A few days after Sofia's birthday party, I got the call that Grams had taken a turn for the worse and they transported her to the hospital. Though the doctors had been telling me to prepare for this exact outcome, it still doesn't seem real. And hearing the doctor in charge of Grams' care at the hospital reminded me of her DNR also made the situation even more real. I've known for a few years now.

When we first received the news of her Alzheimer's diagnosis, Grams informed me of her decision to have a DNR. I tried arguing with her about it. I wanted her to change her mind, but she had decided, and it was final. She didn't want to spend any of her remaining life, if something were to happen, being kept alive by machines. In the end, I owed it to her to respect her choice; it's her life. That and she wanted the decision to be hers while she was still in the right frame of mind to choose for herself. When Grams explained it to me that way, I understood. I wouldn't want someone I loved to have the burden of making that choice for me. And she was adamant that she wouldn't place me in the position of deciding. Not only was my grandmother looking out for her wishes, but she was also looking out for me. The doctor reminding me has me realizing my worst fears may likely come true.

My grandmother is 87 years old. The elderly have a much more difficult time fighting any illness. What started out as a simple cold, quickly turned into pneumonia. The doctors are treating her with antibiotics and making her as comfortable as possible. I'm trying to remain hopeful. But with each day that passes and her showing no apparent signs of improvement, I lose a little more hope.

Reid has been my rock. I don't know what I would do without him by my side. For the past few days when he gets off work, he picks Ava up from either Alba's or the garage if it's Bella's day with her. He then takes her home, cooks her dinner, and makes sure she has her bath. He does all of that so after I get off work I can go straight to the hospital and sit with Grams until 9:00 pm when visiting hours are over.

By the time I make it home every night, I'm exhausted. And on top of that, I feel guilty because Ava is already asleep. The only time I see my daughter is in the mornings over breakfast. My sweet girl hasn't complained once. I explained to her that great-grandma is sick, and momma needs to be with her as much as possible. I don't think people give children enough credit on how much understanding they have because my little girl understands. She even makes Grams a new picture every day for me to take to her when I visit.

Finishing up with my last patient of the day, I look down at my watch and see it's 6:00 pm and time for me to clock out. Making my way to the nurse's station, I walk behind the counter and grab my things.

"See you tomorrow, Mila," Vanessa, a fellow nurse, says.

"Goodnight, Vanessa," I return, slinging my purse over my shoulder. Stepping outside, I pause for a moment and take in a deep breath of the fresh air.

The sun is setting just behind the mountains lighting the sky with red and orange mixed with a few grey clouds. The sunsets are my favorite thing about Montana. Growing up, Grams and I would eat dinner outside on the porch in the summer times, so we could watch the sunset. A tradition we carried on up until she moved into the nursing home. Looking at the sky now, I make a vow to bring the tradition back with my daughter and I smile at the thought.

Walking down the hall of the hospital toward my grandmother's room, I catch Dr. Hayes just as he's exiting. "Good evening, Dr. Hayes, how is she doing today?"

"Hey there, Ms. Vaughn," he says holding my grandmother's chart down by his side. "I'm sorry to say, but Mrs. Scott's condition is the same. I started her on a new antibiotic this afternoon, so let's give it twenty-four hours to see how she responds. "She has been resting comfortably all day , and we are doing all we can to get her well," Dr. Hayes explains.

"Okay, this new medicine… do you think it will work?"

Dr. Hayes shakes his head, "It's hard to say. Everyone responds differently to medications, Ms. Vaughn. The best we can do is give the medicine time to work, and we'll see how she is in the morning."

Letting out a sigh of frustration, I nod and thank the doctor before making my way into my Gram's room. The first thing I notice is the massive arrangement of sunflowers. I know I have Bella to thank for the flowers. I remember telling her they were Grams’ favorite. Plucking the card from the vase, I'm right; they are from Bella. My hearts swells with how much my friends care.

I couldn't ask for better people, or as Reid says- they are family, in my life. I'm beginning to see what he means by that. They may not be blood, but they've treated me better than my own family aside from Grams. I am beyond blessed to be a part of such a big family. They have taught me that sometimes the family you choose is better than the one you are born into, and in my case, it rings true. The Kings have shown my daughter and me more love and compassion in just a few short months than my parents did in all my twenty-five years of life.

With my parents, I was only there to serve their purpose. I was to go to the best schools… schools they chose for me. I was to become a lawyer just like them and then I was to marry a man of their choosing. And because I went and chose to do something they did not agree with, I no longer served a purpose. Therefore, I was disposable. Now the club is a whole different story. They didn't care who I was or where I came from. I belong to Reid. He has claimed me as his, and that is all the club cares about. From that point on Ava and I were family. No questions asked and no hidden agenda.

The club may not operate on the right side of the law at times, and Reid has never given me any details as to what sorts of things the Kings are involved with, and frankly, I don't want to know. It's none of my business. In my eyes, they are all good men, regardless of their less than legal activities. Then you have people like Richard and Susan Vaughn who on the outside and on paper look like upstanding citizens, but underneath the façade, they are the worst of the worst. People like my parents are the real criminals. They only hide behind a mask. I like how the club doesn't hide who they are, what you see is what you get.

When first meeting the guys, I'll admit I was nervous. You hear all the rumors around town, and people fill your head with crazy stories about how mean and dangerous they are. I learned quickly these men are only mean and nasty to anyone who dares to fuck with their family. And after getting to know them, I wasn't in the least bit shocked to find out how much they give back to their community. The club is involved in several charities. The problem with a lot of people in this town is they refuse to look past their cuts. What makes the men even more extraordinary is they don't give a shit what people think.

Dragging my tired behind out of my car, I'm met with Reid who is standing in the doorway of his house greeting me with a warm smile.

"Kitten," he murmurs into my ear when I get close enough for him to pull me in for a hug and I close my eyes taking in his scent. The woodsy-pine scent of his soap mixed with whiskey instantly relaxes me. "Come on, babe. You look beat, how about you go take a shower, and then I'll feed you."

Wrapping my arms around his middle, I sigh into his chest. "How did I get so lucky? You're too good to me, Reid Carter."

"I'm the lucky one, Mila. I don't know what a bastard like me did to deserve a woman like you Kitten, but I plan on spending every day proving I'm worthy of keeping you. Starting with feeding you dinner." Kissing my lips and then my nose, Reid ushers me towards the bedroom. "Go on, Kitten. Go shower."

Obeying his orders, I make my way down the hall and stop by Ava's room to peek in on her and see she is fast asleep. After a quick kiss on her head, I walk out her room making sure to leave her door cracked open before heading to Reid's room for a shower.

I don't know how long I stand under the spray of the hot water. It must have been too long because the next thing I see is Reid has come into the bathroom and opened the shower door. No words are spoken as he leans over and turns the water off. He then grabs the towel off the rack and wraps it around my body before lifting me out. Once I'm placed back on my feet, Reid proceeds to unwrap the towel and dry me off. When he finishes his task, he tosses the towel to the floor before picking me up and carrying me out of the bathroom and gently lays me down on his bed. His cool sheets feel good on my hot skin. Without taking his eyes off me, I watch him undress in front of me. I swallow up the sight of Reid, from his sculpted chest and six-pack abs all the way down to his thick, swollen cock; It causes the need between my thighs to intensify and when he leans his body over mine, my legs open for him on instinct.

"I don't want you to do anything but lay here and let me take care of you, Kitten," he says just before taking my nipple into his mouth. Oh hell, who am I to argue with that? Reid lazily takes his time feasting on my breast, teasing me to the point I think I could come from that alone. And no matter how bad my need to come is, I don't say a word. Instead, I allow him to set the pace. I'm in no rush tonight. I'm going lay here and let my man take his time worshiping my body, while I enjoy every ounce of pleasure he brings me.

With every touch, every tease he brings me closer to the edge. Then finally, finally he enters me. His broad tip is guiding its way in, and my pussy is clenching down on his thick cock so hard it causes him to growl. The blistering heat of our bodies and the slow controlled rhythm of his cock rocking in and out of me causes my body to shiver close to the peak of orgasm. Reid's teeth bite down on the side of my neck in the grip of possession before he runs his tongue along his mark soothing the sting.

Taking my wrists and pinning them over my head, a fierce rumble rips through him as he begins fucking me harder yet keeping his touch gentle. The combination of the two driving me wild. His moans start to get lost in mine, and the tendons in his neck strain with every thrust. I'm hypnotized by the rippling of his broad shoulders and chiseled arms as he holds himself above me. When I feel his cock swell, it triggers my orgasm, and I come, causing my vision to blacken with its intensity. When my pussy clamps down on Reid's cock, he can no longer hold off his impending orgasm. With two final thrusts, he plants himself deep inside me, filling me.

I startle awake sometime later with the shrill ringing of my cell phone. Sitting up in bed, I see the clock on the bedside table reads 2:00 am. Who the hell is calling me at this time? Picking my phone up off the table, my body stills and my heart stops. I know this number, it's the hospital. There is only one reason the hospital would be calling me at 2:00 am in the morning. I feel the bed move beside me.

"Babe, who is it?" Reid asks.

Ignoring his question, I answer my phone. "Hello?"

"Ms. Vaughn, it's Doctor Hayes. I'm sorry to be calling you at this hour, but…" His words get cut off when I speak. "She's gone, isn't she?" I ask, my voice shaky. I know I'm right. I feel it deep in my bones; with everything I am, I feel it. Grams is gone. "Yes, Ms. Vaughn. I'm sorry."

Those are the last words I hear Dr. Hayes say before I lose my grip on the phone and it falls to the floor. A second later I let out a strangled cry before Reid's strong arms engulf me. We don't speak, he knows without asking and just holds me. For hours he embraces me and lets me cry until my body finally gives out and I can no longer weep. Sitting in the middle of his bed, Reid holds me as I stare blankly out the bedroom window watching as the sun rises over the mountain and the warm sun shines through casting a blanket of heat over our fused bodies. Lost in the stillness of the moment, I think back to what Grams used to always say, Don't pray for God to change what is because he has a plan. Pray for him to give you strength to make it through.

* * *

The past four days have gone by in a blur. Reid and the club once again stepped up and were quick to help in any way they could. At one point I even apologized to Reid. I feel like his life has been chaos ever since I stepped foot into his house for the first time. He quickly shot down my apology and informed me he would tan my ass if he ever heard me say shit like that again. It meant the world to me he was willing to stick with me through all the bumps in the road. There are few men like him out in the world. Most people might haul ass; not Reid. I'm learning it's not in his nature.

Grams funeral was quick. She already had arrangements in place, and everything paid for. My grandmother thought of everything. The whole club showed up along with her longtime nurse from the nursing home. I even caught a glimpse of River in the back of the crowd. Reid, of course, was by my side holding my hand while Ava was tucked in his arm as we lay my grandmother to rest alongside my grandfather. I stood in front of the crowd and said a few words about who Charlotte Scott was and recanted a couple of my favorite memories of her. In the end, I did as Grams requested. I kept it short and sweet.

The cemetery cleared, everyone heading to Logan and Bella's house because she and Lisa insisted on handling the wake. I stayed behind to watch as they lower my grandmother; the slow descent into the earth making her death more final. Tearing my eyes away from the hole in the ground, I lift my face towards the sky; I see the sun setting. It dawns on me why my grandmother chose this time of day for her funeral. With the mountains lit up in purple, and the sky bathed in pinkish-orange hues, I root myself in a moment of clarity. My Grams is still with me. This request was not for her. It was for me.