Claiming His Forever (Battle Born MC Book 8)

by Scarlett Black

  CHAPTER 44

  Jazzy

  “It’s all done then?” I shout to Vegas and Blade on my speaker phone. Vegas has been helping me find a place to rent and I am so excited to share this news with Spider. This place is only a temporary surprise until we can find our place together.

  “Yes. It is all ready for you. We just need you and that’s it.” I can hear her smile from here, over the phone. I feel so choked up that I can barely whisper a word.

  “Have Spider call me right away, see you soon.” Blade, always the stoic man, but a brother to me in ways I never saw coming. I can see why she loves him so much. He watches over us all and does anything to keep his family happy.

  “I’ll call you guys soon.” The call is disconnected, and I look around the garage that is littered with boxes. A calm resides in my heart in ways I haven’t felt. A soothing peace in feeling what I am doing is right. If only my head felt the same. It has been racing waiting for Spider to get here. With one last look, I walk into our home and think over the memories that have been made since he dropped back into my life. There was no telling him, no, and he is in for an awakening today.

  I pace the floor in the living room, even though I am exhausted from packing, I can’t sit. Spider is due home any minute. It took me another two weeks after the fire of careful planning to get this all set up. He is buried deep in my soul and I wanted to give him what he deserves.

  With the familiar rumble down the block, I walk outside to meet him on the front porch. His body is sluggish getting up from his bike from his long day. He doesn’t see me quite yet and I get a few moments to watch him unguarded. He is my slice of heaven on Earth. Even when he grumbles angrily to himself when he walks around his bike and up the driveway. I bite my cheek in response trying to hide my amusement and wait for him to notice me.

  Two more steps and he snaps his attention to me. “What is it?” His scowl zeroes in automatically.

  “I have to tell you something important and I hope you understand.”

  “What are you doing?” Like a predator, he stalks me carefully.

  “Moving you back to Reno.” To start over, a fresh start for us. I can’t help but tease him a little.

  “What the fuck for?” His temper is quick and snaps back at me.

  “Because you don’t belong here. You need to go back to your family.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” he snaps.

  “I’m saving everyone from you.” And at that, my smile starts to break just a little and my mouth lifts at the corners.

  “I’m not leaving here without you. What are you going to do?” he demands, his patience now completely gone.

  Holding his hands, I explain, laying it all out on the table, “I’m going to run Battle Born Tattoos since you assholes can’t seem to do it on your own. I’m up there half the time anyway. We need a place that is ours. The last time we went together, that area and the people there felt like our home. I want that for us.”

  Spider squeezes my hand and grins. “You’re coming home with me?”

  “Yeah baby, I’m taking you home.”

  He wraps his arms around me, lifting me up off the ground and my legs wrap around his body. I can feel the slow exhale leave his chest. Holding his jaw in the palms of my hands. “I love you so much, Spider. I would give you anything like you would give to me.”

  “I love you too, Jazmine, my biker princess.” I punched his chest, remembering the first time I met him and he made fun of my name. “What about your place here?”

  “I’m going to use the insurance to rebuild and sell the building. It’s not about the place, love, it’s about the people.” Kissing one of his hands, I lead him inside, “We have one more night here, then the movers will be here in the morning to take us to Reno. Tomorrow is a brand-new beginning.” I know exactly how we will spend the night—wrapped around each other.

  “What are we going to do with this house?” he asks.

  “Sell it?” I return with a shrug.

  He nods, “We sell it.”

  In the back patio, I have dinner set up with beer in a bucket of ice. We take turns feeding each other. Spider tells me how much he wanted to kill Hawk all day. We are two normal people enjoying the banter and stories of our day. I can see us years from now and the glint in his eye says that he can too. We eat, love hard, and fall asleep as one.

  Spider

  I never expected I would come home to find the house entirely packed. We didn’t have a whole lot, but everything essential and all the little extras that Jazzy bought to make it her own. She wants to take it all and me home to my brothers in Reno. It meant more to me than anything she could have done. I meant what I said, my home is her, but she wanted me to have more. I can’t remember the last time I had that, if ever.

  Last night, I made a call to Blade after dinner while she cleaned up. Blade said he was just waiting for me to get my ass back home. He and Fuego guessed that it would be temporary. How they both knew says a lot of not only my brothers, but my family. He told me my spot was staying open as the Sergeant at Arms until I got back home, however long that took.

  I called Fuego too, and asked him for his permission to go back to Reno and transfer clubs. His words were, and I quote, “This was only meant to be a short ride. Take care of her. You have my blessing.” I am grateful for the men I got to ride with in the short time I was here, it only made us stronger as a club.

  Outside, I hear Jazz argue with Snake about how to pack the truck with her stuff. He growls at her and storms off, telling her to pack her own shit. From the fridge, I pass him an open beer. “Thank fuck you are taking her pain in the ass out of here.” He takes a long swig. “This place up for sale?”

  “Aye, brother. You want it?”

  “Yeah. I’m sick as hell of being crowded downtown. Being out here is peaceful. A man needs quiet. Good luck with her though.” He points his beer bottle at Jazz as she storms past.

  “I’m gonna tell you what the men that have fallen before me have said. There is no other way to live than to live freely in the arms of the woman that is your life. The B’s of life, brother—beer, bank, and biker bitches.” Snake’s face draws up, almost confused, and it forces a laugh from deep in my chest. “I know, one day it will make sense. Not until you meet her will that start to feel right.”

  “If you say so brother. You cool with me moving in right away?”

  “It’s all yours.” I broker a deal with Snake on the cost of the furniture, which causes a fight with me and Jazz. In the end, she finally gave in when Snake gave her a wad of cash to shut up. He walked away frustrated and she smiled.

  “Sucker.” She laughs and she thumbs through her money. “I didn’t care if he took the furniture. Vegas and I know if we piss him off enough, we get our way with about anything. This is the first time I got paid for it. This is sweet, I can buy a new tattoo machine with this.” She pockets her cash and I slap her ass on the way out, locking up the house that now belongs to Snake.

  The three of us are loaded and follow like a convoy. I lead the front on my bike, followed by Jazzy and Snake behind in his truck. The ride back to Nevada is a spiritual one I was thankful for. It gave me time to close a chapter in one life and to think about the future that is coming before us just over the hills. It gave me time to talk to my fallen brothers and give thanks for what will unfold. A man needs time to think and connect with the road.

  Jazzy told me the address we were headed to. She found us a place to rent down the street from Vegas and Blade. Pulling up, most of the crew is in the yard. I’m so shocked that for a moment I can’t move. There is music blasting from the back yard and the aroma of barbeque wafts over to the front.

  Pawn, Tami, Tank and Kat are waving from the front yard with a handful of more members. Bikes and cars are littered up and down the street. Jazzy takes my hand in hers, “Welcome home, Spider.”

  “My brother!” Tank yells, “Spider is home for good.” The house explodes with more clu
b members coming out. We are all tossed around with hugs and congratulations. Brothers volunteer and within minutes everything is unloaded. Jazzy chats from across the room with her cousins and winks at me. A calm I have never felt, a reality of our lives of where they need to be. Right here with all of us in the room. Each of us have fought and struggled along in our own way.

  Never have we faltered, but battled until the very end. Battle Born.

  The End

  Epilogue 1

  Spider

  The gavel slams down on the table. My Prez, Blade, looks around the room at each of us. If anyone can send a chill down your spine, it’s this grumpy motherfucker. I would guess it’s the minimal amount of sleep he gets with little Lina. He runs a hand over his face and rests back into his chair. “As you all know, Spider is back. Let's put it up for a vote. All in favor, say ‘aye’.”

  The room stays silent and I look around the room. My brothers all stare straight ahead. Not one vote is cast in my favor. Not a fucking one? Axl’s chair creeks and he glares in my direction, “You remember that ass beating you gave me when I left for Las Vegas?” He pauses a moment to be the dramatic fuck he is. “Well,” he stands, resting his fists on the table, leaning forward. “I think a punishment is in order.”

  Tank stands next him and Blade raises, then dips his chin once. I square off, ready to take them on. I’ll do what I have to earn my brothers respect back. Blade raises his brow and folds his arms over his chest. “All in favor of Spider as our brother and Sergeant at Arms, say ‘aye’.”

  A thunder of voices echo and drop my head to my chest. Hands slap my back followed by a chorus of laughing assholes. Shaking my head, I walk forward and around the table and hug my Prez, Blade, Axl, the VP, and Tank, the Road Captain. Pawn and Saint are the last ones to congratulate me back and I vow to never leave my family again.

  Clearing my throat, I gather their attention. “First off, I can’t thank you assholes enough. Brothers born by battle.” I nod my head as they cheer. “Secondly, I have to lay to rest the truth behind Solo’s death.” I talked with Fuego and Blade and they both agreed the brothers should hear it from me. They hear the story from my own mouth of how he lost his life because of revenge and hate, as well as the man who did it. I fill them in on the story of Jazz and I over the years and what we went through. “It’s all in the past, but the fallen and lost will never be forgotten.”

  Tank rubs his chin, “You know, it’s been a long fuckin’ time since we’ve done something crazy. I say we all get a tattoo and bug our new employee. Hmmm, what do you guys think?”

  “All in favor?” Blade asks. The room hollers their agreement. “It’s settled. Today, we ride and get fresh ink.

  My brothers and I mount up and our bikes roll like thunder as we head out. Our Prez in front followed by Axl, Tank, me, and the rest of the crew. I’ve never been so proud to wear the Battle Born cut and patches as I am now. This ride was a long one overdue. Blade takes about an hour cruise around our territory that felt like a homecoming and also a reminder of the wolves that reign this city.

  We pull into Battle Born Tattoos, and even though it is lunchtime, we wander into the bar first, where we find Kat, Dana, Tami, Vegas, and my woman drinking.

  “Were we not invited to y’all’s party?” Cowboy shouts from the doorway.

  “Shit,” Tami slurs, “better get back to work.” She ties her apron back on around her waist and stands behind the bar, ready to take orders.

  “Speaking of which, Jazzy, you got tattoos to do,” Blade orders.

  “I better be getting tips,” Jazzy argues but winks at me on her way past. “Who’s up first?”

  Gripping her wrist, I tug her back. “Woman, I get your first tattoo since we’re back here.”

  “Well, I’ve never had the pleasure. After you, sir.”

  Lifting her over my shoulder, I pack her over to the shop and slide her down my chest. “I know what I want.”

  “Yeah? What is that, love?”

  Picking up her wrist, I hold out the tattoo she got after she lost our baby. “This, same spot, and I want a ring tattooed on my finger, artist’s choice.”

  “Take a seat, Mr. Ryan Scott,” Jazzy breathes in a husky undertone. “Does your wife know you’re getting a tattoo here today?”

  Sliding my hand up her leg, I whisper back, “My wife knows it all, and that I love her more than anything else on this Earth. These tattoos brand me to her.”

  Jazzy’s eyes blink and she kisses me softly on my nose. “She is one lucky woman.” Watching Jazzy at work in her element is a thing of beauty. She traces the inside of my wrist with a pen. Almost identical to hers, she draws an outline of a black heart with the letter A to the side of it. On my ring finger, she draws our initials in a cursive S with a small cross connecting to a J. She concentrates on the lines and begins to work.

  The brothers filter in and their loud voices carry into our room. “I’ve got to ask you guys a question,” Tank ponders more than asks, but it’s Tank, you learn to go along door the ride. “Have you guys heard of a girl saying OG during sex?”

  “Are you talking about like Oh God?” Axl questions, sounding confused.

  “No,” Cowboy butts in. “Ohh good?”

  Jazzy’s face and neck turn beat red, but the guys don’t let up. “No,” Tank sighs, “Kat went off one night and she refuses to tell me what it means. She said, and I quote ‘ohh gee’. What the hell is that?”

  Leaning forward, I whisper to a very still Jazmine, “Should I tell them it means they’ve hit your oh gee spot?”

  Her eyes shoot me daggers and she grits through her teeth, “Don’t you fucking dare. Then they’ll ask how you know.”

  “I know,” I growl back. Too bad Jazzy can’t figure out that I only know this because I was eavesdropping and not because she yelled it out in the car the night we got married. Marriage is the best, a constant game of war with your best friend and lover.

  Epilogue 2

  One year later…

  Jazzy

  Spider and I found the perfect house after moving to Reno. He spun me into his web and made sure that I could never leave him. To do that would kill me softly and slowly. I live to come home to him after a day at work at the tattoo shop. Being here made me miss doing hair, so I found a chair in a salon to work part time from. My day is filled managing the shop and working two jobs to keep me occupied. I’ve never been happier in my life. I found freedom and independence with him at my side. Spider is my foundation and wants me to live as I want.

  Spider’s love is freedom.

  In return, I have given him every part of me.

  He is the only living being who has access to all of me. Our bond is the strongest thing to exist. Spider would die for me. I’m a biker princess who found her happily ever after. Sure, there are days that we fight and disagree. But at the end of it all, we find our common ground. Our arguments balance out the perfect and keeps us fighting to stay together.

  A day ago, I noticed that I missed my period. This morning, I puked after brushing my teeth. I couldn’t help to be excited and took a pregnancy test I had bought just in case. It’s been a solid minute while I wait. What will our lives be like if I am? I dare to peak at the lines on the plastic stick.

  Oh damn. This can’t be happening.

  Holding the test in my trembling hand, I shake. You could say I fooled around and fell in love and then found myself knocked up with Spider’s baby. This time though, we will be prepared for our baby. About six months after we were married, he was insistent on starting a family. I was all too happy to give him what he asked because I wanted it too. I stopped my birth control, and he came every single day ready to make it happen. Most days, it was twice a day.

  Taking a picture with my phone, I gather my stuff and jump into my car. The drive to the clubhouse feels like an hour when in reality it is only minutes. I sneak in through the doors as quiet as I can get away with. Pawn and Blade stand in the hallway to Spider’s offic
e. Placing a finger over my lips, I silently beg for them to not tip him off that I’m here. They stand aside but are too nosey to leave.

  Peering around his door, I see him working at his computer with his sexy black frames on. Standing back, I send him the picture I just took and wait for his phone to ping, then his chair scrapes across the floor. My heart is in my throat when I step around the doorway. He doesn’t look up at first because he holds his phone in his hand, too shocked to look away from the picture.

  “Congratulations, Daddy.”

  Spider

  The text I get from Jazmine fills my chest with a burning desire to feel her in my hands, to touch the skin of the woman that has filled my life with joy. “Congratulations, Daddy.” Her raspy voice draws me in from the doorway. My focus is pulled away from my phone and I toss it to the side.

  Like two magnets, we meet in the middle of the room. Our arms are pulling us into an embrace full of devotion. “Congratulations, little momma,” I murmur into her hair. Jazzy lightly cries and a small gasp leaves her body. Her face is hidden in my shoulder and my palm holds the back of her head gently.

  Blade and Pawn stand at the doorway, but this is for us. I reach out and shut the world off. “You think it’s her, Spider?”

  “Jazzy, I don’t know for sure, but I do know that this baby is ours and I will be here every step of the way to protect you both. Boy or girl, this time we got it right. You hear me?”

  I believe that Jazzy found me at the right time, and I her. There isn’t a thing I would change on our journey. The mistakes we made taught us to appreciate the reaches in life we took for granted. We needed to know the other existed to fight for the better. Without her, I would have drowned myself in work and never came out to breathe the best parts of life. She brought me the sunshine when I thought I was happy in the dark.

  Our baby is coming and when we both can give it our full attention. Jazzy doesn’t realize that I do part of her job at the shop. I’m still selfish when it comes to her time. I want her at home or with me as much as possible. I do the books and insisted to Blade not to tell her. Now, with our baby on the way, I don’t want her to work at all. I want her life to be focused on our family. It probably won’t fly with her, but a man has to try. I love my woman and now I have claimed her as mine in every possible way a man can. I took her heart like a savage and wound her up tight in my web.