Epilogue - One Month Later
Moose
“Why are you sitting on a box when you have a desk chair?” I asked Wrench as I walked into Rust Valley.
Wrench gestured to where a very content looking Peaches was asleep on his chair and I laughed. When it came to intimidating shithead criminals, every member of the MC was a pro. Telling Peaches no? None of us could do it. Or at least none of us could make the big cat listen.
Technically, Peaches was still up for adoption through the rescue. Realistically, he was here to stay. He did catch the odd mouse around the shop, so he earned his keep.
I grabbed my toolbox, my ten millimeter socket now always locked away rather than left on the work table, and started on the tune up I needed to get done.
“Have you seen–” a sweet voice carried into the shop from the door.
“He’s here,” I said over my shoulder, recognizing the voice and knowing exactly what she was going to ask.
“Naughty boy,” Hannah said, putting her hands on her hips and giving Peaches a frankly adorable glare.
“I thought that was me,” I said, wrapping my arms around her from behind and kissing a line from her collarbone to her ear. “I think you called me something like that last night when my tongue was in your–”
“Read the room, Moose,” Wrench said.
Hannah giggled, her ears turning red.
“We’ll continue this later,” I said, but I didn’t let her go.
The way we’d met had been such a wild ride.
She’d brought trouble and as much as I tried to shelter her from it, she still got caught up in the bullshit.
In doing that though, she showed me that real strength wasn’t always steel and leather or guns and fists.
She was tough in a whole different way, and we balanced each other perfectly.
“Knock, knock.” We all turned to see Officer Shaw standing in the open garage bay door.
I wiped my hands on a rag and turned to face him with Hannah tucked under my arm.
“I have some news about the assault case against…” he checked a notebook he pulled from his breast pocket. “ Mateo “Jinx” Delgado and Ronan “Crash” Pike.”
Hannah tensed and I pulled her closer into my side.
“They have been released on bail pending trial. As have the guys who were charged with weapons possession at the warehouse but weren’t involved in your assault.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Hannah screeched.
The officer’s eyes went comically wide. I’d never heard her swear before, you knew it was bad when you got the Doc worked up.
“If those jerks think they can get near my dogs–”
As predicted, all five dogs were now our dogs.
“We can get a restraining order in place,” Officer Shaw said.
Hannah huffed and started wringing her fingers.
“The MC has your back, Doc, and all your critters.” Wrench said.
She flashed him a grateful smile. “I hope it’s enough.”
I turned to face her and put a hand on each shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. Nothing will happen to Daisy or the pups. I won’t let it.”
She wrapped her arms around me and rested her cheek on my chest. Hell, the way this girl got under my skin was ridiculous.
I kissed the top of her head. “You know I love you and the dogs. Nothing will happen to any of you. I swear.”
She pulled back, and her eyes searched my face. “You’ve never said that to me before.”
“Then I’m an idiot,” I said, kissing her so she could feel all the things I didn’t know how to say.
“Uh, anyway, I just wanted you to know that. We will do our best to keep them in line,” the officer said awkwardly.
“Thank you, Officer Shaw,” Hannah said, before I captured her lips again.
She kissed me back hard, before pulling back again. “You know I love you too, right?”
“Yeah, I know.” I rested my forehead against hers.
“Once Asher was old enough to fend for himself, I didn’t think I’d ever have another person in my life I was willing to die to protect.
But fuck, Doc, you wandered in here with those sexy as fuck pink scrubs and that goddamned cat and knocked me on my ass. ”
“In a good way right?”
“In the best possible way.”