Epilogue
WEST
Two days later
I flipped my phone over, looking at the text that had just come through.
Unknown Number: It’s been handled. Our agreement still stands.
That last knot in my stomach finally unraveled.
After we found Stella and Serenity in that warehouse and made sure they were okay, Linc and a few of the other guys had personally delivered O’Brien to his uncle under strict orders that Byrne handle his business in a way that it never, ever darkened my woman’s doorstep again.
Stella and her family could officially rest easy for the rest of their lives, and tonight was just the start of that.
The Tap Room was bustling, the band was playing a loud, fast-paced number and the air was electric with energy and excitement.
Stella and I were surrounded by her family, and all our friends, and my woman got to experience what it was like to come to a bar for no reason but to kick back, have a few drinks, and enjoy herself.
There was no hunting for marks or planning a lift, whatsoever.
Just good times, surrounded by good people.
Which was exactly what she was doing at that moment.
“Eyes on the queen. Eyes on the queen. Think you can keep up ladies and gentlemen?”
She sat on one side of our line of tables, shuffling three cards in rapid succession while our whole crew stood on the other, their gazes riveted on the cards.
Finally, she stopped and lifted her hands. “All right, where is she?”
Hayes point at the card on the left. Stella flipped it over to reveal the two of clubs. “Oh, that’s too bad,” she said with fake sympathy as she pocketed the cash bet Hayes had placed. “Maybe next time, Detective, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
Our entire group burst into laughter, and the rest of the Ryans were a part of every second of it.
Lifting my beer to my lips, I took a pull and caught Joe’s eye from the other end of the table.
He stood up and headed my way, taking a vacant seat next to me. “Looks like you did it, son.”
“Did what?”
He turned to me and smiled. “Made all my little girl’s wishes come true.” Then he extended his hand to me. “Welcome to the family.”
I gave it to him straight. “There isn’t a family out there I’d want to be a part of more than this one.”
And that was the God’s honest truth.
I hadn’t been expecting Stella when she came crashing head first into my world, but that’s usually when the best things happened. When you least expected it.
And I was determined to spend every day of the rest of my life taking care of my queen.
Stella
Two weeks later
I couldn’t remember ever being so nervous before. My belly was full of butterflies, my blood pumped full of adrenaline as West pulled his truck into a parking spot and killed the engine.
“You ready, grift?”
I turned to look at the man who held my heart in his hands and treated it like the most precious gift he’d ever received.
“Not that I don’t appreciate it, but you didn’t have to drive me to work.
I could have done it.” After all, I had a shiny, brand new Explorer parked in what was now designated as my space in the garage back at home.
It was no Gertrude, but it was more than good enough.
“You kidding? No way in hell I was letting you drive yourself. This is a big day. I wanted to be here for it.”
It was a big day. My first day at my brand new job, and I was excited and anxious at the same time.
One second I thought I might puke, and the next I was downright giddy.
“I really hope I can do this job well,” I said quietly, turning back to face the building.
For thirty-three years, I hadn’t had a clue what I’d wanted to do with my life, then this job fell into my lap, and just like West, it was a dream come true.
I couldn’t possibly imagine doing anything else.
Taking my chin in his hand, West twisted my head back around to face him and leaned over the center console to press a kiss to my lips. “You’re going to be great. I know it. And they know it too, or they wouldn’t have hired you. You’ve already proven yourself to them, baby.”
My chest expanded and my shoulders rose on a large inhale. “Okay,” I breathed out. “I’m ready.”
West climbed out of the driver’s side and rounded the hood, determined to walk me all the way in, hand in hand, for my first day.
He paused at the door just long enough to smile down at me and say, “Love you, grift.”
Man, I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of hearing that. “I love you too.”
With those declarations spoken, he pushed the door open and stepped aside so I could go through first. The moment I entered the sleek lobby, I was greeted with a loud round of cheers from the entire Alpha Omega team.
Sage stood front and center, holding a massive sheet cake with the words Welcome to the Crew piped across the top in pink frosting.
“Oh my God,” I said on a laugh. “Where did you get a cake at eight in the morning.”
She looked at me with a wink. “Just one of the many perks of working here; we have cake on a regular basis.”
Leaning forward, I placed a kiss on her cheek and whispered, “Thank you for this. I was so nervous.”
Once the whole thing with O’Brien had finally been put in my rear view—for real that last time—Lincoln had approached and shocked the hell out of me by offering me a job.
He said after how I’d figured out who was skimming from the casino and then went above and beyond to help the cops get a man they’d been tracking for months—sacrificing my poor Gertrude—he wanted me on his team.
He said I was the perfect fit, and bonus: I got to get out of the grift life without having to give up all the skills I’d acquired in my lifetime. Now I could actually use them for good.
“Nothing to be nervous about, babe. You’re going to rock this,” Sage assured me.
Roxanne came up just then. “And I’m just glad we have a bit more estrogen around here.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I found West standing back, his arms crossed over his chest, a tender smile on his face that made me all kinds of melty. I couldn’t believe that this was my life now, and it was all thanks to him.
“Just so you know,” Sage said, pulling me from my ogling.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever grow tired of staring at my man.
“After a few of the guys accidentally walked in on me and Xander . . . making up, Linc went ahead and put locks on all the doors.” She shot me a sassy wink.
“You know, just in case you want to utilize the copy room during your break time. Nothing pulls you out of a mid-day lull like a little afternoon delight.”
My head fall back on a laugh, but in the back of my mind, I was stowing that information away for future use. Because you had a man like West Scott, you had to be prepared for anything.
He came up beside me a short while later as I was shoving a bite of cake into my mouth. “You happy, baby?”
I gazed into those sherry eyes of his and gave him the God’s honest truth. “I’m not sure I could ever be happier.”
The smile he gave me just then sent a delicious shiver through my body. “Challenge accepted.”
In just a matter of months, I’d gone from the unluckiest woman on the planet to waking up each day beside a man who had given me everything.
He’d made every single one of my dreams come true, and I couldn’t wait to see what the future had in store, because I had a feeling it was going to be really freaking good.
The End.