Page 101 of Alpha & Omega

I stared at the check in my trembling hands, struggling to process the amount of money I was looking at. A little part of me was guilty that this money would get me officially out of debt, but it was at the expense of someone’s life—two people’s lives.

“They finally settle?” Harley asked.

I handed him the check so he could see for himself. “Am I reading that correctly?” I asked, though I knew I had read it right. The insurance company hadalready reached out to inform me of the settlement, but four hundred and fifty-eight thousand dollars was still hard to process.

He took the check from me and whistled. “That’s a lot of money, baby. You deserve every penny of it.”

“Someone died for this money.”

Harley sat next to me at my small kitchen table. “And you suffered because of their mistake. You almost died yourself.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “You lost your leg, nearly lost your business. You couldn’t work, and you had massive medical bills.”

“I know. I’m grateful to have it and finally pay everything off, but still, it feels… wrong.”

He sighed and kissed my head. “I understand. It’s hard when someone has died, especially when you think about their family and their loss. But remember, it wasn’t your fault, and this is what insurance is for.”

“Yeah…”

“Put the money into the bank and breathe a little easier. Now you can even think about hiring more people.”

I looked at him and smiled. “And maybe get a new car.”

“Now you’re talking. Are you ready for that? I know you’ve done really well getting back into a car, but what about driving? You haven’t tried that yet.”

“I guess I should get practice before I buy a car, huh?”

“You can borrow mine.”

I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah…”

“Or you never have to drive at all. I can take you where you need to go.”

I leaned forward and kissed him. “You’re always taking care of me.”

He scoffed. “Well, I expect you to take care of me in return when I’m old and can barely walk.”

I chuckled. “That’s a given.”

“Yeah? Does that mean you’ve been dreaming of a life with me forever and ever?”

“If you think I’ll ever let you go, you’re nuts. You belong to me now… forever and ever.”

Harley wrapped his arm that was already on me tighter around my neck and pulled me into another kiss full of tongue and ownership, his moustache tickling my nose.

“In that case,” he said when he pulled away and stood. “I’ll be right back. Wait right there.”

He returned a few minutes later, looking suddenly uncertain and nervous. What was going on with him?

“Since you want me forever and ever…”

Harley dropped to one knee in front of me and held out a wedding band.

Holy shit… he was holding a wedding band.

“It’s been only nine months,” he said, scoffing at himself. “Only? It feels like I’ve known you for years; like you’re a piece of me and have always been there. We started rocky, and I hope I’ve made up for my blunder. I’m forever grateful you’re a part of my life. You make every day more fulfilling than the next…”

“Harley…”

“P-please let me get this out.”

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