“Really?That’s it?Hell, I can do two fifty,” she says, disappointment clear in her tone.
Carver coughs out a laugh as Donovan’s face goes red.The teenage werewolf moves to join Courtney.The two women start unloading the wood on their own, my brothers watching with wide eyes.Warner moves to join them, leaving me alone with my family.
“Are they building a new tree house?”Donovan asks.
“The tree house.”Abram points at me with an almost-accusing finger.“That still doesn’t make sense.”
“I told you”—I try keeping my voice casual—“it was all a misunderstanding.Warner’s mom thought I wanted to take the thing down, and she thought she was helping me out by starting on it.She had no idea I still climbed up in the thing.”
Lies.I hate lying to my brothers.But this thing between me and Warner is still new.If it doesn’t work out, I can’t guarantee they wouldn’t use the knowledge of his family trouble to enact some intricate form of revenge.
Also, the amount of explaining necessary to get them to believe in the supernatural gives me a phantom headache.
“Did she at least apologize?”Abram glowers in the direction of town.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a stiffness in Warner’s shoulders and a sad cast to Tanya’s face.Apparently, werewolves have better-than-normal hearing.
“Of course.”More lies.Need to get off this topic.
“We’re not building a tree house!”Courtney shouts before disappearing around the side of the cabin.Leaving us all in suspense.
When she returns, it’s to the full attention of her audience.Fists planted on her hips, she announces, “We’re building a chicken coop.Queen Omelet has been wondering when she can come home.”
“Oh God, you’re actually going to raise chickens?”Byron stares at me in horror.
Instead, the idea gives me a wonderful sense of grounding.
“Yeah, I’m going to raise chickens.”I catch Warner’s eye as he hefts a load of wood onto his shoulder.
The happy grin he wears is like a hug straight to the heart.
Poor birds.They’re going to have to deal with a wolf in their henhouse.
58
EPILOGUE
ZOEY
Six Months Later
I trotdown the steps of my front porch, heading toward Warner.He’s got on his Dark Moon Riders vest and the helmet with a snarling wolf I painted for him all those months ago.
My man wears it with pride.In fact, a handful of other Dark Moon Riders have asked me to paint theirs.
My secret plot to keep all their heads safe is working.
“Hop on.It’s time for us to ride off into the sunset.Leave all our worldly possessions behind and live life as true road warriors!”Warner holds my helmet out to me as he gifts me with a teasing grin.
“If you start calling me your old lady, I’m going to stab you in the leg,” I inform him as I settle on the back of his bike.“With a crochet hook.Those things are blunt, which means it’ll hurt more.”
“I love it when you get violent,” he growls through a grin and pulls me in for a hard kiss.
But we have somewhere to be, so once I’m panting, he lets me go with a wicked grin.Soon, we’re out on the highway, roaring down the deserted stretch between Grandma Minnie’s cabin and the bar.
Not Grandma Minnie’s anymore.Mine.
Ours.
