by Juli Valenti
“I agree with Teagan,” a male voice came from the doorway, Tonka appearing in a suit and beaming. “You look beautiful. Even with the sling of prison.”
Mercy snorted at the sarcastic nickname she’d given the sling. It felt like a prison and she had loudly protested about it. Not that anyone listened, least of all Tonka.
“Aren’t you supposed to be cooking or something?”
Tonka ignored her snark and grinned. “It’ll be ready when we get there. Come on, be normal for a night, Stang, it’ll be fun.”
And with that, she allowed the man to grab her hand and kiss it, like an old-fashioned gentleman caller. She giggled and stood, thanking the girls for making her feel like a woman again, and turned to Tonka. “You’re right, let’s go.”
Mercy ignored his grin at hearing he was right.
It wasn’t the first time he would be right, or the last. And she was excited for the future, for the thought of a somewhat normal life. Sure, at the end of the day he was still a biker, still did Hells Redemption work, and she was still the daughter of a man who hurt a lot of people. Their lives would never be the normal of others, but not living in the shadows of Chuck Sheridan was an exciting prospect. Who knew if she and Tonka would work out, or not. Neither made any promises.
For now, she was just going to enjoy the peace they had while it lasted. If it disappeared, it did. But he’d agreed to let her buy the garage, and she was setting down roots of her own. A concept she’d never thought she’d get. Now, because of Hells Redemption, she did.
With that, she let the man lead her out of the clubhouse and into the SUV, the two pretending to be normal people, in a normal world, on a normal date. A girl could hope, right?
She stopped dead in her tracks as they reached the outside, and turned slowly to face Tonka in disbelief.
“What did you do?!”
The man merely grinned, pulling her by her good arm and nudging her toward the car waiting for her. There, parked in front of her, was a 1972 Chevelle SS 402 convertible. It was cherry red, where hers had been forest green, and badly in need of some TLC, but it was beautiful to her. Hesitantly she reached out to draw her hand along the chipping paint.
“I know it’s probably more work than it’s worth,” Tonka said, scratching his head. “But we still haven’t found yours… so it’s more than likely long gone. I thought, maybe, you could fix this one up, in your spare time, when your arm is better.”
Mercy didn’t speak, instead walked around the gift, taking it all in. No, it wasn’t hers, it was better. Rather than being bought and fixed up, a labor of love and spite, this one was a purchase of adoration. Tonka had bought it for her, supporting her.
“I’ll understand if you don’t want it… I just thought —”
“I can’t believe you did this,” she murmured, blinking hard to fight off tears. She turned to see a look of uncertainty on Tonka’s handsome face and she bound toward him. Wrapping her free arm around his neck, she kissed him, hard.
“This is the most amazing gift I’ve ever gotten,” she told him honestly, allowing him to caress a tear from her cheek.
“I’m glad you like it,” he told her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before pulling away. “Besides… repairs on something like that hunk of junk is gonna take a bit. I figured it would be a good way to keep you here awhile.”
Mercy grinned before swatting his arm gently. “Don’t call my car a hunk of junk,” she chastised. “And like I told you before, I’m not going anywhere.”
For the first time in her life, Mercy felt hope. She found a group of people she cared about, and a man who respected who she was. She wasn’t seen as property and even toyed with the possibility of one day prospecting for Hells Redemption. But, in that moment, she was content to allow the mountain of a man to lead her past her gift, and toward his bike. She was finally getting the dinner he’d promised; a normal date night, which seemed so foreign to her.
She could get used to it, she decided.
The End
This is the end of Mercy, book four in the Redemption Reigns MC series.
Check out the entire Redemption Reigns Series at www.julivalenti.com
Acknowledgments
Greg — thank you for always being my partner in crime. You’re the peanut butter to my jelly, the light to my dark, and my best friend. Your pride and faith in me never waivers and if it weren’t for you and your support, this book probably would still be sitting unwritten.
Nay — my maid of honor, badass cover artist, and dearest friend. You always stand by me, regardless of what’s going on, and I’m so grateful you allowed me to force myself into your life. I cherish you and our friendship.
Meg — only the coolest blogger in herstory! I appreciate your never-ending support for me, my writing, and your excitement when I finish a book. The fact that you named our baby after Poet just makes things that much cooler. (She didn’t really… or did she?)
Kristina — no one edits like you, my friend! I love our edit swaps and can’t wait to hug your neck again!
For all my readers who haven’t forgotten me, I love each and every one of you! The last couple of years have been a doozy between the wedding, school, work, kids, etc. … but you’ve never been far from my heart! I hope you all loved Mercy and I can’t wait to continue this series… as well as all the others y’all ask for! So much love! Xoxo.
About the Author
Juli Valenti is a contemporary romance author who just can’t seem to make up her mind. She enjoys writing everything from sweet and funny romantic comedies, to ugly cry, heartbreaking stories, and even romantic suspense.
Her newest series, Redemption Reigns MC, has become a pivotal turning point in motorcycle club romance novels, changing the pace and bring diversity to a world run by men… which is so much fun!
Juli is from Bentonville, Arkansas, home of Wal-Mart and currently resides minutes from the beach in Florida with her husband, Greg, and two sons, Dylan and Landon.
Juli is currently working to bring more MC novels to the table, as well as more collaborations with Author Rene Folsom, and a bunch more! Keep on the look out and remember to sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date.
Follow Juli at
www.julivalenti.com
Also by Juli Valenti
Redemption Reigns MC Series
Poet
Artist
Fallen
The Addiction Series
Sadie Hawkins
Morning Glory (Coming Soon)
The Distracted Series
Greatest Distraction
Global Distraction
All Roads Lead to Jackson
Southern Distraction (Coming Soon)
The Chance Series
Pieces in Chance
Another Chance (Coming Soon)
The Favorite Things Series
(co-authored with Rene Folsom)
Adventurous
Bound
Charming
Dominant (Coming Soon)
Standalone Novels
A Little Broken
Standalone Short Stories
Taunt: A Twisted Wolf Tale
Vancleave