Music blares from the speakers out back and people from all over litter the entire club and the lot.

Everyone close to Drifter roams around drunk. The mourning of his loss has now turned to a celebration of his life.

This last week things have gotten better and worse. Better because things have gone back to normal in town and better because we were able to lay everything to rest, no more threats, no more secrets, it’s all gone. But worse because every day has geared us up for today. Burying Drifter wasn’t easy. I may not have always trusted him, but I did respect him. I owed him everything when it came to Emmy. Same with Buck. I don’t know everything that happened that day when Emmy and Buck were taken, but I know it was something you don’t ever fully come back from. When he showed up at the funeral, I saw it before he even spoke a word, he was already gone.

Leaning back in my chair, I watch the flames from the fire dance across Emmy’s face as she smiles and talks with Mayhem, Tank… and Bailey.

My heart hammers at the sight of her smile.

As if feeling my eyes on her, she looks my way and a blush creeps to her cheeks.

God, she is so fucking beautiful.

“You keep looking at her like that, I might have to kick your ass.” Turning my head to Bo, I smirk.

“She’d have you flat on your ass before you could lay a finger on me,” I say more than serious.

Smiling he tips his beer back and watches his sister. Sorrow lingers in his stare. “With everything she’s been through, she can still laugh.”

Turning back to my girl, I watch Mayhem act out one of his stories, forcing my girl to throw her head back laughing.

Damn.

I watch as Pops rides through the gate and parks his bike along with the rest. Hopping off he walks up to the three of them and pulls his daughter aside. Walking a few feet back from the fire I watch as he talks to her. Emmy’s face softens as she nods her head and her father pulls her in for a hug.

Glancing over at Bo, I watch his eyes shine as he takes in his father and his sister. “You know she talked about you.”

His eyes slowly turn to me.

Taking a drink of my beer I continue, “She never could fully believe that you never wanted her anymore. Deep down she knew it was all a lie.”

“Was she scared?” he asks for the first time talking about the slavery, talking about what she had been through.

I nod, thinking back to the little girl who walked into my room all those years ago. “But she was also so fucking brave.” Looking back to Emmy and her dad, I watch him run his hand down her face. “I haven’t met a single person as brave and a strong as she is.”

Taking a labored breath, I watch out of the corner of my eye as Bo takes another drink and nods his head as if telling himself that she’s okay.

Without another word, he tosses his empty bottle to the fire and stands up joining his family. Wrapping his arm around Emmy, he brings her in tight and ruffles her hair, her answering smile is everything good in this world.

“Doing okay, brother?” JB asks, coming to sit by the fire. Taking up the seat Bo was just in, I look over and watch his eyes follow Bailey’s every move.

“Yea, I’m good.”

“What’s going to happen now?” he asks as Emmy pulls a scared and unsure looking Bailey into her arms. Her father runs his hand down her hair.

“You want to turn the gate into a white picket fence,” I say, only sort of joking.

Smirking, JB shakes his head. “I thought that wasn’t your girl’s style.”

I let out a laugh. It feels like a whole life time ago we were having this conversation, just hoping for the chance at freedom, nothing about the next day set in stone.

“I think I was right about that,” I answer.

Fate is a fucking bitch. She twists and turns and flips your world upside down. She takes you to the brink of your sanity until you think you have nothing left. She shows no mercy and at the time she shows no reason. But when you get to the point in life where you have taken it all and survived, you tend to look back on life and realize that everything fate was putting you through was done for a reason. No matter how big or small the storm is, miracles can come from the devastation. You just have to hold strong, find reason and know that one day it will all make sense.

I found my reason eleven years ago when a little angel walked into hell and made the place as bright as heaven.

And now it all makes sense.

As the night ticks on the crowd grows rowdier.

JB leaves and pulls Bailey away once the kids leave and the whores come out.

With the music louder and the flames higher, I watch as my girl limps over, her sore body obviously having enough. The light from the flames makes her look like an angel stepping out of hell.

Fuck.

Spreading my legs wide, I let her curl up between them, her back to my chest. Leaning her head on my shoulder, I turn and kiss the spot right behind her ear before whispering, “How are you doing, baby?’

Nodding she answers, “I’m okay.”

She is such a fucking fighter; a goddess on the throne. So many times life has beaten us down and torn us apart. When I walked into that warehouse that night… For once in my life I really didn’t know how she could make it out of this one. But she did and she has, with one move at a time she has crawled until she can walk and now she is walking until she can run. The impacts have left their scars, but together we will overcome them…together we will shine brighter than the sun.

Turning and meeting my eyes, love and sadness cause the green of her eyes to swirl in the dark. “I love you, Kodah.”

My fucking heart.

Not able to stop myself, I grip her cheek and pull her in, kissing her softly. “Yea, babe,” I murmur in-between kisses

Turning all the way around in my lap, her legs fall to either side of me as she wraps her arms around my neck. Something raw shines in her eyes, something I have been begging and hoping to see. Dropping my beer, I sit up higher.

“Tell me, Emmy.”

Tears brim on the edge of her eyes as she whispers, “I’m ready.” I can’t catch my next fucking breath.

This is the only part we have yet to overcome, this is the only wall we haven’t been able to knock down.

Standing up from my lap, she holds her hand out and I take it. Unable to speak, I just stare into her eyes.

Going to her toes, she whispers against my lips, “Help me wash it all away.”

Pulling back, she looks me in the eyes and says the same words that broke me down five years ago. The same words that brought her back to me. The same words that started it all.

“Set me free.”

* * *

Shutting the door to her bedroom, I watch with my heart in my throat as she reaches behind her back and unzips the black dress she wore for the funeral.

Letting it pool around her feet, my mouth waters at the sight but anger coils in my gut at her battered body. Standing in a black lace bra and matching thong, my girl looks like a wounded angel, so beautiful and so pure, yet she holds the battle scars from a war.

She’s fucking perfect.

Compelled forward, I stop when our toes touch and I look down at her.

Something more powerful than want drives me to my knees.

Something I have been needing to do since we left the hospital.

Something I have been too scared to do because I didn’t want to hurt her.

Down on my knees I look from her to her stomach. With shaky hands, I reach out and place them on her belly, my large hands taking up the entire space.

Leaning forward I tenderly kiss the spot above her belly button and she sucks in a breath. Looking up, I see tears shine in her eyes and mine blur with the same emotion.

“You gunna have my baby, Emmy?” I ask, still not believing it.

“Yes,” she whispers, emotion thick in her voice.

Yes…

Drawing forward I kiss her again, this time not stopping there. “I love you so fucking much, Emmy,” I say as I hook my fingers in the waistband of her panties and pull them down her toned legs.

Staring up at her, her eyes flare with desire and fear. “I love you, too,” she hushes out.

Trailing more kisses along her stomach, I work myself lower until I reach the apex of her thighs.

Gripping my hair, she halts my movements. Looking up what I see has me wanting to burn the world alive at the same time it has me wanting to cry. Since everything happened she wouldn’t even let the doctor touch her to check on the baby. I know she was raped. After everything we have been through, after everything we have been forced to do, you would think I would be able to handle it a little better, that I would be able to hold her and care for her like all the other times. But I couldn’t. I didn’t know what to do. We had been stripped of the only thing we had. After that doctor’s appointment, the ride back home had been silent, the doctor hadn’t been able to see the baby because Emmy just couldn’t let the doctor in. We both felt defeated. When we walked into her dad’s house and she turned on me, I broke… I fucking broke. I begged her to let me help her, to tell me how to fix it. I cried for what happened and I cried because there wasn’t anything I could do. But like the warrior she is she held strong, she comforted me when I should have been the one to comfort her. She asked me to understand and to just give her time, she asked me to give her strength. So I did... so I am.

Standing to my full height, I don’t take my eyes off her. Together we can do this, together we can break down this wall, together we can heal.

Reaching around I unclasp her bra and let it fall to the floor. Guiding her back, I ease her onto the bed and whisper, “Scoot to the pillows, baby.”

Taking a deep breath, she hesitates for a moment but then does what I said.

Watching her head hit the pillow, I pull my shirt over my head and slide my pants off, determination fueling my movements.

I am going to take it away. I’m going to fix this. I’m going to set us free.

Removing my final layer, I watch her throat work as she takes me in. Following her path up the bed, I sit back on my knees.

“Let me fix this,” I repeat out loud, ready to beg. Ready to fight.

Not answering out loud, she just watches my every move and nods.

With sure hands, I spread her legs apart. Bite marks run up and down the inside of her thighs.

I have to fix this, I repeat over and over. It’s all I can do. Needing to start somewhere, I lean down and kiss each offending mark starting at her knees.

The closer I get to her heat, the harder she shakes. We can do this.

With the last one directly next to her pussy, I kiss the mark and lift my head to meet her hooded and unsure eyes.

Not taking my eyes off of her, I lean back down and kiss the top of her heat forcing her to let out a desperate gasp, but she doesn’t jerk away.

Doing it again, I move my hands to part her perfect lips and I kiss her again. Using my tongue, I work her gently letting her absorb the feelings, letting her set the pace.

As she begins to move her hips, I can’t stop myself as I press my tongue down harder and suck her clit into my mouth.

“Ah!” she moans, the sound causing me to grind into the bed, the tension in the base of my spine needing release.

Taking my hand, I circle her entrance as my tongue works her over. Inserting one finger, she tenses but only for a moment. Pulling back, I watch her face as I remove my hand only to add a second finger. “This okay, baby?”

“Yes,” she breathes and it’s almost in relief.

Hooking my fingers up I rub against her walls. I watch her eyes roll back, her pussy sucking me in begging for more.

Holy fuck.

“Please, Kodah,” she begs and I work her faster, forcing her higher.

With my other hand on her mound, I pull the skin up and suck her waiting clit into my mouth. Over and over I hit that spot, harder and harder I work her clit.

Thrashing on the bed with her eyes squeezed shut, she lets out a desperate cry.

“Please!” she begs as if she is hanging on the edge but just can’t fall over, the darkness keeping her from letting go.

With determination and need, I bring me knees up and remove my mouth and fingers from her. Throwing her eyes open, tears start to fall and she shakes her head back and forth. “I can’t.”

Hovering over her I cage her in. Her juices all over my face and her scent all over my body, I gain her attention. “Do you remember the first time I kissed you?” I ask desperate.

Nodding her head, the tears still fall.

“Tell me, Emmy, when was it.”

Her head starts to shake even harder. “I can’t Kodah.”

Dropping my arms, I bring my body to hers. “Please, baby. Tell me.”

Sucking in some air she answers. “It was the day they were going to train me how to kiss.”

“That’s right, baby. What did I say?”

“You said that you were going to be my first kiss and you were going to be my last.” Letting out a sob she continues, “You said whatever happens in-between them doesn’t mean anything.”

“It doesn’t mean shit,” I correct and place my head on her forehead. “It doesn’t mean shit. I was your first and I am going to be your last, Emmalyn, and everything that has happened in-between doesn’t mean shit.”

Letting more tears fall, she brings her hands between us and places them on my cheek. She whispers, “It doesn’t mean shit.”

That’s it right fucking there… My whole damn world wrapped up in this girl.

I love her so fucking much.

Not taking my eyes off of her I move one hand down to her thigh. “Wrap your legs around me, baby.”

Obeying, her legs move. Reaching between us I grip my cock and squeeze, the need almost too much to bear. “You ready, baby?” I ask, bringing myself to her heat.

“Yes,” she breaths.

Inching in I let go and bring my arm back to the side of her face. Her mouth parts the deeper I get and her eyes lose focus the wider I stretch her. Clenching my teeth, I move as slow as I can until my hips meet hers.

Letting out a groan, my head falls to hers and we just lay there panting. We lay there feeling.

So fucking deep. So fucking tight. So fucking perfect.

Not able to hold back, I pull back slightly and grind back in, the move causing us both to curse.

I do it again but this time I don’t stop.

Never pulling out more than an inch we move together, our bodies grinding in ways that have us feeling everything. Our hips meet thrust for thrust, our lips clash demanding more. We climb higher and higher, we grow needier and demanding, we make love so fucking strong you can see it spark around us with each move, with each moan, with each touch.

We take each other to a place we have never fucking been.

“Oh God, Kodah, I’m going to come… please,” she begs, needing it more than her next breath.

Feeling her walls clench around me and her juices coat my dick. I have to grit my teeth to not fucking lose it.

Pulling back to look into her eyes I see the end in her eyes and I just can’t hold off any longer.

“Fucking come, Emmy,” I demand out of breath. “Take me with you.”

Throwing her head back into the pillow she cries out my name and holy fuck… she takes me with her.

With one last thrust we fall together.

We knock down the wall and we patch up the scars.

We put the past in its place and we shoot for the future.

We finally fucking live.