"I have the money, Aven. This isn't going to break the bank." He was watching me, even with my head ducked to try to hide the strange mix of gratitude and embarrassment I was feeling right then, I could feel his gaze on me.
"That's not really the point."
"What is the point then?" he asked, coming up behind me to pull the knife out of my hand and turning me. "Not taking any chances," he explained as he put the knife just out of my reach. "You're the one always telling me I need to be upfront with you, babe. You need to take your own advice here. What's the problem? You need a car. I want to get you a car. What is the issue?"
"I don't need to be taken care of," I blurted out, shaking my head.
"Need?" he asked, brows furrowing. "No. Obviously, you don't need me - or anyone - to take care of you. You were doing just fine before I came along, babe. But this isn't about you needing me to take care of you, but about me wanting to. I want to do this. I want you to have a way to get around. And, not for nothing, but a way to get around that I don't have to worry might catch fire while you're driving it. This isn't coming with strings and conditions. I will sign the pink slip over to you. It is yours free and clear no matter what. I'll sleep fucking easier with you in a decent car, Aven. It doesn't mean I am thinking any less of your ability to care for yourself. Accept the gift."
Well, he did have a good point, didn't he?
"I just..."
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Gunner growled as he came into the kitchen. "This is what is holding up my dinner?" he asked, looking positively disgusted by the very idea of his stomach being empty for five extra minutes because of our argument over a car. "Take the fucking car, doll," he said, moving past us to peek into the oven. "Show your gratitude the naked way. And get this goddamn baked ziti in my stomach. I'm withering away over here," he added, taking an olive out of the salad and popping it into his mouth on the way back out of the room.
Gunner crashed meals a lot.
If he heard I was cooking, he was at the door.
Usually with whiskey for Quin, hard cider for me, and a bone for Mackey.
His company was always welcome since we both oddly enjoyed his prickly nature.
"I would not turn down some naked gratitude," Quin said, a wicked glint in his eyes, making my lips curve up.
"I think that can be arranged," I agreed, pressing my lips together. "But after we feed Gunner. He's going to start grumbling out there if we don't," I added.
"So you'll take the car."
I took a deep breath, feeling a swirling sensation in my chest that suggested that maybe, just maybe, being taken care of by Quin could be a good thing. "I'll take the car."
Quin - 1 year
I wasn't sure she knew what day it was.
I had taken the day off from work for the very reason, watching her like a time bomb, sure there was going to be some breakdown about it.
One year to the day, she had been attacked in her room, and killed a man.
She had bounced back as only women ever seemed capable, managing to compartmentalize it, not harp on it.
It wasn't that it didn't affect her; it did.
She was paranoid about locks. Even after she moved into my place, and had watched me set the alarm system, she had to get up before bed and check the locks. As soon as she climbed in the car, I could hear her flicking the locks closed. She jumped at times when a branch brushed a window, or there was a lightning flash outside that made a shadow appear in the glass
There would likely never be a day where she stopped being more careful than she had been before that fuckwad came into her life.
But she hadn't broken down. She didn't have nightmares that I could tell.
And she was handling the anniversary of that day like it was just any other day.
"Hey," she called, walking in, uncertainly shifting from foot to foot, something she wasn't usually known for, making me give her my full attention. "Do you know what today is?" She asked moving over toward me, but not coming to sit on my lap like she usually would.
"Babe..." I started, not knowing what I was supposed to say.
But then she gave me a small smile. "One year ago today, we met for the first time."
Fuck.
Could she be any cuter?
Talk about making lemons into lemonade too.
She was choosing not to see this day as the anniversary of the worst one of her life. No. She was choosing instead to remember it as the day that led to all the best ones we had shared together.
I had told her a thousand times at least before.
But every time I did, she looked at me like it was the first time. With wonder. With pure joy.
"God, I fucking love you," I declared, reaching up, grabbing her arm, and pulling her down onto my lap.
"I love you too," she declared, snuggling into my neck.
I felt it then too.
The sure feeling in my gut.
She had confessed to me many months ago that she felt it too, that she had felt it right from the beginning, but thought it was too strange to admit, not realizing I felt it as well.
Maybe today was the day I could drag that ring out of my nightstand and give it to her.
Make her mine forever.
Nothing in the world had ever felt more right.
XX
DON'T FORGET
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking time out of your life to read this book. If you LOVED this book, I would really appreciate it if you could hop onto Goodreads or Amazon and tell me your favorite parts. You can also spread the word by recommending the book to friends or sending digital copies that can be received via kindle or kindle app on any device.
ALSO BY JESSICA GADZIALA
If you liked this book, check out these other series and titles in the NAVESINK BANK UNIVERSE:
The Henchmen MC
Reign
Cash
Wolf
Repo
Duke
Renny
Lazarus
Pagan
Cyrus
Edison
The Savages
Monster
Killer
Savior
Mallick Brothers
For A Good Time, Call
Shane
Ryan
Mark
Eli
Investigators
367 Days
14 Weeks
Dark
Dark Mysteries
Dark Secrets
Dark Horse
STANDALONES WITHIN NAVESINK BANK:
Vigilante
Grudge Match
OTHER SERIES AND STANDALONES:
Stars Landing
What The Heart Needs
What The Heart Wants
What The Heart Finds
What The Heart Knows
The Stars Landing Deviant
Surrogate
The Sex Surrogate
Dr. Chase Hudson
DEBT
Dissent
Into The Green
Stuffed: A Thanksgiving Romance
Unwrapped
Peace, Love, & Macarons
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jessica Gadziala is a full-time writer, parrot enthusiast, and coffee drinker from New Jersey. She enjoys short rides to the book store, sad songs, and cold weather.
She is very active on Goodreads, Facebook, as well as her personal groups on those sites. Join in. She's friendly.
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<3/ Jessica
Jessica Gadziala, The Fixer
The Fixer Page 23