Fifty-Five | Dom
Fifty-Five
Dom
In a matter of seconds, I had my gun out and fired a single shot, putting a bullet straight through Tray’s head. His body fell to the floor as chaos erupted around us with his men firing shots as Jo ushered Kaitlyn and Dr. Easton outside, where it was safe.
Everyone in the bar was armed, which meant it turned into a bloodbath quickly, but I was most impressed not only by how quickly Ashley got shots off but also by how accurate her aim was.
Keith was by her side, taking out the last guy as she reloaded her gun.
Thankfully, it seemed that Tray only had the men who were now lying on the floor.
This could have been so much worse if he had brought the entire organization with him.
Once I knew there was no danger, I tucked my gun into the back of my jeans and rushed outside to check on Jo.
She was hugging Kaitlyn and soothingly rubbing her hand down her back while Dr. Easton stood off to the side, her phone pressed to her ear.
My brows furrowed, concerned she was calling the police, but Jo caught my eye and shook her head.
“Everyone is safe,” I said as I approached Jo.
Kaitlyn pulled away and looked up at me with watery eyes.
“I’m so sorry. I should have waited for you to text back before we just walked in,” Kaitlyn apologized.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I said quickly. “I’m the one who is sorry. I wish I could have reached out and told you guys not to come inside. Things happened so fast that I got distracted from making sure Jo was safe.”
Kaitlyn smiled softly as she looked from me to Jo.
“Thank you for keeping my mom safe.”
“I will always take care of your mom the best I can.”
“What’s happening inside?” Jo asked as she nodded to the door.
“The threats have been eliminated.”
I chose my words carefully because even though I knew they heard all of the gunshots, I didn’t want to traumatize Kaitlyn. Understanding flashed across Jo’s face, and I noticed it on Dr. Easton’s as well, as she hung up her phone and put it in her pocket.
“Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to go back to the bar tonight. But if you’re okay with it, we can move the party to your house instead?”
Jo smiled, and I loved the light that had returned to her eyes.
“I would love that. Thank you.”
“Of course, my love.” I leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I’ll go inside and see what we can salvage, but if you want to go ahead and head home, you can take my truck, and I’ll catch a ride with someone.”
“We can take her,” Dr. Easton said as she stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Kaitlyn’s shoulders. “We don’t mind at all.”
“Perfect,” Jo replied.
“We’ll give you two a few minutes,” Dr. Easton added as she guided Kaitlyn to the SUV they had arrived in.
Jo shoved her hands into her pockets as she trembled, though I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or from what just happened. Or from both.
“Did any of our people get hurt?” she asked immediately, once we were alone.
“No. Not that I know of.”
She nodded, but I heard the jagged breath she let out as tears filled her eyes. I pulled her into my arms and held her, letting her cry as she processed what had just happened.
“I’m so mad at you,” she said a few seconds later, pulling away from me and wiping her eyes.
I pulled my head back in surprise as I tried to figure out what in the world she could be mad about.
“You killed Tray.”
“I’m sorry?” My head tilted to the side as I studied her face.
“Well, you should be. I wanted to kill him, and you did it before I could.”
I tipped my head back and laughed because she was the most ridiculous person I knew.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I’ll let you kill the next one.”
“The next one?” She arched an eyebrow. “How many ex-husbands do you think I have?”
“Well...” I teased, shrugging as I scrunched my face. “You never know.”
She shoved playfully at my chest, but I grabbed her wrist and held it, knowing that while I wasn’t sure it was the right place, it was absolutely the right time.
I dropped to my knee, immediately feeling the cold shoot through my body as the snow and ice prickled my skin.
“I don’t care about any of your ex-husbands,” I said softly as I pulled a black box out of my pocket and opened it. “All I care about is being your future husband, that is, if you’ll marry me.”
Jo gasped and covered her mouth as I lifted the box so she could see inside.
“Dom...”
“Marry me, Jo. Make me the happiest man in the world. There’s no place I would rather be than by your side. Marry me and let me take care of you the way you deserve to be cared for.”
She laughed and nodded as I started sliding the ring up her finger. Before I could get it all the way up, she pulled her hand away and looked at me.
“I will marry you—but only on one condition.”
“Okay,” I said, nervous about what it would be. “Anything you want.”
“I want to buy a new house. A bigger one with plenty of room for us to have a big family.”
“Done.”
“And I want a garden. I want to grow veggies and have beautiful flowers to look at whenever I want, minus winter, when everything is dead. But still, I want to grow beauty and be surrounded by it.”
“Done.”
“Last, but not least,” she continued, a grin spreading across her face. “I want a dog like Opal.”
“Fuck,” I groaned, getting up and brushing the snow off my knee. “That makes things hard.”
Her face fell as she let her hand slide from my grasp.
“I don’t know how we’re going to break it to Bailey that Opal is now our dog.”
A laugh escaped her lips as her face lit up.
“You can’t steal Opal!”
“Sure I can. Whatever my wife wants, my wife gets. Done deal. Sorry, Bailey. Opal is now our fur child.”
Jo shook her head and giggled as I slid the ring the rest of the way up her finger.
“I can’t wait to make you my wife,” I said as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “I love you so much, baby.”
“I love you, too. I’m going to be the best wife you could ever ask for.”
“I just want you to be you. That’s all I need.”
I leaned forward and brushed my lips against hers, my heart soaring as I kissed my fiancé.