by Sierra Rose
"Thank God." She pressed her face against my chest as her hands tightened around my back. "I killed two people tonight. I'll never get over this. I'm a monster just like my father."
I pulled her back and looked down into her beautiful face. "You're nothing like him. Nothing, you hear me?"
She nodded. "I didn’t know what else to do. Dante was running at me with his gun, and Mateo was going to shoot me. I could see it in his eyes. He was one of my closest friends when we were kids."
Blade moved up and wrapped his arms around me and Lena, pulling us into a big bear hug as he kissed the side of Lena's face.
She turned and wrapped her arms around Blade, crying harder as he tugged her from me and held on tightly to her. "It's gonna be okay. We have you now, okay? Everything is fine."
"I was so fucking scared." She stepped back and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just feel like I've known you forever. Forgive me."
She moved back into the circle of my arms, and I gave him a stern look, but he shook his head 'no'. He wasn't going to add more to the pile that night.
Lena pulled from me and walked toward the kitchen as I reached for her.
"Baby, no. You don't want to see all of that." I jogged after her, but she ignored me and kept moving toward the carnage.
I was surprised when she grabbed a handful of stuff from the table and turned, walking back to Dane and Blade. I moved up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. Elec joined us and reached over to give Lena a quick hug as well.
"There are tapes in here of my father killing my mother. There's drugs, and some other shit, but it should be enough to cover why we were here and what your operation was all about." She wiped her eyes and handed it to Dane, but not before plucking a letter with her name on it from the pile. "I need some air."
"You want me to go with you?" I moved back as she turned to leave out the front door.
"Yes. Always." She reached back for me, and I caught up to her, sliding my hand into hers and lifting it to my mouth to press soft kisses along her knuckles.
"Lena. I need to tell you something." Blade moved up beside us as we walked down the porch stairs.
"You sure?" I asked. I didn't mean to push him back there, but he was his own man, and a damn good one at that.
Blade nodded, but kept his eyes on Selene. "I knew your mother."
"Yeah, my grandma told me she worked with a few of you." Lena smiled sadly. "Thanks for all you did today. I didn't want to kill my father, and I couldn't imagine having his blood on Lucky's hands. You saved us from it."
He nodded. "I would a million more times, too."
"Thank you." She moved up and kissed his cheek.
I was a little worried when he didn't mention how he knew her mother, but again, not my conversation. I had no idea how Lena would react to her mother having cheated with Blade on her father. Maybe if the woman hadn't done so, she might still be alive.
"This letter probably has some crazy shit in it." She glanced up at me. "Dante had information on me, Elec and my father. Blackmail I guess, but it had to be against my father. I get him holding out on the information that Elec was Rafael's son, but what in the world could he have on me?"
"A lot, I'm sure. People live secret lives all the time, baby. I don't, and you don't, but a lot of other people do." I reached out and touched her face, brushing my thumb by her lips. "You can open it if you want, burn it or open it later. Whatever is in there... it doesn't change anything. You and I are getting married soon, and we're going to start a family of our own."
"You're right. It doesn't change anything." She opened it and moved it up in front of her face, separating us by the clean white sheet of paper. "Oh my gosh..."
"What?" I pushed it down as desperation swam through me. I needed to see her face to make sure she was okay, or as okay as she could be.
"This says that the other tape holds microfiche for DNA sampling on me." She glanced up at me, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed. "Rafael isn't my dad. Blade is."
"He doesn't know that, so let's go easy on him when you tell him, baby." I reached out to steady her.
“Oh my gosh!” she shouted. “I can’t believe this!”
“I’m just as shocked as you are.”
She let out a long breath. “Do you know what this means?”
I nodded.
“It means I’m not a monster!” she said. “I’m not the daughter of a madman.”
I gripped her hands. “No, you’re not. Your biological father is very honorable.”
A smile lifted her mouth as tears dripped down her beautiful face. "I knew I felt something when he hugged me the other day. Do you think it's true? Do you think I belong to a good man? A good father? I was so scared that I would one day turn into the bastard that raised me. Is this for real?"
Blade stuck his head out of the front of the house and waved at us. "The DEA just came through the house to start printing and pulling evidence. They want you guys to come give statements."
"Blade..." Lena stepped up in front of me. "How did you know my mother?"
He swallowed hard and brushed his fingers by his lips before jogging down the stairs and walking toward us. "It's complicated."
"Then make it less complicated." Lena's voice was soft, and nowhere near as demanding as mine would have been.
Blade nodded. "Right. Your father was a really bad guy back when you were born, like he is now. I think there were some good times too, but for the most part, he's unfortunately always been a bastard."
"How did you know her, Blade? I need to know." She reached out and touched my mentor’s arm as his face softened.
"I loved her with every bit of me. We were seeing each other for years and trying to figure out how to get her out from under him, as well as your grandma. She died before I could get her away." He glanced away and then back to her. "I'm sorry. I should have told you. I just didn't want you to think less of your mother. She was everything to me. The only woman I ever loved."
Lena moved to wrap him in a tight hug. "Good. That's all I needed to hear. I'm sure she loved you too." She handed him the paper she was holding.
He cocked a brow. “What’s this?”
“Official paperwork. Looks like you’re my dad,” Lena said, wiping a tear from her face.
They stared at each other and I knew how shocked they both were to finally learn the truth.
“I didn’t know,” Blade whispered. “I swear if I’d known I would’ve rescued you from that asshole.”
“You can’t change the past,” I said.
“I should’ve known! But I didn’t. I never gave it one thought. I swear, I thought Rafael was your dad.”
“Nobody knew,” she said.
“I loved your mother more than anything. You have to know that. I knew your mom was pregnant. We were going to run away together. I was going to raise you as my own. I told her that I’d treat you like my very own child.” His eyes welled up with tears. “Little did I know…you were my child.”
“You were going to take me away?” she said.
“Yes. And if I had talked your mom into leaving before Rafael killed her… His voice trailed off. “How different our lives would’ve been. All three of us could’ve been a happy family. And you could’ve had brothers and sisters. We could’ve had a wonderful life together. If only I’d gotten your mother away in time. But…she was scared to leave.”
Lena brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “It would’ve been wonderful. But what’s done is done. We can’t change things. And you can’t live in the past.”
“You have my eyes,” Blade whispered.
“And your full lips. I always wondered where I got them.”
“I can’t believe this,” he said, voice trembling.
Another tear dripped down her face. “I can’t either. Grandma would’ve loved to hear Rafael’s blood didn’t run in my veins.”
He glanced up. “I’m sure she knows that now. There are no secrets up there, you know.”
/> “I’m sure she’s dancing right now. It’s quite the shocker. But it’s a happy one. My heart is beating a million miles a minute.”
“Mine too.”
“I’m not even sure what to say,” Blade said. “But I would like to get to know you as your father.”
“I would like that too,” she said.
They embraced tightly as Lena let out a long sob. He comforted her and told her everything was going to be all right.
“You don’t ever have to be scared again. I’m here for you. Always.”
“I’m so glad it’s you, and not him.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. But I’m here now. And I’ll never let you go.”
Blade kissed the top of my girl’s head and my heart melted in my chest. I couldn't have imagined a better ending for her, for all of us.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Selene
It had been a year since everything had gone down with the man I'd called father my whole life. I visited both his, my mother’s and my grandma's graves once a week. Sometimes Lucky would go with me, other times Elec might, but it was the times I went alone I loved most. I could sit there and try to remember all the good times I’d had with each of them.
Over the last year of digging into my past, I'd come understand my father hadn't always been a monster. He'd most certainly been one by the time he died, but he wasn't when I was little. I had lots of good memories and finally came to forgive myself for ignoring the truth about him for so long. The good memories often push back the bad ones, and for that I was grateful.
The sun shown down on me as I stood up from my spot next to Grandma's grave and brushed the dirt from the top of it.
"I wish you were going to be with me today. Lucky and both would want you right in the middle of all of it. He's going to light a candle for you. I hope you don't mind that it's him and not me. I'm lighting one for mom and Elec's lighting one for Dad. Lucky was more than adamant about lighting yours." Tears filled my eyes and I stood up, moving back. "I love you so much. I miss you every day. Every day, Grandma."
The warm wind wrapped around me and caused my hair to dance about. It was sure to be a hot mess by the time I got out to St. Maria's, but I didn't care, nor would Lucky. He loved me best when I looked like I'd just crawled out from under him, anyway.
I wiped my tears away and walked to my bike which was parked under a cluster of old oak trees. It was hell riding my hot pink Harley in a wedding dress, but I wouldn’t want to show up any other way. Checking my watch, I realized I'd spent too much time at the cemetery. I was going to be late.
"Shit!" I started the bike and pulled on my helmet before taking off toward the edge of town. I must have gotten a million honks as I drove through, looking wild, no doubt.
The church was still in the distance as I came up over the large hill that hovered above it, but nervousness hit me full force. There were tons of cars parked around the small white structure, far too many for what I'd wanted for our wedding.
"Who are all those people?" I drove like a bat out of hell and parked the bike right beside the door before pulling off my helmet and dropping it on the ground beside me.
The door opened and Elec stuck his head out. "You're late. Get the fuck in here."
I laughed and jogged up the stairs, pausing only to fix my hair. He pulled me in and moved me to the back of the church as Lucky looked around from his place at the front.
Our eyes met, and I could look at him forever. He was everything I had ever wanted in a friend, a partner, a lover. I smiled and he did too, or so I thought he did. The tears in my eyes blurred everything a little too well.
"You ready?" Elec offered his arm. Blade and I were still working through what it meant for him to be my dad, so we decided to give Elec the honor that day. It was Blade's idea, and it only made me love him more.
"Yeah. I couldn't be more ready." I slid my arm into my brother’s and walked to the front of the church. Stone Wolves lined both my side and Lucky's, where our wedding party should have been. We didn't have anyone but each other. Dane was standing beside Lucky, his arm around my handsome groom's lower back. He had to be held up, no doubt.
I chuckled softly to myself and continued the walk to the front. Elec sniffed next to me, and I squeezed his arm, so damn grateful that he was in my life. He story had unraveled in a hundred conversations that we'd shared over the last year. He was my blood brother, my father having been with his brother's wife.
In pure fear of my dad, Elec and his step-father never said a word about it, though they knew for as long as I'd been alive. I tried hard to love him past the thought that he was unlovable, and it was just starting to work.
The priest stepped up in front of me, and try as I might, I couldn't take my eyes off of Lucky.
"I love you," I whispered.
The crowd behind us chuckled softly as the preacher smiled at me.
"I love you too, baby." Lucky moved up and the ceremony started. I didn't remember too much of it. I was lost in the moment, lost in his eyes, lost in my future. The one I thought I could only find in my dreams, and yet here it was... my reality.
Lucky pulled me against him as we danced along the edge of the large dance floor at the Stone Wolves lodge. We were both beat from a long reception and talking to the entire town. I hadn't realized just how involved the Wolves were in the town until that afternoon.
People we didn't know came out to congratulate us and get a piece of cake just because they respected Lucky and his MC. Mine was no longer in existence, and though it had taken a long year, Knife had sworn in my brother beside them as well.
Some of the guys had quite an issue with it, but Elec was working to prove that he wasn't all bad. He had a lot of old habits to break, and a few leaves to turn over, but Lucky had become closer with him, and he and I were inseparable now.
"I love you more than I can express, but if I'm being entirely honest, this is getting old, and I'm ready to spend the night making you scream." He leaned down and nipped at my mouth. "I wanna smear icing on your tits and lick at them for hours."
I groaned and pulled him close as my body woke up and purred. "I think that sounds divine. Maybe you have something I can smear that chocolate sauce on?"
"Fuck yeah, I do." He licked at my mouth and smiled. "This is the best day of my life. I want to say it's the first day, but that was the day we graduated high school."
I chuckled. "Right? Did you ever think we would make it?"
"With the odds stacked against us? No. At times, it seemed at times like we had a regular Romeo and Juliet story. Good thing we made it out on the other side alive. I wondered." He let out a long breath and pulled me even closer.
"And now it's just us three." I smiled and lifted to my toes, kissing him softly.
"Me, you and Dane? Or me, you and Elec?" He lifted his eyebrow and stopped our swaying. "How about just me and you? They're good friends, but that's not something I want to get used to."
"Them being friends?" I smirked.
"No, them being around us." He reached out and gripped the side of my neck tightly. "You're mine, and I'm greedy. It's just you and me, just us two."
"Nope, and I wasn't talking about Dane or Elec." I pursed my lips together and held back a giggle.
"Alright. Spill. You've been dancing around like you know something. Who's the third person? You have a sister that I don't know about?" He put his hands on his hips, showing his need for sleep a little too obviously.
I reached out and took his hand. "It’s you, me and him."
Moving closer, I put his hand on my tummy and looked up at him as my smile widened.
He paled visibly as he stepped back and put his finger to his lips. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
I nodded, not sure I could hold back my tears as his eyes filled with them.
"All I've ever wanted was to be a father, a good father. Like Blade tries to be to me. Like, like Dane's parents are. All I've e
ver wanted is a woman to love and some babies to shower with kisses. Is that…?"
"I'm pregnant, baby. You're going to be a daddy." I moved toward him as he let out an excited holler and spun me around, pressing his lips to the side of my neck as a sob left him.
He turned and faced the room, pulling me to his side. Everyone stood frozen, confusion on their faces.
"This day just got better, which I didn't think was possible." He wiped his eyes and smiled down at me. "Lena's pregnant. We're going to be parents."
The room exploded in applause, but I ignored it and turned to him, reaching up and touch his cheek.
"I love you with every part of me. Forever did start back then, that day when you left me naked in the old lake at the edge of town."
He chuckled. "You left me naked that night."
"I should be spanked for that." I lifted my eyebrows as if questioning him.
"You should. Let's get to that." He pulled me toward the room as warmth filled me from head to toe. He was mine, and I was his, and we were never letting go.
Not ever.
The End.
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