"I'm ready," I tell King. "I want this. Want to be part of what you've built here. Want to wear the Savage Riders cut and mean it."
King looks at Tank. They have one of those silent conversations that only comes from years of brotherhood. Tank's expression is unreadable, but after a moment, he gives a single nod.
King looks back at me. "Then welcome to the Savage Riders, prospect." He pauses, a slight smirk crossing his face. "Your road name is Riot. Because that's exactly what you were on your first night in Blackwater Falls. That kind of Riot is what we need."
Riot. The name settles over me like it was always meant to be mine.
"I like it," I say honestly.
"Good. You start tomorrow morning, six am sharp. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty."
I stand, offering my hand. King shakes it firmly, then Tank does the same, his grip crushing but not quite painful. A test I apparently pass, because he releases me with something that might be approval in his eyes.
"Six am," I confirm. "I'll be here."
"One more thing," King says as I turn to leave. "Alice comes to family dinners. Bring her and Maya this Sunday. Luna's been asking about meeting them properly."
Family dinners. Because that's what this is—a family. The kind that actually means something.
"We'll be there," I promise.
As I walk out of the clubhouse toward my bike, I pull out my phone and text Alice.
*It's done. I'm prospecting. Road name is Riot.*
Her response comes immediately: *Perfect name for you. I'm so proud of you. Come over tonight? Maya can help me make dinner.*
I smile, typing back: *Be there at 6. Love you.*
It's the first time I've said it. The first time those words have felt true since Maya's mother left because she couldn’t deal with the MC life. Three dots appear, then disappear, then appear again.
Finally: *Love you too. See you soon.??*
I pocket my phone and climb on my bike. One month ago, I was just passing through, running from a past I couldn't change and a future I couldn't see.
Now I have both. A second chance at the brotherhood I lost. A woman who loves me despite my scars. A daughter who's finally putting down roots. A home waiting for us, all of us together.
Blackwater Falls definitely has some kind of magic.
And I'm done running from it.
Epilogue - Alice
Three Years Later
The sound of a single motorcycle rumbling up the driveway used to make me nervous.
Now it just means Carter's home.
I'm sitting on the porch swing—our porch swing, on the house that's been mine my whole life but now feels more complete than it ever did with our three-month-old son sleeping against my chest. James Carter Blake, named after Carter's father, has his daddy's dark hair and what I suspect will be his daddy's dark eyes once they settle from that newborn blue.
He's also inherited his father's ability to sleep through absolutely anything, including the roar of his motorcycle pulling into our driveway.
Maya, now seven years old and already showing signs of being just as stubborn as her father, comes running out of the house, Biscuit at her heels. The dog is grayer around the muzzle now, moving a bit slower, but he still perks up when Maya gets excited.
"Daddy's home!" Maya announces, bouncing on her toes. "Daddy! Daddy, look what I made at school today!"
She's wearing her favorite dress, the one with sunflowers on it that she insists on wearing at least twice a week, and her hair is in the braids I spent twenty minutes on this morning. In her hands is a construction paper card covered in glitter and stickers.
