"Remember I told you that I knew the guy that did your tattoo? Well, he and his business partner have branched out and are doing all kinds of things beyond tattoos. Custom artwork happens to be one of those things. I thought you could hang it in your new office. That way you can have a little bit of wild Quaid around even when you have to be civilized Quaid."

I couldn't look away from the painting and I couldn't get my heart to stop beating her name over and over again. No one had ever done anything as thoughtful or as personal as this for me. No one understood me the way Avett did, which proved even more how right she was for me.

She reached out and peeled more of the wrapping away and I whispered, "Those are my mountains."

She nodded and reached up to pull on the ends of her hair. "I wanted to you to be able to have your favorite place with you even when you were having a bad day."

I let out a deep breath and moved the big painting to the side of the bed so that I could pull her to me. I arranged her so that she was straddling me and lowered my forehead so that it was resting on the center of her chest. She smelled sugary and decadent. I wanted to eat her up all over again, but it was the steady and sure beat of her heart that made me tell her, "The mountains used to be my favorite place. Now that's anywhere you are."

She hummed in appreciation and sc.r.a.ped her fingers over the short sides of my hair. "Well, you shouldn't have too many bad days anyway now that you're working for yourself."

Instead of taking any of the numerous offers that had come at me fast and furiously when I walked away from the firm, I decided that I had worked too hard for other people and all the wrong reasons for far too long. The only person I wanted to impress and to prove myself to was currently wrapped around me and I knew there was nothing I could do that would make her love me any less so I decided it was time to jump again and go into private practice. I already had more clients and more inquiries than I knew what to do with and I wasn't even officially back in business until after the first of the year. I was planning on being more selective and more discriminating in who I invested my time and legal knowledge into. I still believed everyone deserved the best defense possible, but now I wanted to give it to the people that really needed it. There would be no more putting bad people back on the street simply because they waved a wad of cash in my face and were guaranteed to get their names in the press.

I'd wanted some time to settle into life without the smoke and mirrors, and I'd wanted time to spend with Avett before she started school and went to work for Asa. I was being selfish with my time and my talent, but at least I knew I was doing it for something that mattered, something that was beyond value.

"I got you something for Christmas, too, but it's too big to hide in the loft."

She jerked back and looked at me with her brows puckered and her mouth set into that pout I couldn't resist. "I told you not to spend a lot of money on me, Quaid. You better not have bought me a car or something else that's going to make me fight with you on our first Christmas together."

I shook my head against her soft skin and chuckled. My little hurricane was full of fire and independence, something she never let me forget. I could love her and support her but she wouldn't let me coddle her or indulge her. She insisted that was part of us doing this relationship right. There were times when I wanted to spoil her for her simply being so unconcerned with material things but then she would remind me that I gave her my heart and the real me and that was worth more than any trinket she insisted she would lose or break anyway.

"It's not a car ... exactly. Let's take a shower and clean up and I'll take you by the bar so you can check it out before we head over to your parents' house for dinner."

She was still looking at me through narrowed eyes but she didn't offer even a peep of protest when I scooped her up and started walking towards the bathroom. If we were taking a shower together, that meant we were going to have to get very dirty before we got clean, so it was a good thing her parents wouldn't mind if we were running a little bit late.

Going to Brite and Darcy's for Christmas dinner was the kind of holiday gathering I was actually excited about. I was looking forward to spending time with a family and a close-knit group of friends, where it was actually about enjoying each other's company and spending time together, not about having the appropriate date or the best gift for the boss in order to gain brownie points and accolades. Being taken into the fold by Brite Walker was a profound experience, and knowing that the burly man not only approved of me but more importantly approved of me for his daughter was the greatest validation I had ever been given. I finally felt like I was reaching the potential I'd long been chasing after and it had nothing to do with things and everything to do with one special girl that whipped through my life like a cyclone.

Being around Avett and her family had even inspired me to reach out to my own estranged brood. I'd sent my folks a Christmas card, one that had a picture of my mountains on it, and mentioned that I wouldn't mind taking a trip up north to see them. I didn't even know if they had a way to get mail out on their frozen lake or if they were interested in seeing me after so much time and bad blood, but I tried and figured that counted for something.

After a very steamy shower that had nothing to do with the water temperature and everything to do with me trying to lick all of the cotton-candy flavoring off of Avett, we got dressed and grabbed the gifts she had picked out for her parents-a new knife set for Darcy and a picture of her sitting on a Harley when she was still in diapers with Brite holding her on the ma.s.sive machine, a smile brighter than the sun splitting his bearded face. The picture was yellowed and there were burn marks around the corners but the damage was hardly noticeable where it sat in the silver frame that looked like it was made of spokes. Avett had cried when Zeb called her and told her he found a box of pictures in one of the closets of the destroyed house. The box had been under the remnants of a leather jacket so the damage was minimal but the effect something so simple had on my girl was profound.

We got dressed and bundled up in defense against the winter chill that was thick in the December air. Snow had fallen overnight, leaving a light dusting on the ground that crunched under our feet as we exited the truck when I pulled to a stop behind the bar. Avett huddled into my side and rubbed her bare hands together as I led her towards the big metal vehicle that was taking up a good portion of the back parking lot.

"Is that an ice cream truck?" She sounded bemused. "Why does Rome have an ice cream truck in the parking lot in the middle of winter?"

I gave her a tight squeeze where she was pressed into my side and reached out with my index finger so I could draw a heart in the frost that had acc.u.mulated on the side of the big vehicle.

"Not an ice cream truck-a food truck, and it's yours." I shifted her so that she was facing me, her wide-eyed look of shock and her slack mouth making me chuckle. "Merry Christmas, Avett."

She looked at the truck over her shoulder and then back at me, disbelief and astonishment clear in every line of her small body.

"What did you do, Quaid?" Her tone was breathless and filled with awe as she moved out of my grasp and towards the towering truck. She traced a heart next to mine and then trailed the rest of her fingers through the frost like she was petting the side of the monstrous vehicle.

"It wasn't all me actually, and I can't take credit for the idea-that was all Asa. When I mentioned that I wanted to get you something that you would have forever, no matter what happens between you and me, no matter what choices you make in the future, he was the one that brought up the idea of giving you your s.p.a.ce to cook in." I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly and looked down at the crisp white blanket beneath my feet. "I may have suggested trying to buy a restaurant and it was quickly pointed out to me how ridiculous and unrealistic that kind of undertaking would be, not to mention how uncomfortable it would have made you. Asa mentioned the food truck, and your dad and Rome immediately decided that they wanted to pitch in as well. This is from all of us, Avett. We wanted to give you whatever kind of future you want to have for Christmas because we all believe in you and we all love the pa.s.sionate, talented woman that you are."

She spun around and threw herself at me, which made me stumble because of the slick ground. I struggled to keep us both upright as her arms wound around my neck in a stranglehold.

"I can't believe you guys did this. I haven't even started school yet. I don't know what to say."

I kissed her because she was happy and because she didn't automatically tell me that she didn't deserve something like this. We'd come a long way from that day she sat across me dressed in convict orange, looking like every bad thing that happened in the world was her fault and her burden to bear. I kissed her because she was mine to kiss and that was what made me happy.

"That's the thing ... this truck is yours, so you can do whatever you want with it. You can let it sit until you finish school, you can run it on the weekends, once you figure out what you want to do with it, you can hire someone to run it for you, or you can even sell the d.a.m.n thing and invest the money back into your education. The options are endless and the choice is yours to make."

She buried her face in the side of my neck and I shivered as her icy nose rubbed back and forth below my ear.

"You trust me to make the right one?" There was laughter in her voice and an alluring glint in her eyes as she pulled back and smiled up at me.

I grabbed her face between my hands and lowered my mouth back to hers. "Right or wrong, think of the stories you'll have to tell after you make it." I couldn't wait to be a part of every single one of them. She was the beginning, middle, and end of the best story I had ever been lucky enough to be a part of. She always made for interesting plotlines and dramatic twists. Whatever story we were living was never going to be boring or predictable, and there was no one else I ever wanted to reach the climax, or a climax, with. The silly a.n.a.logy made my lips twitch as hers rubbed softly against them in a whispered thank-you.

As long as my story and her story ended the same way and on the same page, with her and me together at the end of it, I didn't care about the decisions we were going to have to make along the way, good or bad, because I knew all the important ones we would be making together.

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

I was reading the introduction Joanna Wylde puts in the front of all her Reaper books as I devoured her latest book. (I'm obsessed with her words, people! She is so, so good!) She says she never lets reality get in the way of the story and I kind of love her for putting that out there like that because I feel the same way.

Quaid is a lawyer so there is a lot of court and legal jargon thrown around in this book. I made sure most of it was as accurate as I could, but there are some parts and some time frames that have been manipulated to fit within the confines of this particular story. The real legal system moves much slower and has more moving parts ... I am aware ... but the gist is on-point and I've said it before: sometimes truth makes for really boring fiction.

So to any real legal eagles out there I apologize for any liberties I may have taken with your profession. I sure hope you enjoyed the end result!!!.

AVETT AND QUAID'S PLAYLIST.

Riders on the Storm - The Doors.

Tornados - Drive-By Truckers Hurricane - American Aquarium.

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers Blackhole Sun - SoundGarden Have You Ever Seen the Rain - CCR.

Like a Hurricane - Neil Young Lightning Bolt - Pearl Jam.

Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage Rock You Like a Hurricane - The Scorpions.

Set Fire to the Rain - Adele.

The Sun and the Rain - Madness.

After the Storm - Mumford and Sons b.u.t.terflies and Hurricanes - Muse Crying Lightning - Arctic Monkeys.

Dust in the Wind - Kansas Hurricane - Thirty Seconds to Mars Look Out Sunshine - The Fratellis She's a Rainbow - The Rolling Stones.

Snow Falls in June - Ryan Bingham This Is a Low - Blur.

Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

Truthfully this book may not have been written and definitely wouldn't be as fun as it is if it wasn't for Kristen Proby, Jennifer Armentrout, Jen McLaughlin, Karina Halle, Cora Carmack, Lindsay Ehrhardt, Heather Self, Ali Hymer, Debbie Besabella, Denise Tung, and Stacey Morgan. I needed a break. I needed an escape. I needed to decompress and to whine about life and words and all the things that were tangled up and confused in my head, making it a pretty unpleasant place to be. The story wouldn't come and in my line of work that's a pretty terrifying thing to be facing. I took a few friendcations and a few mental health days where I ran away from being an adult and responsibility for a while because clearly my coping skills were lacking. But I needed that s.p.a.ce and I needed that time. I also needed to hear that I wasn't alone and that things would be okay.

These ladies all had a hand in helping get me back on track. They kicked my a.s.s when I needed it and all around forced me to pull my head out of my a.s.s ... where it was pretty firmly lodged, I must admit. I have good friends who are good people and manage to keep me and themselves grounded and true when this business feels like it might swallow you whole-frankly, they are the best-and it's nice to know that they won't let me wander too far off the path I have been steadily carving out for myself since I started this journey three years ago. I owe them a lot and I am forever thankful that books brought them into my life. I'm not giving them up for any of the stuff and things.

This book is lucky (I mean, the book is finished and I think it's awesome so that makes it lucky by my standards ... lol) number thirteen!

I can't believe it. So many words, and so much work in such a short amount of time, and it never gets old or boring to unleash my own special kind of crazy and magic on the book world. Thank you so very much for being here ... regardless if this is your first book of mine or if you've been here for all thirteen. I can't thank you enough for giving me the opportunity to tell my stories and to live out my biggest dream. Every single reader, blogger, author, professional, friend, and family member that has been here for this ride has had a hand in making something that seemed unbelievable and unrealistic my reality. That is so special and so important that there are never going to be enough ways to share my grat.i.tude with you.

Thank you ... a million thank youz ... and a million more ...

Amanda (and Martha all the way across the pond), Jessie, Caroline, Molly, Elle, KP, Stacey, and Melissa ... thanks for never wavering, for staying on course, for navigating the waters no matter how choppy and treacherous they may get. Thanks for your faith and belief when I have none of my own. Thanks for reminding me this is a team sport when I often feel like I'm playing, winning, and losing solo.

Thanks to the best folks a girl could have ... if you see them at an event with me give them a squeeze and tell them Jay loves them. You might want to buy them a drink while you're at it because traveling with me and my bad juju is no picnic!

Hey, Mike, you rock, and I wouldn't have made it through this year without you, no joke. Thank you for always being rock solid, for being there, and for being my go-to guy for all the things.

To all the authors who are so disgustingly talented and so inordinately gracious with their time and gifts, thank you for being my inspirations and my friends. You are all brilliant and who you are as people as well as storytellers is unparalleled. This huge thanks and virtual hug goes out to Jennifer Armentrout, Jenn Foor, Jenn Cooksey, Jen McLaughlin, Tiffany King, Tina Gephart, Tillie Cole, Joanna Wylde, Kylie Scott, Cora Carmack, Emma Hart, Renee Carlino, Penelope Douglas, Kristen Proby, Amy Jackson, Nichole Chase, Tessa Bailey, J. Daniels, Rebecca Shea, Kristy Bromberg, Adriane Leigh, Laurelin Page, EK Blair, SC Stephens, Molly McAdams, Crystal Perkins, Tijan, Karina Halle, Christina Lauren, Chelsea M. Cameron, Sophie Jordan, Daisy Prescott, Mich.e.l.le Valentine, Felicia Lynn, Harper Sloan, Monica Murphy, Erin McCarthy, Liliana Hart, Laura Kaye, Heather Self, and Kathleen Tucker. Seriously, I admire every author on this list, and what they add to this business and to my writerly life. If you are looking for a solid book to read, I promise one of theirs won't disappoint.

Last but not least, thanks to my furry little entourage for being my heart. Woof!

If you would like to contact me, there are a bazillion places you can do so!.

Check my website for updates, release dates, and all my events:.

www.jaycrownover.com.

Look out for the next smoking hot instalment in the Saints of Denver series: RIVETED, coming May 2016.

Even the hardest of hearts can be RIVETED by the blinding light of love when the right person comes along and shines bright and brilliant in the centre of a life lived dark and dreary ...

Church and Dixie's story coming soon ....

Click here to pre-order RIVETED now.

Try the first smoking instalment in Jay's Saints of Denver series, BUILT:.

Click here to buy now.

Want more from Jay Crownover? Introducing the Marked Men, with the first book in the series, Rule.

Opposites don't just attract ... They catch fire and burn the city down.

Click here to buy RULE now.

About the Author.

Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men and Welcome to the Point series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no apt.i.tude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

Also by Jay Crownover.

THE MARKED MEN.

Rule.

Jet Rome Nash.

Rowdy Asa.

SAINTS OF DENVER.

Built.

Leveled (an e-book only novella).

Charged.

WELCOME TO THE POINT.