Chapter 15
The heavy glass doors of the courthouse swung open, releasing Jax and Leo back out into the afternoon sunlight, which had finally broken through the lingering clouds to warm the wet pavement. The legal battle was won, the emergency paperwork was secured safely in Jax’s inner jacket pocket, and the heavy weight of the past had finally been lifted from both of their shoulders.
They walked side by side down the grand stone steps toward the motorcycle parked at the curb. Jax stopped beside the machine, looking down at the small boy who had walked into a glittering dining room the night before and completely changed the trajectory of his existence.
"Well, partner," Jax said softly, a genuine, unburdened smile spreading across his weathered face—the exact smile from the faded photograph in Leo's hand. "Where to first? We have a whole lot of catching up to do."
"Can we go get pancakes?" Leo asked, his hazel eyes sparkling with youthful hope and excitement. "Mom always said the best diners are the ones with neon signs that buzz."
Jax let out a low, rumbling laugh—a sound of pure, unadulterated happiness he hadn't experienced in decades. He reached out, placed the child-sized helmet securely on Leo’s head, and strapped it under his chin.
May you like
"Pancakes it is, kiddo," Jax said, helping him climb onto the heavy matte-black motorcycle. "Hold on tight."
Leo wrapped his small arms securely around Jax’s waist, pressing his face against his back just like he had the night before. Jax kicked the engine to life, the powerful motor roaring a steady, comforting rhythm as they pulled away from the curb and merged into the flowing traffic of the city. They rode side by side with the world, two broken souls who had finally found their way home to each other beneath the endless, healing canopy of the American sky.
