Chester ran around the bonfire the Gods built outside of the clubhouse, a slight limp in his gait, but otherwise healthy as ever. The fire sparked and sputtered, tall flickering flames towering over them all. Fire season had finally passed and the state lifted the fire ban a few weeks ago.

The God’s cabins survived completely unharmed, thanks to the excellent work of the skilled firefighters. The crisp Autumn chill had returned to the air, the leaves beginning to change from green to yellow, burgundy and brown.

The bonfire was massive and kept the chill at bay as they huddled around the warmth, the sound of country music pouring out of the clubhouse’s windows.

Grace and Ryder sat on the porch swing, with Oliver and Olivia grooming each other on the porch railing next to them, watching the family they’d built celebrate for no special reason at all tonight.

They celebrated being together, being alive, being exactly who they were. Jason had fallen madly in love with Daisy and Alex, quickly moving them into his home in Portland and filing paperwork to adopt Alex. They stood far away from the fire, their heads bent in conversation, Jason’s arm wrapped firmly around Daisy’s shoulders.

Riot and Lacey sat on the porch steps, drinking beer and watching the fire. Cherry was inside cleaning up after dinner. Wreck and Frankie had snuck off down a trail somewhere, just as they did every night, and wouldn’t be back for at least an hour.

Despite the couples paired up, it was still festive.

And with Slade around, every day was a party.

He’d brought Diana and Jeremiah to visit and the two boys ran around the outskirts of the fire, Alex chasing a giggling Jeremiah.

Everything had turned out just fine, just as it always did for the Gods.

After Lily poisoned Luke, the Gods came in and cleaned up. Once Grace called in help from her friends on the force and explained everything, everyone agreed on a story to tell.

The death of the famous Luke Sullivan wasn’t an easy one to sweep under the rug. A story had to be fed to the media, and it needed to be believable.

An overdose was the easiest of all.

With the coroner and a judge in their corner, these were things that made Solid Ground strong. They had everything in place to not only save a woman in need, but to tidy up the messy stories that were created in the wake.

Sometimes, that meant covering up a perfectly necessary murder.

Ruby went down for a multitude of charges, stemming over many years time. Her trial was scheduled soon and she’d wouldn’t be hurting any other women. After raiding her place, Solid Ground was able to locate six other women that Ruby was trafficking and help them rebuild their lives.

Lily and Daisy formed an unlikely friendship and now that they lived so close to each other, Lily had been helping out to raise Alex.

Nobody ever expected things to work out the way they did, but they’d take this ending over nearly any other.

“You think I should tell her now?” Riot asked Lacey.

“Probably,” she said, kissing him lovingly.

“Yeah,” he replied, nodding firmly. “I’ll be right back.”

He walked over to Daisy and Jason.

“Daisy, can we talk for a minute?” he asked.

“Of course, what’s up?” she smiled, leaning into Jason.

“I got a tip from one of my resources today. When you first arrived, I put out a call to some friends to try to find your mother. Just in case you wanted to get in touch.”

“Oh,” she said. “And?”

“We found her.”

“You did? Where? Is she alive?”

“Yeah, she’s alive. In Memphis,” he said, handing her a folded up piece of paper. “This is her phone number and address.”

“Wow,” she said, holding the paper in her hand but not opening it. “Thanks, Riot.”

“It’s my pleasure. I wanted you to have the information. It’s up to you what you do with it. But let me know if you need any more information.”

Riot walked back to Lacey and cracked another beer, throwing his arm around her and pulling her close.

Jason turned to look at Daisy. She looked up at him, her eyes clear and bright.

“I forgot to give you something,” he said. “This seems like maybe the right time. Actually, I don’t even know if it’s yours.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“I forgot about it for a long time, honestly. The couple that brought you into the hospital gave it to me, I threw it in a pocket and didn’t think about it again.” He pulled a keychain with a dirty, plastic glass slipper dangling from it from his pocket. “Is this yours? They thought it might belong to you.”

Daisy’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You’ve had it all this time?” she asked, her eyes welling with tears.

“So it is yours? I should have given it to you sooner, I’m so sorry,” he said. She took it from him, holding it up to the light from the flames.

“That’s okay,” she said, her voice dreamy and far-away as she gazed at it. “I held onto this thing for so long, thinking it was some kind of good luck charm. But the truth is, nothing good happened to me until I lost it. Then, I met you. I had Alex. Everything changed.”

She stared up at Jason, her eyes bright with clarity and strength.

She had everything she’d ever needed.

She turned quickly, tossing the keychain into the fire. She crumpled the piece of paper in her hand into a little ball.

“Goodbye, mama,” she murmured, kissing it quickly, before tossing it into the flames.

Jason wrapped his arms around her, as she leaned her chest against his, watching as the paper curled up and burned to ashes. The keychain lay next to it, melting into the flames.

“I think it’s time to move on.”

“The past can’t hurt you anymore,” he whispered, his low growl a promise for the future.

“No, no it can’t,” Daisy whispered, her heart finally full of peace, her future full of love…