He was a good man, caring and generous, protective. And although she knew he could be dangerous, that he did what he had to do, would do what he had to do in order to protect the ones he cared about, at the core of his being, the center of his heart, he was a good man.
“Did you enjoy dinner?”
Hannah glanced over at Stella, Scars’ daughter. She was beautiful and sweet, funny and smart. Hannah saw so much of Scars in Stella that it made her feel closer to the woman instinctively. It was as if they’d known each other their whole lives.
It was a little odd, seeing as Stella was around the same age as Hannah, but that wasn’t a focal point, not something they even worried about.
Hannah and Scars were just two people who had found each other at the perfect time. They’d fallen in love, and she was getting her happily ever after. So was he.
Hannah smiled at Stella. “I did. Everything was so delicious.”
Stella took the empty seat right beside Hannah, and she shifted in her chair to look at the other woman.
“I’ve never seen him this happy,” Stella said almost absently as she looked over at Scars. He stood on the other side of the room, talking to some of the guys, but Hannah noticed him constantly looking in her direction.
And when their eyes would lock, he’d smile, a real, genuine one that told her she made him happy.
“I’ve never been this happy,” Hannah found herself saying then felt her cheeks heat. She turned her attention to Stella and saw the way the other woman smiled.
“I’m glad you’re in his life. He seems… whole for the first time in his life. He’s a good guy. A great dad. And he’ll be the best....” She trailed off, maybe wondering how serious Hannah and Scars were.
“He’ll be the greatest forever.”
Stella beamed and leaned over to hug Hannah. “Welcome to the family,” Stella whispered, and then she was whisked away by her tattoo-covered, alpha, grunting husband, Cadeon.
And then Scars was striding toward her, sat down, and promptly pulled her onto his lap. She nestled right in, and it felt incredible. It felt like this was right where she belonged.
“I love you,” he murmured against her ear and kissed the shell, sending goose bumps along her arms and legs.
She shifted on his lap, and he pulled back so they could look into each other’s eyes. “And I love you.”
He lifted his hand and smoothed his finger along her jawline. “You sure you’re ready for me, for all this?” He gestured to everyone in the club, and Hannah felt herself smile.
She looked at these men, some with their wives, girlfriends, others alone and telling stories to each other.
She saw Stella and Cadeon in an embrace off to the side. She saw the VP of the club, Booshie, with his woman Naggie. Everyone had been so nice, welcoming, but the best person in this room, the one who made her heart stutter and her cheeks flush with just a look, was the man currently nuzzling her neck.
He gave her soft kisses, his hand tightening on her hip as he pulled her closer.
“I know I’m ready for you and a future together,” she finally said and felt his smile on her neck.
“Good.” His voice was a deep rumble. “Because I’m never letting you go. You’re mine.”
“And you’re mine, Mickey.”Epilogue TwoTwo years laterHannah shifted on the bed and winced. She was tired, unbelievably sore, but deliriously happy. She glanced over at Stella, who sat on one of the chairs in the corner and held the tiny little bundle wrapped in a bright teal blanket. Hannah felt herself smile, her heart swelling with joy, and tears pricking her eyes.
She hadn’t cried so much in her life than she had in the last twenty-four hours.
But she did when the baby was born and she held him for the first time. She cried more when she stared at his dark eyes, pressed her nose to the soft tuft of brown hair on his head, and smelled all the things the future promised. She sobbed when she watched Scars hold his son for the first time and she saw the wonder and amazement reflected on his face.
Hannah had already loved little Luca before then, from the moment she found out she was pregnant, and that love grew with every kick he delivered from inside her womb, and with the way her belly expanded over the last nine months. And that love had grown tenfold when she looked at Scars and had seen how happy he looked every time his eyes landed on her swollen belly, that possessive, territorial gleam in his eyes knowing he got her pregnant, that it was his baby she carried.
And when he held her at night, his palm placed on her pregnant belly, his fingers warm and calloused as he moved his in slow circles along the bump, she sometimes felt like she dreamed all this up. Because how could it be real to be this happy and loved?