Page 70 of Knuckles

The brothers wince while Crusher grits his teeth, Alexiana’s disdain in her voice for the MC clear as day.

“I miss you, friend,” Kodi says softly, and Alexiana sighs, “I miss you too, and Clark, but I just needed to leave Kodes.”

“Are you happy? Do you have someone to make you happy?” Kodi asks, eyeing Crusher, who is staring hard at the phone, clearly wanting to take it but knowing he can’t, otherwise his girl will hang up. That and I’ll pounce before he can ruin the call.

“I’m trying to be happy, but it’s hard, life is hard, and no, I’m not seeing anyone. There is one guy who keeps asking me out, but how do I say yes when my heart belongs to another?” she replies, and Crusher drops his head in relief, making me smile sadly for my friend, my club brother.

“Come home, Alexiana,” Kodi says softly, and the woman on the other end of the phone sniffles.

“I can’t, and besides, aren’t you leaving town?” she replies, and the whole club freezes, waiting for my girl’s reply.

Hang on, how does she know everything about the club?

Where is she getting her information from?

“No,” Kodi says softly, “I’m buying an art gallery, the building three doors down from the gym, we’re staying, and Liam is going to try and see if he can make things work with the club. They are his family…”

The men all try their hardest not to shout in relief while Crusher looks fucking devastated that his girl won’t come home.

“I’m proud of you, Kodi, so goddamn proud, and I love you,” Alexiana whispers, “I’ll try and keep in touch, but I uh, I have to go, tell Knuckles that I’ll kick his ass if he ever hurts you.”

That said, she hangs up, and I look at my club brother and murmur, “Hayes?” he shakes his head and looks at my girl, who doesn’t even hesitate. She holds her phone out to him, and he looks ready to fucking break.

“Thank you, darling,” he chokes, and Kodi nods before ordering, “Don’t hurt her again.”

“Never,” he replies as he copies the number Alexiana called my girl on, then hands her the phone back. With a pat on the back to me, he turns and walks away, everyone's concerned eyes on his back before they turn back to me, collectively and might I add creepily, and I groan.

“Can we do this tomorrow? I want to go spend the evening with my wife,” I state, and Kodi leans against me as Cage steps forward and confirms, “You’re staying?”

“For now,” I reply, and he nods before Trick walks over and states, “Forever,” making me half smile as he holds up an old lady patch.

“Fuck, I never thought I’d see the day my daughter gets given a property patch,” I hear Marshalls grunt as I take the cut fromTrick and slowly move my girl forward before placing it on her. I’m hard instantly, seeing the ‘Property of Knuckles’on the back.

Fuck me, she is gorgeous.

“Alright, brothers, I’m taking my girl home,” I state, and I spin Kodi, causing her to gasp, but she soon chokes, “Liam, your gunshot wound,” as I bend and throw her over my shoulder, the club cheering and laughing surrounding us.

I slap her ass, stopping her from struggling, and I salute her father and brother, who both are shaking their heads. I storm towards the back door, adamant to spend at least the next twenty-four hours inside my girl.

The brothers know I still have one foot out of the door, but they also know I’ll try and I will. I’ll be showing them my love for the club while they’ll ensure to always have my back, helping me grow as a brother and officer brother. My girl is my rock and day in and day fucking out she never regrets giving into my suggestion of fucking because in the end, we were always meant to be.

Life with Kodi is one life worth fucking living.

Epilogue

Kodi – Five Years Later

I try to take steady breaths as I drive towards Liam, my heart in my throat, fear slowly building deep inside to the point where it’s suffocating.

This shouldn’t have happened. We agreed to wait until I was ready, maybe seek out fertility specialists. I thought fate had other ideas until a gut instinct had me checking my pills, and anger started to comingle with fear.

The jackass swapped my pills for vitamins, not even having a conversation with me first, taking a choice away from me. He knows I hate that shit, and now I’m flipping pregnant, fifteen weeks to be exact. I’ve been so busy at Wilsons Arts, the gallery that Liam, the club, and my father helped open and build up, that I don’t know how I’m going to cope.

Once word got out, as soon as the doors opened, most of my stuff was sold out on the first day and it hasn’t died down. It is an amazing feeling, but while I’ve been so focused on my gallery, I didn’t notice my husband swapping my pills. Had I noticed I would have driven down to his gym to kick the shit out of him. I’m not ready to be a mom, I still feel like I failed our child even if I didn’t know about it. Instead of castrating him at the gym, I’m heading to the cemetery where his mom is buried to confront him, something I really don’t want to do today of all fricking days.

Today would have been her birthday, and he spends every birthday and Mother’s Day at her grave for at least three hours.

Over the years, while Liam has struggled with forgiveness and he’s slowly learned to come to an understanding instead.