Time gets away from me and I forget how long we’ve been here in Wolf’s house. I forget that we came here as strangers and somehow, we’ve been brought into their fold. These people, all of them make it easy to forget the reason my children and I are here. The calmness that radiates from them soothes me and instead of fearing the worst, I’m staring at the door, waiting for it to burst open and Lee to walk through it.
Crazy, I know.
When I first arrived, I thought they were all fucking nuts, Jack Parrish especially. I actually felt like he played me. He seemed so normal when he came to our house and now in crisis he’s calling us all his property and going on about eggplant parmigiana. It wasn’t very comforting when he sat down and fixed himself a drink either. I expected him to turn into some kind of hero and save Lee from the villain, but this wasn’t like any motorcycle club you see on television.
Gemma Teller wasn’t going to bust out of the kitchen with a bloody serving fork and strippers didn’t parade around the living room moonlighting as babysitters. No, this wasn’t anything like that. These people were family.
An unconventional family but nonetheless a family.
A family my children and I are now part of.
I’m not going to lie to you and tell you I’ve accepted danger as a way of life or that I’m over the fact I had a gun held to my head. I’ll never forget the look of fear in my son’s eyes or how hopeless I felt when I watched Brantley drag Lee out of the bar. In truth, I’m not sure how we move on from it, but looking around the room I know for sure it can be done.
They’ve all done it.
They’ve all been in my shoes at one point and yet here they are, sitting around eating eggplant parmigiana.
“Layla, would you hold him a minute?” Hearing my name, I force my attention to Jack’s wife as she extends her baby boy to me.
“Sure,” I reply, sitting upright and holding out my hands as she places him in my arms. I forgot how it feels to hold a baby and that addictive scent they carry. Reina starts cleaning away the empty plates cluttering the coffee table as I rock the gurgling boy in my arms.
“You’re a natural,” she comments. Lifting her eyes to mine she offers me a smile as she tosses the paper plates into a garbage bag.
“After three kids, I better be,” I tease.
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about the baby,” she corrects as she continues to clean. Understanding what she means, I cock my head to the side and try to see me as she does. How does one know if they fit the mold to live this life?
“It’s not easy,” she murmurs, placing the garbage bag down before taking a seat beside me. “I won’t lie to you and tell you I don’t lay awake every night wondering if he’ll make it back home. Every time he walks out the door I pray to God. I ask him to forgive him of all his sins, even the ones he hasn’t committed yet and beg him not to take him from me. There are days when I question my choices, days when I wonder if I’m really cut to be the president’s wife.”
Touching her hand to her son’s head, she smiles at me.
“Then there are days when I look at him and I know for certain I wouldn’t change anything about him. Every tattoo, every scar, the darkness that inebriates him, I wouldn’t change any of it. Flawed and all, God made him this way and I’m the woman he trusted to love him. I love our life and I love all these people who are part of it. I know it’s a lot to process and it takes some time to get used to but I promise you the good outweighs the bad and whenever you question your place in Pipe’s life, something will happen and it’ll remind you why your paths aligned.”
Her words resonate with me and as I nestle the baby closer to me, I start to piece everything together. Reina is right, there is a reason we found one another. At a time when everything felt hopeless and I had given up on myself, Lee came storming into my life. He accepts me for who I am and loves my children as if they’re his. He restored my belief of how the most beautiful things come from the risks we were too afraid to take. I’d like to think I’ve done the same for him, that in some way I healed his broken heart.
The baby starts fussing in my arms and immediately I glance down at him. As I rock him against my chest, I think about that conversation Lee and I had about children. He had asked me if I found a man who loved my children but wanted one of his own, if I’d be willing to have another baby. At the time the idea seemed ridiculous, but now not so much.
For Lee, I would.
For Lee, I’d learn to take risks again.
For Lee, I’d give this old lady thing a shot.
For Lee, I will do whatever it takes to make us work because life is so much better with him. It’s richer, fuller. Complete is what it is.
I think my kids would agree seeing as Tommy is playing poker with Linc, Stryker and Jenna. Oh my sweet little girl, Lacey gave her access to her make-up bag and now she looks twenty-one instead of thirteen. She seems to have caught the eye of Wolf’s youngest son too. Then there is my Lexi who I’m pretty sure has a crush on Deuce considering she won’t leave his side. I should mention she also is now a self-proclaimed expert in all things Bonnie and Clyde. I guess I know what we’re dressing up as this Halloween.
My kids are happy, for the first time in a long time, they’re happy. They’re safe and they’re comfortable around these people.
Another truth, so am I.
Turning back to Reina, I hand her back her son.
“Can I ask you something?” I say as she takes Daniel from me.
“Anything.”
“This property of Parrish thing…”
She laughs.
“You mean you haven’t figured it out yet?” She shakes her head. “Don’t tell Jack, he’ll be devastated.”
“It’s you. It’s everyone here,” I reply. “It’s the way you all come together in times like this.”
“We don’t only come together in times like this,” she asserts. “We celebrate too, Layla. On Sunday’s Wolf and I alternate cooking for everyone. Our kids have the best birthday parties too. Property of Parrish means you’re loved. It means you’re respected. Being in Jack’s circle means you will never go without. If there is something you need, they’ll find a way to make it happen. No one here is perfect. We’ve all had our share of misfortune, but even the misfits need a place to go.”
“Misfits,” I repeat.
“Come on,” she says, lifting her head. “Have you looked around? We’re a bunch of broken toys.”
It’s my turn to laugh. She’s right, even the broken need a home.
“Thank you,” I murmur once the laughter settles.
“No thanks needed. You’re family now,” she says, lifting her son onto her hip. “It’s time for the little guy’s nap.”
“Reina?” I call as she starts to walk away. Pausing, she glances over her shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re a fantastic first lady. Is that right? Is that what they call you?”
“They call me Sunshine.”
It’s not hard to understand why.
She’s the light in the dark.
“You hear that?” Stryker calls, lowering the television. The house goes still, everything stops and for a minute I forget to breathe.
Then I hear it too.
Pipes.
My throat closes as they draw closer and that fear I forgot returns. What if they don’t have him? What if he didn’t make it? Without realizing what I’m doing, I stand and start for the door. No one tries to stop me and I tell myself that’s a good sign. Pulling open the door, Tommy comes to my side and takes my hand. Tears fill my eyes as I squeeze him and together we step onto Wolf’s porch.
Jack, Riggs and Wolf are all I see.
I turn my head from left to right, expecting to see Lee riding down the block on his chopper but it doesn’t happen.
“Where is he?” I cry frantically.
Jack turns his back to me and that’s when I notice the van pulling up the block. It stops in front of the house and Cobra jumps out of the driver’s seat. Next, his girl, the nurse, gets out. Jack walks to the side and I watch him slide open the door.
That’s when I see him.
My hand lifts to my mouth as Jack helps him out of the van. I can tell by the way his face is distorted that he’s in pain. With Jack’s aide, he stands on his feet and lifts his head. Those light eyes meet mine and I swear his lips quirk.
This man.
God, this man.
Hurrying down the steps with Tommy following close behind me, I make my way for him. I ignore the bloodstained clothes and look past the bruises, finding the man I belong to under all the debris.
“Oh good, you’re alive,” I croak, forcing a smile. “Now I can kill you myself for scaring the shit out of me.” My words don’t pack much of a punch as tears fall from my eyes.
“That mouth,” he grunts. “You’re lucky I love you.”
The world stops turning in an instant.
They are three words.
Three words I’ve heard before, but hearing them from Lee is different. In my heart, I knew he loved me. I felt it, but now he’s confirmed it.
I’ve got a memory.
A beautiful memory.
“Give me a minute with my woman,” he tells Jack.
“Watch your back,” Jack mutters before he steps away.
“You love me,” I whisper.
“Yeah, and you love me too.”
I do.
I love him more than I ever imagined I could love someone again.
More than I ever wanted to.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t whip out my brass knuckles if you get out of line,” I tease. Lifting the back of my hand to his face, I gently caress his bruised cheek. “I’m crazy in love with you, Lee Jameson.”
The lines around his eyes pinch together as he smiles and my heart swells.
Lines that once symbolized the wear and tear of a hard life now stand for more.
They represent a man who is loved.
A man who has a full life.
A man who is determined to find the balance between his life and his club.
Those lines symbolize a man who rose from the ruins and found his way in this crazy world.
Those lines, like everything else that makes up both Pipe and Lee, are mine.
Wrapping his arm around my waist, he brings me closer. Bending his head, he presses his lips to mine gently before he turns his attention to Tommy.
“Come here, you,” he urges, extending his hand.
Tommy’s cheeks redden slightly as he inches closer. In reach, Lee grabs him and pulls him to his other side.
“You did good, kid” he whispers. “I’m proud of you.”
“I had a good teacher,” Tommy mutters as Lee presses a kiss to his head.
That will never get old for me.
“Where are my girls?”
“Lee,” Lexi squeals behind me. Turning around, I spot her perched high on Wolf’s shoulders. “Put me down, Uncle Wolf.”
“Uncle Wolf?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as I wipe away my tears.
“Yeah,” Wolf mutters. “That okay with you?”
“It’s more than okay with me,” I assure him as he sets Lexi down. “Careful,” I warn, grabbing her arms as she lunges for Lee. “He’s got a booboo.”
“C’mere half-pint,” he encourages, holding out his hand.
“Guess what I’m going to be for Halloween?”
“A unicorn.”
“No, that’s lame. I’m going to be Bonnie!”
“As in Bonnie and Clyde?”
“Yep, and when we go home can we redo my room?”
I laugh as Lee looks up at me. Shrugging my shoulders, I smile and watch him divert his eyes behind me. They go wide in an instant and I cringe.
“What the fuck is all over her face?”
“Don’t make a big deal of it,” I tell him. “It’s just make-up.”
“Wipe it off,” he growls as Jenna runs down the walkway with a smile. Keeping my eyes on Lee, I watch his features soften as she goes to hug him. Surrounded by my children, he looks complete.
He looks like a man who loves and is loved.
Truth, your story isn’t over because one chapter ended.
Turn the page, take the risk and remember Lee when you find your will.
Remember me.
Remember our story.
The End…for now.