Crash by Jeanne St. James
Epilogue
Crash hit the remote and,as soon as the gates opened, he twisted the throttle on his sled, drove it through, then hit the remote again, pausing until he knew the gates were closed securely behind them.
Liz gave his waist a squeeze. “It’s really nice that Zak and Sophie invited us over for a barbecue.”
He answered with only a grunted, “Yeah,” then gave his sled gas and weaved it through the streets of the DAMC compound. Instead of stopping at Z’s place, he motored past it and followed the next street around to a small cul-de-sac on the west side of the neighborhood.
The same cul-de-sac where Linc and Jayde lived and so did Dex and Brooke. It took a while for Dex to finally convince Brooke to give up their place closer to Pittsburgh that also housed her interior design office, but they ended up keeping that, too, and expanding her business. She not only had her sister Kelsea working for her, but now had a small army of designers and a couple of workers who did the heavy lifting.
Crash was hoping he’d need Brooke or Kels’ skills in the near future.
That was what today was about.
It was also Liz’s birthday. He used the excuse that the prez and his ol’ lady invited them over for barbecue, and they did, but they had an important stop to make first.
He pulled his Harley around the paved circle and stopped in front of the large empty lot. One big enough for kids to play in.
They hadn’t made that important decision yet, but he figured it was best to be prepared if she wanted him to knock her up. In truth, he was willing to knock her up the second she said she was ready and had her birth control implant removed.
Since they’d only been together for a little over three months, he didn’t expect her to make that decision soon. But hopefully she wouldn’t wait too long since he needed to make sure he wasn’t too old to chase toddlers around. He didn’t want to feel like a grandfather instead of a father.
Either way, whatever she wanted, he was fine with it. If she decided kids weren’t for her, there were plenty of other kids in the neighborhood they could be “aunt” and “uncle” to. Along with Stella and Trip’s kid, when she finally popped it out.
As soon as he shut down his sled, Liz said, “I love this neighborhood. I love the idea you all took the family thing to the next level and also all look out for one another.”
“Glad you love it.” He helped her off the sled and put his hands on her shoulders to turn her to face the lot since she had been busy staring at Dex and Brooke’s place, which Brooke had turned into a showpiece.
The landscaping was perfect, the yard didn’t have a damn weed in sight, and she had the house designed to match her personality inside and out.
Rumor had it there was also an adult “play room” in the basement that could only be accessed with a key.
Crash grinned while picturing Dex and Brooke doing all kinds of crazy shit. He snuck a glance at Liz, wondering if she was into any of that. It might be fun to do a little playing to find out. He was game for going out of his comfort zone if she was.
But that was not why they were there. And now, for fuck’s sake, the thought of handcuffing Liz to his bed was distracting him.
Why the hell hadn’t he done that sooner?
He forced his attention back to her and the grass lot that Linc kept mowed. “Could be ours if we want it.”
She turned wide brown eyes up to him. “Do you?”
“Want whatever you want. You wanna continue livin’ in the apartment over the pawn shop, I’m okay with it. You wanna move back into my room at church, gonna question your sanity but I’d do it. But if you want this property, if you wanna build a house here, it’s yours.“
“Ours,” she corrected him.
“Yeah, that.”
“But, I don’t want a house,” she said.
His eyebrows glued together. “You don’t?”
She shook her head. “I want a home.”
He stared at her for a second confused, then it dawned on him what she meant.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “A fuckin’ home. A home,” he grabbed her shoulders and turned them both in a circle to survey what they could see of the neighborhood from where they stood, “surrounded by family.”
“Stella’s also my family,” she reminded him.
“It’s been said before and I’ll say it again, you two bein’ sisters strengthens our clubs’ alliance. Anytime you wanna head north to spend time with them, we’ll continue to do so. Anytime she wants to come south to spend time down here, they’re welcome. And if we build a house here, we’ll have space for them to stay. Including their baby. It’s a good thing.”
“Kind of like the joining of two powerful families by marriage, huh? Game of Thrones style.”
“But let’s avoid a red weddin’, yeah?”
She laughed at the joke about the wedding that turned into a blood bath in the HBO series. “Not a problem, but we don’t have to get married, Crash. I’m not asking for that. We love each other and we’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
“Know it. But just like with the Fury, in this club when a woman’s claimed at the table, it’s considered the same. Might not be a legal thing, but our brotherhood takes it seriously. A ‘property of’ cut means a lot more to us than a notarized piece of paper.”
She patted his chest. “Then I guess you should get to claiming me at the table.”
“Sure that’s what you want?”
“I figured that’s why you’re showing me this property. I’m hoping it’s because you want to spend the rest of your life with me. After whispering those three little words with a huge meaning into my ear a few weeks ago, me being your ol’ lady would be the next step, wouldn’t it?”
Yeah, he’d said them first. It hadn’t even been planned. They just escaped him one night when she was curled up next to him with her cheek planted on his chest. He’d been combing his fingers through her hair, feeling the most contented he’d ever felt in his life.
He froze after he said them, more surprised than anything. But she had tipped her face up to him and smiled, then didn’t even hesitate to tell him the same.
Two seconds later he had rolled her onto her back, and he’d slid right back inside her, whispering those words again into her ear.
It was the first time he’d ever said them to a woman, and it wasn’t a mistake, he meant every damn word.
Now she was encouraging him to claim her. To officially make her his.
“Thank fuck you want that.” He left her where she stood to return to his sled. Once he dug out what he’d hidden in his saddlebag, he held it up and turned it for her to see. “‘Cause too late, I already did.”
He made sure the back rockers were pointed her way. The ones that claimed she was “Property of Crash.”
“Ain’t afraid to put my name on your back. Also ain’t afraid to tell you how much I love you.”
She dropped the hand that had been covering her open mouth. Her lips, while they wobbled, still curled up at the ends and her eyes glittered in the sunlight. “And I’m not afraid to wear your name on my back. Or tell you how much I love you, too.”
She walked over to him and ran her fingers over the shiny, soft black leather.
“Need to see it on you.”
Wearing a huge smile, she turned around and he slipped it over her arms to settle it on her shoulders. It fit her perfectly.
Just like she fit him.
Her sunflower sundress had been his favorite thing she wore since it reminded him of her sunny personality, but now he had a new favorite.
His name on her back reminded everyone who she belonged to. His name on her back also reminded everyone who he belonged to. Without question.
He grinned when she glanced down and spotted her name patch.
Sunny.
She might be Liz, or even Lizzy, to everyone else, but she’d always be Sunny to him.
Seeing her standing there wearing her big smile while wearing his cut in front of the lot of their future home, he realized what a lucky fucker he was.
He managed to capture a ray of sunshine within his fingers, and he was never letting it go.
* * *
Turn the page to read a sneak peek of
Blood & Bones: Ozzy (Blood Fury MC, Book 9)
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