Jax didn’t drag it out. “I found them. Your biological parents.”
He handed me a folded piece of paper with names, an address, and phone numbers. My fingers trembled as I took it.
“They’re doing well,” Jax explained. “Still married, two more kids. They built a good life after everything. Found out the organization did one good deed back then. They faked your death. It gave your parents closure. They grieved and moved forward. They seem happy.”
I stared at the paper, my throat tight. A thousand what-ifs flashed through my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder how different my life might’ve been if I’d grown up with them. But I was too happy to worry about it for long.
“I don’t want to reach out.” Thayer’s hand rubbed slow circles on my lower back, offering me the only comfort I needed. I folded the paper and handed it back to Jax. “They have closure. Upending that wouldn’t be fair to them. It would be selfish of me to come bursting into their lives after twenty years, blowing their world apart.”
Jax nodded, respect in his eyes. “I’ll destroy this. No one else ever needs to know.”
When he left us alone, Thayer turned me gently to face him. His hazel eyes were full of love. “You sure, baby?”
I placed both hands over my belly, feeling one of the twins give a little kick. “I don’t need to know who I could have been. I like who I am now. The woman you gave me the freedom to become. Yours.”
Thayer’s expression softened into the devastating smile he saved only for me. He cupped my face and kissed me, pouring all his love into it.
“I’m so fucking proud of you,” he murmured against my lips. “Strongest woman I know. Best decision I ever made was claiming you that night at Brake Point.”
We stayed like that for a moment, breathing each other in before he took my hand and led me back outside.
The pool area was still full of noise and joy. Cecily was helping Nella take off her floaties when a new figure appeared at the gate—Tyre.
He froze the second his eyes landed on Cecily in her simple black one-piece. Several married dads stood nearby in swim trunks, laughing and encouraging their kids, completely oblivious to anything but fatherhood.
Tyre’s jaw clenched so hard I could see it from across the pool. His hands flexed at his sides like he wanted to throw every single one of his club brothers into the deep end, married or not.
“Oh no,” I whispered, biting back a laugh.
Thayer grinned beside me. “Here we go.”
I’d heard so many stories about how the other couples wound up together. I was excited to have a front-row seat to the next one
EPILOGUE
CAGE
The hospital room was quiet now, the soft hum of medical equipment faded into the background as the afternoon sun spilled gently through the half-open blinds. Hadley lay propped against the pillows, her hair falling in loose waves around her flushed cheeks, exhaustion and joy painting her face in equal measure. She was fucking radiant.
I’d never seen her more beautiful than she was right now, holding our twins close against her body, wrapped in soft blankets, their tiny faces peaceful and perfect as they slept.
I moved quietly toward the bed, feeling like my heart had been cracked wide open and rebuilt a thousand times in the past few hours. Hadley glanced up as I reached her side, her gaze bright and warm, tired but filled with a quiet pride that stole the air from my lungs.
“Hey.” Her voice was still raspy from exhaustion and emotion. “You holding up okay over there?”
I chuckled softly, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. My thumb traced her jaw, brushing softly over her flushed skin. “You’re asking me? I’m not the one who just brought two tiny humans into the world.”
She smiled up at me. “Well, you did look pretty pale there for a minute. I wasn’t sure who needed oxygen more—you or me.”
I snorted, shaking my head even as warmth bloomed in my chest. “Just because I’m a trauma surgeon doesn’t mean I was prepared to see my wife in that much pain without wanting to tear the hospital apart brick by brick.”
Her lips curved wider, her eyes dancing with gentle humor and exhaustion. “I’m pretty sure the nurses noticed. You might have scared a few of them.”
“Good.” I glanced toward the door. “Then they’ll keep their distance while I make sure you’re taken care of.”
Hadley laughed, shifting her gaze back to the small bundles she held against her chest. Her expression turned almost awed as her fingers stroked gently over their tiny heads, dark wisps of hair peeking out from the blankets.
“I still can’t believe they’re ours,” she whispered. “They’re perfect.”