Page 46 of Always My Fate

Blackie took a slow pull from his beer, scanning the gathering. Duane and Oaky were bullshitting near the grill. Gunny was holding court with a group of younger patches, telling some wildly exaggerated story. Kids, including Daniel, who was toddling around with Shamu keeping careful watch, ran through the grass under the observant eyes of their parents.

The club was at peace.

But they were never careless. Roscoe was still out there, somewhere. Their prospects continued to walk perimeter checks. Every brother carried that quiet vigilance in the set of their shoulders. They’d earned this calm the hard way, and they weren’t foolish enough to take it for granted.

“Feels good,” Blackie murmured. “Seein’ all chapters strong. Knowin’ our families are able to just be. After all the blood and bullshit we went through, we finally got room to grow.”

Horse glanced towards the porch swing where Peaches sat with Glenna, Daniel now climbing into his momma’s lap. “You deserve this peace more than most, Prez. You held the whole thing together when it mattered most—even when it meant stayin’ home instead of ridin’ out with us.”

Blackie’s gaze softened as it landed on Peaches. She looked up, caught his eye, and gave him that smile, the one that still hit him square in the chest after all these years.

“I made the right choice,” he said quietly. “Every single time. Club’s important. But family? That’s the reason we fight in the first place.”

The two men stood in comfortable silence for a while, watching the brothers laugh and talk, the kids play, and the Texas sun sink low over the ranch.

The Freed Riders weren’t just surviving anymore.

They were building something that would last.

Blackie raised his bottle slightly towards Horse.

“To the chapters,” he said. “To the future.”

Horse clinked his bottle against Blackie’s. “To family. And to keepin’ the peace we bled for.”

Blackie nodded, a small, satisfied smile on his face.

The war was behind them for the most part. Roscoe remained a loose cannon, and they followed every tip, hint, and clue to resolution. Roscoe had fallen off the map entirely, something Blackie didn’t think was reasonable, given what he knew about Roscoe’s vicious hatred of him. So they stayed vigilant.

The life they’d fought so hard for was right here—thriving under the Texas sky.

***

The ranch had grown quiet. Most of the brothers had ridden out or settled into smaller conversations around the fire pit. Blackie found Peaches on the back porch steps, away from the last lingering voices. She sat with her knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them, watching the stars come out over the Texas sky. Daniel was sound asleep inside with Glenna keeping an eye on him.

Blackie lowered himself beside her, his big frame settling close. He draped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her gently against his side.

For a long moment, they sat together in comfortable silence, listening to the distant sounds of the ranch at night.

“I keep comin’ back to it,” Blackie said finally, voice low and rough. “That day you rolled up to the clubhouse ridin’ on the back of Slate’s bike, and roared your way into my life again, round belly and all. Before that, when you eased back off, I was so damn lost. Thought I was honorin’ your wishes by stayin’ away. And now, just look at everything we built.”

Peaches turned her head, resting her cheek against his shoulder. “We didn’t just build it, Blackie. We fought for it. Every single day.”

He nodded, his hand finding hers and lacing their fingers together. “Six kids. A club that’s finally breathin’ easy. Brothers I trust without question. And you still lookin’ at me like I’m worth somethin’ after all these years.”

“You’ve always been worth it,” she whispered. “Even when you didn’t believe your value yourself.”

Blackie swallowed hard, emotion thick in his chest. He brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

“You’re my fate, Peaches,” he said, the words carrying the weight of every hard mile they’d traveled. “Always have been. From the moment I saw you again, through each dark night and every beautiful day... it was you pullin’ me home. Back towards our ‘us.’ And now we’ve got Daniel runnin’ around, the other kids growin’ up strong, and a future that doesn’t feel like it’s waitin’ to get ripped away.”

Peaches smiled softly, squeezing his hand. “And you’re mine. My gruff, protective, loudmouthed fate. I wouldn’t change a single second of our life.”

They sat in the quiet, shoulder to shoulder, glancing out at the dark horizon where the ranch stretched wide and strong. The threats of the past had faded. The club was thriving. Their family was whole.

Blackie turned his head and kissed her slowly, deeply, full of love, gratitude, and quiet promise for all the years still ahead.

When they parted, he rested his forehead against hers.