by ML Mystrom
The man with the half-finished tattoo just stared as Table landed a bunch of loud smooches all over the giggling child’s face. “Who’s Daddy’s best girl? Who is it? Is it Angel?”
A small woman in a short denim skirt and white blouse walked in after the little girl. Her shoulder-length blonde hair had the remnants of black dye at the tips and she wore a vest that had the Dragon Runners MC emblem on the back along with the words “property of.” A giant purse was over one shoulder and a handful of shopping bags were in the other. Table greeted her with a long, warm kiss. “How’s my other best girl?”
“Ready to drop. We did a big Costco run this morning for Betsey and spent the rest of the day up at the Lair helping her with plans for the newest club acquisition. That motel over in Maggie Valley is going to be great once we get it back to where it needs to be. I’m thinking takeout for dinner tonight.”
“Sounds good to me, baby girl. You get the mail?”
She pulled out a handful of different-sized envelopes from her purse and plopped them on the counter. “I haven’t gone through it yet, but I expect it’s the usual assortment of bills and junk mail. I saw where Publisher’s Clearing House says I won a million dollars in their sweepstakes. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Table chuckled and smacked his lips against her forehead. “If only. Can’t complain too loud though. We have enough to pay our bills at least and the shop is in the black. Even if we don’t have much extra, it will come soon enough.” He went to the counter and shuffled through the stack of mail while humming the children’s tune. The little girl put her head on her father’s shoulder and stuck a finger in her mouth.
“Did you hear from your cousin about the farm?”
“Yeah, he’s settled in permanent and working the garden. Harvest was huge this past summer and fall. He’s looking to open up the other fields that ain’t been used in a long time. With all the push about people wantin’ more organic stuff, he thinks he can turn a bigger profit and really bring the farm back to what it once was. The Bobbsey twins are tickled pink about the upturn. Martha’s been going out with this Floyd guy and Carol’s been—”
“Hey, you gonna finish this?”
Table ignored the impatient voice of the customer and pulled out a plain white envelope. “In a minute, buddy. Lori? Did you see this one?”
Lori looked up from where she had started sweeping. “No, what is it?”
Table handed her the envelope with a somber look on his face. The address was the tattoo shop, but the first line read, “To the family of Vivian Townsend.”
Lori held it like she would a snake.
“Open it, baby girl.”
“I can’t.”
“It’s okay, Lori. Months okay. You’re sleepin’ easy now. Ain’t nothin’ here gonna change that. Open it.”
Lori’s hand shook as she ran a finger under the seal of the envelope. She pulled out a single sheet of paper and took a deep breath while scanning it. Her face crumpled and she pressed a hand to her mouth to suppress a sob that tried to come out. Table’s gut clenched in response.
“What is it?”
“I’ve— I’m—”
“Spit it out, Lori.”
She took a calming breath. “Lori Matthews has been named the sole beneficiary of Vivian Townsend’s estate. The trust and everything else I—she owned herself. My—her lawyer fixed this somehow so I get the lot of it.”
“What does that mean?”
She looked up at Table with shining eyes. “It means we don’t need to claim any sweepstakes anytime soon.”
Table’s jaw tightened a bit. “Congratulations.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’.”
“Tell me.”
“Nothin’.”
“Table, please talk to me.”
“Do I have to spell it out?”
“Yes, you do.”
“Fu—udgecicles!”
“Dud-tah!” Angel’s head popped up from her father’s shoulder, suddenly awake at the thought of the cold treat.
Table put the child down. “Back in the freezer, Angel cakes.”
“Hey! I’m still waiting!” The yell from the customer followed them as they made their way to the break room.
Table pulled out the ice cream and tore the wrapper off before handing it to the excited toddler.
“Talk to me, Table. This is good news, right?”
“You’re rich again, aren’t you? You can go back to your old life jet-setting and doin’ all that sh— stuff you used to do that I can’t give you here in Podunk, NC.”
Lori blinked. “For a smart man, you can be incredibly stupid sometimes. Did you not hear me? We don’t need any sweepstakes prize. We have extra now. We can pay off the last of the medical bills and what other debts we have.”
She turned to face Table, her eyes snapping fire. “I’ve been rich. Bought anything I wanted anytime I wanted it, sometimes just because I could. But I can’t buy what I have now.”
She tore open one of the shopping bags and began to rummage through it. “I have the Dragon Runners family and the friendship of some of the strongest women I’ve ever met. True friendship. Not one where everyone wants to know you for your name and connections.”
Angel dropped a bit of ice cream and left a huge streak of chocolate down the front of her pink dress.
“I get to spend every day with a precious little girl I love like she was my own. She’s calling me ‘mama’ and that is priceless.”
Lori moved to stand in front of Table. “And I found the absolute love of my life in a man who was willing to die for me. I’d rather be struggling by his side for a lifetime than getting my nails done weekly at an overpriced day spa salon.” She handed him a blue and pink box. “And if what I suspect is true, in another six months I’ll have another reason to love you.”
Angel had lost interest in the treat and had placed the melting ice-cream bar on the floor. She danced around her father’s legs to the Itsy Bitsy Spider song that played over the shop’s speakers. Table’s watering eyes barely glanced at the pregnancy test in his palm. “I’m gonna be a daddy again.”
“Dadeeee!” the toddler sang out.
“Yes, you are. And now we can afford to get a bigger place. One that has lots of space that we can fill with more children. You’re the best father I know and every day I love you even more for it.”
Table sniffed and ran a hand over his smooth head. His heart was ready to burst. “You know somethin’? After Tamara, I never thought I’d love someone again. Turns out, I never loved that woman, ’cause what I felt for her don’t come close to what I feel for you. She wore my patch and my ring. You’re only wearing my patch now. I want you to wear my ring.”
He watched as Lori’s eyes teared up to match his own. “It would be the greatest honor in my life.”
“Kiss her already, dude! I got to be at work in an hour and this thing’s only half done.”
The yell from the customer broke the moment. Angel tried to pick up the ice cream stick and abruptly sat in the puddle of melted chocolate, further staining her dress. Table bit back a swear word and picked her up, holding her at arm’s length to avoid smearing the mess on his clothes.
Lori let out a watery laugh and took the child from him. “I’ll take her upstairs and get her cleaned up. Dinner in an hour? I’ll call something in at the deli and you can pick it up when you’re finished here.”
“Yeah. You sure you want more of these hooligans runnin’ around?”
“Absolutely.”
Lori gathered a few of the bags in one hand as she balanced the sticky little girl on the other, not minding the shared chocolate on her shirt. She was at the steps that led to the upper rooms when Table stopped her.
“Hey, Lori?”
She turned, and Table was struck by how perfect the picture looked.
“Love you, baby girl.”
Her smile was blinding and Table lost his breath.
“Love you t
oo.”
Glossary
Connie’s words
Chingada: expletive meaning “holy shit!” or “oh fuck!”
Chica: girl or young woman
Gringa: Foreigner
Pendejos: stupid or asshole
Mi hermana: my sister
Eva’s words
Mo rún: My love
About the Author
Thanks for reading Table, Dragon Runner MC, book four. I do hope you enjoyed Table and Lori’s story. I appreciate your help in spreading the word, including telling a friend. Before you go, it would mean so much to me if you would take a few minutes to write a review and share how you feel about my story so others may find my work. Reviews really do help readers find books. Please leave a review on your favorite book site.
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Other Books by ML Nystrom
If you loved Table, you might enjoy the other sensual, sexy, and romantic stories and books I have published.
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Dragon Runners MC Series:
Mute
Stud
Blue
Table
Acknowledgments
Table was not really on the horizon to be a book until someone who read Stud, book two, fell in love with him, and said he needed a story. Since he had a lot of integrity, was a strong caring man, and had just become a father, I decided he needed to be a protector. Who better to protect than a woman dealing with past victimhood and was struggling to overcome her fears and get her life back on track? The statistics on domestic abuse are staggering and my heart goes out to the women, men, and children who are living in those nightmare situations. Please consider donating to local shelters and other programs as they provide help and resources for people trying to get their lives back.
A big thanks goes out to all who helped me put this book together. Olivia Ventura, Barbara Hoover, Brittany Alexander, Casey Ford, Franci Neill, Sue Griffiths, Robert Holland, Kim Deister, all of you rock! Becky Johnson, and the rest of the crew at Hot Tree Publishing, I can’t thank you enough for your support and guidance. Love you, ladies!
About the Publisher
Hot Tree Publishing opened its doors in 2015 with an aspiration to bring quality fiction to the world of readers. With the initial focus on romance and a wide spread of romance subgenres, Hot Tree Publishing have since opened their first imprint, Tangled Tree Publishing, specializing in crime, mystery, suspense, and thriller.
Firmly seated in the industry as a leading editing provider to independent authors and small publishing houses, Hot Tree Publishing is the sister company to Hot Tree Editing, founded in 2012. Having established in-house editing and promotions, plus having a well-respected market presence, Hot Tree Publishing endeavors to be a leader in bringing quality stories to the world of readers.
Interested in discovering more amazing reads brought to you by Hot Tree Publishing? Head over to the website for information:
www.hottreepublishing.com
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