Starts With a Bang (Redemption Ridge #7)

Epilogue

Dom

My mom’s arms tightened around my neck like a boa constrictor, but I soaked in her love instead of trying to wriggle free. Breathing is overrated, right? “We’re so proud of you,” she whispered. “You’ve worked so hard for this moment.”

“Move over, Molly Beth,” Dad said. “It’s my turn to hug our son.”

Mom’s hold eased, and she slowly pulled back. “Fine, I’ll squeeze the life out of Sven instead.” She scanned my office for the love of my life, which didn’t take long.

Dominic Babb Investigations couldn’t afford to lease more than a small commercial space. The reception area in the front was not much bigger than a broom closet, but I couldn’t afford to hire someone to answer phones and greet clients. The kitchenette was only big enough to fit a minifridge, a coffee maker, and a microwave. I could barely turn around in my private bathroom, but I didn’t plan to spend much time in there. My office was just big enough to fit a secondhand desk and a few filing cabinets. The most expensive thing in my new professional space was the executive leather chair Sven had bought me. The place wasn’t much to look at, but I was incredibly proud of it.

“Where is Sven?” Mom asked.

“He couldn’t have gone far, love,” Dad said. “You’ll get to see him plenty since Dom and Sven are putting us up in their guest room until after Thanksgiving.” He stepped around Mom and wrapped me in a bear hug. His proud-papa slap on the back rattled my bones and knocked the wind out of me. Dad pulled back and gripped both my shoulders. “Are you sure you don’t want us to find one of those airy bed-and-breakfast places or a Virgo rental?”

I couldn’t hold back the chuckle at his latest hatchet job, but it was the closest he’d gotten to Airbnb and VRBO. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” I replied.

Sven and I had purchased a fixer-upper over the summer and called in every favor owed to us to help create the perfect little nest. Mom and Dad would be our first guests, and we were excited to host them.

“He’s just jealous of how much I fuss over your cat,” Mom said, hooking her elbow through Dad’s.

“Better check your mom’s luggage for Tom before we head back to Arizona in a few weeks,” Dad teased.

We’d adopted a tabby kitten a few months ago, and he immediately took over our home. The shelter called him Roscoe, but Sven changed his name to Tomcat Magnum after his third favorite PI, Thomas Magnum. I held the top honor, knocking Philip Marlowe to second place.

“He’s the sweetest grand-kitty in the entire world,” Mom said.

Dad placed his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the door. “We’ll see you boys back at the house.”

I sat down, laced my hands behind my head, and reclined my fancy chair. The back of it smashed into the wall, and I chuckled. I’d told Sven the big bastard was too large for my office, but he insisted I have it. My phone buzzed with an incoming text. Speak of the devil.

Sun, Nov 8 at 2:30 pm

Sven: Is the coast clear?

Me: Clear of what?

Sven: Your adorable parents.

Me: If you’re hiding from them now, what’s it going to be like in a week? Or two? Or three?

Sven: It’s not what you think. Shut your office door.

Dom: Why?

Sven: Just do it. And lock the front door. I don’t want someone popping by and ruining our fun.

I’d lived with Sven long enough to know that fun could come in any form. Some of the happiest moments in my life came while grouting tile, scraping paint, and sanding hardwood floors with him. He made me laugh at myself and the world, helping me to see things in brilliant HD colors. So, I’d lock one and close the other without asking questions.

Not that Sven kept me guessing for long. My ass had barely landed back in the fancy chair before a soft knock came at the door.

“Come in,” I said.

Only Sven could make an art form out of turning a knob and opening a door. It slowly swung open to reveal the sexiest person to live. He’d put on the black leather pants that drove me insane and paired them with a shirt I’d never seen. Sheer black fabric with lacy flowers clung to his perfect torso and showed off the nipple piercings he occasionally wore. The shirt had a matching hood that Sven had draped over his golden hair. Oversized black sunglasses shielded the blue eyes I loved so much, but I knew they were smoldering seductively behind the dark lenses.

“I need to hire a private detective,” Sven said throatily. “And I’ve heard you’re the best.”

“Nah,” I said. “That would be Bart Billingsley. Want me to find his number for you?”

Sven’s mouth quirked up at one end. But he stayed in character as he stepped into my office and closed the door behind him. “I only want you. I’m desperate, Mr. Babb. How can I convince you to take my case?”

I leaned back like I was considering it, but my chair smacked into the wall again and ruined the illusion. I gestured to the seat in front of my desk. “Why don’t you sit down and tell me how I can help you?”

Instead of taking the offered seat, Sven rounded my desk and straddled my lap. His insistence on buying the sturdy chair finally made sense. I grabbed that sweet ass with both hands and pressed my nose to his neck. Sven released a soft whimper and said, “I’m hoping you can help me find something I lost.”

“Your virginity?” I teased.

Sven snorted. “Nope. This is something more recent.”

I sucked on his earlobe, then tugged it with my teeth. “Your sanity. I should’ve known it abandoned you when you offered our guest room to my parents for nearly a month.”

Sven swatted my shoulder. “Hush and play along.”

“Fine.” I gave his ass one last squeeze before releasing it. “When did you last see this missing item?”

“Last night,” Sven replied. “I had it with me when I was setting up my boyfriend’s new office.”

“Boyfriend, huh?” I asked. “Is it serious?”

“Very.” Sven traced his fingers over my scruffy jaw. “It’s been almost three years since he lured me into the back of his seedy van and rocked my world.”

I quirked a brow. “Did he lure you, or did you follow him?”

We’d debated the question several times in the last ten months but were no closer to finding the answer. Each retelling included fabricated or exaggerated details that riled one another up. Our verbal sparring always turned into rowdy sex, so neither one of us was too keen on determining the true culprit’s identity.

“That part isn’t important to finding what I misplaced,” Sven said. “Are you going to take my case or not?”

“It’s going to cost you.”

“I’ll pay any price,” Sven said. “Don’t you need to take some notes? That’s how the private investigators do it in the movies.”

I rolled my eyes and opened the drawer I’d designated for notebooks. On top of the stack sat a black velvet ring box. My heart hammered beneath my breastbone.

“Aha! There it is!” Sven leaned over and snagged the box from the drawer. “I knew coming to you for help was the right thing to do.” Sven took off the sunglasses and tossed them onto the desk. Then he lowered his hood. His eyes were shiny with unshed tears, and his lips trembled when he smiled. “Dom, I hope you know how much I love you.”

I settled my arms around his waist. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn’t get the words past the lump in my throat. Swallowing hard, I tried again. “I do.”

Sven cupped my face. “You’ve given me your heart and trust. You’ve surrendered that sexy body to me. We’ve bought a house and made a home. We adopted the world’s most adorable cat. And it’s still not enough. I need more.” Tears spilled down Sven’s face. If he wasn’t holding a jewelry box, I might’ve been concerned.

“What else can I give you?”

“Your name.” Sven flipped open the box to reveal a simple gold band. “Will you marry me?”

I looked from the ring to the hope shimmering in Sven’s brilliant blue eyes. So many words flittered through my mind, but when I opened my mouth to respond, only a loud snort escaped. Sven flinched as if I’d slapped him, and I wished I could take it back. I scrambled for the right thing to say to fix my blunder, but I knew it would take more than words. I stood up from my chair, taking Sven with me. He squeaked in surprise and wrapped his arms and legs around me. I put him down once we reached the narrow hallway outside my office. I grabbed his coat off the hook and handed it to him.

“You’re throwing me out?”

I cupped the back of his neck and smashed my mouth to his. “Don’t be ridiculous. I just need to show you something, and I don’t want you to get cold.”

“This afternoon isn’t going how I imagined it,” Sven grumbled as he slid his arm into a sleeve.

“You’re telling me.”

I put on my coat and reached for his hand. To his credit, Sven took it without question, a trust I’d never betray. I led him out the back to where I’d parked the van Sven had affectionately named Columbo. I hit the fob to unlock the van and headed to the passenger side, just like I had that night almost three years ago.

“Let the record show that you are definitely luring me out to the seedy van this time,” Sven said.

“Noted.”

I opened the rear sliding door and gestured to the interior, where I’d placed LED candles around the interior surface. A wicker basket sat on the floor, and I opened the top to reveal a bottle of champagne, a loaf of bread, a variety of cheeses, and a selection of fruits. I reached into the bottom and picked out a velvet jewelry box like the one Sven held in his hand.

“I had a plan,” I told him. “I was going to drive you someplace remote, turn on those candles, and woo you with fancier snacks. Then I was going to propose and fuck you to within an inch of your life after you accepted.”

Sven released a snort between his trembling lips, then slapped a hand over his mouth.

“See!” I said, tugging Sven into my arms. “How ridiculous are we?”

“Ridiculously in love,” Sven amended.

I flipped open the box to show him the platinum band I bought him. As shiny as the diamonds were, they paled in comparison to Sven’s eyes when he looked at me. “Marry me.”

“I asked you first,” Sven said.

I cocked my head to the side. “Is this going to be a repeat of our running argument about you stalking me outside the Thirsty Cowboy?”

“Stalked you?” Sven rolled his eyes. “Give me a break.”

“There’s only one way to settle this.”

I grabbed the picnic basket, took my man by the hand, and led him back inside, where we tested out the durability of both the executive leather chair and my wooden desk. I ended up with strained muscles in my back, drywall damage from the chair going through the wall, and snack crumbs cemented to my stomach after I missed a spot of spunk during cleanup. But I held my shimmering future in my arms, and we wore one another’s promise on our fingers.

Sven lifted his head from my shoulder. “This,” he whispered. “This is where I could spend the rest of my life.”

I kissed his lips and slicked back his damp hair from his forehead. “No way. We’re just getting started.”

The End!