Page 126 of Changing Lanes

Four.

Equally anxious hands, both mine and hers, reach at the same time as we welcome each other back. Back into each other’s embrace, back into each other’s lives, back into each other’s hearts.

Four fucking seconds for everything to become crystal clear. All of it.

I always thought that my mom would be the one to come to my rescue. That she’d swoop in and save the day, put me back together again. But now I realize I’d been waiting for the wrong person all along. It wasn’t my mom at all. It was a foul-mouthed, sarcastic as all hell, sexy as sin biker chick with wild hair, hypnotizing eyes, and a hell of an insulated heart worth chipping away at.

Turns out the savior I’d been eagerly awaiting was the love of my life.

Four seconds, one kiss, and you should fucking know.

I raise my mouth to meet hers and I finally let her in. All the way in. For good.

EPILOGUE

Paige

The smile on my face wobbles as I take in the scene around me. The four men surrounding me at the group of tables we’re seated at are so busy in their banter with each other that they don’t notice my emotions running on high. They’ve been that way all week but kicked up a notch seeing my brothers finally sitting all together for a meal again. And with our mom nearby.

Sunbrook’s kitchen staff pushed a few tables together for our gathering on my day off. I thought it’d be good for everybody if we all visited Mom at the same time instead of individually. It might blow up in our faces or we might find our balance fully restored while leaning against each other like we used to. Either way, it’s time. After watching each of my siblings come in for solo visits only to leave complete wrecks, I suggested trying it as a whole. Not just as pieces of our jumbled puzzle of a family, but as a united front. An unbreakable force that Mom will feel even if she can’t show it. It’s like Beckett said, I have to believe in my love for her but also her love for us. We know it’s there even if we can’t see it and that’s what matters. She is what matters, to all of us.

She isn’t getting any better though sadly. Her bouts of lucidity are less frequent these days even though I’ve had her meds adjusted and fully returned to her prescribed dosages. I’m getting ready to take over Vernon’s position in a matter of months and I can’t wait. I’ll be on days, too, so I’ll get more time with my mom—however long that may be—and more time with Beckett. Well, more nights with him. He does a pretty good job already with making our nearly opposite schedules work. He’s in here so much, he’s even got his own favorites. And surprise, surprise, he’s everybody’s favorite as well.

Deciding it’s time to reintroduce ourselves, I walk over to invite our mom to join us, relaxing when she agrees.

Even though I know she’s not the same person she was from my childhood and never will be again, the pain from that knowledge doesn’t stop from piercing a hole in my heart just the same. I miss my mother with every molecule in my body. We all do.

An hour later the hurt I feel down to my marrow is mirrored back on each of my brothers’ faces but it’s not as debilitating. It’s manageable. There’s comfort in collective suffering. To know you’re hurting is one thing, to see you’re not the only one is another.

Tysen stands out of nowhere, pulling my attention away from my mother’s untouched plate of food. She still isn’t eating as much as she should be.

“What’s up, boss?”

My gaze swings over my shoulder to see Beckett strolling across the cafeteria with a broad smile stretching his face and a…

Is that a baby?

Upon closer inspection, I realize it’s a baby doll. A girl baby doll to be exact. With a mess of dark waves covering the face.

Ignoring my questioning stare, he leans down to peck my lips before shaking hands with Ty and nodding to my other brothers. Tysen now manages the second location of Pop The Hood. Him and Angela. Apparently, Coty worked out some kind of deal that made her a partner as well. One that she only agreed to under the condition that none of the guys had a say over her decisions anymore. They even held a family meeting and everything where Beckett threw every argument he could think of at her, all with a teasing smile plastered to his face. He’s such a shithead.

And I love him so much.

They all figured it out and she now spends her time between both locations as does my boyfriend. He’s in high demand.

I let my gaze fall over him, seeing he’s not wearing one of his typical biker shirts but a crisp white tee pulled tight over those muscles I never get tired of exploring and jeans hung low on his tapered waist.

Very high demand.

A chill runs through the room, or just me maybe, and I pull my cardigan a little tighter against my front.

He must’ve dropped his coat off upfront on his way in. It’s one of those cold April days today where the wind absolutely whips but that doesn’t stop him from riding still.

Did he ride his Ninja here with that doll? How? And why?

He’s freshly showered, too, even though I know he had work today. He was planning on only working a half day since he knew I’d be busy with my family for a few hours, otherwise he would’ve taken the day off, too. His busiest day and he takes it off regularly just to be with me. I try to go in with him from time to time but homework has been kicking my ass every which way lately. Especially this week it seems. I’m just so exhausted the second I even look at an assignment.

Eyes tracking him, he positions himself in the seat next to my mom, giving her a view of what’s in his hands then he…plays with it. Legit plays with the baby doll. Like coos at it and tickles its plastic belly.