I turn and take a deep breath. “I think this is the one.”
“Yeah?” he says, his face lighting up.
“Definitely.”
The real estate agent claps her hands together and coos at us. “Young love. Oh, to be young and in love again. My husband and I just get excited when the kids are away at their grandmother’s for the weekend. Count yourselves lucky that you are at the start of your lives together. Now, this house is perfect for when those little babies start coming along,” she says, pointing at my tummy.
I smile and glance at Ruin, who is a shade paler than usual. He’s looking at my tummy and back at the real estate agent as if we have a secret he isn’t in on. I shake my head to reassure him, and he relaxes. He wants kids as much as I do, but we both want to enjoy being married and alone together first. At least enjoy dating, something we severely missed out on, before adding kids to the mix.
As Ruin and the real estate agent head down to see the basement, I look out the master bedroom’s window to the backyard where Stormy is picking up a stick and tossing it around. After Snake and River were booked, we thought all our problems were gone for good. Unfortunately, and due to the fact that the justice system has far too many issues in its infrastructure, the pair skipped town before their sentencing was complete.
Jax, Talon, Cobi, and Asher are all helping look into the investigation, and I couldn’t be more thankful for their familial love. Even Cobi has calmed down a lot with his weird anger toward Ruin. I guess he always saw me as the little sister he had to protect, and when Ruin came around, he worried I might get hurt again. Now that he knows Ruin will stop at nothing to ensure my safety, he’s starting to include Ruin in his constant jests and even invited him out for a drink.
I glance down at my wrist where I recently got my first piece of ink. It readsWhere there is Ruin, there is Hope.I smile and brush my thumb over the raised script. While I would have been worried in the past about Snake and River returning, like how I used to worry myself sick that Yury would escape prison and find me, I find comfort in knowing the pair has several warrants out for their arrests and a team of federal agents on their trail. That should keep them busy and away from us.
Ruin and the real estate agent step outside, and both wave up at me. I grin and blow him a kiss, which makes his cheeks light up red and the real estate agent chat some more. As I think back on all that has happened and where we have been, and I look to where we are headed, I’m happy to be so fortunate in love.
My watch vibrates with an incoming text message.
“How’s the house?”
Jax’s now-daily messages were annoying to Ruin at first. But since I’d returned to Tennessee and began working at Mayson Construction, Jax and I had fallen into an easy friendship.
I quickly type that I love the house but think it is too big for our needs. My phone rattles a moment later with an incoming call.
“Hello?”
“Avalee! Jax says don’t let Ruin put in an offer on that house before he can walk through it first. It’s too big? How big? Is there a big guest bedroom with an en suite and jacuzzi for your best friend?” July’s enthusiasm is contagious.
“Two best friends!” I hear Ellie chime in in the background. “Meet us for pizza in an hour and tell us all about it! Girls’ night!”
Ellie and July are cheering over the phone line before I can even offer a reply. It doesn’t matter, though. I would meet them anywhere, anytime. They’ve become a priceless part of my new life, and thankfully, they love Ruin.
I am a lucky girl, surrounded by love in so many ways.
“The usual place?” I reply as I walk downstairs and into the kitchen.
“Yes!” They both break into laughter. “Laters, babe!”
I cringe as I hang up, both hating and loving the way my best friends tease me relentlessly about Ruin’s latest pet name for me.
Hisbabe.
Strong arms loop around my waist and press me into the hard marble of the kitchen island. My heart catches in my throat, but instead of fear rising up inside me, the familiar scent of my husband warms my insides to butter.
In a quick move, I’m spun and enveloped in Ruin’s embrace.
“Did I miss the real estate agent?”
“Told her to expect an offer from us before five today.”
“You told her we want the house? Jax isn’t going to like that.”
“Forget Jax. He’s too damn overprotective of you. I could tell you wanted the house the instant we walked in the door. Every room we stepped into, I could see our lives playing out before my eyes. If this is the house you want, this is the house you’ll get.” My heart is thundering as I stare into Ruin’s stormy eyes, his cinnamon hair mussed from running his fingers through it. “The top-of-the-line security system might have sold me. Anything to keep you safe, remember?”
I believe him.
I believe that he will always protect me. I believe that he wants to share my life. I believe that he’s actuallycapableof standing up to my father, something few men are able to boast.
