Small Town Hero

Chapter 38

Happy followed Noelle home after the party wound down. She hugged everyone and thanked them for coming to her graduation. Everyone just hugged her back and told her it was their honor to support her. Happy had his own ideas of how to show her how proud he was of her when they returned home. She slipped out of her shoes as soon as she entered the house while he shut and locked the door. She squeaked when he picked her up off the floor and threw her over his shoulder. As he walked them down to the bedroom, she began giggling and smacked his ass a few times making him growl at her.

He practically ripped her dress off when he set her back down on the floor. She stripped as quickly as she could knowing what he had in mind and watched as he stripped himself as well. He shoved her to the bed making her giggle. The hunger and love in his eyes always made her heart flutter. No matter how aggressive and dominate he was with her, he always made sure she was satisfied and wasn't hurt when he was finished. He took care of her in more than way one and that was just another reason she loved him so much.

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"I love you, little girl, and I'm so proud of you." Happy quietly told her as they laid in bed cuddled together after a long night of love making.

"I love you too, Happy." She looked up at him.

"When are you gonna start looking for another job?" He asked.

"Tomorrow. Hopefully I can get on with the portrait studio in town." She replied as she traced some of his chest tattoos.

"Good."

"Thank you. For all your support these last two years. It really means everything to me." She quietly stated making him look down at her.

"You're welcome." He replied before kissing her forehead.

He rolled onto his side making her bury her face in his chest as he wrapped his arms back around her, keeping her as close to him as he could get her. She loved the way he smelled and had no problems having her face in his chest or neck. He rested his head atop of hers as he closed his eyes. It had been a long day and he was more than ready for bed. She thought about how things had changed between her and the MC over the past two years and smiled to herself. She somehow found the family she'd been desperate for all her life in a group of outlaw bikers. It was almost comical to think about.

She finally drifted off to sleep safe and secure in Happy's strong embrace. When she awoke the next morning, they were in the same position as when she went to sleep. The sound of his light snores the only sound in the room. She tried to untangle herself from his grasp but he just tightened his grip making her sigh. She needed a shower and wanted to get breakfast going. After a while, she quit struggling and just laid there waiting for him to wake up on his own. The sound of his phone going off sometime later finally woke him up. He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him, as he reached over to grab his phone.

Seeing the message made him grunt. He kissed her forehead before climbing out of bed to take a quick shower. She crawled out of bed, slipped back into her nightshirt, and padded her way into the kitchen to make breakfast. It was nearly done by the time he entered the kitchen fully dressed. He kissed her cheek before grabbing two plates for them then pouring himself a cup of coffee. They ate in silence, as usual, before they each had to get on with their day. He pulled her in for a passionate kiss before letting her go. "I may be late getting home tonight. Go ahead and eat dinner without me." he told her earning a head nod in response.

She hated eating dinner by herself. It felt...off...to her. Like something was missing. Even when they ate in silence, he was still there with her. Eating alone was, well, lonely. Once she'd cleaned the kitchen from breakfast, she went to take herself a quick shower. Sometimes she hated not knowing what Happy was doing at the club but most of the time she was sure she didn't want to know. After her shower, she quickly dressed and grabbed her portfolio that she'd been working on her entire school career and left the house.

Pulling into the driveway for the portrait studio, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She checked her make-up in the mirror. The smokey brown eyeshadow was perfect. Her hair was in a neat bun at the top of her head. He clothes looked good. Taking another deep breath, she grabbed her portfolio and purse and exited her car. She entered the building and was greeted by a receptionist. Walking up to the woman behind the counter, she smiled and asked to speak to the manager. The woman looked at her curiously but when she saw Noelle wasn't leaving, she finally wen to fetch the manager.

He greeted her with a handshake. She explained she was looking for a job, that she'd just graduated from photography school, and had her portfolio with her if he wanted to see some of her work. He told her they weren't hiring anyone at the moment but wanted to check out her work anyways. She wasn't sure what to think as he flipped through the portfolio. A man walked in making the manager, Dan, groan. "You're late. Again. We've been over this." Dan exasperatedly told the man. The guy shrugged and said he'd had car trouble. "That's always the excuse. I told you if you were late one more time, you were going to be fired." Dan told the guy.

Noelle looked on as the pair chatted. The cocky kid said he wouldn't be able to find anyone as good as him. She piped up and said she was very punctual unless something was out of her control to make her late. Dan looked at her and smiled. "You're hired. Come back after lunch and we'll get you started then." Dan told her making the other guy huff. Dan told him when he could pick up his final paycheck before telling Noelle to give the receptionist, Becky, all her pertinent information. Noelle quickly walked over to fill out all the paperwork that was needed before thanking Dan for giving her the opportunity and then leaving the studio.

Noelle was on cloud nine as she drove to Teller-Morrow. She wanted to let Happy know she'd gotten the job at the portrait studio. She pulled in and noticed several bikes were missing. With her brows pulled together, she walked towards the clubhouse. Chibs noticed her as he was sitting on the picnic table sharing a joint with Tig. The Scotsman greeted her she approached. She asked if Happy was there making Tig shake his head no as he blew out smoke.

"Oh. Ok." She sighed.

"Can we 'elp ya with anything, lass?" Chibs inquired.

"No. I just wanted to let him know that I got hired at the portrait studio in town." She shrugged.

"Congratulations, lass! That's great news. When do ya start?" Chibs smiled at her.

"After lunch today. They weren't even hiring but one of their guys came in late which was apparent something he did often so the manager fired him then and there. Gave me his position." She explained.

"That's great." Tig winked at her making her giggle.

"We'll remain quiet so you can tell 'im yourself." Chibs told her.

"Thanks. I don't know what to do with myself until I need to go back to the studio." She sighed.

"Come hang out with us." Tig wiggled his eyebrows.

"I hope that just means sitting around and chatting." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Aye, lass." Chibs responded.

She sat down on the bench of the picnic table and asked how their day was going so far. Tig just smirked while Chibs started telling her about a stubborn car he was working on. She nodded as she listened to him. Tig asked how things were going with Happy making her smile. "As good as they could be living with that man!" she giggled making both men laugh too. It was no secret Happy was a hard man to live with. Sometimes he didn't talk to her much at home and other times, he really opened up to her. She tried to flow with however he communicated with her. Early on in their relationship, she started to figure out how to read his body language and non-verbal cues. His eyes were the most expressive thing about the man and she learned very early on how to read him through his eyes.

Chibs and Tig had her laughing at stories of club parties and patch-over parties when Happy, Jax, and Bobby returned. Happy was surprised to see Noelle at the clubhouse. He walked over and looked at his brothers. Chibs smiled and said they had been regaling Noelle with tales of club and patch-over parties. A hint of smile tugged at his lips recalling just how wild patch-over parties really got. He'd never get to experience that kind of wildness again since he now had an 'ol lady. She stood up and told him she'd gotten the job at the portrait studio in town making him wrap his arms around her and kiss her lips. Clay called church so he let her go. She told him she'd see him at home before she left to go get lunch. She'd have to be at the studio soon.

A/N: Is Happy having second thoughts about taking an 'ol lady?

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