I have to think a sec. “I do, I do, and yes?”
“Yeah, figures. Alpha, Blade and Ripper. We already had our talk. Do you promise to treat my girl with the respect she deserves, always? Do you promise to keep her safe with your lives if you have to? And do you promise to love her so hard every goddamn woman who meets her will be green-eyed with envy?”
Not even a moment’s pause. “Hell yeah,” they all say at once.
“Then I proclaim Faith as your old lady. If you ever mistreat her in any fucking way, may God have mercy on your souls, because I sure as hell won’t.”
“Clear.” Alpha sweeps me up in his arms and kisses me stupid. Then I get passed around until they all have.
Nicky is positively bouncing around us, and the moment I’m back on my feet, she throws herself around me. “I can’t freaking believe this!”
“Right?” I can’t really either.
“There’s one more thing, though,” says Ripper, and Nicky nods eagerly. In fact, all around me, people are nodding eagerly, like I’m the only one who has no idea what’s going on here.
“What did you guys do?”
“Come on.” And then Ripper’s dragging me after him, closely followed by Blade, Alpha and Nicky, then Dad and Miriam, and then the whole rest of the club. In the courtyard, all the bikes are out, ready to ride. In front are Alpha’s and Ripper’s bikes, but instead of Blade’s usual black mount is a motorcycle with a sidecar.
“Didn’t want to mess up your dress,” says Blade as he helps me into it. Then Alpha comes with a blindfold to put over my eyes.
Really?
Ideally, I think I’m supposed to see so I can lean in a sidecar too, but we’re going slow and they said it wasn’t far. I miss not having one of the guys between my legs, but given the situation, it makes sense.
We stop, and before I can gather myself, I’m lifted straight out of the sidecar and put down on the ground. Sidewalk, maybe?
“Where are we?”
“Just a sec,” says Ripper, and then the blindfold is lifted.
I blink to let my eyes adjust, and stare in confusion. I’m in front of a bookstore, probably about the same size as my old one. It looks cozy, but I don’t understand. “Are you getting me books?” It’s a nice present, sure, but I don’t get the level of excitement.
“Check out the name,” Nicky says, nudging me in the side.
I look up.
Books & Crannies.
And that’s the moment I completely break down, realizing what the guys have done. Never in a million years did I think I’d be able to afford another bookstore, at least not for several years. I didn’t even know what I’d do to make money. What does an old lady do, you know?
Apparently this one runs a bookstore.
“It’s… it’s mine?”
“Sure as fuck is,” says Ripper and hands me a key. “Wanna go inside?”
“God, yeah!”
Nicky can’t hold her excitement back anymore. “The guys all pitched in to buy the place. I helped them stock the books based on our old purchasing lists. I still had a copy of them on my laptop. Also, one of Emily’s guys demanded a classic pulp section, so we added that.” She nods towards Wild Child, who grins back. “He came with a whole bunch of starter stock for the used section. And upstairs, there’s an apartment just like before, only this one goes over two stories and has five bedrooms. It’s huge!”
“Five bedrooms?” I look at her like she’s insane. “What do I do with—” Then I look over my shoulder at the guys, who are grinning at me like three Cheshire cats. Yeah, even Blade. “You’re moving in too?”
“It’s close enough to the club that it works, and that way someone’s always making sure you’re safe,” says Alpha. “There’s a garage under the building where we can keep the bikes, and a car if you want it, or your own bike or whatever. And, when the time comes, and we might consider having a little Alpha—”
“Or Ripper.”
“I get it.” I hold up a hand before we continue too far down that track, but the thought already has me smiling. “We’ll have lots of space.”