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After she disappears into the kitchen, Katty and I exchange a look that turns into shared laughter—quiet, intimate, a release of tension and a celebration of possibility.

"She's never going to let us live this down," I observe, pulling on my shirt.

"Probably not," Katty agrees, gathering her scattered clothing. "But I think we can handle it."

We dress quickly, stealing kisses between articles of clothing, reluctant to break the connection we've established. When we're finally presentable, Katty pauses before we join Lilly in the kitchen.

"Just so you know," she says, looking up at me with those clear, direct eyes, "whatever happens with the club, with Dylan, with all of it. I'm glad you came to Sweetheart County. I'm glad we found each other."

I draw her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Me too. And I'm not letting go easily."

"Good," she says simply. "Because neither am I."

Three Months Later

The sign above the garage reads "Iron Hammer and Thunder, finding new purpose in building rather than just enforcing; the prospects, eager to prove themselves worthy of the patch they'll eventually earn; and Katty, brilliant and strong beside me.

I'm struck by how much has changed since that day at the Sweetheart County Fair.

"Earth to Tank," Katty nudges me, using the name that now belongs more to family than to club business. "Where'd you go?"

"Just thinking," I reply, squeezing her hand under the table. "About how sometimes the roads we take lead us exactly where we need to be, even when we had no idea that's where we were heading."

Her eyes soften, understanding perfectly what I mean. "Some roads are worth following, even when the map says they lead nowhere."

After lunch, as the others return to work, Katty and I take a moment for ourselves on the small balcony off the office that overlooks Main Street. The town stretches before us, bathed in autumn light, familiar now in ways I never expected it to be.

"Any regrets?" she asks, fitting herself against my side as we look out over what has become our domain, our responsibility, our home.

I think about the question seriously. About the greater freedom I had with the main chapter, the simpler life of following orders rather than giving them. About the challenges still ahead as we establish ourselves in this community.

"Not one," I answer truthfully. "You?"

She shakes her head, her hair catching the sunlight. "The university position is still open. They call every few months to see if I've changed my mind."

"And have you?" I ask, though I already know the answer.

"Changed my mind about leaving?" She turns to face me fully, arms wrapping around my waist. "No. I finally found somewhere—someone—worth putting down roots for."

I pull her close, still marveling at how perfectly she fits against me, how completely she understands the man I am and the man I'm trying to become.

"I love you," I tell her, words that once seemed foreign to me now flowing easily. "Thank you for taking a chance on us."

"I love you too," she replies. "Thank you for giving me something worth staying for."

As we seal the promise with a kiss, the patch on my back—the new Iron & Heart MC insignia, a fist gripping a blooming rose—catches the sun. It represents everything we're building here: strength and beauty, protection and growth, the hard and the soft existing in perfect balance.

Just like us.

When we came together that night at the Sweetheart County Fair, neither of us could have predicted where the road would lead. But standing here now, with the woman I love in my arms and a future spreading out before us like an open highway, I know one thing for certain:

Sometimes the most unexpected detours lead exactly where you're meant to be.