Page 38 of Protected By the Bikers Next Door (Never Just One #4)

Harper

Three Years Later

T he sounds of children’s laughter fill the air. It’s one of those lazy summer days where the sounds of lawnmowers and children playing can be heard. We’ve invited our friends around for a cookout, a fairly regular occurrence these days.

“Not like that, like this,” I hear Sofia say outside, bossing her little brothers around.

I peek out the window to check on them, smiling as I watch them play.

At three years old, Sofia is a little hellion.

She’s also fiercely protective of her two younger siblings, Marcus and Alex, who are almost two years old now.

When we found out we were having twins, it was a definite surprise, especially since I fell pregnant so soon after Sofia’s birth.

But I love how close in age they are, so much so, I’m pregnant again.

Jenny loves being a big sister, delighting in mothering them all.

Her younger, bolder sister has also encouraged Jenny to come out of her shell more and be braver.

Though I hadn’t noticed it before, and I thought I’d hidden the danger from her, the way we lived, always in fear of Viktor, took its toll on her.

Having lots of younger siblings and a safe, loving environment has helped Jenny to flourish. So have I.

The kitchen timer pings, and I remove the steaming hot pie from the oven.

The smell of warm blueberries and buttery pastry fills the room.

A year ago, once the twins were old enough, the guys encouraged me to follow my dream and open a small bakery where I sell my pies and cakes.

They assured me that with the Shadow Pack’s custom alone, the place would survive.

Since opening, it’s been a raging success with people traveling from out of town to try my now-infamous baking.

It’s doing so well that I’ve had to hire staff to help me keep up with the workload on top of my busy schedule as a mom.

I was more surprised than anyone else that the first person I hired was Susan.

She came to visit us after she got out of rehab, to make amends as part of her twelve-step program.

It took a long time for me to forgive her, but she has genuinely turned her life around.

She’s a different person from the one she was three years ago.

She’s clean, sober, and the godmother to the twins, whom she dotes on like they were her own.

She’s also well and truly over her embarrassing obsession with Wolf—her words, not mine.

Wolf is still somewhat wary around her. I doubt they’ll ever hang out, but he’s forgiven her and welcomed her back into the Shadow Pack.

After all, all the guys ever wanted was to help her get clean.

Susan is also totally besotted with her new boyfriend, Jim, Sammy’s dad.

Pam was uncertain of the relationship to start with.

She wasn’t so quick to forgive and forget the danger Susan put Jenny and, therefore, Pam and Sammy in when she told Viktor where Pam lived.

But having seen how happy she makes Jim, after years of mourning his wife, and how good she is with Sammy, Pam is coming around.

They’re all here today, and regular attendees at our cookouts.

Having just arrived, we say our greetings, and they hand over the various items they brought, helping themselves to drinks, as we head out into the yard.

Katie and Tiny arrive moments later, with a new rescue kitten in tow that Tiny explains he needs to regularly feed from a bottle, as it’s so small.

Unsurprisingly, the kids are immediately obsessed with it, offering to help him feed it.

They will no doubt pester us for a kitten of their own until we finally relent.

Katie and Tiny are still an item, and Katie still runs the bar at the clubhouse.

They’ve been incredible in running things so that the guys can step back a bit to spend more time with their family and enjoy being dads instead of bikers.

Though, of course, that doesn’t stop them from going on rides.

“Good to see you, the guys not back yet?” Tiny asks.

Before I can reply, I hear the rumble of their motorbikes pulling into the neighborhood, heralding their arrival.

Even now, my heart does a little flip in my chest when I see them walk into the backyard to greet everyone.

Jenny runs up to Bear, still her favorite, to tell him about the cat, taking his hand and dragging him to it while she chatters away.

Sofia copies her sister, insisting that Bear carry her and clinging to him like a monkey.

“Alright, but let me say hi to everyone first,” he agrees with a warm chuckle.

He says hello to our guests before coming over to me. “They’ve got you wrapped around their little fingers,” I say, kissing him.

“Just like their Momma,” he says with a wink before allowing the girls to lead him away.

Having also said their hellos, Wolf and Hawk come over to me. Wolf is carrying Marcus, and Hawk holds Alex. “How was the ride?” I ask them, kissing them in turn.

“Good. How are you? Everything okay?” Wolf asks, placing a protective hand on my small bump.

I’m three months into the pregnancy, and my bump seems to have popped out overnight. “We’re good,” I reply, placing my hand on his.

Compared to Sofia’s birth, the twins’ wasn’t as traumatic, but it still took a toll on my body.

Wolf is nervous about this one. If I’m being honest, I am a little too.

However, the doctors assure me everything is fine.

Even so, this will probably be our last addition to our family.

As much as I love our children, I don’t want to be perpetually pregnant.

“Sorry we’re late!” I hear Mira’s harried voice call out as the side gate squeaks open.

She’s carrying a bowl of potato salad that she holds above the enormous swell of her pregnant belly.

Behind her, Paul is struggling under the weight of the bags they’ve brought.

Wolf heads over to greet them, taking the load from Paul with ease.

If Wolf’s obvious strength emasculates Paul compared to his, he doesn’t show it. “Thanks, man.”

Paul quickly rushes over to take the bowl from his pregnant wife, kissing and fussing over her. They’ve been married for a year now and still appear to be in the honeymoon phase.

“My goodness, you look ready to pop,” I say as I kiss my oldest friend on the cheeks.

“Tell me about it,” Mira replies with a grin. “Only a few weeks to go!”

“Gosh, that’s gone so quickly. Before you know it, this little one will be ready to join the family too,” I say, touching my stomach.

We chatter amicably while we all fuss around getting the table ready and the barbecue going.

When the food is finally ready, we sit down together at the big outdoor table.

Even so, it’s not big enough for us all, and the children sit on a separate, smaller one close by.

Something that Jenny bemoans, claiming she’s not a baby anymore.

Hawk manages to prevent it from turning into a full-blown meltdown with promises of playing hide and seek after lunch.

Katie clears her throat. Standing up, she announces, “Now that we’re all here.

Tiny and I have something we wanted to tell you all.

” The gentle giant beside her stands up, towering over her petite frame, and places a supportive hand on her waist. Jenny looks up at him, and he nods with a smile.

“Tiny and I are getting married!” she announces, beaming as she holds out her hand to display the ring on her finger.

The table immediately erupts into excited chatter as we congratulate the happy couple. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice the ring before!” I exclaim as I hug her, taking a closer look.

The rest of the day stays on a high, with everyone having fun and discussing the future wedding.

As the guests are leaving, we notice a moving truck pull up at my old house. A harried looking woman and three young children pile out of it.

“Someone’s finally moved in,” I say, pointing it out to the guys.

“Fresh meat,” Wolf says jokingly, coming around to place his hands on my pregnant belly as he stands behind me. “What are you thinking?” he murmurs in my ear as I watch the scene unfold.

Fox, Trick, and Jumper all emerge from their house, offering to help the grateful woman who watches them as they lift heavy boxes with ease.

“I’m thinking history might be about to repeat itself.”

“Do you reckon the guys are gonna go for the new neighbor?” Bear asks.

“Mmm hmm. Don’t you see the way they’re looking at her?”

“Like starving animals that have just spotted their prey,” Hawk observes as he stalks past us, answering the children’s call to come put the television on for them.

“Should we warn her?” Bear says, his brow furrowing.

“And say what? That the three single bikers next door to her are all going to fall for her and she them? That if she lets it, her life is about to change and become infinitely more complicated in the best way possible?”

“I was thinking maybe we’d just invite her over for dinner first, welcome her to the neighborhood,” he answers with a grin.

“We’ll let her settle in first. Give her time to adjust and let her think she’s moving into a nice, normal neighborhood for a little while before dropping the ‘Hi we’re your new polyamorous neighbors who also happen to be part of the Shadow Pack’ bomb on her,” I say.

“She’s met the guys, she’ll figure it out fast enough,” Wolf says. “Especially since they’re throwing a party tonight.”

I’d forgotten that. Despite my concerns when we first moved in, this house is surprisingly soundproof, meaning that the guys can party all they want without it disturbing us. It explains how the older couple who lived here before never complained. Of course, that doesn’t help our new neighbor.

“Twenty bucks says she storms over within a week to complain about the noise,” I say with a grin.

“I say it will be less, three days,” Bear replies.

“Tomorrow night,” Wolf says.

Hawk returns from the other room, having successfully distracted the kids with what sounds like their favorite cartoon. “Tonight. She’ll go there tonight.”

As if on cue the sound of rumbling motorcycles coming down the street makes the woman turn in surprise. Several pack members pull up outside the guys’ house, shouting and waving, kegs of beer in tow.

I laugh, a rich, full sound that comes from my stomach. “Well, I hope it works out for them. Moving into that house was the best decision I ever made.” I tilt my head back for Wolf’s kiss, reaching my hands out to Bear and Hawk. “I wouldn’t change a single thing.”

I smile as I turn away from the neighbors, thinking how it’s funny the way life can be like that, a repeating cycle. While they might be at the beginning of their story, ours is far from over yet.

Later, with the guests all gone and the house now tidy, the guys volunteer to put the kids to bed, telling me to put my feet up and relax.

I stand at the bottom of the stairs, a smile on my face as I hear them upstairs.

My gaze lingers on the photos on the wall, snapshots of our wedding, of family vacations, and of our children growing up.

I imagine these photos changing over the years as our children grow.

Milestones they will experience in their life: first days of school, graduation, their own weddings, and children.

I picture the life laid out ahead of us filled with love.

The photos that will show us growing old together, our wrinkled hands intertwined and smiles on our lined faces.

The thought isn’t a scary one. I can’t wait to grow old with these men I love.

Turns out happily ever afters do exist.

THE END

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Owned by the Silver Foxes