CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

“It’s not the end. This is just our beginning.” - Gia

 

There was no pause in Ajax’s step when he climbed out of his rig. He’d driven all night and the tiredness though heavy inside his body, didn’t hinder his powerful steps. He remembered every time walking through the doors of this MC and how he felt being the VP. Proud. Powerful. Trusted.

But that was a long time ago.

Too late to change and make it different now.

But he could do this one thing.

The envelope clutched in his hand, he strode through his son’s club, noting the eyes on him, each of them loyal to his boy. And how it should be.

He found Rider in his office with the other man he came to see.

Two fucking birds and one stone he supposed.

“Dad?” Rider’s eyes narrowed. Not a surprise. Their relationship was damaged at best and irreparable at worst. 

He noted the VP moved to side with his boy.

Again, as it should be. As Ajax himself had done all the years he’d VP’ed for Rex.

His fucking brother.

The traitor.

Didn’t take him a lot of digging, and plying Rex with a lot of scotch to get him talking either.

“What you doin’ here?”

He threw the envelope down on the desk.

“Think you better look at that. It’s what I could get out of Rex about his Russian deal. He fixed it so the bratva would pick up Gia.”

Hawk growled like an animal.

There would be time later for apologies.

“No one fucks with my family. Let’s take that arrogant brother of mine down, Rider.”

And then Ajax closed the door to talk to his son and his daughter’s man. He couldn’t fix a lot, Ajax knew. Probably not with either man looking at him with suspicion. But stopping his own brother before he could harm his son, his son’s legacy? That he would do.

He wasn’t called Mad-dog for nothing.

 

******

 

Hawk took Gia home riding the back of his hard, rumbling motorcycle she not so secretly loved being on behind him later that same night. Love-drunk and with her belly rumbling, he’d carried her into her house like she was Cinderella home late from the ball and then made her a pile of cheese toast she would need a week to eat her way through.

It was much later still she woke up in a cold bed alone with only the snuffling snores of her pup to alert her Hawk was nowhere in the house.

She found him on the back porch sitting in one of the recently bought padded chairs she’d fallen in love with. He was barefoot, wearing a pair of sweatpants that formed to his legs and ass to perfection and caused her clit to pulse whenever he wore them. With definite dick-print qualities.

She had an Instagram and knew what that meant now.

She was a little dick-print obsessed with him if she were truthful.

Her fiancé. Holy Mother of God. She was engaged to Colton Hawk.

Seventeen-year-old Gia had no idea of the kind of euphoria that was in her future. She wished she could go back and tell her younger self on the same night she first saw him, that one day, that big angry man would belong to her and love her so deeply and to just have a little faith in time and patience.

It would all work out.

He said they’d choose an engagement ring this weekend, but she truly didn’t need one. She had everything she’d ever wanted. She was back in the state she loved with her brother and his family. She had a beautiful puppy, a little house she loved, and her practice was slowly growing again.

Most of all she had Hawk.

When a woman loved and felt loved in return all the other things weren’t so important anymore.

Hawk loved her. No, he adored her and showed her with his every action. Not to mention blowing her mind with all the closely guarded sentiments he unleashed earlier.

He loved her and that was more than enough for Gia.

Hawk turned instantly when the door closed behind her to show his hoodie unzipped down to his belly button displaying his bare chest and the tattoo of her name.

She’d pulled on a thick pair of his socks and an oversized (on her) sweatshirt of his in her haste to go and find her man at 3:30 in the morning. By Gia soon-to-Hawk law as she’d told him recently all his clothes now in their bedroom meant she was permitted to wear them any time. Each time he saw her in one of his tees he got this look on his face like he was so pleased something of his was on her body.

Making him happy would always be her favorite thing to do.

Soon as she let the back door close his head came up and even though it was dark he scowled. She just knew he was wearing his famous scowl. “Gia, your legs. It’s freezing out here.”

She didn’t feel it. How could she? She was freaking affianced to Colton freaking Hawk! She’d never feel anything other than the champagne fizz in her blood again.

It was cloud nine kind of delirium.

 Taking the necessary steps that separated them she climbed into his lap, he tucked her legs in and rubbed her calf.

“Where’s Killer? She usually follows you.”

“Khaleesi Stormborn is fast asleep on your pillow. She misses her daddy.”

Hawk snorted. He wouldn’t confide he loved their dog just as much as Khaleesi Stormborn soon-to-be-Hawk adored her master.

Nuzzling his beard, Gia listened to the Colorado night. She felt at home on his lap. “Why are you awake?”

“I feel weird.”

She checked his forehead first with her lips and then the back of her hand. Normal temperature. “Sick?”

He laughed his Hawk noise. Kissed her cheek in return. “Happy,” he said quiet and rough. “I feel happy.”

Because he absolutely meant happiness felt weird for him Gia didn’t chuckle. She gently cupped his face, her thumbs running over his close clipped beard and kissed him.

He was so fucking cute.

She did see his scowl this time and he gusted a sigh in her face. “Did I do it again, little bit?”

She grinned nodding.

“Dammit,” he said quietly with no heat behind it. He mouthed her shoulder.

“You’re just a naturally cute guy, better get used to it.”

She heard his smile. “Only to you.”

“Good. Anyone else finds what you say and do cute I’ll cut them.”

He grunted. “You turn me on when you turn violent. Come on, I gotta get you out of the cold.” He rose with her in his arms. Gia would happily be carried anywhere by him.

“Colton?”

“Hmm?” He locked up behind them and was halfway towards their bedroom.

“I’m so happy you’re happy.”

And right there in the hallway half way between the bedroom and kitchen he gave her the most devastating grin she felt deep in her belly.

It had taken a lifetime for Gia to crawl steadily into Hawk’s solitude and make a place for herself. To have him accept her right at his side and for him to know she only wanted to exist with him.

Love chose them.

And it chose them when they were in two different places in their lives.

So, love waited, and it waited.

It never waned, in fact her love was stronger now than it ever had been.

Their secret love was finally in the light.

When Hawk said he was addicted and obsessed with her she didn’t know if he fully understood yet she felt the exact same way about him. Maybe after 70 years of marriage he’d get it.

“Take me to bed, you big, bad gorgeous VP.” She said tangling her fingers in his blond mane she dragged him the few inches to clash their mouths, speaking against them she added. “And do filthy things to me.”