Chapter Thirteen

Bones

Had that been perfect? No.

But it worked.

At least for the first day, it had.

The house was quiet now, the kind of calm that settled in after a long day of work. I stood in the driveway between the garage and Snow’s house with my hands shoved deep into my pockets.

I’d spent the whole afternoon helping Snow—well, I wouldn’t say helping . More like getting the rest of the crew together to help her. Snow didn’t know I was going to go that far, but in the end, she hadn’t turned down the help either.

Wick, Nut, Bonnie, and Guns had just left with the promise they’d be back in the morning to start decorating the cookies. They were good people. I wasn’t one to ask for help unless I absolutely had to, but Snow had been swamped, and I couldn’t just sit back and let her drown in cookie dough and frosting.

I turned to glance at Snow’s house as she stepped out onto the porch. She moved toward me with that purposeful stride of hers, one that always made her look like she had it all under control. She stopped beside me, and for a second, I couldn’t tell if she was still thinking over the chaos of the day or if she was just taking in the silence.

Finally, she broke the quiet. “I need to say thank you, but I’m still in shock that you did that.”

Her voice was softer than I expected, and I couldn’t tell if it was gratitude or something else in her tone. I glanced over at her, unsure if she was mad about me taking matters into my own hands without asking first. Hell, I wasn’t even sure if I was mad at myself for doing it, but it had worked, hadn’t it?

I shrugged and leaned back on my heels. “Um, is that a good or bad shock?” I asked as I tried to gauge her expression.

Snow laughed lightly, a sound that was so unexpected from her that it caught me off guard. “It’s a good shock. I mean, at first, I was... very skeptical, but your friends really helped me today. I learned my lesson that I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover very quickly. Nut really knows what he’s doing.”

I could hear the relief in her voice, and it felt like a weight lifted off my chest. I didn’t expect Snow to be all warm and fuzzy about it, but I had hoped she’d at least appreciate it. After all, it wasn’t easy getting a crew together on short notice, and it sure wasn’t easy convincing them to give up their time for a woman they didn’t even know.

I nodded, and a slight grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. “And they’ll help you as long as you need them to.”

She sighed, and her breath was visible in the cool evening air. “I can’t pay them, though, Bones. I was barely paying Kelsi and Tom enough.”

I straightened up at that, with my hands still in my pockets, but now I was holding onto the fabric of my jacket a little tighter as I could somehow get a better grip on the situation. “You don’t have to pay any of them, Snow,” I said, my voice steady. “Just like me, they’re helping because they want to, not because they want something in return.”

She let out a breath, one that almost sounded like she was trying to push out the weight of the world. “Man, are all of your biker friends amazing like that? They don’t even know me.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” I said, the words slipping out easier than I thought they would. It wasn’t like I had to convince her. She already saw it for herself, and that was all that mattered. “And they do know you. They’ve all had something you’ve baked and loved it. We won’t go into the addiction Wick has to your muffins down at the coffee shop.”

Snow was quiet for a moment and stared down at the ground like she was thinking something over. I could see the flicker of doubt in her eyes, the kind of doubt I’d seen in a lot of people before, but I wasn’t about to let her stay there.

“The guys… they’re good, Snow. Real good. Mickey and the Brazen Chrome have always had my back since I moved into town, and when I told them you needed help, they didn’t hesitate. Hell, even Wick, who has nothing to offer besides being able to eat, was actually a help today.”

She raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical but a little amused. “Is that supposed to make me feel any better? I know you guys are great, and I can’t give you anything in return besides cookies.”

I chuckled and looked out at the street by the light at the end of the driveway. “Well, it’s the truth. And I didn’t have one problem at all deciding to join the club this afternoon. They’re my brothers now. They’ve got my back, and now they’ve got yours too.”

She was still quiet for a beat, and I could tell she was processing everything.

“Bones,” she said, her voice quieter than before, like the words were hard to say, “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you… or them.”

I turned to look at her then, and something soft inside me stirred at the way she said it. It hit me harder than I expected.

“You don’t have to thank me, Snow,” I said, stepping a little closer, wanting to make sure she knew I was serious. “I just want you to be good. I want you to make it through this, and if I can help make that happen, then I will. No hesitation.”

She took a deep breath and nodded, though I could still see that little bit of uncertainty hanging around her like a cloud. “I just… I just feel like I’m taking advantage of you guys.”

“No, you’re not. It’s not taking advantage if we want to help.”

She nodded again, but this time, there was a flicker of something else in her eyes—maybe trust, maybe gratitude, but I wasn’t sure. She was too proud to show all of it at once, but I could tell she was coming around.

“Alright,” she said finally, her tone a little lighter now. “Well, I’m definitely not turning down the help. Just… I don’t want anyone to think I’m some charity case.”

I let out a small laugh at that. “Nobody’s gonna think that. You’ve worked too damn hard to get to where you are to be seen as a charity case. You’re tough. You got this.”

She gave me a small smile, just a little curve of her lips that told me she wasn’t quite convinced but was at least considering it.

We stood there for a few beats, just looking at each other. The sound of the wind rustling through the trees and the low hum of the neighborhood felt like a backdrop to everything that had happened in the last few hours. It was quiet now, and Snow seemed a little less tense than when she stepped outside. Maybe I was imagining it, but it felt right.

“I should try to get some sleep,” Snow said, her voice soft but tired. “Something tells me tomorrow is going to be crazy.”

“Wanna come over and have a drink to help you unwind?” I offered, trying to keep it casual even though I was a little too eager to have her around a little longer.

She gave me a look, her eyes wide like she hadn’t expected that offer. “I am so tempted,” she whispered, and her voice trailed off. Then, as if realizing what she’d said, she slapped her hand over her mouth. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?” she mumbled behind her hand, and her face turned a few shades of red.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Damn, she was cute when she was flustered. “Yeah, you did, Sugar,” I said with a grin.

“Can we just forget that, and I can just disappear inside?” Snow asked with her voice still muffled behind her hand, but the smile on her face was all too real.

I raised an eyebrow. “You can disappear inside, but I’m not going to forget that you’re more than tempted to spend more time with me.”

Her cheeks turned a pretty pink, and I had to bite back a grin. Damn, she was adorable when she blushed.

“Okay. Good night, Bones,” she said quickly and stepped back toward the door like she couldn’t get inside fast enough.

Before she could go, I reached out and grabbed her hand. She looked up at me, surprised, but I didn’t let go. Instead, I lifted her hand to my lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.

“Good night, Sugar,” I whispered.

Her eyes softened, and I thought I saw something more than just gratitude in them. But she didn’t say anything else, just pulled her hand away slowly and turned to head inside.

I stood there a moment longer and watched her slip through the door and into the house. The way she moved, quick but not quite hurried, told me she was still thinking about it. She was still caught up in whatever had sparked between us, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

She could run from me now, but I had no doubt in my mind that she was going to be mine. Whether she liked it or not, I’d make sure of it. There was a pull between us, something I couldn’t shake, and I knew she felt it too.

I wasn’t the kind of guy who went after something he couldn’t have. And Snow? She was something I was going to have.

There wasn’t a doubt about it.