The First Rule by Nicole S. Goodin

Epilogue

Ryan

It’s not quitethe peaceful homecoming I imagined, but it’s perfect in our own, chaotic way.

The house is bustling with noise and females. The two things seem to go hand in hand it turns out.

“You better get used to being outnumbered, buddy. It’s just you and me versus all these girls.” I speak softly to my son as I bounce him gently in my arms.

My son.

I still can’t get used to that. I have a son. And he’s beautiful. Every last inch of him is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.

He looks just like me, but I think he’s going to have his mum’s eyes. They’re getting lighter by the day. I hope he does. They’re the most amazing eyes.

I can hear Rebel telling Freya some outrageous story in the kitchen, and Steph is chiming in with equally as outrageous suggestions on the matter.

“You’re never going to be short on crazy aunties giving out even crazier advice, that’s for damn sure,” I tell him with a smirk.

He pouts his lips in his sleep, his brow furrowing before his face smooths out again and he drifts back into a deeper slumber.

I could watch this kid sleep forever and I don’t think the novelty would ever really wear off. I’m smitten as hell with this kid.

“Why are you two hiding out here?” Darcy whispers from the doorway.

She’s leaning against the frame, watching us. I have no idea how long she’s been there, listening to me talk to our little boy.

“There’s too many girls out there, isn’t that right, little man?”

He responds by continuing to sleep.

“We’re severely outnumbered. I could feel my testosterone levels slipping.”

Darcy huffs out a laugh. “Mark is here.”

“Mark is whipped. He’s no better than having another girl in the house these days.”

Darcy rolls her eyes. “He is not whipped. He’s a trained killer. He’s doting.”

I raise a brow at her. “I get that Steph is pregnant and all, but she is going to rip the absolute piss with that man, mark my words. Next time we see her, she’ll be sipping a virgin cocktail, being fanned by an oversized leaf while he wishes he’d escaped to an island off the coast of Mexico while he still had the chance.”

Darcy giggles. “You’re an arse.”

I smirk at her. “Maybe, but I’m still not wrong.”

Steph spilled the beans on being knocked up the minute she laid eyes on Carter for the first time. I’ve never seen anything like it, it was as though she took being ‘clucky’ to the next level and just had to get it out. Mark wasn’t even mad that she told everyone the news early.

He is so whipped.

“Who the hell is hogging the baby?” Rebel’s voice comes from behind Darcy, before she too, appears in the doorway.

“Give that kid to his Godmother already,” she demands, stretching her arms towards me. “You’ve had him all day.”

We asked Rebel to be his Godmother not long after he was born. He doesn’t have a Godfather, instead the poor kid has another two Godmothers. None of us are even religious, but I was told it was a ‘thing’ by the woman I plan to spend the rest of my life with, and quite frankly, after watching what Darcy went through to give birth to our son, I’d have agreed to pretty much anything she wanted – three Godmothers included.

“How about you come back and have a turn at about three in the morning when he’s screaming his head off,” I offer.

“Firm no,” she retorts with a glare. “Now hand him over.”

“I’d give him up, biker boy, she’ll scratch your eyes out,” Darcy says with a giggle.

Rebel and Darcy meet eyes and exchange a look that is full of knowing, understanding and amusement.

I never thought I’d see the day, but it’s here – they’re friends – really friends. I don’t know what went on between the two of them when Rebel visited us in the hospital nearly a week ago, but when I left them alone, things were tense and awkward, and by the time I returned, they were laughing like old friends.

Whatever was said between the two of them, I’m grateful for it. Nothing makes me happier than seeing all the people I love and care about most, all under one roof.

I walk towards Rebel and carefully, if not a little awkwardly, hand Carter over. I’ve had sweet fuck all experience with babies, so this has been a massive learning curve for me. Not Darcy though, she’s an absolute natural.

I don’t know how she does it, but she’s totally in tune with him and his needs. I could change his nappy, feed him, and hug him to try and settle him, but she’ll be the one who knows instantly that he’s crying because he has wind.

She amazes me more and more with every passing hour of our new lives.

“You take him in there for a bit, I want to show Darcy something,” I tell Rebel as I grab Darcy’s hand.

“Where are we going?” she quizzes me as I lead her down the hallway towards our bedroom.

“I didn’t have time to get you a real push present… especially after the car situation,” I admit sheepishly, “but I did get you this.”

Darcy nearly killed me when she found out I’d bought her a brand-new car. She loves it, but she was adamant it was far too much. Silly woman still doesn’t realise that nothing is ever too much when it comes to her.

I turn her by the shoulders and point at the framed picture on the wall of our bedroom.

“Oh my god, it’s not.” She laughs.

I chuckle. “Sure is, princess, our one-way ticket to hell, right here in the flesh.”

She crosses the space and runs a finger over the glass housing our signed agreement, on the ripped-out page of the bible.

“I can’t believe you kept that.”

“I can’t believe you said we were going to hell,” I tease.

“I can’t believe we broke every one of those rules.”

I turn her to face me and wrap her up in my arms. “I had my fingers crossed the entire time.”

“Dirty rotten cheat.” She giggles.

“I would do anything if it meant keeping you, Darcy Shearer.”

“You’re lucky I already agreed to forever then, right?” she says, my ring glistening on her finger.

Lucky doesn’t even cover it.

There aren’t words. I could arrange every letter of the alphabet into every possible combination of words and phrases, and I still would find the right words, but I’ll settle for being called lucky.

The luckiest man in the world.