“Harlow!” Scott came barrelling through the front door at that moment, a look of sheer horror on his face. When he saw me, he stilled, and stared in surprise. “You’re okay?”

I stood and wrapped my arms around him.

Home.

He’s my home.

His strong arms held me tight and then he ran one hand over my hair. “I’m taking it from the blood on Scarlett’s face that Bourne has been here, but where is he now?”

“King took him downstairs.”

His brow furrowed. “King is here?”

“Yeah, he saved our lives, Scott. If he hadn’t turned up when he did, Scarlett and I would be dead by now.”

“Fuck.” He pressed his lips to my forehead and then pulled his face back to find my gaze. “I think this is the last of all the shit. I think Bourne was the one behind everything.”

If I knew my man well, I knew he was itching to get downstairs and help King, so I jerked my head towards the back door. “You should go and see if King needs a hand.”

He bent his face so he could whisper in my ear. “You know me too well, sweetheart.” When he shifted his face away from mine, his concerned eyes took mine in. “Seriously, though, are you okay?”

I exhaled. “Surprisingly, yes. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sick of being threatened by assholes, and I was terrified of him, but I’ll be okay.”

And I would be.

I had Scott and it looked like this might be the end of all the bad stuff that had been bringing the club down.

We’d stuck together and gotten through it, even when it felt completely overwhelming at times.

We can get through anything so long as we stick together.

18

Scott

Two Days Later

It had been two days since we’d taken out Bourne and finally put to rest all the problems Storm had been having. Order had been restored and questions had finally been answered. And I’d told all club members to take a few days and spend them with their family.

It was a sunny January afternoon and I was sitting on my back deck, beer in one hand, my woman in my lap with her tits pressed up against me, and her lips on mine. Order definitely had been restored.

I ran my hand over her ass. “I’ve missed this,” I said when she ended our kiss.

“Missed what?”

“Making out with you, without a fuckin’ care in the world. Storm’s had so much shit going on for so long now, that I can’t remember the last time I could dedicate so many hours to this.”

She gave me one of her sexy grins. “I’ve missed it, too.”

A memory flashed in my mind and I chuckled. “Do you remember that three date policy bullshit you tried to pull on me when we first started seeing each other?”

Her grin lit up her face. “I do, and I’ll have you know you are the only man I ever broke that policy for.”

“Maybe I could bribe you into marriage the same way you tried to bribe me into sex.”

“What would this bribe entail?” She tried to plant another kiss on my lips, but I pulled my face away to deny her that kiss.

“I’ll give you a kiss if you agree to marry me.”

She slapped me playfully on my chest. “Worst marriage proposal ever, Scott Cole!”

I laughed. “What? I was only copying the bribe you started us with. I distinctly recall you trying to bribe me with a kiss in exchange for sex.”

Leaning in close, she whispered, “I would have done anything to get you to have sex with me back then.”

I brushed my lips across hers before whispering, “And I would do anything to get you to be my wife now.”

She took my hand and placed it on her stomach. Her eyes glistened with tears as she spoke. “Can you feel that?”

“Feel what?” I wasn’t sure what she meant. I knew she was referring to our baby, but I couldn’t feel it yet.

“Your heart is in here. I get to carry you around with me all day, every day. You might not get to carry my heart, but it’s completely yours. Always. I’ll marry you and be your wife, but a piece of paper doesn’t make any difference to the fact I’m already yours.”

Her words meant the fucking world to me.

How the hell did I get so lucky?

“Are you one of those women who wants the full wedding?”

“All I want is you. I don’t care how that happens.”

That was all I needed. “I’ll take care of the wedding.”

She was quiet for a moment. “You really are a big softie underneath all that hard exterior, aren’t you?”

I kept hold of her gaze. “I’ll own that for you. But only for you.”

Her face came to mine and she took her time as she kissed me. I could have spent eternity kissing Harlow. Her lips were soft and addicting as they took charge of that kiss, and when her tongue swept across mine, I groaned as my dick grew harder than it already was.

I was just about to pick her up and carry her to our bed when a throat cleared and my mum said, “Sorry to interrupt you two, but I brought a casserole over for your dinner. I’m just going to take it inside and put it in your fridge.”

After she left us, Harlow’s lips curled into a smile while still on mine, and she murmured, “I love your Mum, but this is the worst timing.”

Before she could move her face away from mine, I murmured back, “Yeah, but now you don’t have to cook that pie you were gonna make for dinner, so I can spend that time fucking you instead.”

“That wasn’t just any pie I was going to make you. In fact, it wasn’t a pie I was making, it was Sex In A Pan.”

“What the fuck is Sex In A Pan?”

“It’s a cake made with ingredients you can rub all over your body, so I figured we could actually make it together…”

Her eyes glazed over with desire as her voice trailed off and I decided I couldn’t wait until later to have her. I needed her now, which meant I had to get rid of my mother.

A minute later, I stood in my kitchen staring at Mum as she rifled through our fridge. “What are you doing?”

Her head popped up so she could look at me. “It’s your rubbish day tomorrow so I thought I’d clean out your fridge. Saves you doing it when I know you’ve got other things you’d rather be doing.”

Harlow moved behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She pressed her face against my back and muffled her soft chuckle.

“Mum, we really appreciate everything you’ve been doing for us over the last couple of days, but there’s no need.” She had almost suffocated us with kindness and I couldn’t figure out what her actions were all about.

And I really need you to leave now so I can fuck my fiancé.

She waved me away. “I don’t mind doing it. I love helping you.” Her voice cracked a little when she added, “I can’t imagine not being able to do these things for you.”

Clarity hit me. “I’m not going anywhere,” I said quietly.

Her eyes found mine and I took in the rapid rise and fall of her chest, and her teary eyes. “I know,” she whispered, “but everything that’s happened just reminded me of how dangerous club life can sometimes be.”

Harlow let me go and I knew why. I walked to where Mum stood and embraced her. “I love you,” I said. Words I hadn’t said to my mother in far too long.

She sobbed quietly in my arms and I knew this wasn’t only about her worry for me – this was for all the time we’d lost over the last couple of years. We’d lost each other for a while there, but we’d weathered the storm and come out stronger for it. She wiped her eyes and looked up at me. “I love you, too.”

I smiled.

Everything’s going to be all right.

She closed the fridge, grabbed the bag of rubbish she had, and said, “I’ll take this out for you and then I promise I’ll leave you guys alone.”

Yes.

If I were a praying man, I would have sent a fucking prayer of thanks up to heaven.