Chapter 229

Alyssa

At the hospital, the nurses whisk my babies away for the routine tests that should've been done as soon as they were born.

Still, my chest tightens when they're rolled out of the room.

I know it's standard. Necessary—especially considering the way they made their grand entrance on the floor of a motorcycle club—but that doesn't make it easier. It feels like someone's peeling pieces of me off my bones and wheeling them down the hallway.

King and Mason follow immediately.

Silent. Sharp. Protective.

They move like shadows—tethered to our daughters by something primal and immovable.

They don't say a word.

They don't need to.

There's no timeline, no reality, no corner of this universe where they'd let our daughters out of their sight.

Not even for a second.

Niko stays beside me, his hand sliding into mine as he lifts it to his lips, pressing a tender kiss to my knuckles. His eyes stay locked on mine—warm, full of wonder.

"How are you feeling, sweet girl?" he asks.

I smile, tears stinging the edge of my vision. "Honestly? So fucking happy I don't even know what to do with myself."

"Me neither," he murmurs. "A year ago, I never would've imagined this—living a life like this with you. With them."

His voice wavers as tears well in his eyes, and he doesn't bother hiding them.

"Now I've got three beautiful daughters, two husbands, and the most amazing wife in the entire universe."

Emotion swells so hard it feels like my heart might split open from the weight of it. A shaky sob escapes me as I collapse into his arms. We cling to each other—everything we've endured, everything we've gained—crashing over us all at once.

"I love you so much," he chokes out, pulling me closer against his chest.

"I love you too," I breathe, my tears soaking the collar of his shirt.

And then it hits me—how close I came to losing all of this.

Them.

My girls.

My life.

Yet somehow, I survived.

Not just survived.

I crawled out of the wreckage and built something.

A family. A future. A love story that was never supposed to exist in my world.

But I claimed it anyway.

"Fuck," I mutter, wiping my eyes once I finally manage to pull myself together. "If you make me cry like this at our wedding and ruin my makeup, I'm going to have to punish you."

Niko grins, his eyes still glossy. "I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises."

Legally, I'm already married to King. And Niko is married to Mason.

But our actual wedding—the real one—is happening in August.

Four months from now, when it isn't hot as fuck outside.

We filed the paperwork early because King didn't want the babies born without us sharing his last name—and I didn't want to waddle down the aisle with swollen ankles and a baby bump you could see from space.

I also didn't get to wear the dress I wanted when I married Isaac.

Mostly because his mother steamrolled every single one of my decisions like it was her damn wedding.

But this time?

I'm doing everything I want. And more.

With Isaac's money.

Of course, the police never found his body. But after the videos dropped and he conveniently vanished off the face of the earth, they assumed some rich and powerful asshole killed him.

Thanks to Gray's plan, neither King nor anyone else from the Reapers were ever suspected.

And I'm sure it won't be long before they stop looking for Isaac or his father altogether.

There's no witnesses.

No leads.

No bodies.

And Corinne? She was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. She also didn't come after what was legally mine—not after all the trauma her son and husband put me through.

I inherited the money. The assets. The house.

Then I sold all his shit faster than you could say, "karma is a bitch."

Every inch of that place was tainted—steeped in control, violence, and fear.

A monument to the nightmare I was lucky as fuck to wake up from.

Now?

Now the home King had built for us is filled with laughter. With life. With love.

And soon, three little girls will grow up inside it—wrapped in safety, raised on joy, never knowing the kind of hell I had to claw my way out of just to become the mom they deserve.

As I ruffle Niko's hair while he sits beside me, a soft knock echoes through the room, followed by the quiet creak of the door swinging open.

"Mind if we come in?" Carol's voice floats gently through the doorway.

Niko lifts his head, quickly wiping away the evidence that he'd been crying.

"Hey, Mom. Come on in," he calls.

Carol steps inside with Zuri perched on her hip, my baby beaming as her big hazel eyes dart around the room, taking everything in. Martin follows close behind her, carrying a ridiculously oversized bouquet of multicolored roses—like they couldn't decide on one arrangement, so they just said fuck it and brought all of them.

The second Zuri spots Niko, her whole face lights up.

"Nee-koo!" she squeals, squirming in Carol's arms until she sets her down.

She bolts forward in that wobbly toddler run, her little feet slapping the tile as she barrels straight into his arms.

"Zuri!" he says with a grin, scooping her up like she weighs nothing. He hugs her tight as she plants a big wet kiss on his cheek.

I laugh from the bed. "You know Mama exists too, right?"

Zuri turns her head to smile at me—but makes no move to leave her daddy's arms.

"Hi, Mama," she says sweetly.

Then she flops back against Niko's shoulder, perfectly content to stay right where she is.

"Do you see what I have to deal with?" I ask Carol, rolling my eyes playfully.

She laughs, shaking her head. "That girl loves her daddy." Then she leans down to hug me, her eyes already brimming with tears. "Now... where are my new granddaughters?"

Right on cue, the nurses wheel in the twins in their little see-through bassinets.

King and Mason are right on their heels—both looking absolutely exhausted but glowing with pride. The kind of pride that shines from the inside out, softening every hard edge on their faces in a way only our girls can.

"Oh my gosh—they're gorgeous!" Carol squeals, hurrying over to peer inside.

Surprisingly, Martin follows right behind her, nearly matching her excitement.

"Can I hold them?" she asks, glancing back at me for permission.

Just as I open my mouth to say yes, Niko cuts in.

"Are you wearing perfume or anything?"

"Of course not," Carol replies. "Neither is your father."

Niko nods, satisfied. "Good."

With Zuri still clinging to him, he strides over to our hospital bag and pulls out a massive gallon of hand sanitizer.

When the hell did he pack that?

"Use this first," he instructs, unscrewing the cap. "Then you can hold them. And no kissing. They don't need anyone's germs."

Carol doesn't look the least bit offended. In fact, her smile turns sly.

"I see someone's become an overprotective daddy bear," she teases, pumping a generous amount into her hands before passing the bottle to Martin. "You know, your father was the same way when we brought you home. Sexiest thing I'd ever seen. I honestly don't know how I could've waited six weeks without climbing him like a tree-shaped sex god."

Niko's entire face twists in horror. King lets out a low snort.

Mason coughs into his fist—definitely laughing.

"I didn't need to know that," Niko mutters as he sits back down, grimacing. "It almost feels like you want me to kill myself."

Carol just chuckles, utterly unfazed, then carefully lifts one of the girls out of her bassinet and sinks into a nearby chair.

For a moment, she says nothing—just stares down at the baby like the world's finally made sense. Her smile trembles. Then the tears start.

"Oh, guys," she whispers, brushing a fingertip over the baby's cheek. "She has Niko's eyes—I'd recognize them anywhere."

Martin eases into the chair beside her, cradling the other twin. His eyes are glassy too, though he masks it with a low, gruff hum.

"She's beautiful," he grunts. "They both are."

Niko beams. "Mom, you've got Sage. And Dad, you're holding Eden."

Carol gasps softly, her smile stretching even wider as she looks between them. "Sage and Eden. What beautifully unique names."

Then she glances up at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief and sincerity. "I don't know what convinced you to make love to my son, but I'm so damn grateful you did."

I blink at her, my cheeks flaming.

How am I supposed to respond to that?

Niko groans, dragging a hand down his face. "Mom... why are you like this?"

"You wouldn't love me if I wasn't."

"I assure you I would."

Carol turns back to me, her voice softening. "Honey, anytime you need help with the babies, you call us. Day or night. Nothing's more important than family."

Relief settles heavy in my chest, dragging the rest of me down with it.

"Thank you. Really. You have no idea how much that means to me."

These first few months are going to be hard.

No sleep. Endless crying. Feeding schedules. Diapers.

Two newborns and a toddler?

Yeah... it's going to be mayhem.

But I've never had a better support system than I do right now.

And I'm eternally grateful for it.

"Zuri, wanna meet your sisters?" Niko asks, gently shifting her in his arms.

Zuri doesn't squeal.

Doesn't babble.

She just scowls—like she doesn't want anyone or anything interrupting her Nee-koo time.

Her tiny fingers clutch his shirt as she turns her face and buries it against his shoulder, letting out a tired little whine.

Niko chuckles softly, rubbing her back. "Okay, okay. We'll try again later, princess."

I purse my lips, stifling a laugh. "I thought she'd be more excited to meet them."

Mason smirks, his eyes flickering to Zuri. "She's probably just realizing she has to start sharing things now... like her favorite person."

Carol smiles warmly. "Don't worry, she'll come around. I've got two younger sisters—used to drive me absolutely nuts, but they're my best friends now."

That's... promising.

I just hope she's right. I want my babies to grow up close, no matter who their fathers are.

A yawn creeps up on me, and I barely manage to cover my mouth before it slips out.

But of course, all three of my men catch it instantly.

"Alright, time for our kitten to sleep," King says, straightening from the wall and stretching his arms with a low crack of his shoulders.

"I'm fine," I insist, stifling another yawn halfway through the sentence.

Mason raises a brow, already adjusting the bed controls behind me. "Come on, baby. You can barely keep your eyes open. Honestly, I don't know how you're still awake."

"I don't want to miss anything, and Ashley and Gray are supposed to stop by later."

Ashley and Gray have been hooking up ever since Zuri's birthday, and while they're not calling it anything serious yet, I haven't seen my brother this happy in... maybe ever.

Ashley's loud, loyal, and unfiltered—in all the best ways. Definitely a better match for him than Christine ever was... wherever she's been hiding these past four months.

As fucked up as it sounds, I really hope she isn't pregnant anymore.

Or maybe she never really was.

If not, she's only a few months away from giving birth to his child... and he's going to miss everything.

And that's certainly something he'll never recover from.

Or forgive her for.

King climbs into the bed without a word, his arms already reaching for me. He guides me down until my head rests on his chest, his heartbeat steady beneath my cheek.

"You're not missing anything, kitten," he murmurs, his fingers drifting through my hair. "And Gray can stop by tomorrow once we're home."

"Okay," I mutter, the word barely more than a breath as I let my eyes flutter shut. My body melts into his without resistance, the warmth of his skin and the weight of his arms lulling me to sleep.

For the first time, after two weeks of nesting and prodromal labor, I let myself relax.

"Rest, my queen," King whispers against my temple. "You've done the hardest part for us. We've got you covered from here."

And with every scar, every ache, every fragile piece of me cradled in their love, I believe him.

Because I'm no longer bracing for the next storm.

No longer flinching at thunder that never comes, or watching the horizon for shadows that might try to steal away everything I've fought for.

I'm standing in the sun now.

Soaking it in, letting it kiss the places I once thought were too broken to heal.

And in the light—gentle and golden and mine—

I finally begin to bloom.

Not as the girl who once begged to be saved.

Not even as the woman who learned how to survive.

But as the mother, the wife, the queen I was meant to be.

Rooted. Radiant.

Home.

End of Book One