Snake Charmer (Rawkfist MC Book 2) (24 page)

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Authors: Bijou Hunter

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Epilogue

Journey

O
ur first Christmas in West Virginia as
a family is nothing short of insane. We end up with a tree too large for the
house, but the kids freak out about cutting it shorter. So the poor thing bends
over awkwardly with the star drooping from the top. While I think it looks
pathetic, Poppy declares the tree happier this way, and her minions agree.

Opening presents with kids takes an
hour longer than when it was only Christine and my sisters. I videotape
everything while Justice gets in people’s faces for pictures. She wants a
million shots to ensure we never forget our first Christmas together.

Somehow, Donovan doesn’t yank out his
hair from the noise and mess. He does stand back a bit to watch the madness.
After the gifts are open, and breakfast is cooking, Otto joins Donovan away
from the others. They talk about his presents and if it’ll snow for Christmas.
Whenever I see them together, I want to cry like the baby cooking inside me.

Jared shows up for breakfast. He and
Christine remain low-key about their relationship and if it’s going anywhere
besides to the bedroom. I don’t push them, figuring they know best even if I’m
pretty sure I could fix all of their problems if given a chance.

We spent an early Christmas lunch at
Coretta’s house a few days back. It proved to be as painful as predicted,
especially after she heard about Zeb hanging around our house.

“I see how it is,” she says in a
disapproving tone to Christine.

“You can visit the house too if you
promise to be civil.”

“I promise nothing.”

Christine shrugs and hands Coretta a
gift. “Like it or don’t. It’s the thought that counts.”

I’m never more proud of my mother than
after seeing her handle her parents that year. She’s finally learning to be
herself around people who’d like to keep her in a box of their expectations.

Spring promises big changes. Donovan
and I spend the cold winter months deciding on what house would work for our
family. We choose the same floor plan as Christine, giving us four bedrooms.
Otto gets a new room, picking a dark blue for the walls. We try to let him be
part of our plans as much as possible, but the name Edith will need to wait.

I work up to the day I go into labor.
In fact, my water breaks just after lunch, and I drive the three blocks to the
hospital. Donovan arrives soon after, looking terrified. I realize he’s more
afraid of my pain than of meeting our son.

“God created a magical thing called an
epidural,” I tell him.

Even while I’m chilling out in bed and
watching TV with my sisters and Christine, Donovan still worries.

For the last few hours of labor, Poppy
cuddles with me. Occasionally, she pats my belly and reminds the baby that he’s
on the clock.

Ike is born at three in the morning
after very little effort on my part. Justice watches me give birth and says
she’ll do the same thing soon but with more pizzazz.

My baby has thick dark hair like Jared.
I can’t stop playing with Ike’s locks. He’s the most beautiful creature I’ve
ever seen. Donovan stands back while I cry over our sweet, perfect son.

“He’s too little to know your drama,” I
tell Donovan. “You could be the biggest loser in the world, and he’ll only
stare in awe at you.”

Grinning despite his fear and fatigue,
Donovan shuffles closer until Ike is in his arms. I watch my man sit with his
son nearby. Dozing off, I suspect these two will be inseparable soon.

I’m not wrong. Donovan gets the hang of
holding the squirming baby and begins carrying him everywhere. By the time I
return to work, he and Otto assure me they’ve got things handled. The rest of
Otto’s summer vacation is talking to Ike about the importance of not showing
his hand too soon.

Becca gets more prison time after her attempted
murder conviction. Otto will likely be in high school before she’ll have a
chance at parole. While the boy barely talks about his mom, he still visits his
grandma a few times a week. When I have Edith almost two years after Ike, Otto
is quick to tell everyone how we came up with the name.

He’s also pretty proud of the name he gives
the kitten we adopt.

“We’ll call her Puppy,” he says,
smiling at Donovan.

Donovan laughs, and I see the pride in
his eyes. He still can’t believe anyone accepts the real him. Otto, though,
idealizes the man he calls “dad” after Ike starts saying the word.

“You’ve got a lot of people wrapped
around your finger,” I whisper one night when cuddling in bed. “Not bad for
such an anti-social guy.”

Donovan smiles at my teasing. He’s
still more likely to stand in the back during a club meeting or family
function. With the kids and me, he’s the leader of the pack. I no longer worry
about him bailing. He knows where his heart belongs and how he’ll always be
accepted.

Epilogue

Donovan

A
man is bound to be a little bitter
when he thinks about a bad past. Especially a blessed man like me. I see how
easily loving Journey comes. How casually she cherishes our children. How
easily I reach out to give the kids a touch or say a kind word. It takes nearly
nothing to make them smile. How could it have been so difficult for the people
around me growing up?

Most days, I don’t think about what I
didn’t have as a kid. I’m too busy keeping up with all the people who love and
need me now. Journey is a tough woman and rarely flinches from a battle. She
has her sisters to keep her entertained and her mom to play sounding board. Her
dad has gotten in the habit of stopping by for dinner once a week. Journey’s
life is full of love, but I’m the one she holds closest. At the end of the day,
I’m the person to make her weak and primal. Her common sense goes out of the
window, and she lets someone else lead. The trust she has for me is the sexiest
fucking thing I’ve ever seen.

Though watching her with our kids is a
close second. Even nine months pregnant, she shoots hoops with Otto and me. Not
only that, but she kicks our asses.

“I was on the basketball team for a
short time in high school,” she says, making another three-pointer.

“We’re screwed,” I tell Otto.

“I’m worried the baby will fall out
when she does that.”

Otto is very concerned about babies dropping
out of Journey during both of her pregnancies. He always looks ready to dive and
catch the baby if something goes wrong. Journey doesn’t help by waddling
around, pretending to feel something digging its way out. She even has Poppy
handing her things to cork up her vagina.

Kitty and I adjust well to our new
family. The dog seemed content in the old house, even if he was alone most
days. I realize now I’d done the same to him as my parents did to me. Kitty
loves having people around. If someone goes outside, he follows. If the kids
play, he runs with them. If the sisters get into a silly screaming match, he
howls. Kitty is in heaven with our new situation, and I feel like an asshole to
have left him lonely for so long.

The club proves to be trickier shit
than dealing with my family. Two clubs exist now, though no one says much about
the divide. The older guys do their thing, playing like they’re in charge. Court
and the newer guys call the shots most days. I doubt Joe even knows when we
expand territory or take out a troublemaker. He’s president in name only, more
retired than in charge.

Court’s a good leader. He doesn’t hold
my hand or treat anyone like a child. He’s kicked a few asses when guys went
off script to make their own moves. Once he even scared the shit out of one of
the older guys. Times are changing, and the new blood is keeping the Rawkfist
MC from becoming a memory.

In a lot of ways, I guess I’m still
following orders. Journey runs the house. Court runs the club. I don’t mind
them taking charge. I prefer skulking in the background most days. When Court
needs someone to learn a lesson in a loud public way, he sends Emmett. If he
wants things done quietly, he calls me.

At home, I’m the quiet guy people
trust. I don’t need to be loud, not in a family full of Earlham women. I know
my purpose in both my family and the club.

Journey’s stubbornness forced us to
stay together long enough to work things out. Now I understand my strengths.
Because of Journey, I no longer waste time pretending to be anyone besides the
guy in the mirror.

About
Bijou

Living in Indiana with my three sweet sons,
three wacky cats, one super mom (and her ugly dog), I love cats, Denny's,
1970's rock, Beanie Boos, and sitcoms cancelled before their time.

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Bijou Hunter Books

Rawkfist MC Series

Black Sheep * Snake
Charmer

Serrated Brotherhood
MC Series

Bourbon Blues

Damaged Series

Damaged and the Beast
* Damaged and the Knight