Fuck.
CHAPTER 20
THREE DAYS LATER
CHAPTER 20 - BRYNN
“This place is colder than I remember,” Kevin comments as he rolls up the sleeves of his chef’s shirt. His eyes wander around The Gallows, a heavy frown on his face as if something doesn’t feel right.
I feel it too.
Maybe it’s the weather—the roads only just cleared, but the snow still falls steadily.
Or maybe it’s because I’ve spent the last four or five days in a cabin with the two people in this world who warm my soul, where the air always smelled like coffee and fresh cedar, and the fire was constantly stacked with wood to keep things cozy and comfortable.
The Gallows, on the other hand, hasn't been open for almost a week, thanks to the fire, then the storm.
I tug my jacket tighter and breathe out a sigh that turns to a cloud in the cold air.
“Best we get to warming this place up then,” I say with a heavy sigh, already dreading the process it’s going to take to get this place into full swing for the lunch rush. “We both knowthere is going to be a stampede through those front doors the moment we open, because everyone who’s been stuck in town has spent the last week actually having to cook their own food.”
They’re going to want burgers.
And pizza.
And coffee they don’t have to make themselves.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kevin answers with a grin and a sharp salute before heading back into the kitchen to start cleaning and prepping food.
I’ll do the same out here, starting with opening all the windows to let the place air out. Yes, I’ll probably freeze, but at least that last lingering smell of smoke will hopefully be wafted away and replaced with some scents that are far more enticing.
Food.
One deep breath, and I clap my hands together, forcing myself to move around the bar, opening windows, pulling out cleaning supplies, gathering salt and pepper shakers. All while trying to keep my thoughts from returning to the cabin.
Where I left Jovie trying to convince Grizz to let her use the old Christmas decorations they had pulled from a box up in the loft, to sprinkle some Christmas joy around the cabin. I wish I’d been able to stay and watch her dramatic presentation she had prepared—which included a baby Jesus carrot and several canned goods dressed as wise men—but I knew if I didn’t come in early to get things done, I wouldn’t have left at all.
I’m twenty-five years old, and I’ve never really felt like I had a home. A place that’s safe, warm, and steady enough for me to step back a little and let Jovie bloom.
But the moment Grizz and I met that first night, something shifted.
He wanted to provide for us.
To protect us.
To make room for Jovie and I in his world.
Not just within his home, his club, or even this town. He’s made room for us in his life, and he’s given us everything we needed. The safety, the warmth, and the stability for my kid to grow bolder and brighter than ever.
“Brynn, you good if I put on some music?” Kev calls, snapping me from my swoony daze.
“Yes, please do!” I call back and begin to unscrew the lids on all the shakers lined up along the bar. I pause with one in my hand, remembering the one time Kev got hold of the sound system while we were cleaning up after a long night and I ended up sobbing over Hotel California. “Something upbeat!”
“You got it!” he says, followed by a low chuckle.
I wait with bated breath, a bag of salt in one hand and a tiny funnel in the other. It takes a moment, but when Queen’s,Don’t Stop Me Now, starts playing, my entire body relaxes and I let out a huff of laughter.
I can’t be angry about it, it’s a good song.
