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“Still not sure hoas able to plant that on your bike,” I tell Bullet Not that I don’t believe him, but it takes balls to fuck with a man’s ride

“Not sure either Only time it was left unattended was at Mom’s house My truck was in the shop, and I couldn’t necessarily take her to chemo on the back of the bike That left me with takin’ Mom’s car and leavin’ my bike for any Toetting about that It’s no one but his sister and hio, so he stepped up co some days

“Might need to put caer states

“Not a bad idea Appreciate you coonna suck not havin’ you around You got a good thing goin’ with Shila” Bullet never sits down at the table Even when they gave me a chair to sit, he’d find a reason to stand, feet spread apart, arms crossed over his chest, and no one wants to fuck with him

“Never a problem Just because I’m stayin’ in Louisiana doesn’t mean I won’t be here anytime you need me Pretty sure Shila likes to bitch about the ride but has more fun than she’ll admit,” I tell the room The men omen chuckle I’m sure they’re in similar situations

“Alright, now that shit is done, we’ll keep our ears opened, figure out what’s going on, and go froavel in his hand ready to slam down, and he does that when no one responds

“Later, brothers I’et some shuteye” I make my way out of there while the others shoot the shit It’s still early, and if I’rab a shower, slide into bed next to Shila until she wakes up, and with her not working or doing soet a solid four hours That’s plenty of tiirls, they’ll take her out later today We’ll have soht, and toot plans for our future

I unlock the door toI never did before when I lived here permanently, until I stayed in Louisiana and asked Shovel to lock my shit up until I could make it back Not that there is a whole lot of shit in uns and cash Now that Shila is here, though, daht We have too onna fuck hat’s mine

“Bennett” Shila’s eyes are wide open She’s sitting on the bed, back to the headboard, a picture in her hand, the one that I’ve kept A picture she gave one for a while, breaking shortly after I left town

“Told you I carried you with me always,” I tell her That’s when she scurries to the end of the bed I walk towards her, but she’s not co the exact picture I’ve had with me all these years

“And I carry you with ht now, it’s tiinable just how much I love her

EPILOGUE

SHILA

One Year Later

It’s still hard to believe how ed in the best way possible within a year’s ti, to married, a job that’s secure, with a man who’s in nant with our son

The absolute best present Bennett could ever give h there are tiht to do so for the club, he always comes home to me

“Butterfly, what are you doing out here?” Bennett asks It’s going on close to ht He left earlier after dinner, and sleep was the last thing on my mind

“I wanted to listen to the wind blow the trees and gaze at the stars” I’ in front of the cabin Bennett surprised me with Yep, that cabin that’s surrounded by trees, lushness overload, entrenched in history, and right on the bayou There was nothing to do to the place except buy furniture, which pissed Bennett off to no end Apparently, I’m an indecisive woure out exactly what I wanted One weekend, I did knoould be perfect So, s from the trusses of the porch There are cushions, throw pillows, and a blanket I keep out here once the fall-like weather finally hits “What are you doing home so early?”