All in all, it turned into a great evening that turned into a better night once I got Josie back to our house and into bed, where we spent the rest of the night celebrating.
Almost dying gave me a new perspective on my life and how lucky I was to not only have an amazing wife but also a prettyfantastic family. Although most of us were not blood relatives, our experiences together made us a family.
Bull, Bond, and I had gone from three scared little boys who clung together to ensure our survival to teenagers that did what we had to and managed to get out of our shitty situation. We’d all three been lucky enough to come through war unscathed and build lives that were pretty fucking fantastic.
Life was good, and as I lost myself in Josie’s warm body as she rode me to completion before collapsing on me, both of us sated and happy, I planned on our life only getting better.
CHAPTER 12
BULL AND REAPER
I watch as Skinny and Josie disappear into the welcoming and congratulating arms of our brotherhood and the women and children that mean the world to us.
Josie had assured me she and the babies were fine. Intellectually, I knew that she was, but that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t worry about them anyway. What had happened to Gwen had scared me in ways that I didn’t think I’d ever recover from. My gaze roves over the crowd until I find the bright red hair of my love. Her eyes meet mine as if she knows I was looking for her. Green eyes sparkling, she smiles, jiggling Sam on her hip, our other three children crowded around. Blowing me a kiss, she mouths, “I love you.”
Pretending to catch her kiss, I tap my heart, so she’d know that I loved her too. And I do. I love her more now than I had ten years ago. We’re building something here. Something strong, and now that my brothers are finding their women and having babies of their own, I know we’ll be even stronger because now we have more to protect and care for.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. Taking it out, I see Reaper’s name flash across the screen. Answering it, I put it to my ear.
“Checking on you, brother. Are you doing okay?” Reaper wants to know.
Removing the phone from my ear, I look for the video icon and press it, waiting for him to connect. When he does, I can see the celebrating happening in the background.
Reaper’s face comes into focus as he moves away from the noise. I can see the concern on his face.
I think for a minute before I answer. When I do, I realise that yes, while I’m concerned for Josie, I’m okay.
“I’m doing okay, Reap,” I assure him. Catching a glimpse of a couple in the background, I say, “How goes things in the UK? Looks like Bren got Alec to pull his head out of his arse.”
Reaper chuckles proudly. “She sure did. But it’s not all been her. Fatherhood has done wonders for him and we are now seeing the person Gunny always knew he could be. I’m happy for them.”
“That’s good, brother. Fuck, who’d have thought that our lives would change so much from that first meeting,” I reflect as I look out over at Skinny and Josie making rounds of the guests and handing out champagne.
“Not me, Bull, that’s for sure. But it’s a great life. The second generation are starting to take over here. It’s what we groomed them for, but Jesus, it makes me feel old. At least you still have a bit of time before that happens out there.”
“True,” I agree before turning back to Reaper with a grin. “Get your old bones here, brother; you and Abby can lie in the sun and thaw them out.”
“Fucker,” Reaper snorts. “I’m only a year older than you.”
He’s quiet for a moment before he says, his gaze on his MC, “We’re lucky fucks, Bull. We live an amazing life, have brought up fantastic children,” he turns back towards me and grins wide, “and we’ve ended up with fucking phenomenal women. And onthat note, I’m going to find mine and get to the actual fucking parts. Speak later.”
With that, he’s gone, leaving me chuckling to myself and pocketing my phone. I’m wondering how quick Noni and I can get the kids down so that we can begin with some phenomenal fucking of our own.
CHAPTER 13
SKINNY
“Hey, girl,” I say, rubbing Cinder’s head where she’s laid it on my lap. I know she’s getting older and that we’ll be losing her soon, but I’d been burying my head in the sand. My girl was slowing down and struggling to walk from our house to the clinic every day.
I’d taken to driving her in my truck because I didn’t have it in me to leave her behind, not with knowing that our time together was short.
I’d had ten, almost eleven good years with her as my constant companion, and I didn’t know what I was going to do without her.
It seemed the bigger Josie got with our babies, the slower Cinder got. Cleo pushed open the door of my office and ambled in, bumping her head against Cinder, who huffed a sigh but walked towards her bed and climbed in, doing her usual circle before lying down. Cleo wasted no time in snuggling up to her friend.
It always amused me to see the two of them together, but they seemed to have formed a bond from the day they’d met, more than likely because they were the only two animals free to roam around the clinic.
I went back to looking into some background checks that Reaper had asked me to do and was deep into them when my phone rang with an unknown number. I almost didn’t answer it, but something told me I should.
