Chapter 63 Laney
Laney
The Last Stand Tavern smells like lemon cleaner, coffee, and something fried.
It’s strange bringing a baby into a place that used to be loud and wild.
Back when the Rangers filled the bar with stories, laughter, and the kind of trouble that always started with one more drink.
Now the place feels different.
Quieter.
Sharper.
Like a fortress pretending to be a bar.
Wolf carries in a small crib and sets it up in the kitchen.
“Best room in the house,” he declares.
“Closest to food.”
Trigger installs cameras like he’s building a command center instead of a tavern.
One above the bar.
One in the hallway.
Two covering the front door.
Havoc sits cross-legged on the floor arguing with a screwdriver.
“This thing hates me,” he mutters.
Saint doesn’t help.
He just watches me carry the baby inside.
His eyes follow every step like he’s afraid the world might steal her away if he looks somewhere else.
“This okay?” I ask.
He nods immediately.
“More than okay.”
There’s relief in his voice.
The kind he doesn’t try to hide anymore.
That night, after the baby falls asleep in the kitchen crib, the tavern goes quiet.
Saint and I sit on the sofa after we move up to the living area.
Two mugs of coffee slowly going cold between us.
Outside, Eagle River is dark and quiet.
Too quiet.
“Thank you for trusting us,” he says after a while.
I shake my head slightly.
“I’m not,” I admit.
His brow lifts.
“I’m choosing.”
He studies me for a moment.
Then he nods slowly.
“I like that better.”
For a little while, we just sit there.
The lights low.
The town sleeping.
Saint across the table from me.
Our daughter safe in the next room.
And for the first time in weeks…
It almost feels like a beginning.