She shakes her head. “No. He was there to take me and kill Noah.”
“Did you see who shot Mr. Ford?” he asks and I turn to look at her as her gaze flicks up to mine. She shakes her head. I cock my head to the side and study her as she starts flicking her thumb - her tell for when she’s lying. What the hell is she lying about?
“No, I didn’t.”
He sighs, slapping his book shut. “Okay, I think that’ll do it.”
“Wait, why does it matter who shot him?” I ask, turning back to him. “I mean, he was holding four women hostage.”
“Well, technically, it doesn’t,” he answers. “Unless, of course, it was you since you’re out on parole and that would most definitely send you back to jail.”
I shake my head as I search my memory. I remember having a gun but I have no clue if I actually shot Biche or not. But based on Kady’s reaction when he asked her, I’d be willing to guess it was me. “I don’t think so.”
“I don’t think so either since Blaze already copped to it but it was in self-defense and he has a permit so all should be just fine. I just had to ask.”
My eyes widen and I nod as he tells us good-bye before watching him leave the room. When I’m sure that we’re alone, I turn back to her.
“I shot him, didn’t I?”
She nods.
“How is everyone else?”
Biting her lip, she meets my eyes. “Everyone is okay for the most part. The girls got knocked around a bit by the guy that was guarding them and Streak took a bullet to the leg but he’s being a pretty good sport about it. He told Kodiak it didn’t hurt that bad and he was a big ass baby when Tate shot him.”
I laugh as I imagine him taunting Kodiak. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Smith got grazed in the arm but he’s good, too. All it took was a gauze pad and some tape to fix him up.”
Reaching out, I gently run my finger down her face. “And you? Are you okay?”
“I’m better than okay, actually.”
“Yeah?”
She nods. “For starters, you’re okay. I was so sure that I was losing you as I watched you fall in the dirt.”
“It’d take a whole lot more than that to keep me from you, baby.”
“Oh, and I heard from Kelly and TJ. They’ve decided to tell Nicholas about us and they’re going to let him choose when he’d like to meet us.”
My heart swells as she beams up at me, happier than I’ve seen her in a long time.
“That’s amazing, babe.”
“I know. I can’t wait to meet him. Oh, and when we think the time is right, Blaze gave us a little leather jacket for him. He said he’s officially a part of the family.”
“Blaze,” I breathe, shaking my head. “I can’t believe he took the blame for me. Why the hell would he do that?”
Smiling, she presses her hand to my cheek. “Because that’s what family does, baby.”
Epilogue
Kady
Two Months Later
“Can I go now, Mom?” Nicholas asks, fidgeting in front of me and I beam down at him as I nod. He turns to Noah at the end of the aisle and starts walking toward him, proudly carrying his ring bearer’s pillow with his head held high. Kelly and TJ smile and wave at me from the back of the crowd.
About a week after Noah was released from the hospital, Kelly and TJ gave us a call to tell us that Nicholas was ready to meet us. We were nervous as hell but our boy marched into our house like he owned the place and was so happy to finally meet us. He had lots of questions and we followed their lead as we answered them honestly and when he finally knew the truth, the rage in his green eyes made him look even more like his daddy than he already did. At first, Kelly and TJ were leery of our involvement with the club but it really didn’t take long for the guys to win them over and they’ve even got TJ riding a bike now. They are just as much family as the rest of us and we get to see Nicholas at least once a week now. It’s not the same as having my son back all to myself but I’m grateful for each moment I get with him.
“Hey, you ready?” Blaze asks, stepping up behind me as he holds his arm out for me. I smile.
“Yeah, let’s do this.”
I hook my arm through his as he leads me out the door of the cabin. The sun shines off the water as I meet Noah’s eyes at the end of the aisle and he smiles. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri plays as I walk toward him, Blaze holding me back from running down the stairs like I want to and when we finally reach each other, he takes my hands as Blaze claps him on the shoulder.
“These two have been waiting to marry each other for a damn long time,” Hannah says as she stands in front of us. When we started planning the wedding again, she insisted that she get ordained on the internet and marry us herself. It only seemed fitting since she’s been by my side since the beginning. “So we’re just going to cut right to the chase. Noah?”
Noah turns to me and pulls a piece of paper out of his suit jacket. “When I was trying to write my vows, I thought about all the ways I’ve described us and our love and I wanted to read you some of them… Destined. Written in the fucking stars.”
A few chuckles ring out around us.
“End game and I’m sure there are more but those are the ones that popped into my mind first and the ones that seem most fitting. Since the moment I met you, I knew we’d end up here, which is a weird thought for an eleven-year-old boy to have but I never had any doubts. Even when I was locked up and you disappeared, I always believed I would find you again. So, when I tell you that I’m going to love you until well after my heart stops beating, you can take that shit to the bank.”
I giggle, smiling through the tears welling up in my eyes.
“You own me, baby. You’re the queen of my heart - you always have been and you always will be. I promise to bend over backward to make sure you feel that everyday. I won’t get complacent and I won’t ever forget just how much you mean to me or how fucking lucky I am to get to call you my wife. I love you.”
“Noah,” I breathe as a tear drops down my cheek and he smiles as he wipes it away. Hannah clears her throat as she wipes away a tear or two of her own. She nods to me.
“Kady?”
I grab his hands and smile up at him. “Noah Thomas LeBlanc, you are the kind of man I always dreamed of finding every night I laid in an orphanage bed, wishing for a family. I admire your unwavering, steadfast love for me and the way you’ve never given up - even when I was doing everything I could to push you away. We’re here today because of you, baby. I’m never going to forget how lucky I am that you saw me that day sixteen years ago and decided that we were meant for one another. You’ve been my strength for so long but today, I promise to be your rock when something shakes your faith and to be your shelter in whatever storm life dishes up for us. And I promise to make sure everyday that you know just how loved and special you are.”
“The rings?” Hannah asks and Nicholas bounces forward before presenting us with the pillow as he grins.
“Here you go, Dad.”
Noah smiles and ruffles his dark brown hair. “Thanks, buddy.”