Tiny's Sweet Obsession

Epilogue

Lily POV

*2 Months Later

The front door opened, and Kayla, Ginger, and an exhausted Tiger walked into the coffee shop.

"Good morning!" I smiled. Kayla and Ginger hugged me while Tiger headed straight for the espresso machine, which I didn't mind. It has become our routine over the last few months, and I didn't mind it one bit.

An hour later, Tiger was a bit more awake, we opened, and on cue, Tiny walked through the doors. My cheeks flushed as Kayla teased, "Your doting man is here."

Ever since we opened, Tiny is our first customer of the day, and secretly, I loved him even more for it. He would order whatever bakery items I wanted for breakfast that day or something new I wanted him to try, and we would sit and enjoy it together. The first few times it happened, I felt guilty for letting the others work while I sat and ate, but they were quick to remind me I had been working since 4 a.m., and I eventually let it go.

Today, I grabbed a blueberry muffin, chocolate croissant, and a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich for Tiny and me to share. I placed the plate in front of him, and he hummed and smiled as I slid next to him, to which he promptly pulled me onto his lap. I cut everything in half, and Tiny dug right in. The breakfast sandwiches were new, and his idea, so I stared at him and waited for his feedback.

Tiny closed his eyes and leaned back, smiling, while I nervously waited.

"Well..." I asked.

"You know you never disappoint and everything you make is perfect," he replied, his bright green eyes on me, and I couldn't help but roll mine. We ate and talked about the garage Tiny works at and a nutty customer he encountered yesterday when a grumpy-looking Gears walked in and sat with us. I kissed Tiny and headed back to help the girls with the morning rush.

I waved goodbye to Tiny and Gears as they headed out to the garage, and for the next few hours, I worked through the rush with the girls. It's nice to see a small town come together and support Tiger and her new business. To outsiders, it may look like the Phoenix Rider's own the town, but what they don't know is that most of what they make, they pour back into the community or charities, which I admire.

Tiny eventually opened up, with Killer's permission, and told me what the Phoenix Riders do behind the scenes and it brought me to tears. I never knew I had an entire group of heroes in my own backyard, and I wish I had known, and spoken up sooner. Tiger told me that the coffee shop doubles as a haven for girls, offering them a place to work if they need it, and I couldn't be more proud of working with these ladies and their men to help others in need.

After a busy day, I waved goodbye to the girls and drove over to the garage with a bag of goodies in tow. Gears was yelling at a motorcycle, threatening it, and pointing his tool at it as if that would make a difference, and I laughed. His head whipped in my direction, and I bit my lip, trying to hide my laugh.

"Do your projects listen and cooperate when you talk to them?" I asked, holding back a laugh.

"You know you're lucky your Tiny's old lady and that you brought goodies for us," he said, motioning to the brown bag I held.

I shrugged and placed the bag on top of a large toolbox and found Tiny under a car. I gently kicked his foot, and he rolled out, covered in Lord knows what, and I smiled.

"Hello my gorgeous, Sunshine. How was today?" he asked, standing up and wiping his hands on an even dirtier rag before kissing my cheek.

"Oh, you know...busy and boring," I said, grabbing two sandwiches out of the bag I brought and handed one to him. Gears joined us, and we sat in the bed of an old pickup truck and talked and laughed until my eyes were watering and my stomach hurt.

Gears tapped his now-empty drink against mine and excused himself as I wiped away a tear and collected myself again. "I needed this. It feels good to settle in and feel as though it's my life, and I can do with it what I want," I smiled.

Tiny tilted my chin towards him, gently kissed my lips, and I melted into him. He pulled away and smiled his million-dollar smile I fell in love with. "This is your life, Lily, and we're all just here along for the ride with you. If you let us," he whispered, resting his forehead against mine.

I may never understand how someone like Tiny could love me or how the life I've created here with him and the Riders is mine. But what I do know and understand is that this life I'm building is more than I could ever imagine, and I love every minute of it.

Tiny hopped off the bed of the pickup and held out his hand, waiting for me to take it. "You ready to head home?" he asked, eyes lighting up.

I grabbed his hand and smiled. "With you, always."