Epilogue

BRYCE

For as long as I knew my brother, he never took anything too seriously. Not to say that he didn’t care about anything. But he was always the type to be nonchalant and casual about anything that wasn’t life and death.

Tonight wasn’t any different. Despite any concerns he might’ve had, he couldn’t fight the smile on his lips.

“Are you sure about this, bro?”

“Of course I’m sure. There are a lot more customers in here tonight. A lot more than usual.”

“Sure, more customers is always good. But I don’t know about this crowd.”

“What’s wrong with this crowd?”

“They seem a little… too happy.”

I stared at my brother and wondered if I’d heard him correctly.

“Too happy?” I said. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I mean everybody’s laughing and drinking and having a good time. That’s not how Brickstone is supposed to be. I mean, it’s the clubhouse of the Chargers.”

“Oh, knock it off. Just because you and your buddies ride around intimidating everybody doesn’t mean you have to be such a bad ass all the time.”

“Hey. I’ve got a reputation to keep up. I’m just saying. Is there no other way? I mean… a dance floor?”

I looked out toward the center of the bar. Most of the space had been cleared out so that people could move to the music. With the new speakers installed, Brickstone was livelier than it had ever been.

“When people come here, they know they can drink and have a good time,” I said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your clubhouse or the notorious Chargers are hanging around. It’s just a place for people to enjoy themselves.”

“I guess.”

“Look at it this way. With all of these new customers, we’re making a lot more money. Legit money. Money that you and I had to hustle to get when we were younger. Doesn’t Rory deserve a better life?”

I looked down at my son in my arms. A pair of earmuffs over his head to drown out the bar around him, he looked as cute as could be. Even the hardest man I knew in Cade had to soften when he saw his nephew’s face.

“You’re right,” he sighed. “Rory deserves everything. He deserves a life better than what we had to go through.”

“I like to think that everything we went through when we were younger… It all happened for a reason. So that we know to be grateful for what we have now.”

I looked toward the entrance of the bar and watched as Uriah stepped inside. Our eyes met and a smile appeared on his face.

“How is everything?” I asked.

He greeted me with a kiss.

“I got it,” he said. “Promotion to detective. I’m moving to investigations in a few weeks.”

“That’s great! I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks. You know, I always wanted a promotion. Didn’t think it would ever happen. But now that the moment is here… I realize it’s really not that big of a deal. What’s important is that you won’t have to worry about me too much. I’ll be home in time for dinner. I won’t be out there on the streets looking for trouble.”

“Great news,” Cade said. “Me and my boys are free to ride the streets without the city’s baddest cop looking for us.”

“Just because I’m not out on the streets doesn’t mean the streets will be empty.”

“Don’t worry… As long as you guys are around, the Chargers and I are gonna do our part to keep these streets clean. Nobody messes with my city.”

Cade held his hand out to Uriah. Watching Uriah clutch Cade’s hand in his choked me up in a way that I never expected. Just a few weeks ago, they were at each other’s throats. Now they were both here with me, happy and safe.

“It looks like this whole fatherhood thing really changes a man,” Cade said.

“You should think about finding an Omega for yourself,” I said. “There’s someone out there for everybody.”

“Ha! That’ll be the day. No thanks. I ride a bike for a reason. I like to ride free and clear. Nothing holding me down. That’s the beauty of having a nephew. I get to play with him and have all the fun I want without all the serious stuff.”

“You keep laughing but you’ll find out one day. You don’t choose the ones who you’re meant to be with.”

“Keep talking…”

Judith suddenly appeared right next to Cade.

“Hello,” the older woman said. “I thought I’d butt in for a second. This new dance floor is really something.”

“It is, isn’t it?” I replied.

“Say…” she started as she eyeballed Cade. “What do you think about testing it out with me?”

“What?” Cade exclaimed.

“Cade,” I said through gritted teeth. “Loyal customers…”

“What?” he repeated. “I…”

He looked at Judith and sighed.

“All right,” he said. “Don’t tell anybody about this though.”

Judith winked at me as she headed out onto the floor with Cade. Uriah and I shared a laugh.

He wrapped his arm around me and we observed the scene together.

“Busy tonight,” he said.

“I was tired of the lonely, dreary Brickstone. I wanted a place where people could enjoy themselves. You know, have some real fun. The West Bay has a reputation for being miserable. Even if we’re the only place here that’s like this, all the better for us.”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

Uriah moved in front of me and held his hand out.

“…We might as well test the floor for ourselves.”

“I can’t,” I said with a laugh. “Rory—”

“Rory’s fine. Those earmuffs are thick. He can’t hear a thing. I’m sure you can move your feet with him in your arms. We’ll move to our own rhythm. Just like we always have.”

“Our own rhythm… I like the sound of that…”

My son in my arms, I moved out onto the center of the floor with Uriah before me. He wrapped his arms around me and we moved to the slow beat. All of the people dancing around us were gone. All of the conversations were quiet. We were the only ones in the entire bar.

“You’re right,” I said. “This is nice.”

“That’s why you put this here.”

“You know, it’s funny… We met not that long ago. The first night you were here, you were bending me over that pool table.”

“I remember it quite well.”

“I never imagined it would get to this point.”

“Any regrets?”

Uriah smiled at me. I looked into his eyes and I saw everything. My boyfriend. My Alpha. The father of my child. The man I knew who would be by my side. The one I was destined to be with.

“My only regret is not having met you sooner.”

“It’s all right. We’ve got the rest of our lives together to catch up.”

He pulled me closer, our son resting comfortably between us. Everything around us moved fast but we still moved slow. We moved to our own beat. This… This was everything I wanted. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

I didn’t know how things would end up. I was just an Omega trying to make his way through life here in Snow Falls. But I found the Alpha I was destined to be with. I found the man who made me happy. It filled my heart with an immeasurable joy.

I knew there were others like me in Snow Falls. If I could find the man of my dreams, I knew that they could, too.