I’d be ready to say yes if he popped the question right here and now. I’m feeling so much joy at this moment, and am amazed at the idea that it could last forever.
But if I’ve learned anything from Blaze showing up and rescuing me? It’s that life is just full of surprises.
EPILOGUE
BAYLEE
ONE YEAR LATER
I’m utterly exhausted.
I shrug the strap of my dress back up as I set Clementine down to sleep. She’s a little angel, but two-month-olds are a load of work. I know my peaceful time is short, and I’m juggling so much already.
Once Blaze and I got together, it didn’t take long for our sexual appetites to have some consequences, no matter how wanted those consequences were. I was four months pregnant on the altar, but I was so in love that I didn’t care. It hardly matched my childhood imagination of how my wedding would go. I didn’t see myself falling for a rough-and-tumble biker either, so the surprises just kept coming.
His real name, for instance. It’s Blake, but hardly anybody calls him that, myself included. Blaze is a cool, badass biker name, and to all of his Wildfire brothers, it’s as good as his legal name. I laughed when he told me how he picked it. It’s the most low-effort biker name he could have picked, but apparently he was put on the spot to come up with something cool, said the first thing that came to mind, and it stuck. He’s a bit of a hothead, in a good way, so it fits him too.
I smile as I walk through the hallway of our new home. A nice little two-story house with a huge backyard we picked out together, since he didn’t think a biker club was the place to raise a child. It gives me plenty of space for my gardening, and is a huge part of my current lack of energy. Between Clementine, Blaze, and my time spent knee-deep in the dirt, I’m surprised I’m still standing.
Life’s been pretty peaceful, even if it is busy. My uncle wound up in prison after he tried to do another virgin auction. I had to testify about his exploitation and what he tried to make me do. Photographic evidence was leaked of some previous auctions, and his involvement was cemented because he was in the pictures. They seemed to be from about the height of a motorcycle, but I kept that observation to myself. Wildfire doesn’t want too much of a reputation for working with the cops.
And Victor? The little truce Scar and Blaze bargained for didn’t last long, but it wasn’t any of the MC’s doing. Victor’s enemies caught up with him. He got indicted on corruption charges, and once again, additional evidence is turning up against him from an ‘unknown’ source.
My father, though? Things with him have been more complicated. Part of me looks at him as a victim like me, taken advantage of by his own brother. But understanding does not excuse what he did, or what he allowed to happen. I didn’t invite him to my wedding, but I spotted him there anyway. He was trying to be incognito, but once Blaze and I realized it was him, he ran away, too ashamed to face me. Maybe someday I can forgive him. Someday we can heal. I just don’t know if that day will come anytime soon.
I open my bedroom door now and immediately have Blaze’s strong hands around my waist, planting a kiss on my lips. “Is she asleep?”
“Sleeping like a baby. Because she is one.”
Blaze laughs, his kind gaze bringing a smile to my face. “You’re so fucking beautiful, you know that?”
“You tell me every day.”
“Because I don’t want you to forget.” He pushes the straps of my dress past my shoulders, and it drops to the floor.
I came in here expecting to fall right to sleep. I imagined I was too tired to do anything else.
But he has a way of inspiring extra energy within me. I can’t resist him, and am always more than happy to help him rise to the occasion. A trail of clothes behind us, we’re soon smooching on the bed, our naked forms entwining and wanting to enjoy one another so damn much. Feeling his cock pressing against my mound, the anticipation of what’s to come fills me with such lust for him.
I look outside, ever so briefly. It’s another hot summer night. Much like the first time I met him. Much like the first time he had me. It’s the first summer of our marriage, and what will definitely be the first of many hot wife summers to come.