“Fight for her, Thunder. I’ve never seen you as happy as I have since the two of you have been together.”
Waving him off, I steeled myself to set eyes on the woman who owned my heart. “Get some sleep.”
I heldmy breath as I walked into Ashley’s room and braced myself for her reaction. She had every right to be furious at me for putting her in danger. But when she turned her head, her lips curled up in a tired smile.
“Baby Girl, I’m so sorry.” I reached for her hands. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired and shaky, but I’ll be okay. Are you hurt?” Her gaze ran over me, searching for injuries.
“I’m fine. Lightning’s out of surgery and going to be all right. The Savage Bones got the worst of it. Most of them got out of the building before it blew, but…” I didn’t want to dwell on the details. She needed to focus on the positive. “Did they tell you about Hades?”
She put a hand to her forehead. “He dragged me away from the fire. Then Spike found us and Hades knocked him down. After that, I think I passed out.”
“You’ve got a guardian angel in that wolf.” I refused to think about what might have happened to her if Hades hadn’t been there.
“I’ve got a guardian angel in you, too.” She patted the mattress and shifted to make room for me to sit down next to her.
“I’m the reason you were in the middle of that mess.” I wanted to say more, but I couldn’t force the words past the lump in my throat. Looking at her, eyes wide and full of love, I knew I didn’t deserve her. It would never stop me from wanting her though.
“I’m sorry, but you don’t get to take all the credit for that. I was born and raised in Mustang Mountain. If you think I’m going to stand by while a bunch of degenerate outsiders try to take over my hometown… well, then I guess you don’t know me nearly as well as you think you do.” She bit down on her lower lip and looked up at me.
I hated it when my brother ended up being right. The fear of losing Ashley had held me back, but I didn’t want to be afraid any more.
“I love you, Baby Girl. If anything happened to you…”
“But it didn’t. I love you right back.” She smoothed her hand over my cheek. “And we’ll always be stronger together than we’ll ever be apart.”
“I guess the good news is, we’ll never know about that. I don’t plan on ever letting you out of my sight again.”
“That works for me.” She snaked her arms around my neck and pulled my head down to hers.
CHAPTER13
ASHLEY
So much had happenedsince Gram had been gone. She’d asked Thunder and me to stop by this afternoon to give her an update. I’d had to work at the café and he had to meet with the club officers, so we planned to meet at the ranch.
Scamp ran up to greet me as I stopped in front of the house. His injuries had healed, and he was back to running the ranch. Though Ellie would be missed, I was glad Gram still had Scamp.
Gram met me on the porch with a tray holding a pitcher of lemonade in her hands. “Ashley, honey, it’s so good to see you. I thought we could sit outside and enjoy this beautiful weather while we get caught up.”
“Thunder should be here any minute.” I checked my phone and confirmed he was only about a mile away. Since the nightmare with the Savage Bones, we’d decided to share our locations with each other. I didn’t have anything to hide, and neither did he.
“Come sit down and let me look at you.” Gram set the tray down on a low table and brushed the hair back from my forehead. “You’ve still got a bit of a bruise. Are you sure you should be working so many hours at the café?”
That was Gram, always worried about everyone. “I’m fine. Thunder’s been keeping a close eye on me and won’t let me overdo it.”
At the mention of his name, Gram’s eyes softened around the edges and she sat down. “What the two of you have, it’s genuine, isn’t it?”
I’d been worried about what she would think about me taking up with an older man. Not so worried that I would let it influence my decision, but I wanted her to be happy for the two of us. I took the chair next to her and reached for the pitcher to pour us each a glass of homemade lemonade.
“I love him. He brings out the best in me and makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world.” I handed her a glass and shrugged. “Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted is for me to be happy?”
Gram nodded. “I always knew you’d need an older man. You’ve got way too much spirit.”
The rumble of Thunder’s bike pulled my attention to the drive. He pulled to a stop behind my car and my breath caught as he climbed off the bike and set his helmet on the seat. Even though the Savage Bones hadn’t been seen around Mustang Mountain for a solid week, Thunder still had at least one or two guys keeping watch on the ranch. He stopped to shake Juice’s hand and send him on his way before he climbed the steps to the porch.
“There you are.” His lips brushed my hairline before he offered his hand to Gram. “Mrs. Thacker, welcome home.”
