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“Still not sure how he was able to plant that on your bike,” I tell Bullet. Not that I don’t believe him, but it takes balls to fuck with a man’s ride.
“Not sure either. Only time it was left unattended was at Mom’s house. My truck was in the shop, and I couldn’t necessarily take her to chemo on the back of the bike. That left me with takin’ Mom’s car and leavin’ my bike for any Tom, Dick, or Harry to mess with.” Fuck, I’m a shit for forgetting about that. It’s no one but his sister and him taking care of her. His dad passed away a few years ago, so he stepped up completely, barely living some days.
“Might need to put cameras up at your mom’s house, brother,” Ruger states.
“Not a bad idea. Appreciate you comin’ home, Shadow. It’s gonna suck not havin’ you around. You got a good thing goin’ with Shila.” Bullet never sits down at the table. Even when they gave me a chair to sit, he’d find a reason to stand, feet spread apart, arms crossed over his chest, and no one wants to fuck with him.
“Never a problem. Just because I’m stayin’ in Louisiana doesn’t mean I won’t be here anytime you need me. Pretty sure Shila likes to bitch about the ride but has more fun than she’ll admit,” I tell the room. The men with women chuckle. I’m sure they’re in similar situations.
“Alright, now that shit is done, we’ll keep our ears opened, figure out what’s going on, and go from there. Anyone else have anything to add?” Shovel asks, the gavel in his hand ready to slam down, and he does that when no one responds.
“Later, brothers. I’m gonna go get some shuteye.” I make my way out of there while the others shoot the shit. It’s still early, and if I’m lucky enough, I can grab a shower, slide into bed next to Shila until she wakes up, and with her not working or doing some schoolwork today, I’ll get a solid four hours. That’s plenty of time. Knowing the girls, they’ll take her out later today. We’ll have some fun tonight, since we didn’t do much last night, and tomorrow, we’ll head back home to Louisiana, where I’ve got plans for our future.
I unlock the door to my room, something I never did before when I lived here permanently, until I stayed in Louisiana and asked Shovel to lock my shit up until I could make it back. Not that there is a whole lot of shit in my room, mainly a safe with some guns and cash. Now that Shila is here, though, damn straight my door is kept locked tight. We have too many people coming and going. I’ll be damned if anyone is gonna fuck with what’s mine.
“Bennett.” Shila’s eyes are wide open. She’s sitting on the bed, back to the headboard, a picture in her hand, the one that I’ve kept. A picture she gave me in a frame for my eighteenth birthday. The frame’s been gone for a while, breaking shortly after I left town.
“Told you I carried you with me always,” I tell her. That’s when she scurries to the end of the bed. I walk towards her, but she’s not coming to me. Shila is digging in her bag, producing the exact picture I’ve had with me all these years.
“And I carry you with me, always.” Nothing more needs to be said. Right now, it’s time for me to show my woman in every way imaginable just how much I love her.
EPILOGUE
SHILA
One Year Later
It’s still hard to believe how much life has changed in the best way possible within a year’s time. I went from single, working my ass off, not living, to married, a job that’s secure, with a man who’s in my corner every step of the way, and am now four months pregnant with our son.
The absolute best present Bennett could ever give me was his unconditional love, and even though there are times he’s rolling out of our bed in the middle of the night to do something for the club, he always comes home to me.
“Butterfly, what are you doing out here?” Bennett asks. It’s going on close to midnight. He left earlier after dinner, and sleep was the last thing on my mind.
“I wanted to listen to the wind blow the trees and gaze at the stars.” I’m sitting on the porch swing in front of the cabin Bennett surprised me with. Yep, that cabin that’s surrounded by trees, lushness overload, entrenched in history, and right on the bayou. There was nothing to do to the place except buy furniture, which pissed Bennett off to no end. Apparently, I’m an indecisive woman, but I also wanted to live in the house for a bit to figure out exactly what I wanted. One weekend, I did know what would be perfect. So, much to Bennett’s chagrin, we built a swing that hangs from the trusses of the porch. There are cushions, throw pillows, and a blanket I keep out here once the fall-like weather finally hits. “What are you doing home so early?”
