Page 140 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

The call ended, but I barely noticed. The crowd at Lucky’s had started to ease, the energy shifting from tense to something lighter.

People were talking, shaking hands, even clapping me on the shoulder as I walked through.

Hank’s grip on this town was broken, and the future didn’t feel like a fight.

It felt like ours.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Aurora

The morning lightfiltered through the front windows of Page Turners, casting a golden glow over the shelves.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air, mingling with the familiar smell of old paper and ink.

I exhaled slowly, running my fingers along the edges of a hardcover as I stacked a fresh display near the front counter.

It was early—too early for customers—but I needed the quiet.

The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of stress, long nights, and the constant fear that everything I was fighting for could slip through my fingers.

I straightened the last book and stepped back, trying to admire my work, but my mind wouldn’t settle. There was still so much up in the air, and I had no idea what was going to happen.

No matter how many times I tried to push away the worst-case scenarios, I couldn’t stop bracing for the next hit.

The bell over the door jingled, breaking me from my thoughts.

I turned, expecting a delivery, or maybe Lila dropping by with an obscenely sugary pastry in hand.

But it wasn’t a delivery. And it wasn’t Lila.

It was Mason.

I could tell immediately that something was different.

He stood in the doorway, broad shoulders filling the space, his hands braced at his sides like he was still carrying the weight of a battle. His gray T-shirt was rumpled, his jeans slung low on his hips, like he’d gotten dressed in a hurry. Or maybe hadn't slept at all.

And his eyes.

They burned with something electric. Something sharp.

My heart kicked up. “Mason?”

He stepped inside, the door swinging shut behind him, and locked eyes with me.

“It’s over,” he said.

The words didn’t land right away. I blinked, trying to catch up. “What?”

Mason took another step closer, the edges of his mouth curling like he was fighting back a grin.

“Hank,” he said, voice low and sure. “He's done. They arrested him last night.”

I stared at him, my breath catching somewhere between disbelief and something dangerously close to hope.

“He was caught on security footage vandalizing businesses, including yours,” Mason continued. “Davis and Hall got the warrant. I confronted him at Lucky’s, let the whole damn town hear what he did. And then I watched them slap the cuffs on him and drag him out the door.”

A sharp, startled laugh broke from my throat. My hands flew to my mouth as the full weight of his words settled.

---