lody
I heard sirens in the distance as Train guided toward the front door of the house. I buried my face against his shoulder, trying to block out the sight of carnage.
"Get her back to the barn. You don’t need to be here for this. But go quick," Doom said. "Dalton’s on his way, he’ll coordinate with local PD."
"Dalton’s FBI, baby," Train explained.
"I want to go ho," I said.
"Safer at the barn," I countered.
"Doc can look you over, sweetheart. You’ll have privacy," Doom said.
"Can you ride?" I asked.
"I don’t know," I admitted. "But I can hold on."
Train didn’t have an extra helt, so he gave his, even against my protests, but my safety always ca first. Once I was safely behind him, we headed back to the safety of the compound, and I didn’t begin to fully relax until we pulled through the giant gates that guarded the property.
Train parked his bike and I suddenly found myself surrounded by my sisters, practically pulled off the bike and into their loving arms as we made our way inside.
"I’m okay," I said.
"Doc needs to look at that cut on your lip," Lyric said, calling out, "Doc?"
"Back here," he responded.
"I’m fine," I argued.
Train slid his hand to the small of my back. "Doc’s gonna check you over, Wart. No argunts."
I faced him. "I just need to lie down."
"And you will," he promised. "As soon as I know you’re okay. Physically." He leaned down and whispered, "I’m gonna take care of the emotional stuff the second he’s done."
I nodded, leaning against him. "Okay."
We made our way to the makeshift clinic at the back of the clubhouse, and Doc checked over. The cut on my lip required two stitches, but it was a quick fix, and he was good with a needle, so I was able to escape to one of the rooms upstairs less than an hour after arriving at the barn.
Once I was finally alone with Train, I took a quick shower, careful not to get my face wet, then curled up with him in bed, the events of the night finally hitting .
"They killed Puddin’," I whispered, settling my head on his chest.
He gave a squeeze. "Yeah."
"He didn’t OD."
"No." Train stroked my back.
"I wish you’d shot Mama in the face."
"She’s gonna get what’s comin’ to her, Wart. You don’t need to worry on that front."
I t his eyes. "Justice justice, or biker justice?"
"Do you care?"
"Honestly?" I snuggled close. "No."
"That’s my girl."
"How did you find ?"
"My ring."
"Your ring?"
"It’s got a tracker in it. Maisie insisted on all of us havin’ them. The won have necklaces, and you’re gonna have one too. Gettin’ it made now."
"You are?"
"Fuck, yes, I am."
"But I don’t want to give the ring back," I said petulantly.
He chuckled. "You can keep it, honey. I’m sure she’s aware I don’t have it and has got another ready for ."
"She’s that protective?"
"You’ve t her, you tell ."
"Okay, you got there." I grinned. "I do adore that woman."
"Sa."
I sat up slightly, tugging on his beard. "Can I ask you sothing?"
"Anything."
"Will you marry ?"
"Absolutely fuckin’ not."
I frowned. "What, why not?"
"For a number of reasons, the least of all being, I’m a traditionalist at heart and would want to be the one to propose," he said. "But, mainly, because I seem to recall you have a pattern of marrying n during tis of chaos."
"Your point being?"
Waving his arm around the room, he said, "Chaos... we have just escaped from the mouth of chaos itself."
"Yes, but even if that has been my pattern, I’m not who I was back then, and you are nothing like those other n. Trust when I say that."
"Baby, I do trust you, but I also trust data and the data says if we do sothing impulsive, this will go up in flas and I love you too much to let this burn."
"And I feel the sa way," I said. "That’s why I want to get married."
"Love isn’t a big enough reason to get married."
"What bigger reason is there?" I challenged.
"Love is only the start," he said. "To get married ans you want to start a foundation, and in my mind, a family."
"Don’t you think I want those things too?"
"I don’t know, we haven’t even talked about it. This is what I’m saying."
"So, you don’t want to marry ?"
"That’s not at all what I’m saying," he argued. "I just want us to understand each other more before we make that kind of commitnt, because unlike those other assholes, when we get married, I’ll never let you go."
"You said, when."
"I did," he confird. "But I’m not asking you until I have a proper ring and have signed whatever the fuck your sister and your six other attorneys want to sign."
"Oh," I breathed out, blinking back tears. "But you want to marry ?"
"Oh, not just want to marry you, Wart. I’m gonna marry you," he said, rolling gently onto my back. "And I’m gonna put babies in that belly, and I’m gonna fuckin’ love you until you’re a legend just like Dolly Parton."
I cupped his face and laughed. "I could never reach Dolly status."
"You’re already there in my book, beautiful." He smiled, leaning down to kiss sweetly, careful of my cut. "I love you, lody. More than all the stars in the sky."
"I love you, too, Courtland Nash. More than all the planets in the universe."
Before anything interesting could happen, however, my sisters pounded on my door.
"We want the baby," they yelled through the door.
I snorted. "They have always been the worst cockblocks."
Train chuckled, knifing off the bed and pulling open the door. My sisters rushed in and jumped onto the mattress with a squeal, wrapping their arms around .
"Oh my god, we were so scared," Harmony said.
"Seriously," Lyric agreed.
"Where are your husbands?" I asked.
"Doom’s helping button everything up with Dalton," Lyric said. "He should be ho in a couple of hours. Sky’s watching the kids."
"Jaxon’s flight should be landing in an hour," Harmony said.
Train leaned on the bed and kissed . "I’m gonna grab a beer. Spend so ti with your sisters. I’ll be back."
"Okay, honey."
He walked out the door and my sisters arranged the pillows against the headboard so we could lean against it. I was in the middle, Lyric on my left, Harmony on my right, as I filled them in on the events of the kidnap and everything that had happened from the second I’d left the stage.
As my family surrounded , I was humbled by the fact that I had been given so much despite the fact I didn’t deserve it and I vowed I’d never take any of it for granted.
Train walked back into the room an hour into my reunion with my sisters, as my eyes were drooping and he very sweetly kicked them out, locking the door behind them.
Shutting off the lights, he climbed into bed beside and pulled close. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, honey."
I fell asleep, knowing that as long as I was with him, I was safe. I’d found my refuge and it was beautiful.
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