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“My big brother came, too,” Max says excitedly.

The huge guy Max rode with steps forward. The patch on the front of his cut readsVice President. One of the guys he’s with has his back turned as he’s fiddling with his bike. His cut readsUnderground Vengeance North Dakota. They must all be from that club.

“I’m Joker.” He takes my hand and kisses the back of it.

“Keep your lips off my woman,” Scar says as he joins us and puts a possessive arm around my shoulders, pulling me hard against him. I love it when he gets all growly like this.

“Lucky man.” Joker and Scar bro-hug and slap each other on the back. “I’d like you to meet the rest of my club,” he says to me before turning toward his men. “This is Venom, Grinder, Crank, and Dutch.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” I say.

They’re all huge with the most ridiculous muscles, but none of them can compare to my man. Any other woman would be lucky to snag one of them. I wonder if they have old ladies at home or if they’re all single like the rest of our club.

“Food’s out back,” Scar says.

“We brought beer,” Venom says.

“And soda for the kids,” Joker says.

“The only kid here is Max,” I say.

“Oh good, more for us,” Crank says with a grin.

As we head into the back yard, I find Max sitting on the steps, looking out at the river. I stop and sit beside him.

“How’s everything going?” I ask.

“Good! My new family is awesome. We have pizza night every Friday, and my mom helps me with homework. And I have a little brother. And my big brother, Joker.” He beams.

“I’m so glad you’re happy,” I say.

“I can’t wait until Christmas! They said it snows there just like in Montana, and we can go sledding and make snowmen and …”

As Max gushes about all the fun he’s going to have this winter, my gaze meets Scar’s. I know what he’s thinking. He wants a son. One day, we’re going to have one. Until then, I’m going to have a great time trying to get pregnant. Scar knows what I’m thinking because he smiles softly and mouths, “I love you.” I mouth the same to him.

I never thought I could be this happy. When I met Scar, I was working at the school, going through the motions of life without actually being alive. He brought me to life. He saved Max’s life, too. He did right by Max, getting him into a family with the North Dakota chapter, and Max seems happy, which is all I ever wanted for him. I’m so glad he’s settling in with his new family so well. If it weren’t for Scar, Max and I would probably be in a terrible situation right now. Scar has no idea how many people he’s touched with his kindness and fierce protectiveness.

“Burgers are ready,” Scar calls.

Everyone lines up, Max first, then Nina, me and Holly, and then the guys. We pile our plates high with hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob, and thick slices of watermelon. We carry our food over to the row of picnic tables in the back yard near the river. I guess I should have known something was up when Scar and the boys were dragging all the tables out earlier. I was too busy looking at my man’s ass to wonder why they needed so many tables. I grin and take a seat next to Scar.

As we eat, we chat with Max about his new life. He seems to be enjoying school. Some kids were giving him trouble at first, but Joker showed up one day on his bike and set the bullies straight. I’m glad Max has Joker to watch over him. The guy really is good with kids. I see how he’s joking around and playing with Max, and there’s real joy behind it. He’s a good guy. Max is lucky to have him.

Night falls, and we trade our plates for skewers to make s’mores. Reaper tends the fire while Nina, Holly, and I set up the s’mores bar on one of the tables. Joker helps Max gather everything he’s going to need to put him on the ultimate sugar high. I feel bad for whoever has to stay up with him tonight. There’s no way he’s going to sleep after all that chocolate.

“What are you thinking about?” Scar whispers as he draws me into his lap. He and the others have been sitting around the campfire drinking for the last hour.

“I’m just so happy.” I sigh, snuggling into his arms.

“Me, too.”

“Really?”

“There’s only one thing that could make me happier.”

“What’s that?” I ask with a grin, knowing he’s about to make some completely inappropriate comment.

“Putting a baby in your belly.”