Happy studied Avery's side profile, his eyebrows furrowed as he waited for a reaction. With his sketchbook in her delicate hands, he watched as she examined his work, a peaceful smile on her delicate red lips.

He had already started drawing a design for her tattoo weeks ago. Every now and then he would touch up, add or remove things until he thought it was perfect.

“I love it, everything about it.” The redhead hummed contently before her eyes landed on Happy. “It’s perfect, Hap. Nobody could have done it better.”

There was nothing in her eyes but honesty and enthusiasm for his work. He exhaled with relief, the nervousness that had built up inside of him finally leaving him alone. His fingertips ghosted along her bare leg before he pulled her in for a short but demanding kiss, which she deepened with a pleasant sigh.

With the sketchbook still placed on her lap, she gripped the edges as Happy's tongue slipped between her lips and explored her mouth. Only when he broke the kiss did she loosen her grip on the book and bit down on her lower lip.

“You make it hard for me not to jump your bones every day”, she said with a playful grin.

Her words made him chuckle, his hand resting on her thigh again while he let his fingertips draw circles on the inside of her thigh. “No one's stopping you, woman.”

“Yes, everyday life and my tiredness”, she said cheekily before stealing another kiss from his lips and pressing her legs together to keep his fingers still, which only made Happy grin wider.

“Trouble staying focused, little girl?” His gravelly voice rasped against her ear, his lips close to her neck where he placed wet, open-mouthed kisses.

“Stop”, she breathed out as she let the back of her head fall against the headboard and closed her eyes. “I want your crow first.”

Since Happy had already prepared everything to tattoo her in case she liked his work, she wanted to get the pain over with. Besides, she couldn't wait to finally officially belong to him, to wear his name and crow on her skin.

“Now I know where your priorities lie”, he barked a soft laugh as the back of her hand hit his stomach.

“Getting your crow is a priority right now, yeah”, she chuckled. “You can still fuck me afterwards. Or don’t you want everyone to see who I belong to, huh?”

The playfully provocative glint in her eyes made him growl softly before he placed his hand on her cheek and let his thumb slide along her cheekbone. “Stop saying shit like that. You know I’ve been waiting to finally give you my crow for months, woman.”

“I know, I just wanted to tease you”, she replied with an innocent, sweet smile before pulling away and tapping on the drawing. “How did you come up with the idea?”

Happy motioned for her to lie down on the bed and took the sketchbook from her hand, which he placed on the folding table next to the bed after he got up. All tattoo accessories were disinfected. Although they weren't in a tattoo studio, Happy would still make sure that everything was sterile. He wouldn't risk Avery getting an infection because he wasn't careful enough.

“I had enough time to observe you, find out what you like and what you don't like”, he said, sticking a fresh toothpick between his lips, which were also on the table.

“You did a good job with it. Everything in the design suits me perfectly”, she smiled, touched by how attentive Happy actually was.

“I always keep an eye on the people I love, Avery.” Happy knew exactly what he had just said, which is why he paused for a moment and looked at her intently while she stared at him with wide eyes.

“You said it”, she stated perplexed before she had to swallow. Happy didn't know how much it meant to her to hear that he loved her.

She had never been worth enough to someone to hear those words. Well, except for her mom, Lyla and Ian. But she spoke specifically about her previous partners and often found herself pondering, constantly wondering if it was because of her that no one could really love her. But Happy could; She knew that he would never just say something like that.

“Because it's how it is”, he stated simply, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I love you little girl, otherwise I wouldn’t give you my crow or let you form a bond with Debs.”

And yes, after almost five months in a committed relationship with her, he could say that for sure. If he didn't love her, she wouldn't be here with him and Debbie anymore. She probably wouldn't hear the words often, but he would show her through actions what she meant to him. For him, that was more important than saying 'I love you' five times a day.

“Great, now you’re making me cry”, she chuckled, wiping two tears from the corners of her eyes as she sat up again and leaned forward.

“I love you too, Happy. So much.” She gently took his face in her hands and kissed him. And that kiss contained everything she felt for him. All the love she had for this man.

With a quiet, barely audible sniffle, she pulled away after a while and placed her hands in her lap, while Happy's hand found its way to her cheek.

“What's wrong, Avery?”, he asked, sounding worried as he looked into her watery eyes.

“Nothing”, she shook her head gently and lifted a corner of her mouth. “It's just that no one has ever said those words. I really thought it was me, that I was the problem because I know I can be complicated sometimes. But apparently I’m not that bad after all”, a quiet, nervous laugh followed after she finished her sentence.

Everytime she opened up to people she felt stupid, but not with Happy. The younger Dvorak always felt safe while opening up to him, knowing that she didn't need to feel embarrassed about anything. He wouldn't laugh at her.

“Because those guys were idiots. Anyone who lets a woman like you walk away doesn’t deserve that woman”, he grumbled, his gaze always sincerely on her. “I saw you at your worst, and even then I secretly knew I wanted you. And this feeling of wanting you, of having you just for me, has only increased.”

“You're so sweet. I really don’t know what I did to deserve you”, Avery blurted out, smiling weakly.

“Don’t ever let the others hear what you just said”, he grunted sternly before taking her hands in his calloused hands and closing them around hers. “I'm wondering the same thing, little girl. I ask myself everyday how I got so lucky. But we found each other.”

Happy knew one thing; he didn't deserve a woman like Avery. Of course she also had her flaws but not nearly as many as he had. Except for her drug addiction, there was nothing that could be pinned on her. She understood him, didn't push him to talk about club stuff that wasn't for her ears, she accepted who he was and what he did. But what he loved most was her loving nature towards him and Debbie, who she had accepted with open arms and treated her like her own child.

He wouldn't find a woman like that a second time and he would probably never get involved in a relationship again if the one with Avery ever broke up. But that wouldn't happen, he just had a feeling.

“We did.” She smiled through her watery eyes, then looked at him with conflict written on her face. “But, uh, we haven’t talked about the rules yet. The one rule..”

“Which one?”, he asked, although he had an idea which one she meant.

“What happens on a run stays on a run”, she murmured, but her gaze was hard and her tone was firm. “No other women, Happyᅳ not even a blowjob or hand job, nothing. I can live with everything else, accept all the rules and the danger that comes with your lifestyle. But cheating, that's a big no.”

“So, we draw the line at cheating but murder is okay?”, he asked, one eyebrow cocked in amusement.

“Yeah, exactly”, she deadpanned, a sweet smile on her red lips before that smile faded and her face turned dead serious again. “You can kill as many people as you want as long as they deserve it and aren't innocent. But if you cheat on me I’m gone for good.”

“I'm a man with needs, but I can still keep my dick in my pants for a few days until I'm back with the woman who is the only one I want to be touched by”, he promised her, his tone just as serious and his gaze just as hard as hers. “You’ll never have to worry about me hurting you like that, got it?”

Avery's heart beat faster and she felt a tingling sensation in her stomach that you normally only knew when you were newly in love. But it felt like she was falling in love with Happy every day, especially when he said sweet things like that.

“Yes sir, got it”, she replied with a grin and squealed when he let go of her hands to pinch her ass.

“Now lie down so everyone can see who you belong to”, he grunted and a short moment later began to transfer the template onto her skin before he would spend the next two to three hours tattooing her perfectly soft skin.

ᚔ

“I love it! It looks so good on you!” Lyla exclaimed excitedly as she examined her sister's tattoo closely.

As expected, Happy had done a really good job giving Avery a tattoo. Unlike Lyla's Old Lady tattoo, Avery's was slightly more pronounced and larger, extending from the right side of her chest to her shoulder. The floral pattern even ran a little down Avery's upper arm. In between there was a small quote that was very close to the crow, which had a banner with Happy's name in its beak. The tattoo wasn't just black. Instead, the flowers were drenched in color, albeit in the delicate, almost pastel colors that Avery loved. Not in bright colors that would immediately catch everyone's eye.

“Right? I could look at it all day”, the redhead beamed, pulling the strap of her top back onto her shoulders. “Happy really outdid himself yesterday.”

“He did”, Lyla agreed eagerly, before a proud smile spread across her lips. “How does it feel to officially be the Old Lady of the Tacoma Killer?”

“More than good”, Avery answered with a grin, leaning back in her chair. “I never thought I would ever have a loving, healthy relationship.”

“Well, we never had the best example of a happy relationship thanks to Dad.” Lyla's bitter voice dripped with hate as she mentioned their sperm donor.

“That's probably true.” Avery nervously chewed on the inside of her cheek as she studied her sister. “You never really told us what he did to you, Lyla. Don't you think it would help to talk about it? It doesn't have to be with me...but with someone you trust. Maybe Ima?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love Ima, but I don’t want to burden anyone with our family dramas.” A deep sigh filled the room as Lyla placed her face in her hands, her arms resting on the table. “I don’t want to burden anyone with this, especially not you.”

Avery nodded understandingly. Until now, she had never spoken to anyone except Happy about their father. “You know that you're not a burden to me. It's more stressful when I know that you have to deal with all this shit by yourself.”

“I've dealt with it for the last ten to fifteen years, I can deal with keeping it to myself a few more”, she replied with a shrug, but Avery noticed that it hurt Lyla more than she let on.

“But is that what you want? Continue to carry it around and swallow all the anger until you snap one day?” Avery gently placed a hand on Lyla's after the blonde placed her hands back on the table.

A deep sigh escaped Lyla's pink lips, who shook her head. “I think it would be good to talk about it. But I don’t know if I can.”

“That's okay”, Avery assured her, not forcing Lyla to do anything she wasn't ready for. “I just want you to know that I’m always here to listen, okay?”

“And I appreciate that, sweetie.” Lyla closed her hand around Avery's. Then she looked at the redhead with a grin to change the subject. “I have a surprise for you. But you won’t find out what it is until tomorrow.”

Avery's eyes went wide. If there was one thing she loved, it was surprises. “You can’t tell me you have a surprise and then leave me hanging!”

“Yes, yes I can.” Lyla's laughter echoed through the small kitchen where both women sat drinking their coffee while waiting to pick up the kids from school and kindergarten. “It’s nothing material, I can tell you that.”

“Okay, nothing material then”, Avery said more to herself. Oh, she would definitely think about it until tomorrow. “You’re rude, I hope you know that”, she added, chuckling.

“Yep..but you won't think I'm rude anymore once you got your surprise”, Lyla winked, who withdrew her hand, stood up and refilled the cups with fresh coffee. “Did you hear from the preschool you applied to last week?”

“That’s what you think”, she teased the blonde, grinning. Taking the cup with a 'thanks', she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, they answered my E-Mail this morning. I can come for an interview the day after tomorrow. I'll have to tell Happy about it later, he had to leave before Debbie and I were even awake.”

“That sounds good! I’m sure they’ll take you. And I'm sure Happy will be proud, just like I am.” Lyla was always proud of her younger sister, but even more so when things like this happened.

Unlike her, Avery at least had a decent job and even though Lyla had enjoyed doing porn in the past, she was now happy to just be behind the camera and not have to take off her clothes and spread her legs for the world anymore.

“And I think it’s great how everything works so smoothly for you. The family life suits you”, Lyla noted with a smile. “Did Kim try to get in touch again?”

Avery just snorted when Lyla mentioned that bitch's name. Happy had told her that he had paid Kim a quick visit a little over a month ago after the got Debbie backᅳ and no one had heard from the bitch since then. Which was a good thing.

“No, and it's better that way. If I see that bitch again she better changes the sidewalk.” It was no secret that Avery quickly lost control, she had to learn  how to defend herself during her short time on the street.

It was also how she processed all the grief and frustration surrounding Ian's death, which was still regularly building up inside her. And Avery wasn't someone who could or would open up to a therapist. So she tried to cope in her own way, even though it wasn't a healthy way to cope with her feelings.

“Oh, she definitely should”, Lyla huffed, shaking her head. “The important thing is that you are happy. And I can see that you are.”

“Well, because we are happy”, the redhead empathized with a sparkle in her blue eyes. “Happy is a great man and Debbie is an angel, but you already know that.”

“We all know that”, Lyla hummed, glancing at the clock before jumping up. “Oh, we should go! By the way, Ima wanted to meet later. Wanna come along?”

Avery took the last sip of her coffee before she also stood up and reached for the leather jacket that was hanging over the back of her chair, slipping it on on their way out. “Yeah sure, why not. If she has no problem spending an afternoon with four children.”

Lyla shot Avery a grin on the way out to the cars. “No, she’s gotten used to the fact that we hardly come without the kids anymore.”

“Maybe she should start making her own family and add some kids”, Avery chuckled and slipped into her old but still amazing car, which Happy had bought from a neighbor a month ago since he wanted her to have a car. “See you later!”

“See you later. Drive carefully!” Lyla also got into her car and backed out of her parking space after blowing a kiss to Avery, who then drove in the opposite direction.