by Eve R. Hart
And she knew, I could see it in her eyes. But she also knew that sometimes you had to feel the pain to realize all the good things you did have in your life.
“This sucks,” I breathed out with a strange laugh that either said I was at a loss about what to do or that I was going insane, I wasn’t sure which.
“Yeah,” she said with a small, forced smile and a nod.
“But you’re here.”
“I’m here.”
“And he had a good life.”
“That he did,” she replied, her smile growing a little, though it was still strained. “And he went knowing he wasn’t alone.”
“And that he has someone waiting for him.”
Maybe there were good things even in death.
“I kind of feel like I have no clue what to do now,” I said blindly.
She inhaled slowly through her nose. The long pause of silence stretched out and I could tell that there were things swirling around in her head.
“You live,” she finally said like it was that simple. Like she finally got it herself. “You never forget. You remember but you don’t let yourself get lost in the memories.”
I knew what she meant and it made sense. My life wasn’t over. My story wasn’t done yet. Maybe it was really just beginning. And while I was sad and knew I’d miss him like crazy, it wasn’t my end.
Maybe that was the thing I needed to hear all along. Where the hell had she been when I was seventeen and drowning in pain and bitterness? Because I sure as hell could have used her wisdom back then. Or maybe she came into my life when I needed her the most.
“Alright,” I said taking in a renewing breath of air. Well, that was what I hoped it would be. It wasn’t like I could just shake this off, but I could carry on. “Let’s do this.”
“Um, what the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked and her face made it seem like she was looking at a crazy person.
“You know, this life thing. Let’s do it. Live it to the fullest and shit.”
I hoped like hell that I was making sense.
Only as I actually listened to the words as they came out of my mouth, I wasn’t so sure.
I was going for inspired or prolific or something but I think I came off bonkers instead.
“I want to make my own stories and memories. I want to do it with you. I want to make a life that would make Ed proud. That all his time with me wasn’t for nothing. I want…”
“Want what, Lake?” she asked with a smile on her face. One that was wise and knowing.
“I want new adventures. And to go out having had a million laughs. And to leave behind a trail of memories— good ones. No, amazing ones.”
“Alright, take it easy there, buddy,” she said playfully. “You’re really adorable when you’re excited about something. Did you know that?”
“Adorable? I’ll take it,” I said as I pulled her in for a kiss.
The sadness didn’t lift right away, but it had eased knowing that I was taking a part of Ed with me on the rest of my journey.
“Ready to— what was it you said— do this?” she asked patting me on the chest.
My head fell back and I laughed to the sky, hoping that Ed heard it all the way up there.
“Yes! But first, I need a nap. Oh, and I have to go talk to Iron real fast.”
“Okay, I’ll be waiting in your room for you.”
I handed her my keys and went in search of Iron.
The sadness hit a little harder as I filled him in. He told me that if I needed anything, he was there. And I knew it, because he always was.
After getting a brief fill-in that wasn’t much, I headed to my room.
Where I found Bridge waiting for me under the covers.
Naked.
And so beautiful.
But as I stripped down to nothing, I knew there wouldn’t be any kind of funny business.
Instead, she gave me just what I needed.
The feeling of her soft skin against mine.
The weight of her hand on my chest.
The scent that I’d longed for all this time she’d been gone.
The rise and fall of her body with each breath telling me that this was real.
I fell asleep with a calm kind of peace surrounding me.
And right before I drifted off, I made a silent promise to not only keep her safe, but to always cherish her as well.
Epilogue
Bridget
Ed was gone.
And not to drag the sad shit out, but it sucked.
I may not have known him all that long, but he left a mark on my heart. One that I would carry with me through a lifetime.
It was happy one though. The kind that would help keep me in line, if you will. Keep me hopeful for what was around the corner. Keep me from letting the bad get me down. Keep me from ever letting my life grow stagnant.
We laid him to rest a few days later. He looked so right in that old man sweater and button-up shirt.
The funeral was small but I think he would have liked that it was that way.
The whole club surprised the shit out of me by showing up even though they didn’t know him.
Yeah, that made me cry.
Lake whispered in my ear that this was what family did for one another and it made my chest feel warm inside.
Then, wearing his cut over his old man sweater, he stood up to say a few words.
“Ed was a funny old man. And he was cranky as fuck.”
There were a few chuckles that floated in the breeze.
“He taught me a lot and I will take that with me everywhere I go. He showed me that love shouldn’t grow old, it should simply always grow. And that memories keep the heart alive. He’d be disappointed in me for keeping this short because he was a man that liked stories. But I think that stories should be savored and enjoyed, so I’m going to keep them for another day.”
Lake paused and cleared his throat. I sent him a small smile in hopes that it would give him a little bit of strength.
“So Ed, this one journey may have ended but I know we both have a million more to find. I love you, old man.”
Instead of laying roses on his casket, we filled the thing with little trinkets and whatnot that meant something to us. Things that had our own memories and adventures attached to them.
That had been Iron’s idea, knowing a little bit about the man from the things that Lake had told him over the last year.
Then we all went back to the compound and partied. There was tons of food and alcohol. And even though things were tense for the club, they all took one night to celebrate life. Just the way Ed would have wanted it.
As I looked around at all the faces that I was still getting to know, I felt the sense that I’d found my new home.
Lake
One night I walked out of the bar and an ugly-ass car parked in front of the garage caught my eye. It hadn’t been there when I closed up shop and with all the shit surrounding the club, I was a little paranoid-suspicious.
With my Prez and a few of my brothers at my back, I went to find out what the fuck was up with that.
There had been someone in the back seat, bundled up under a bunch of blankets, but I knew the shape of a body when I saw one.
So, thinking that I wasn’t going to take any chances, I pulled out my gun.
Next thing I knew, I had a fucking black eye.
And that was the beginning of how I fell in love with the woman of my dreams.
I married her four years later and took her on a honeymoon like no other. And not in the sense that it was an escape to some secluded island where we had our own private section of beach and some dude serving us drinks and shit.
I’m talking about the adventure of all adventures— for now at least. I was still working on topping it.
What did we do?
Oh, yeah.
I took her on a tour of all the places that Ed had taken his Gertie. The ones that were still around, that was. It was a hell of a month.
One I will never forget.
That was two years ago now.
And I loved Bridge more and more with every day that went by.
“Please stop,” she said as she sipped her coffee from a mug we’d picked up on our honeymoon.
I looked up from the spot on that mug that had me going back in time in my head and raised a brow at her from where I sat at the rickety table in the kitchen. Yeah, we kept saying we were going to replace it, but neither one of us had made a move to.
“Your lost in thought face. Really, Lake, I thought I told you that you needed to work on that years ago.” The corners of her lips twitched and I knew she was trying so hard to keep it together. “You look like you need to go to the bathroom in an emergency kind of way.”
“Yeah, I’ve been told it will scare the women away.” I chuckled and shook my head at her. “You must like it though, you’re still here.”
“Ehhhh…” she said and gave me that famous one-shoulder shrug.
“I love you,” I said sweetly.
“I love you, too.” And there was that soft face that was only for me.
“I was thinking…”
“You don’t say?”
“I was thinking,” I repeated a little more forcefully but I was just messing around and she knew it. “That we should have a part of us to pass these adventures on to.”
“Are you saying you want to have a baby with me, Lake?”
“Yeah,” I said not sure how she would feel.
Okay, so we’d been wrapped up in one another enjoying life and hadn’t really talked about this sort of thing yet.
“Good,” she said looking at me with a twinkle in her eyes. “Because I’m pregnant.”
“What?!” I screeched. And yeah, Maybe I was super excited about it. But also really fucking shocked. “You don’t just drop a bomb on someone like that, what is wrong with you?!”
“Seemed like a good time,” she said too damn casually.
“But you’re drinking coffee!” I knew all about the no-nos for pregnant women. I had some very overprotective brothers. One of them that seemed to keep his woman constantly knocked up. And they were always watching out for their women and making sure they didn’t do shit they weren’t supposed to.
“You didn’t even notice when I switched to decaf like a week ago,” she pointed out and well, no, I hadn’t.
“You’ve known about this for a week?”
“Lake,” she said looking at me too damn sweetly. “We’re having a baby.”
And so that made me stop and really think about it.
There was no way I could have kept the smile off of my face even if I wanted to.
“You’re going to be a dad,” she said because I still hadn’t said anything.
“I can’t fucking wait,” I said as I got up and rounded the table to kiss her. “Well, I can… like nine months because I know it has to cook in there for a little bit.” I placed my hand on her still flat belly.
Was it weird that I was excited to watch her belly grow with my kid in it?
Hm.
She laughed at my words. Or maybe it was at me. Either way, I loved that sound so it didn’t matter how I got to hear it.
I pulled her to her feet and wrapped her up in my arms.
“Hey, daddy,” she said in a sexy tone right next to my ear.
“Okay, that’s weird now. Nope.”
“Yeah,” she agreed with me in a flat tone.
“Um, Bridge?”
“Yes, Lake?”
“I don’t know what the hell to do now.”
It was one thing to be on the outside watching everyone around you have babies and kids and shit. But it was another to be the one having the kid.
Raising it.
Taking care of it.
Protecting it.
Making sure it knew all the important things in life and that it ate enough fruits and vegetables and didn’t pick its nose in public.
I probably should have started with not calling it an it.
“We start a new adventure,” she said like the answer was that simple.
And, well, maybe simple was the way to go.
“Alright,” I said with a firm nod. “Let’s do this.”
— The End —
Or… is it just the beginning…
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to everyone that made it to this point. Lake was a different kind of story for me but I hope you loved it as much as I did. Thank you for cheering me on, laughing with me, and for all the likes and shares. You guys ROCK!
Jon— Well, you know all the stuff I’m going to say because I try to tell it to you every day. Thanks for being my man and for making my life fun and exciting. Thanks for reminding me that it’s okay to make a fool out of myself and showing me that you will love me no matter what.
Janie— Words, words, words. What more can I say? Also, you are the best!
Jordan— You are there at every turn. I throw little things out to tease you even though I don’t have anything to send you. You kept me going when I was just not sure if this was working. I’m so glad you did, because these two, oh man! They are so amazingly awkward.
Chloé— Best book buddy, funny lady, and beautiful soul. I feel like I wouldn’t know what to do without you some days. I can’t tell you how much your honesty means to me. Thank you for always cheering me on and giving me the strength to reach for something greater in my writing.
Karen— Still can’t talk about them, but your support and love means so much to me. Thank you for all that you do. You are the most amazing mother-in-law!
Beth— You are crazy and insane but I love it! Dude, stop trying to distract me with new books to read. Kidding! Thanks for all the support and excitement with every new book. Also, for keeping my reading list a mile long so that I will never run out of things when I need a little break.
About the Author
Eve R. Hart does her best writing while downing coffee and munching on chips and salsa. Her days are filled with lightsaber fights, saving the Lego city, and tea parties with her kids. By night, she switches out her cape for heels and writes steamy love scenes.
She lives on the coast of North Carolina with her husband and three children. When she needs a break from everything she loves nothing more than to sit down and play video games with her husband. She also enjoys cooking, baking, and singing Disney songs while driving.
Find Her
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EveRHartAuthor/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/EveRHartAuthor
Email: [email protected]
Other Works
SPMC
Moon Hill Chapter
Loch
Diesel
Tank
Axe
Bocca
The Coast Chapter
Knight
Brand
Ky
B-ry
The Tainted Saints Series
Clean Hack