NOLA WAS JUST TURNING UP the street where the GPS had taken her while Ruby hummed her favorite song in the back seat. When she saw Happy's bike, she parked her car right behind him and frowned questioningly as her gaze fell on the house where Happy was standing in front of a dark wooden door, coming down the few steps of the porch as he spotted Nola's car.

The former Munson woman had an idea as to why they were here. The house search hadn't been easy in the past two months, either the houses were too small or way too big, too run down or too expensive.

While Nola had no problem staying in Happy's old house, her husband was determined to move before the baby was born to avoid all the stress while they had a toddler and a newborn.

"There's Daddy!" Ruby exclaimed, fumbling with her seatbelt.

"Wait baby, I'll help you in a minute", Nola chuckled as she unbuckled herself and looked back, amused at how fidgety her daughter was with excitement. "You really are a daddy's girl, huh?"

Ruby just giggled, her eyes lighting up every time she saw Happy after he was gone for a few hours. It was really bad when he was on a run for days, which he tried to avoid as much as possible anyway now that he had a family.

Happy was already standing next to the door and opened it for her as Nola was about to get out anyway and greeted her by pulling her into a kiss after helping her out of the car. With her face now cupped in his hands, he deepened the kiss for a moment, pulling his wife even closer while he buried his fingers in her hair, nothing but affection with a mixture of desire flowing into the kiss.

Not that Nola minded, no, she leaned into the kiss with a deep sigh, her delicate fingers wrapped around Happy's wrists. His tongue brushed along hers, the softest grunt flowing into the kiss as he savored the moment.

"Daddy, help me!!" Only Ruby's impatient whining managed to separate the two.

"What was that for?" asked the blonde, still out of breath. "By the way, our child probably won't let you leave again today. She's been asking about you all day."

"What? Can't I greet my wife anymore?", Happy asked in return, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he glanced over Nola's shoulder and let out a chuckle when he saw Ruby's pouting face glued to the window. "I should probably get her out of there. How was your day?"

"Oh no, you absolutely can. I was just a little surprised", the blonde chirped before she leaned against the now closed driver's door with her shoulder. "We were in town with Ginny. Gemma sent Rat with us and the poor guy couldn't say no to Ruby's when she begged for two scoops of ice cream instead of one."

"I mean, we already know that our kid has the talent to wrap everyone around her little finger", the SAA stated with a grin before opening the door to help Ruby out of her seat.  The three-year-old climbed straight into his arms and snuggled up to him, whereupon Happy immediately cradled her closer. "Hey bug, wanna see something cool?"

Ruby nodded eagerly, the curls in her pigtails bouncing up and down. "Yes, please! What are we doing here?"

"Yeah, what are we doing here?" Nola also wanted to know, her curiosity piqued. "I don't know anyone who lives here."

"Maybe we will soon", Happy shrugged before his chest vibrated with laughter as Ruby slapped her little hands against her cheeks, gasping loudly. "Hey, careful, don't hurt yourself."

"There's a swing", the three-year-old squeaked with delight as she spotted the swing set and the climbing frame that stood under a large tree next to the garage. "Can I go play, daddy?"

"First I wanna show you the house, okay? After that you can play", he explained as he lazily threw his free arm around Nola's shoulder, pulling her into his side. "Gemma saw an ad in the newspapers and told me about it. I already had a look at the house two days ago and thought it might be something for us."

"Two days ago? Why didn't you say anything?", Nola asked as they leisurely strolled towards the house and walked up the stairs. "You know I would help you find a house for us, baby."

"I know, but you already have enough to do with Ruby. Besides, you're helping Gemma out in the office, so I thought I'd handle it." He put Ruby down between them, taking the girl's hand while planting a kiss on Nola's forehead. "Ready for a little house tour?"

Impatient as ever, Ruby jumped up and down, tugging on Happy's hand. "Daddy!! I wanna see!!"

"Okay okay", Happy chuckled, shaking his head and turning the doorknob before pushing the door open. Within a second, Ruby had let go of his hand and stormed into the house. "Be careful!"

"Bet she's already looking for her room", Nola snickered, looking forward to the house as her gaze drifted downward as Happy was about to take her hand. "Jesus, what did you do?!"

Her eyes wide with concern, she reached for his hands, staring at the bruised and swollen knuckles. "What happened?"

She knew his hands had looked normal this morning, so something must've happened when he was out with the guys and she didn't like it. The violence wasn't necessarily her problem, she knew how the club life was, but she was still worried.

"It's nothing you need to worry about", Happy grunted, trying to calm her down by pulling his hands out of hers and gently pushing her over the threshold. "Things just escalated a bit, that's all."

"Don't lie to me." Stubbornly, Nola stopped in the middle of the hallway and grabbed Happy's sleeve, a dark hoodie under his Kutte, to stop him from walking away. "I wanna know what happened, Hap. Now."

"You're cute when you're angry, you know that?", he teased, his lips curling into a grin as he didn't move an inch when she shoved him in the shoulder. "Why are you worrying so much, little girl? I told you it was nothing serious."

Crossing her arms with a scoff, Nola stared back into his dark eyes. "Fine, if it was nothing you can tell me what happened."

"You're not giving up, huh?", which wasn't a question but a statement. Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his bald head, looking around briefly before his gaze met Nola's again. "Saw your ex, kind of lost control. But the fucker deserved it."

Nola's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with even more concern. "Fuck Happy, you can't just beat the shit out of him! What if you lose control altogether? What if you kill him next time?"

"And? Then he'll finally get what he deserves, Nola", Happy deadpanned, still believing that Alden had no right to walk on the same ground as Nola or Ruby, not after what he did to them.

"But you'll go to jail for that!" Unlatching her arms, she ran her fingers through her blonde waves and stared at the ceiling, sighing. "I hate that he's still walking around", she admitted quietly before searching Happy's gaze again, her own more serious than ever. "But I need you out here. Ruby, the baby and I need you. No more slip-ups, Hap, please."

The muscles in his clenched jaw twitched, his molars grinding under the pressure as he could see the sheer worry, even fear, reflecting in Nola's blue orbs. The warm light of the sun shining through the large windows cast a warm glow over her face, accentuating her eyes and the emotions in them even more.

She was beautiful, glowing, even when she was worried. Her flawless face, framed by her blonde waves, fell into a thoughtful frown as she waited for an answer. Brown spots shimmered under the sun in the ocean blue of her eyes and Happy lost himself in them for a moment, forgetting it was his turn to answer.

Somehow he found it impossible not to appreciate his wife's beauty every time he had the chance.

"Hap?", her soft voice and the deep sigh that followed caught his attention and brought him back to the moment. "I need to be able to trust you not to do anything stupid until you have a proper plan, okay?"

"Fine", Happy finally grunted, pulling his wife just as stubbornly closer after draping his arm over her shoulder again. "But I can't promise anything if the fucker provokes me again."

"Just ignore him, babe", Nola pleaded urgently, snuggling against his side while resting a hand on her baby bump. "He's pissed because he has no rights, because he has no chance of getting Ruby or me back. That's the only reason he's provoking you; because he knows he's lost this game. Don't let him get under your skin."

"Easier said than done", Happy muttered under his breath, but secretly he knew Nola was right and that was a small triumph for him. "Can I just show you the house now?"

Nola looked up at him, hesitating for a moment before nodding and lifting the corner of her mouth. She knew Happy was stubborn, so there was no point in arguing any further. Still, she hoped that he wouldn't lose control again. "Yeah, that's why we're here after all. Besides, we should find Ruby before she gets lost."

"Probably a good idea, who knows what she'll do", Happy agreed, a chuckle rattling through his throat before he pulled Nola along with him and followed the sound of small, quick footsteps to find Ruby.

ᅳ

THE HOUSE WAS breathtakingly beautiful and Nola could hardly get enough of it. Not only was the elegant Spanish-style exterior beautiful, but the spacious rooms and the floor plan of the house were unbeatable.

The entire lower area was open, with only a few beams and the stairs leading upstairs separating the living room, kitchen and dining room. Only the bathroom was separate and was located at the back of the lower floor, next to it a guest room or office or for other things.

The kitchen had beautiful white, well-kept cupboards with gold details and a huge kitchen island in the middle of the room. The dark wooden floor gave the whole house a warm flair, definitely better and easier to clean than carpets. Patterned tiles adorned the wall above the kitchen counter as a splash guard, the same tiles were also used in the bathroom.

The upper floor consisted of three rooms that could be used as bedrooms and nurseries or for other purposes, and a spacious family bathroom with a large tub, shower, double sink and toilet.

Basically perfect for them.

The one room with the small extra bathroom would be perfect as a bedroom and the other two rooms would be amazing for Ruby and the baby. Plus, each room had large windows, which provided plenty of natural light.

Even the price was completely reasonable for this type of houseᅳ they would probably never get an offer like that again. Still, it was a lot of money they didn't have yet.

When they finally stepped outside in the garden, they discovered a spacious area with a small pool, a covered barbecue area and a seating area, as well as a small lawn with room for a sandbox for the kids. Ruby ran around excitedly and explored everything outside just as she had inside, putting a smile on her parents faces.

"So, what do you say?" Happy flopped down onto one of the dark wooden chairs that were already there, pulling her down onto the other chair next to him. "Could be perfect for us. We'd have enough space and if we're gonna have another kid, we'll just take the bedroom downstairs and the floor upstairs is for the kids."

"More kids, huh?" Nola asked, a little bold in her tone as she lifted an eyebrow. "You really want this, don't you? The picture perfect family. Big house, lots of kids, everything that goes with it."

Happy shifted in his seat, his legs stretched out and his head held up with two fingers while his elbow rested on the armrest of the chair. "Is it wrong that I want this?"

"Not at all. This is everything I've ever wanted, too." Nola smiled, shaking her head before allowing herself to relax a little by leaning back in her chair, letting her gaze wander over the garden. "Sometimes everything just still feels like a dream and I'm afraid to wake up, afraid of losing everything again."

"But it's not a dream", Happy croaked, gently nudging Nola's white sneaker with the toe of his boot. "You're safe, so is Ruby and so will be our boyᅳ I'll always make sure of that", he promised urgently. "Let me give you what the fucker never gave you, little girl."

Once again, Nola was moved to tears as Happy's words hit her hard, giving her the affection and safety she had always craved. The man really loved her and it had taken a long time for her mind to adjust to the fact that she was allowed to enjoy that, that she deserved to be loved.

"But what about the money, Hap?", she asked uncertainly, thoughtfully fiddling with her hands that were resting in her lap. "We don't have that much. We'd need a loan from the bank."

Happy shook his head quickly, pushing his body forward. "I've put some aside and you still have the compensation that Alden had to pay you. Plus, we'll get at least three hundred thousand for our current house, babe."

"Okay, but that still means we're a hundred thousand short. Do you have any idea how long it will take to pay that much?" The dream of the perfect house seemed to be crumbling, at least in her eyesᅳ and that was sad. "With the baby on the way, we need every dollar. I can go back to work, but that won't bring that much more."

"I'm not letting you go back to work right after you gave birth, Nola", Happy replied, leaving no room for a discussion. He knew how much she enjoyed the time at home with Ruby, how much she wanted to stay at home with their kids. "You can go back to work sometime, but first I want you to have enough time with the kidsᅳ and also some time for yourself too."

"And what about you? I also want you to be able to spend enough time with the kids", the blonde countered with a sigh. Happy was a family man and it would hurt him if he wouldn't find much time for their kids and her. "I love this house, I really do. It's perfectᅳ but I don't want us to get into financial trouble, Hap."

Happy narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, his hands folded in front of his face and covering his nose and mouth as he exhaled loudly. Then, after a moment, he turned his head to look at his wife. "Do you trust me?"

His question caused one of Nola's eyebrows to shoot up. "You know I trust you, but I still want to know what you're up to."

"Nothing that gets us in trouble, okay?" He reached out and placed his hand on her leg just above her knee, squeezing it gently. "I'll find a solution. You want the house or not? Because I do."

"Hap..", Nola trailed, not sure what to say. She chewed her lower lip nervously while looking over to where Ruby was before exhaling softly. "She loves it hereᅳ and so do we."

"So it's a yes?" Happy asked, giving her the time she needed. "A 'yes' is all I need from you. If you want it, we're getting the house, baby."

With a skeptical look in her eyes, she slowly studied her husband before placing a hand on top of his. "You're not putting yourself in danger?"

Happy shook his head. "No, I promise."

Silently, her gaze wandered once more over the garden, behind her shoulder and through the open patio door into the house, before she finally gave in and nodded her head, probably the biggest smile forming on her lips. "Okay, we'll do it. This is our house."

"Good, I wouldn't have taken a no for an answer anyway", Happy replied with a grin. He earned himself a playful slap on his arm, followed by Nola's laugh, which put a smile on his face. "You know it's the right decision, just like I do."

A soft chuckle fell from her lips as she shook her head in disbelief. "You're lucky that Ruby has already chosen her room and I can't break her heart; otherwise I wouldn't have given in so easily."

"Mhm, whatever", Happy winked, his tone teasing before he slipped a hand to the back of Nola's neck. "Give me a week and the house is ours."

Turning slightly to the side, Nola leaned forward a little, her arms resting crossed on the armrest of the chair. "You're the best, you know that? And I love you."

A small smile tugged at Happy's lips, his whole personality completely different when he was around his family. "I love you too, little girl."

Pulling her head towards him, he sealed their lips, his fingers cradling the back of her head as Nola leaned into his touch and the affectionate kiss.

He may not be a respected businessman, or a popular coach like the fucker he just wanted to kill. He was just an outlaw, someone who had seen and done things others would never think ofᅳ but he truly loved his family, more than anything; and he would make sure he could give Nola and his kids the life they deserved.

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