Page 78 of Wizard
Esme’s mother, Beth, has been working with Willa for the past six months. The store is so busy that Willa had to do what I did and think seriously about getting more people to share the workload.
Esme has been there for almost a year, since shortly after my brother tried to run me over last summer. The house in Seattle sold, and Esme made a little bit of money. She wanted to pay it back to the club, but Tyrant urged her instead to put the money toward a house in Hart instead. I had a considerable amount of savings, and when we combined it, we didn’t have to put anything toward anything. We were able to buy a nice split level that we’ve been fixing up. Willa happened to be drowning in paperwork and backlogged accounting. She was extremely excited to find out that Esme had a business background. The job’s been a perfect fit, and it’s wonderful that Esme and her mom get to work together. Willa is amazing and sets the hours around Beth’s college classes. After getting her high school equivalent, she was excited to get into a two-year accounting program at the community college. Ella doesn’t teach any ofthose classes, but she and Beth see each other regularly, and they’ve become great friends.
I wish that all of our family stuff could have worked out, but it’s only been a year. It still has time, and life has a funny way of surprising you when you least expect it.
Esme’s dad sold their family house after the divorce and moved to California. He seems to be trying to find a good fit, but he does send Esme texts with photos of odd roadside attractions and large statues and stuff, when he comes across them.
James ended up avoiding jail. He got two years’ probation with mandatory counseling and immediately went back to Seattle. He has an apartment there, and from what my parents have said, he does his therapy, but he’s still so angry. At what, I don’t really know. They don’t know either. They try to help, but James doesn’t really want it. He hasn’t paid a single dollar back to the club, but I did it for him.
I had some investments that I made a long time ago. Stocks and crypto, before it was even really a thing. I cashed some of it out and gave it back to the club, even though Tyrant and Raiden both said that I didn’t have to do it. I didn’t mind. It was investing money in our brotherhood, in a safe haven for broken men, into a place that takes care of its own. I love Satan’s Angels. More than just the clubhouse, the men are my home.
“Did all the brain rush down to the wrong spots, or are you thinking hard about something, in which case, I should put off having your cock in my mouth and scrambling it all to hell and gone for at least a little while?”
“Sorry. No. I was just thinking about the club, the cookout, and family. Though not in that particular order.”
She kisses my cheek, my temple, and makes her way back to my lips. “Serious stuff, then.”
“It was, but I’m done now.”
“Are you sure? We could shower and have breakfast first. We could talk and then come back here.”
My hands close around her waist. “I’m sure.”
Things can’t always be right, but for the few heartaches in our life, we’ve had so many more blessings. Esme loves being in Hart. She loves this community. For the first time ever, she feels like she also has a home, and it’s not just with me. It’s with the club’s women, with her mom, and even sometimes with my parents. We go over there once a week, and we’re trying. So are they. It’s a work in progress, and we’re both okay with that.
I know Grandpa would be proud. He’d tell me that forgiveness is a great thing and that people should come first, but that you also have to grow your own heart. I’m trying to work on all of it.
Esme kisses me slowly, taking her time with me. She leaves me breathless before she kisses her way down my neck and to my chest. She glances up, her sparkling eyes finding mine. “We should eat outside. It looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous morning.”
“Eating outside devolves into us pulling weeds.”
She laughs. “Are you complaining?”
Before we started on house renovations, we landscaped the backyard. We have a massive vegetable garden, quite a few towers and vertical gardens, an herb garden, and asmany flower gardens as we could pack into the place. We already had a fence around the backyard, but we planted a border of sunflowers anyway.
“Not at all. Getting dirty will only lead to another shower, which I definitely have no complaints about.”
“Okay.” She rains kisses down over my chest. “That sounds like a perfect itinerary then. Except you forgot to insert all the time we’re going to need for me to tell you how much I love you.”
I wink at her. “That’s what all the round one, two, and three were about.”
“There aren’t ever enough rounds for how many times I want to tell you, but I’ll try and work with what I have so we’re not late.”
She keeps going, kissing down my abs, lower and lower. She’s kidding. We don’t need rounds or set times. We’re always telling each other about how much we treasure, cherish, and love each other. We’re probably the sappiest couple in the whole club, but no one minds.
Some people might think that it took a crazy amount of time for us to get here, but we only appreciate each other more. We don’t take anything for granted, and we’re intentional about our time and the way we communicate. I’ve always loved Esme. The way I love her shifted in high school, and then it changed again when she came back to Hart last year. It’s changed, growing deeper every single day. It’ll keep changing as we spend our lives together.
“I love you, wife.” I wriggle underneath of her and pull her back so I can kiss her good and proper.
It’s early yet. We can take our time with each other, and Ifullyplan to indulge in every single second.
THE END
