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Lucia’s smile deepened as she watched members of the Ashe Crew, the Boarlanders, and the Gray Backs filtering out of the woods, hauling food and coolers. She wasn’t surprised by the kindness that dwelled in Damon’s Mountains. Not anymore. The mountains had come to help them set up all three of the new trailers that Damon had gifted them, and celebrate their new beginning.
She would perhaps never understand why fate had needed to rid this park of the other trailers, but she did know she felt closer to this Crew than she ever thought possible. Losing their homes together, and rebuilding together would strengthen them.
Landon was unhooking the single-wide from the trailer like a pro, and she wasn’t surprised at all. He just knew how to do things. She’d watched him tend to all of their wounds after the Gunner War. Hers included. He was just a solid, dependable man. He knew how to fix things, no matter how broken.
“What do you have there?” Cadence asked, gesturing to the book in her arms.
“A present.”
“For Landon?” she guessed.
Lucia couldn’t contain her smile as she nodded.
“You’ve changed a lot, Lucia,” Cadence said. “I’m really glad you are with us.”
Lucia was already choked up, because she knew what was in the back of this book. She bumped Cadence on the side of her shoulder. “I’m happy. And look.” She nodded her chin toward the next single-wide that was being dragged into the clearing. Kong was driving this one in.
“Norman Nutsack will be very happy to get out of this cage,” Jenna said with a laugh as she held up the plastic container containing one mouse with very large nards.
Another cage with five mice—or M-Y-C-E, as her half-intelligent mate spelled it—sat at Lucia’s feet. “Do you want some of these?” she asked Cadence.
“Hell no. I would eat them.”
Lucia laughed and greeted Alyssa and her mother, who were walking together toward them. Clinton was following in a white T-shirt he’d cut to expose the bottom half of his six-pack. He was wearing yellow-and-white striped tube socks and a baseball cap, cut-off jean shorts, and sunglasses. He was taking video of everyone coming out of the woods with a grin on his face.
She felt someone looking at her. When she looked up, Landon was standing by their brand-new trailer. “New favorite smile,” he announced.
She giggled and ducked her gaze.
“I just need to level this one out, and then we have a home,” he told her.
He had some scarring from the fight with Gunner, but that just made her love him more. He’d gotten those scars trying to save not only her, but all of the Warlanders from hurting each other. If he hadn’t been there that night, and understood what was happening? Well, the outcome would’ve been much different.
Landon was the reason they were all here—happy, celebrating—greeting the shifters of Damon’s Mountains as they brought tables, coolers, and food. She would bet there was a line of trucks behind these three trailers, and the backs of them would be full of beer and food.
This is what the mountains did—they lifted people up.
Lucia hadn’t really accepted or appreciated that until now.
“Want to see it?” Landon asked excitedly.
“Hell yeah,” Lucia murmured. She stooped and picked up the cage of field mice he thought were good luck, then strode for her new home with the man she loved.
He opened the door, then stooped and picked her up to carry her across the threshold—only there weren’t any stairs yet, so he had to jump up into the open doorway.
She laughed as he settled her onto her feet. He looked around, the smile fading from his face only to return softer. “This is ours.”
The way he said ours touched her heart so deeply.
“I got you a housewarming present,” she said, setting down the cage of mice.
His bright-silver eyes went wide. “What is it?”
She handed him the scrapbook.
For a moment he just held it in his hands, staring at the title across the front.
Our story.
