“So, with your dad’s help, your old crew and my crew, we managed to finish your car for you.”
I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “Tazen,” I rasp.
“But before I show you, I have some other news to share.”
Oh gosh.
“The first is that I’ve given everyone in your old crew a job in the garage. We need more men with the workloads we’ve taken on.”
A tear leaks out and I take his hand, bringing it to my mouth and kissing it, rasping, “Thank you, honey.”
“The second piece of news, is that your dad also has a job. He’s working as head of the new mechanical team, which is your guys.”
He gave my dad a job. Oh God, he gave my dad a job.
“Taz,” I croak.
“Now, for the best part. I thought about so many ways I could make this car true to you, but in the end there was really only one way that could happen. So, Quinn baby, this is your car, it’s your family, and it’s all your memories right back where it belongs.”
He nods and everyone pulls the cover off the car. As it slowly appears before me, my tears go from drops, to a waterfall. My heart burns. My throat clogs up and I let out a loud, piercing sob. The car, which was originally orange, has been fully repainted. It’s now purple, which was my mom’s favorite color in the world. That’s not the best part, though. No, it’s not even close.
The best part is the pictures that have been incorporated into the paint, and then glossed over. Pictures of my childhood, pictures of my family, pictures of everything that was once amazing in my life. My sobbing turns into thick, heavy crying when my eyes move to the hood of the car and there, in perfect bold letters are two words, two words that have always meant the world to me.
Pixie Wheels.
I spin and throw my arms around Tazen, clutching him and sobbing loudly. He holds me tight, and then he leans down to my ear and whispers, “I can’t give you back your mom or the past, but I can give you back every beautiful memory you’ve ever had.”
I lean up and I kiss him, I kiss him with such ferocity my throat burns, my lips ache and my heart feels like it’s bursting with love.
“I love you, Tazen Watts.”
He swipes a tear away with his thumb. “And I love you, angel.”
I look back to the car, filled with all my happy places and then I smile at each person in the room, because they’ve all come to mean so much to me. I never had many friends, never had any family, and now I have it all because of one incredible man.
“You asked me if I had a car that I loved enough I always wanted to keep,” Tazen says, tucking me into his side.
“I did,” I croak.
“Well, I finally found it. This is it, Quinn. This is that car for me. It’s the best thing I’ve ever built and it’s like that because of you. You brought passion back into my garage, you brought pride but most of all you brought spirit. You gave us back exactly what we needed.”
“My mom would be so proud of this car, of me, of Dad, of all of this.”
Tazen squeezes me close. “Angel, she would have been proud of you no matter what.”
“Thank you, Tazen,” I say, looking up at him.
“For what?”
I smile, and it’s the purest, most real smile I’ve given in a long, long time.
“For bringing back everything beautiful.”
Don’ miss the Alpha’s Heart Series
BellaJewelBooks.com
Have you read them all?
Keep reading for a sneak peek of the next book in the series
HARD TO FORGET
PROLOGUE
The rain is cold against my skin, each drop sinking in slowly, as if torturing me. My hair is plastered to my face and I’m furiously blinking back the droplets that insist on invading my eye space. My clothes are soaked and I can feel the chill right down to my bones. My shoes squish every time my feet hit the pavement, which is a lot.
Considering I’m running.
It’s barely past five a.m. and yet here I am, pounding the pavement. Most people think I’m crazy—the truth is I probably am. I’m twenty-eight years old and instead of acting like most normal girls, I’m out training for my job. A job I’ve studied for and fought for since the day I left high school—it’s been nothing but a constant battle, especially considering it wasn’t always what I planned on doing.
I’m a bodyguard.
Well, I’m trying to be. I have a job, I have a boss, I have a team, and it took a good long time for them to accept that I could do the job as well as them. I was constantly battling against the other members, proving my worth, and it seemed no matter what I did, they just didn’t think I had what it takes. It took me a solid two and a half years to earn even a snippet of respect.
Lucky me.
The man running beside me both loves and hates me. I’ve come to this conclusion on my own because he can’t seem to decide which one it is. One moment he’s barking orders at me, and then he’s staring at my breasts longingly. It’s alarming and kind of flattering all at once. Still, he trains with me every single day and I’m grateful for that.
I hate running alone.
When I got out of school, I was going to join the armed forces, it was something I’d always wanted to do. I can’t say there was an exact reason for it, but sometimes you feel you are just born to do something. Then came the test that changed my life. Turns out you have to have exceptional eyesight to join the forces. Mine was shit, and eye surgery improved it a bit, but not enough to make the cut.
Originally, I was crushed, and for months I couldn’t figure out what to do. It was something I’d planned from day one, and to have it taken from me seemed almost cruel. Then there was a day when I was out with my uncle, and we saw a drive-by shooting. A man, dressed all in black, single-handedly saved a person’s life. Turns out that person had hired him to do just that. My passion was reborn. I could do it. I could still protect and serve.
So last year I officially became qualified to protect someone’s life. And a second experimental eye surgery worked better than I’d ever hoped.
“Where’s your head at this morning, Delaney?”
Kyle yells this through the pouring rain, snapping me from my thoughts. I turn and glare at him, trying hard not to notice how good-looking he is all wet and panting. Kyle might drive me bonkers, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s considered a fairly good-looking man—well, to most. He’s not really my type, and I think he hates that.
His usually brown hair seems darker in the rain and it’s pressed to his forehead. His strong jaw is covered in a few days’ growth and his blue eyes seem gray beneath the mist. He’s over six feet tall and built like a stone, which I’m grateful for, considering I stand at five ten. Yes, five foot ten. I’m as tall as a man. This makes dating particularly difficult since I’m bigger than most of the guys who take me out.
“Jesus, Delaney, wake up!”
I blink and realize I zoned out again.
“I didn’t realize our running was a chance for us to happy chat and tell life stories,” I reply bitterly.
Kyle snorts. “It’s not, I have no interest in your life stories.”
I flash him a grin. “Sure you do.”
“No, I don’t. I’m just making sure you’re with me.”
“Well, Kyle, last time I checked I was right beside you. I think you need to get your eyes checked.”
“Shut it, Delaney. Just run.”
I grin and run. I love taunting Kyle, more than I love my job some days. Okay, maybe not more than my job, but it is entertaining. I don’t think Kyle will ever come out and admit he likes me, but I know he does. How can he not? I mean, come on, I’m pretty badass.
And I can outrun him. “You’re falling behind, old man,” I call, running ahead. “Better keep up or you’ll be the laughingstock of the team.”
“Bite me, Delaney,” he barks, running harder.
Ah yes, I do love running with Kyle.
CHAPTER ONE