Rowdy stood with her. “We’ll take the day off. Cannon can handle things tonight. Tomorrow—”

“Tomorrow,” Avery interrupted, “I’ll return to my job as your full-time bartender.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Rowdy told her. “We can talk about it more later, but I’d like you to be a co-owner in the bar.” He held up a hand to stop her protests. “As a co-owner, you can continue to bartend if that’s what you want. But you already help in every decision there is.”

“I don’t have any money to buy in.”

His mouth quirked. “You give a lot of your time, and you give great input. Together, we’ll go over finances.”

“Together.” She let out a happy sigh. “Okay, yes.”

Rowdy kissed her red nose, her stubborn chin and her soft mouth. “God, I love you, babe.”

“This started out as such a bad day.”

He had to laugh. “Your face is bruised, there’s a dead man in my apartment and another who, with any luck, will not only be ruined, but will do some serious jail time.”

“But you love me,” she said. “And that makes it a very good day.”

* * *

MARCUS HUGGED ROWDY’S knees, then ran out to the yard with Cash racing behind him. They were due to get snow at the end of the week, but today the sun was bright enough to warm the coldest heart.

Rowdy stood in the doorway, watching the kid climb into the tire swing. Avery’s mother, bundled up in a hooded white sweatshirt, gave the tire a push to get Marcus started, then laughed when Cash ran back and forth in excitement. Avery hugged her mother’s arm.

Hard to believe how things had rolled out. Thanks to Sonya’s insistence, Meyer had written Avery into his will. He shook his head. He didn’t want Meyer’s money, but Sonya insisted. It meant a lot to her, a way to alleviate some of her guilt over how gullible she’d been, how she’d so unfairly misjudged Avery.

And so they’d agreed to take the money—which they would invest into a community project Cannon had started for at-risk kids.

It felt good. Hell, his whole life felt blessed now that Avery was in it.

Nothing seemed impossible anymore.

Behind him, Pepper said, “He’s pretty darned cute, isn’t he?”

“Marcus?” Rowdy drew her into his side and kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, he is.” A month with Alice and Reese had already made a difference. Marcus wore clothes that fit, and while he was still a skinny little dude, he looked healthier, happier. A lot more secure. He had nightmares, and he still distrusted his good fortune, but things were getting better, little by little. “He’s really coming around.”

“Love will do that to a person.”

Amen. “You and Logan ever think about having kids?” He kind of liked the idea of being an uncle.

Pepper floored him when she said, “Yeah, we’ve talked about it.”

“No shit?” He looked down at the kid sister he’d spent a lifetime protecting. She was the one person he’d thought would always be the center of his world. He still loved her like crazy, and he’d still die for her.

But the love he felt was no longer so...desperate.

“No shit,” she replied with a grin. “Can you see me all round with a baby?”

“Yeah, I can.” She’d be beautiful, no matter what. “You’d make a great mother, kiddo.” Fiercely protective, nurturing and she’d raise the kid to be strong, like her.

“We want to wait another year or two,” Pepper told him, then snuggled in to his side again. “But after that...we’ll see.”

When Avery started toward the house, her long red hair teased by the breeze, Pepper said, “She’s really something. I can see why you love her.”

“Yeah.” Every day he found more and more reasons.

Grinning, Pepper hugged him tight. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Thanks.” He opened the patio doors to greet his soon-to-be wife. “How’s your mom?”

“Doing better.” She turned her face up for his kiss.

Rowdy was happy to oblige. He touched his mouth to hers, then whispered, “I love you.” The words that once felt so impossible to say were now impossible to keep to himself.

“I love you, too.” She settled beside him with a sigh. “Marcus and my mother get along really well. She wants to spoil him.” Avery winced. “I hope Reese and Alice won’t mind too much.”

“We’ll talk to them, see what they say. But I think it’s good for Sonya to have a different focus now that Meyer is out of her life.”

“She wants to throw us a big wedding.”

Rowdy blanched, but only for a second. “Is that what you want?” Because if a big society wedding would make her happy, he’d throw on a monkey suit and play along.

“No.” She grinned up to see him. “I want our family and friends there, and I want the pretty white dress, but most of all I want you.” She ran a hand over his abs, something she often did. “If you want to wear your jeans, I’m okay with it.”

Rowdy had to laugh. “How did I get so lucky?”

“You hired the right bartender to run Getting Rowdy. That’s how.” She hugged him tight.

“I’ve been thinking about the name of the place.”

“It’s already established, so you can’t change it,” she warned him.