Epilogue
Caitlin
I peek out the window as my huge, scary ex biker husband digs in the dirt with our two year old son. Behind them, the black lab is flinging dirt up ten feet in the air behind him as he helps his humans. Or so he thinks.
“Yep! Perfect,” Axl says as he and our son plant the seeds that’ll sprout soon enough. The first year we had our garden, we found out that little Dexter - named after his uncle Dex - loved the mashed carrots best. We’d grown them, pulled them up, washed them and just steamed and mashed them. It was a huge success. This year, we’re going to try to get him hooked on sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and fresh tomatoes.
Axl watches our son shake the empty seed packet upside down and gives him a look of surprise and a smile. “It’s empty!” Dexter squeals, kicking his chubby little legs in the dirt.
“Hey,” Dex says, scaring the cat as he walks up behind me. The cat hisses at him before racing off and he hisses right back at her. “Fucking cats,” he says, dropping a kiss on my cheek. “I’m not sorry. Cats are the devil.”
Shaking my head with a rueful grin, I tell him, “The guys are out back,”
He hesitates. “How are you feeling?” he asks, placing a box on the counter.
“Like a whale,” I joke, placing a hand on my huge belly.
He doesn’t say anything but arches an eyebrow at me and I point to the door. “Out,” I say as threateningly as I can. He’s gone in a second and I stare after him, shaking my head. He’s a good guy.
I see the guys hug and Dex picks up Dexter and throws him over his head. And I smile. My life is freaking perfect. Everything fell into place exactly how I wanted it to. No, it’s all better than I ever hoped.
My job is incredible. I help women in every step of the process I went through. I help them get out. I prove they’ve got a support system when they need it most. I was lucky, I got out. Others were not so lucky. And I fight like hell for the ones I meet.
And I’m living proof that things can get better. That life doesn’t end with leaving the abuser. Heck, the day they leave is the day life really begins. It’s an uphill battle, but it’s worth every second.
I glance out the window and see Axl looking at me while his brother plays with Dexter. He’s worked hard these last few years, opening up another bike shop but making it so he could mostly work from home. But He’s not working right now. Right now he’s on leave with me. Because I’m due to pop any day now. And he swore he’d be there every second.
Pressing my hand flat to the window, I see him lift his like he’s reaching out to touch me and a smile crosses my face. I’d swear I’m more in love with him than I was in the beginning. Heck, I think I love him and my life more every day that passes.
Dex runs the other bike and the guys swap parts, trade labor and otherwise bullshit often. They’ve grown dang near inseparable.
Both love my parents. And my parents love them. Mom calls to tell me when Dex is in town and I always make sure to have a stock of oatmeal cookies for him when he visits – Grandma’s recipe.
I feel little Helen – after Axl and Dex’s mother – kick and put a hand over the spot while Axl turns to chase Dexter around the yard. Then he’s it and both grown men run from him, but not so fast the toddler can’t catch them. There’s a huge grin on Dexter’s face and I can hear his giggle all the way in here while the dog bounces around them like a big happy idiot.
Axl isn’t his dad. He’s a better man. One who tries not to miss a minute. He works short days, works at home most days, and lets little Dexter help him. Almost every day I come home, I find both my favorite guys are oil smudged, exhausted and happy.
I walk over and open the sliding glass door. Little Dexter runs up and throws his arms around my knees while both guys halt like they’re guilty.
“There’s beer in the fridge and cookies hidden somewhere in the house,” I tell Dex and see his gaze shift to the house. “I’d give them to you, but you know what you did.” That look after I said I feel like a whale. Jerk.
Axl is studying me while the dog sits next to him and looks up at me. “Up!” Dexter says, but Axl scoops him up before I can forget I’m not supposed to life him right now.
“Ready for dinner?” I ask and Axl leans in to kiss me.
“Are you on the menu?” he growls and goose bumps break out over my skin as a shiver runs down my spine.
“I will be tonight,” I promise. His gaze warns me he’s holding me to it as we head inside to sit down to dinner. I take his hand, reveling in him. He still puts all of my goals, all of my needs, and all of my wants before his own. I’m not sure how I got so lucky.
But I do know one thing: I was right.
People can change. We’re living proof.