by London Casey
Speaking of which…
The door opened and Ava came rushing in holding a little container.
“Uncle Gavin! Look! I got a salsmander,” she said.
I walked around the desk and crouched down. “Wow. Check that out.”
“We went on an adventure and I found it. I caught it myself. I’m naming him… I don’t know yet.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” I said.
Nikki came into the office next. She looked nice all dressed up. Olivia helped her get a part-time job with some lawyer and she was able to work from home. Apparently Nikki had a knack when it came to accounting and finance. She was even going to start taking classes in the fall to get a degree.
“Look at you,” I said to her. “All fancy and I’m still covered in grease.”
“Speaking of which,” Nikki said and bit her lip.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s a noise.”
“Of course there is.”
“I’ll make an appointment. And I’ll pay you.”
I looked down at Ava. She held the little container up to her face, watching the salamander.
“Pull the car into the garage,” I said.
“No.”
“Nikki. Stop.”
“You have to run this place straight, Gavin. I’m okay now.”
“I know you are,” I said. “But you’re still family. You come first. Pull the car in. I’ll take a look for you.”
“Only if you…” Nikki’s eyes looked away. “Is that a picture of…”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ve had that in my desk for years. I want it up now.”
“I remember that day. I remember everything.”
“Me too, Nikki. We have to keep those memories alive. For…” I motioned toward Ava.
Nikki nodded. “I know.”
I then met Nikki in the garage.
I had Rich and Donny check the car out and give it an oil change.
Hank stood under a truck wearing safety glasses.
I stood in the doorway between the office and the garage bays and took it all in.
Things were going to be fucking great. They already were fucking great.
Nikki had to take a phone call so I hung out with Ava. I crouched down again and looked at the salamander.
“How about Sal?” I asked. “Since it’s a Salamander?”
“No,” Ava said. “That’s dumb. I’ll ask Olivia. She knows everything.”
“She does?”
“Yeah. She’s really cool. I like her.”
“I like her too.”
“You’re going to marry her?”
“Yeah.”
“Is my Mom going to get married?”
I swallowed hard. “Maybe someday. That’s the thing about life, Ava, you just have to let it do its thing.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Ava said.
“Neither do I,” I said and laughed. “Let’s get back to naming this cool lizard thing.”
“I like Brooke,” Ava said.
“Brooke? That could work.”
“Um… Uncle Gavin?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I keep it at your house?”
“What?”
“Mom said I can’t keep it home,” Ava said. “She thinks it’s gross.”
“Hmm… how about this… how about we take it to the creek next to my house so she has a really nice place to live. She’ll make new friends. Have a new family.”
“Maybe get married?”
“Oh, definitely get married,” I said.
“Okay. I like that. I’ll come over tonight, Uncle Gavin.”
I smiled. “It’s a date then.”
The guys finished working on Nikki’s car. I made her leave without paying a dime. Some things weren’t going to change. I was going to run my garage the way I wanted.
Rich walked up to me, wiping his hands. “So, uh, I have a favor to ask.”
“Go for it.”
“I need to cut out early.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“For what?”
“I don’t want to say.”
“Can’t leave unless you tell me.”
“Gavin…”
“Tell me,” I said.
“You’re a prick.”
“I’m still waiting,” I said.
“I have a date.”
“You have a date?” I asked. “Who?”
“Stacey,” Rich said.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Rich said. “I kind of always liked her. We were always scattered, you know? But, I don’t know, I just said fuck it and asked her out. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“You could be yourself and she’ll run away screaming.”
“Thanks for that,” Rich said.
I punched his shoulder. “I’m kidding. Get out of here. Go clean up.”
“Thanks, Gavin.” He took a few steps and stopped. “You’re a really good person. I hated seeing you in the hospital. Even if it was for a day. You not being around here, man, is like…”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “And save the mushy shit for your date.”
“Right,” Rich said.
When it came time to close up the shop for the day I sent Donny and Hank home. I took my time and looked around at the entire place. I shut the bays. I shut the door to my office and locked it. I looked around. The first time I stepped into that office, Gus was at the desk with his feet up, head back, napping. A little TV on the desk with a baseball game playing. I had a piece of paper in my hand that was a handwritten fake resume.
I woke Gus up and asked for a job. He told me to get a fucking broom and sweep the garage. I worked for two weeks without getting a paycheck. At the end of the third week Gus sat down outside the garage one night and asked why the hell I was still there. I told him I needed a job. That I was taking care of my little brother, Luke. He handed me a can of beer, a sandwich, and told me to wait. He came back with twenty bucks.
I wished I had that twenty dollar bill. But I needed it so badly then. I got some damn food for Luke.
Gus paid me when he felt like it but I never went starving, neither did Luke. I worked my ass off and Gus taught me about life. How to deal with people. How to see the town for what it really was. I watched him struggle right to his last breath when he died. And then it all became mine.
I stood outside the garage and looked at the building in the dark.
In some ways the garage and the town were a fucking curse.
But I climbed into my truck with a smile on my face.
Why?
Because I was one lucky mechanic… I was going to home to the woman I loved.
And that made me the richest man in the world.
Epilogue - Her
A Day in the Life of… PART FOUR
(Olivia)
I had my bag on the backseat. Life was so busy. I hated to say that my so-called celebrity helped to springboard my new business, but that’s what it was. It was reality. I was slowly stripping away the whole The Princess tag on my name, but if that helped to get people to see me and allowed me to help other people, then so be it. What I was doing with other businesses was amazing. Not to mention helping Abigail’s parents. It was such a whirlwind of a ride and it was only going to get crazier.
I heard the yip of the puppy in the passenger seat and looked over. The chocolate lab puppy stared at me, trying to figure me out. I had already figured him out though. From the second I saw him, I wanted him. I figured if Gavin could tease me with a diamond ring, then I’d do the same with a puppy.
He was probably going to get pissed off at me, but so be it.
I hadn’t heard from my father in weeks. That was okay though. Distance and time would let it all play out. He had officially taken his sights off Gavin and moved on to something else. He backed away from the children’s hospital too. I was able to swing right in and get everything needed for a new
wing. And it would be named after Abigail.
As far as Whitney went, a rich woman like her didn’t do jail time. Her father offered to pay Gavin to not sue or pursue charges. It was a really big number he offered as a settlement. And Gavin refused it. Which almost pissed me off, but it was Gavin. He was true to his word and his character.
You know what he said to Whitney’s father?
Just get her some help so she doesn’t end up killing someone or herself.
The judge overseeing the case felt that was a great idea. So Whitney was shipped across the country to some kind of rehab center. It was probably more or less a luxury resort, but whatever.
Everything fake in my life was finally gone for good. But I did keep my apartment in the city. I went there with Nikki and Stacey. Sometimes Ava. Sometimes just myself and Gavin.
I hired Andy as my number two in my new adventures and she was making double what she was before.
Everything was…
Yip.
I looked over again at the chocolate lab. He quickly let out another puppy yip sound and I put my hand to his head.
“Almost home.”
When I got home, I opened the passenger door and let the puppy out. He quickly ran through the front yard, stopping to pee, and then sniffing the ground.
Gavin opened the front door and came out to greet me, like he always did. Jesse was with him too. Jesse would always beat Gavin to me, needing his welcome home hug.
Jesse stopped halfway down the steps and looked at the puppy.
“What is that?” Gavin asked, looking down at the puppy too.
“Surprise,” I said.
“No. No way. No, no, no…”
“Look at him,” I said.
The chocolate lab saw Gavin and Jesse. It charged toward them.
The puppy jumped at Jesse and started to nip at the old dog’s face. Jesse looked at me and I wished I could read his mind.
Gavin walked down the steps and stared at the puppy.
It kept jumping at Jesse. Right up until Jesse let out a loud bark and took control. The puppy then rolled to its back, succumbing.
“See?” I said. “They’re playing.”
“What did you do?” Gavin asked.
“I got us a puppy,” I said. “Hate me?”
Gavin slipped an arm around my waist. “Liv…”
“Look at them,” I said.
Jesse put his nose to the puppy’s face. Then he pulled away. The puppy jumped up and jumped at Jesse again. With a warning nip from Jess, the puppy backed up.
Gavin then went after the puppy and lifted him up. “Look at you. Look at the size of your paws. You’re going to be a big…” Gavin lifted the puppy up higher to see between his legs. “A big boy.”
“Want to know his name?” I asked.
“Sure,” Gavin said.
“Gus.”
Gavin smirked. “I like that.”
He put the puppy down.
Gus started to run through the yard. Jesse took two steps and stopped. He barked. He looked at Gavin. He barked again.
Gavin put a hand to Jesse’s head. “I know, buddy. I know. You’re just going to have to get used to it. Or go play. You’ve got years to go, Jesse.”
I swore the dog could understand us. He let out a groan and trotted forward. After a few steps he then broke out into a full run. He and Gus spent a good hour playing with each other.
A little bit later, after a much needed shower with the company of Gavin, I walked downstairs to find Jesse on the floor with Gus cuddled up next to him. The puppy was asleep but Jesse wasn’t. He looked at me.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered to Jesse. “I love you more.”
Jesse groaned and shut his eyes.
I went to the kitchen to find Gavin standing at the bay window in the dining room.
“What are you doing?”
“Just standing here,” he said.
I worked my way in front of him. Outside, the sun was almost set. There were a few leftover colors in the sky. It was mostly dark through. The back yard and trees were becoming silhouettes. It was peaceful and serene.
“This is perfect,” I whispered. “Isn’t it?”
“It’s something, Liv.”
“The view is worth evertyhing,” I said.
I looked back and up at Gavin. He wasn’t looking outside though. He was looking right at me.
That sexy half smile on his scruffy face.
He nodded. “Yeah, darling, you’re right… the view is worth everything.”
THE END.
From the authors
Thank you for reading this book and sharing your time with us! This may have been a little bit of a different book than what we normally do, but it was perfect… I (Jaxson) got to write about the grittiness of where I grew up while I (London/Karolyn) got to write about the life of a princess… but in MY voice.
We both hope you enjoyed the story and the depths of the heart, loss, and love.
We hope to hear from you as we love to read emails and messages from our readers.
Until next time… thank you for being there with us along the way…
London (Karolyn) & Jaxson
Please be sure to leave your review for THE MECHANIC & THE PRINCESS right now. Find the book on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2jUsnmh
Also by London & Jaxson
Check these books out:
5 Years Later
In Her Words
Lost, Found, Loved
A Boy I Used to Love
This Crazy Forbidden Thing
Secret Exposure
The Man. The Game. The Baby.
Hate Me (& Hate Me Again)
Start reading here: http://amzn.to/2jUsnmh
Stay Social with London & Jaxson
Stay social with Jax:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JaxsonKidman
Newsletter (part of the Outlaw Romance Obsession team): http://eepurl.com/b9BDKb
Email Jax: [email protected]
Amazon Page: http://amzn.to/2lgfpLG
Stay social with London (Karolyn):
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KarolylnJamesAuthor (the official Outlaw Romance Obsession fan page!)
Newsletter (part of the Outlaw Romance Obsession team): http://eepurl.com/b9BDKb
Email Jax: [email protected]
Amazon Page: http://amzn.to/2jUsnmh
About the authors:
Jaxson Kidman is the bestselling author of several novels, including:
5 Years Later
In Her Words
Hate Me
Look for his upcoming novel, Anna’s Dress
London Casey (Karolyn James) is the author of the bestselling series, Back Down Devil MC
These books have no set reading order. They are all stand-alone novels set in the BDD MC world. She is also the author of several stand-alone novels, including:
SECRET EXPOSURE
A BOY I USED TO LOVE
THIS CRAZY FORBIDDEN THING
Look for the upcoming novel, The OTHER One
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. (This also includes the cover image and/or cover model(s) appearing on the cover. The context of this book does not in any way depict the personal life of said cover model(s). Image is licensed and used purely for fictional purpose only.)
First electronic edition October 2017
Copyright © 2017 by London Casey (Karolyn James) & Jaxson Kidman
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part of any form.
Image credit to Wander Photography
Image credit to iStock
Cover Art credit to Mayhem Covers
Mechanic and The Princess: a bad boy new adult romance novel
