Today Tiffany starts high school, and let’s just say Lane is a mess. She has always been beautiful but—over the summer, before our eyes—our Tiffany changed.

Since the moment she walked downstairs, Lane has been on a rampage. He wanted her to change into a muumuu to completely hide her figure.

We pull up in front of the school, and Tiffany slides out of the truck. She flips her long brown hair over her shoulder, and I am struck by how beautiful she is.

Lane steps out and I hurry around the side of the truck. I don’t care if we look like crazy parents right now, and Tiffany doesn’t care. She hugs Lane first, her face pressed to his chest. “Bye, Daddy.”

She lets him go and hugs me next.

“Have a nice day, Sweetheart.”

Christopher jumps out of the truck and stands beside me. Christopher has turned out to be Lane’s twin, and our four-year-old twin boys are in the truck, in their booster seats.

Tiffany smiles at Christopher and hugs him next.

She walks toward the school, and we watch as every single boy around her stops and stares. Lane stiffens like he is about to run over and whisk her away, out of their sight.

“Look at that piece of ass!” one of the jocks says loudly, and Tiffany flips him off.

That’s my girl.

Lane is stalking across the lot before I can blink. “You listen here, motherfucker, you respect my daughter or else.” He gets in the kid’s face.

I cover my mouth trying not laugh. Tiffany is flat out laughing, and the Devil Souls kids surround her. The Devil Souls and Grim Sinners kids all go to the same school, because it’s a private school with security.

A shit ton of kids have been born throughout the years.

“We got this shit.” Torch’s son Trenton moves in front of Lane. “The fucker was just about to apologize, am I right?”

The guy nods and Lane backs away as Trenton gives the guy the down low about respect and so forth.

All of the kids have grown up, and it looks like they are taking care of each other now.

“She will be fine, Lane,” I say and he turns around, walking away.

Lane has gotten bigger and hotter over the years and, to this day, I can’t keep my hands off of him and he can’t keep his hands off me either. We stopped at four kids. I know Lane would be fine with even more, but four was enough for me—or I don’t think I would be sane.

All three of my boys are hellions. They are bloody almost every day; they fight, ride dirt bikes, and do dangerous stuff that I never thought was possible. They are jumping off cliffs into the lake, and I am powerless to stop it all. So I pray and hope.

Next we drop off Christopher, who starts smirking at some girls the moment he gets out of the car. Give me strength. Lane sees what he is doing and gives him a fist bump.

I glare at Lane, who just plain ignores me. I pinch his ass, and he kisses the shit out of me before pulling me close.

You’ve got to love this man, even if I feel like shaking him a little bit.

Okay.

Maybe a lot.

Christopher walks up the sidewalk and nods at two girls, who hide their faces. Why does he have to be a ladies’ man? “Looking good, ladies.”

I snort and hide my face in Lane’s side, and he is cracking up.

“Chris, I swore if I saw you again I was going to make you kiss the ground! Quit pranking me!” Brittany’s daughter, Elle, chases Chris into the school.

The moment Elle was born was the moment Chris became attached to her at the hip. They are best friends and only a year apart in age. Chris pranks her daily, and she does the same to him.

“Let’s drop the kids off and your ass is mine.” Lane smacks me on the ass. Brittany waves at me from across the parking lot, and I wave back and get in the truck. Next is the twins’ preschool.

“Dad what is ass?”

I thump my head against the window. A hand wraps around mine, and Lane kisses the back of my hand and winks. “Doll, have I told you lately that I love you?”

I huff, but I couldn’t stop the smile on my face if I tried. “I love you too, old man.”

“You are not getting married!” Lane yells for the tenth time, and I roll my eyes. Tiffany found a man, and not just any man. She found a huge, badass mountain man who worships the ground she walks on.

I hurry to my seat, leaving Tiffany to fight this on her own.

Everyone stands and the door opens to reveal Lane and Tiffany, who is so beautiful it hurts to look at her.

She grew up before our eyes. I remember the little girl who only wanted to play softball, fish, and ride her dirt bike.

Now she is a lawyer and is getting married.

Tears fill my eyes and two arms wrap around me. On either side of me are our twins, little shits who drive me crazy but are totally momma’s boys. Hell, Chris is too, but Tiffany is straight up a daddy’s girl.

Lane stops in the middle of the aisle.

No, he isn’t.

Lane lifts her and starts to back away. My eyes widen as I watch her man thunder down the aisle toward her. Tiffany is just hanging out—this doesn’t faze her.

“I don’t give two fucks if you are her father or not, I will beat your ass. Put. Her. Down.”

That was fucking hot.

Lane’s gaze shoots toward me like he knew what I was thinking. I give him an innocent look, and he sets Tiffany down. He looks at her sadly; she is his baby.

“Take care of her, if you don’t I will kill you.” Lane places Tiffany’s hand in his. One of the twins gets up so Lane can sit beside me, and Lane takes my hand, kissing the back of it.

Twenty years later we are still going strong, if not stronger. Our kids all grew up to be amazing people. In a few years Christopher will be taking over as president.

“We did good,” I whisper to Lane, and his eyes soften as he looks at Tiffany. Lane had the hardest time adjusting to her moving out, hell, to every big step in her life.

I had a hard time too, but it was harder with my sons.

Now it’s just me and Lane in our house, all alone, but we reap the benefits because I can be as loud as I want.

“Next we can look forward to grandbabies,” I whisper to Lane and he looks at me with pure horror on his face.

I hide my face so I don’t laugh. I just traumatized him.

Lane hands Christopher a brand-new cut with the president patch on it. Chris takes it and hugs Lane and his brothers, and his cousins all clap and stomp their feet. Lane walks away and lets him have his moment—the moment Lane had twenty-eight years ago.

“Come on, Doll, I think it’s time for a vacation.” He smacks my ass, and I hear one of the twins gag.

Our life has had its up and downs but, in the end, we have had each other and it’s turned out to be amazing.

Our kids are our life, and it’s time for them to live their lives on their own terms. Christopher just got out of the SEALs, and it’s time for him to take over. He is Lane’s son through and through.

When Lane retired, Wilder, Derek, and the others did too. It’s time for the third generation, and let’s just say they make us look like pussies.

I climb on the back of Lane’s bike. Now it’s time for me and Lane to have a much-needed vacation by ourselves.

Lord knows we need it after raising four kids.

Lane looks back at me. “You ready, Doll?”

I smirk. “When am I ever not ready for you, old man?”

He chuckles and takes off out of the lot.