Epilogue
Duke
Duke couldn't believe it had been a year since his sons were born. He could hardly recall times when they weren't in his life. His whole life now revolved around them and Nicole. They were already handsome little bruisers. They were all him in looks apart from their eyes and hair. They had Nicole's emerald green eyes and black hair. Nicole joked that if it wasn't for their eyes and hair, people would question whether she'd been involved at all.
They did everything together. They still shared a room after they'd moved to the new house, they refused to be separated. They had managed to get them to sleep in separate cot-beds at night, but at nap time in the day, they piled up like puppies on the family room floor. If he or Nicole tried to move them, there was hell to pay for the rest of the day.
Anarchy was the leader, Justice always instigated any mischief they got into, while Rebel was the funny one. He would have Duke rolling on the floor laughing at some of the faces he pulled. It amazed him that they had rolled over, crawled and walked on the same day as each other. If they carried on like this, they would be a force to be reckoned with when they were older.
All the brothers loved them and visited on a regular basis. He took them to the compound quite often now that they were getting bigger. They toddled around like they owned the place. A photo hung behind the bar of the three of them each sat on a Musketeer’s knee, drinking from their bottles while the Musketeers each had a bottle of beer. He had a copy made for his home office.
He walked out to the backyard to help Nicole with the barbecue they were hosting. He stopped and took a moment to drink her in. She was still as beautiful as the day they met and he loved her infinitely more each day. He loved waking to her wrapped in his arms and ending the day the same way. To Shel’s chagrin, her figure had returned to its pre-baby state, without much effort on her part. And their sex life was better than ever now that the boys were sleeping through the night. He was a lucky bastard and tomorrow he planned on asking her to make him her lucky husband.
Razor and Slam were babysitting while he whisked her away for a day alone together. He knew she'd say yes but he was still battling a few nerves, more about what to say than anything else. She was watching the boys playing in the ball pit. He walked behind her and tugged her into his body. She jumped in surprise, then turned and circled her arms around his neck, indulging him in a hot kiss.
“You need any help, baby?” He cupped her luscious ass in his hands, giving it a brief squeeze. His cock started to fill, so he moved his hands up to the base of her back. He needed to calm down, everyone would be arriving soon.
“No. I've got everything sorted. You just need to man the grill. Shel is bringing the salads. I turned Jewel down when she offered to help. She's just too big now and I don't want her to strain herself.”
Nicole still looked out for everyone. She mothered all the single brothers, particularly Slam, and they never complained. Every spare minute she had was spent doing something for someone else. He'd tried to get her to calm it a few times, she never did, that’s just who she is.
Jewel had gotten pregnant a couple of months after the boys were born and should be ready to drop any day now. Shel and Nicole had been surprised as she was pretty traumatised after seeing Nicole give birth. They were so happy for her. Hollywood was constantly at him for father advice and didn't find it funny when he described the night all three boys had shit up their backs and then rolled in it, spreading it everywhere. Duke knew Hollywood would make a great dad, he would figure that out for himself soon enough.
He'd even heard the Musketeers trying to convince Bianca to get in the family way and he was sure it wouldn't be long before Razor put a baby in Chloe too. Prez liked to grumble that they'd have to build their own schools and daycare centres if they all carried on like this or at least invest in a black, chromed-out, Fallen Schoolbus.
He heard the gate from Razor’s side squeak as it opened. His brother had insisted that his, Duke’s and Slam’s yards should be connected for safety reasons. Duke was pretty sure he was just a lazy bastard, who liked to interrupt his time with Nicole in the hot tub. Razor waved hi before diving into the ball pit, much to the delight of his nephews, who adored him.
Chloe put her mouth-watering potato salad on the table and started chatting with Nicole. They were as close as sisters and Chloe stayed with Nicole when he and Razor were out on runs. Duke settled himself in a chair and popped the cap off a cold beer. This was the life he was so sure he'd never get or deserve, but thanks to Nicole all his past was now firmly behind him. He was finally content and home at last.
The End.