by Lane Hart
“Oh, yeah. Once he got extradited back to North Carolina, he took a plea to three years, which Mercy was happy about. She didn’t want to have to go to court and see that little bastard anymore. He won’t be a problem for her again. I’m pretty sure I knocked all the love and affection right out of that…”
“Language, please!” Loretta interrupts as we stop beside the pew where she and Mercy are sitting.
“Sorry, Mrs. Daniels,” I grumble as I scoot past her to sit with Mercy.
“Sit here, dear,” Loretta tells Gabe, patting the bench just beside her. As my brother sits down and adjusts his suit jacket with a smile, I put my arm around Mercy and lean in close to take a deep breath of her mango scent.
“They seem to be getting along well,” I whisper.
“I know. Isn’t that awesome?” Mercy gushes. “It may just be because we’re in church. Mom is always on her best behavior here,” she tells me in a low, soft voice.
I watch the camera crews get settled around the area as the producer and his staff walk around, talking to the parishioners and making sure they’re ok with being a part of the filming.
“I’ll be glad when this part of the show is all over,” I grumble, shifting uncomfortably on the hard pew.
“Oh, Abe, tell me the truth. Has my Big, Bad, Biker Boyfriend been awful for you? I know you’re not used to all of this, and you’ve been so good about everything,” Mercy says, looking worried.
“No, Red, that’s not what I meant,” I reply. “I’m just ready to get onto the next part of the series.”
“The next part?” Mercy asks with an adorable little puzzled crease in her brow.
I catch the gaze of the producer, Ryan, and wave him over to us. “You got that paperwork ready for her to take a look at yet?” I ask him when he slides into the pew beside us.
“Almost!” Ryan says with excitement. “The network suits loved the idea. Mercy, what did you think? Does it sound like something you want to do?”
“What do I think of what?” Mercy says in exasperation, looking between the two of us.
“You didn’t ask her yet?” Ryan asks, his eyes widening.
“Well, I wanted to check out the set a little more, see what my brother thought, you know…” I say innocently, waving my arm to encompass the entire church.
“What are you talking about?” Mercy laughs, poking me in the ribs.
“I’m talking about where we should film our Big, Bad Biker Wedding…if, you know, that’s something you might be interested in doing down the line,” I tell Mercy with a grin.
“Are you trying to propose to me right now?” Mercy gasps, her eyes threatening to water.
“Well, I would want you to read the paperwork first, and…” I begin, before Mercy throws her arms around my neck, choking off my words.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Mercy exclaims. “A thousand times, yes,” she continues, before grabbing my beard and pulling me in for a kiss.
“Well, that’s great!” Ryan says, edging away from us. “I’ll make sure we get the paperwork and…yeah, I’ll leave you guys alone,” he finishes lamely, standing up and nodding to the cameramen to make sure they’re capturing everything.
“Oh, god,” Mercy says as she breaks our kiss. “I just realized, I’m never going to hear the end of this from Sasha!”
I bark out a laugh before agreeing. “You and me both, Red. Honestly, though, I don’t think I would ever let her forget. I want her to remember that she introduced me to you and gave me the gift that the MC always promised — love and a family to call my own. I love you, Red, in ways I never knew I could. Thank you, for everything.”
“Stop it, big guy,” Mercy tells me as she swipes at her eyes. “You’re gonna make me cry in front of the cameras.”
“Let it all out, baby,” I reassure her. “Your fans will eat it up, and everyone watching will know once and for all that you’re my Queen.”
The End
Torin’s story is coming soon!
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
New York Times bestselling author Lane Hart and husband D.B. West were both born and raised in North Carolina. They still live in the south with their two daughters and enjoy spending the summers on the beach and watching football in the fall.
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