms tightly around my neck, holding on for dear life. Letting out the breath I didn’t know I was holding, I cuddle him tightly against me, telling him without words that he is mine and he can trust me. Feeling his eyes on us, I look over at my husband who rightfully has questions in his stare. Dislodging Nicholas from my neck, I tell him and Harper to go with Uncle Eagle so that I can talk to Ephraim. My heart feels light and I have no reason to believe that he will be anything less than accepting of my son.
Looking into my husband’s eyes, I poured my soul out in a way that left me feeling exhausted. Repeating everything that Max told me shocks my system because now I’m not in a tense moment where adrenaline is pumping through my veins, numbing me from the impact of Max’s words. Now, I’m settled in the safety of Ephraim’s space where I feel free to speak my truth and he processes my words while seeing straight through to my heart. Max purposely hid my son from me and made me believe he was dead. He named him, raised him, and influenced him during his most impressionable years. That’s a new level of evil and as much as life is precious to me, I’m not upset that I put a bullet between his eyes. He doesn’t deserve to live, let alone the love of an innocent child. What residual effects will Nicholas have from being raised by a monster?
“So, all this time, your son was alive and Max kept him from you?”
“Yes. Believe me, I’m just as shocked as you are, but when I look in his eyes, I know he’s mine.”
“So, he thought that you were going to leave me and be with him to make a life with our children?”
“Yes. In his sick twisted mind, he thought that if he took Harper, he could force me to be with him and…” I pause mid-sentence, circling back to what E just said. “Did you say, our children?”
Gently grabbing my face, Ephraim tenderly kisses me, whispering against my lips,
“Yes, our children and I wouldn’t have it any other way, my little flame.”
My heart bursts with joy as I pull E in for another kiss. Although I knew he would accept my son, it feels good to hear him say the words. Hand in hand we walk out into the foyer where the kids are being entertained by Krack and Digg. Ephraim gets down on his haunches and calls Nicholas over, who doesn’t hesitate so much this time. Harper comes over wrapping her little arms around my legs, watching her daddy with curiosity. Removing his kutte, Ephraim wraps it around Nicholas’s shoulders and says,
“Hey little man, my name is Ephraim, but you can call me Torch. You and I are going to be best buds and just like your Mama, I promise to be there for you no matter what. You’re part of our family now and this jacket means you will always be taken care of. So, welcome to our family, Nicholas.” Ephraim smiles and says as he reaches out his hand. Instead of grabbing his outstretched hand, Nicholas goes straight in for a hug. This catches E off guard, but he quickly recovers and accepts the hug, looking at me with a smile so bright that it causes flutters in my belly. Smiling through my tears, I stare at my husband and son with hope filling up the holes of uncertainty. I don’t know what the future holds for our newly formed foursome, but there’s enough love between us to weather any storm.
Epilogue
Ephraim
After leaving the house where Harper was being kept, Eagle called Whit to let him know that we found Harper and were heading to the hospital to get her evaluated. We have no choice but to talk to the FBI when they start their investigation. It doesn’t matter what they say or do, if I had to do this all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. This was a clear case of self-defense and with the kidnapping of a child, no grand jury would bring charges against us. First and foremost is making sure that Harper is okay as well as getting Lizzie checked out again. It wasn’t the greatest idea for her to go see that fucker Max, alone, but I understood how desperate she was.
My wife is a badass and this is the second time she killed a man to save herself. These men preyed on her and what they failed to understand is once she escaped, she was not the same woman. Over the years, Lizzie has faced her PTSD head on, never wavering during the hardest parts. Years of nightmares, anxiety, depression, and anger helped her overcome her past. There is nothing she can’t do and every day I thank God for bringing me a woman who is my soul match in every way. Arriving at the hospital, we wait impatiently to be called by a doctor. All of Harper’s uncles are here so the waiting room looks like some sort of biker event is happening in Iron Forge. Even the Devils are here, supporting us and seeing this thing through.
After what seems like hours, they finally call us to the back and after a full examination, Harper is cleared to go home. Just as a precaution, we get Nicholas checked over too. This kid is growing on me quickly. He’s been stuck to my side since we left that house on the hill. I’m not sure what sort of father Max was, but Lizzie and I can be what he needs in his life right now and that’s a sense of family. It’s scary how much he looks like Harper and my nugget has claimed him. He’s already so protective of her and that’s a plus. The doctor checks Lizzie’s cast and has a nurse clean and wrap her wounds from earlier. It was difficult explaining to Harper what happened to Lizzie and why she was covered in bruises, but luckily the excitement of having a brother and wanting to tell him all about our family and Saint kept her preoccupied. She lost interest pretty fast as most kids do.
Just when I’m about to usher us down the hall, Lizzie abruptly stops me.
“Hey, my love. There’s one more stop we need to make while we’re here.”
