Page 81 of Hammer
Wrath’s face was serious, his posture rigid as he said something that made Hammer straighten.I caught the tail end of my father’s question as I drew closer.
“-- intentions with my daughter and grandsons?”His voice was low but clear, the challenge unmistakable.
Hammer didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate.“My intentions are to love them for however many years I’ve got left,” he replied, his voice carrying the same certainty it had when he’d promised to protect us from Piston.“To give those boys a father who sees them as people, not possessions.To give Amelia the respect and partnership she deserves.”He leaned closer to Wrath.“To make up for the years she didn’t have a father in her life.”
The barb landed, but instead of anger, I saw something like grudging respect cross Wrath’s face.“And if I don’t approve?”
“Then you’d be a fool,” Hammer said bluntly.“But it wouldn’t change anything.They’re mine now.My family.My responsibility.”His voice softened slightly.“But they have room for you too, if you’re smart enough to take what’s being offered.”
I stepped forward then, unwilling to eavesdrop any longer.Both men looked up as I approached, something passing between them that felt like a truce.
“Everything okay?”I asked, slipping back into my seat beside Hammer.
Wrath leaned back, his posture noticeably more relaxed than it had been all day.“Just getting to know my son-in-law,” he said, the term no longer laced with skepticism.
The afternoon mellowed into evening, the initial stiffness gradually giving way to something that, if not quite comfortable, was at least less strained.I watched in amazement as Wrath showed the boys his prized collection of vintage motorcycle parts, Chase asking technical questions that clearly impressed his grandfather.Levi eventually gravitated toward the club’s tech setup, drawn into conversation with their intelligence officer who seemed genuinely interested in his insights.
Later, as we gathered near the bar, Wrath approached Hammer with an extended hand.“Welcome to the family,” he said, loud enough for those nearby to hear, making the acceptance official.
Hammer accepted the handshake but snorted.“I was family first,” he replied with unexpected humor.“So I’m the one accepting you.”For a moment, tension crackled between them -- then Wrath’s booming laugh broke the silence, echoed seconds later by Hammer’s deeper chuckle.The sound of their shared laughter seemed to release the last of the day’s strain, like a thunderstorm clearing heavy air.
I smiled, watching these two powerful men find common ground in their stubborn pride and shared commitment to family.Beside me, Chase nudged Levi, both boys wearing expressions of cautious hope as they observed this unexpected camaraderie between my dad and theirs.
Aura appeared at my side, slipping her arm through mine.“Found my people,” she murmured, nodding toward the younger Knights who’d adopted her for the day.“They’ve got some interesting ideas about female Prospects.Might be useful back home.”
Since I hadn’t noticed any female Prospects, I wondered if they were just hoping to convince her to stick around.I’d noticed the way a few of them watched her.
“Making alliances already?”I teased.
“Always,” she replied with a wink.
As I looked around at this unlikely gathering -- Hammer and Wrath now engaged in what appeared to be a detailed comparison of their respective clubs’ territories, the boys cautiously integrating with their new extended family, Aura building bridges with typical charm -- I felt a profound shift inside me.The father I’d never known.The husband I’d never expected.The sons who were healing from their past.The stepdaughter who’d become sister and friend.
Family.Not perfect or conventional by any measure, but mine.Ours.For the first time in my life, I felt complete -- not because I’d found my father, though that filled a hole I’d carried for decades.But because I’d found myself among these people who chose each other, who protected each other, who built something stronger from the broken pieces life had dealt them.
As Hammer caught my gaze across the room, his subtle nod communicating volumes in the language we’d developed together, I knew with bone-deep certainty: This was home.These people were home.And nothing -- not distance, not complicated pasts, not uncertain futures -- could take that away from us now.