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Marshal Mirio Togata held his horse’s reins tight, his knuckles white and fingers sore from the grip. The wind kicked up behind him; rumbles of thunder off in the distance reached his ears. Mirio knew he needed to hurry if he wanted to outrun the storm rolling down from the mountains. Their trail was still clear, and for that, he was grateful. It would be difficult to pick it up if he lost it to the rain, so he pressed on, spurring his horse along faster.
Faint silhouettes of buildings rose over the horizon. He wondered if the outlaws stopped there.
Marshal Togata slowed his horse as they approached. The town looked abandoned. Not a soul to be seen or heard as far as he could tell. The rundown buildings had decayed from the New Mexico prairie lands elements. A ghost town in the middle of nowhere, but the tracks he’d found led right to it.
He’d been chasing the band of outlaws for two long weeks. He’d tracked them across Colorado through the badlands of New Mexico to wherever he was this time. Mirio couldn’t give up. That little girl was counting on him. He had to get to them before they made it to the border.
From the look of their trail, the Shie Hassaikai gang must have stopped there hours ago. He was catching up to them, but would it be in time?
Marshal Togata spotted a horse tied to a post outside of the old town’s saloon. He slowed his horse to a stop and tied him up near a trough. He crept toward the building, drawing his revolver from its holster just in case. The wood threatened to creak under his boots as he snuck the steps. He took a deep breath before going through the rickety swinging doors.
“Stop right there, asshole!” a gruff voice ordered from beside him.
Marshal Togata held his hands high in the air, turning to see an unfamiliar cowboy with a double-barrel shotgun pointed at him. He remained calm even with the gun aimed at his chest. Whoever this guy was, Mirio knew he wasn’t with the Hassaikai. The outlaws that made up the gang’s inner circle, infamously named The Eight Bullets, wore odd-looking bird masks similar to their leader, Kai Chisaki. Mirio didn’t know if the one in front of him was another outlaw or not, but he wasn’t one of Kai’s men.
“Where’s Chisaki?!” the cowboy demanded, taking a step closer.
The Marshal’s brows arched. “Chisaki? That’s who you’re after?”
The cowboy took another step closer, moving the shotgun to Mirio’s head. “You heard me. Where is he?”
“Listen to me carefully,” Mirio began, letting one hand fall slowly to point at his chest. “I’m a United States Marshal. My badge is here under my coat.”
The strange man kept the rifle in place as he pulled Mirio’s jacket away to reveal the badge. Dark, crimson eyes scrutinized Mirio until the cowboy seemed satisfied with what he found.
“I’m Mirio Togata. I’ve been tracking Chisaki for about two weeks.”
“Sheriff Katsuki Bakugou,” he introduced. Katsuki set the gun onto the dusty bar before slumping onto one of the old stools and flashed his badge. “Sheriff of San Miguel County to the north of here. Live in Las Vegas.”
Mirio glanced around the saloon. “Just you here?”
“Do you see anybody else?” Katsuki snipped as he took off his hat to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“How long you been after Chisaki?” Mirio asked.
“About four days, I think. I don’t fucking know anymore.”
Mirio inspected the sheriff. The man looked tired like he hadn’t slept or eaten in days. His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles making him look ten years older than he probably was.
Mirio sighed, taking a seat on a stool next to Katsuki. “A storm is moving in.”
“I heard the thunder just before you walked in.” Katsuki got up and picked up his shotgun.
“What’s a sheriff doing chasing outlaws out of his county?”
“Fucking personal,” Katsuki growled, glaring over his shoulder. “If we don’t want to lose their trail, we need to go.”
“We’re working together now?” Mirio arched a brow; his lips teased a faint smile.
“I don’t give a shit what you do, but I’m going after the bastards.”
Lightning flashed through the window. Thunder crashed, and Mirio could hear his horse neigh nervously outside. Mirio holstered his revolver and followed Katsuki outside. Katsuki untied the sleek, black horse before he grabbed a hunk of its mane and jumped onto its back saddleless. He rode over to wait beside Mirio as he mounted his horse.
“Bareback, huh?” Mirio gave a nod.
“Didn’t have time for a damn saddle,” Katsuki grumbled. “Let’s go.”
He dug his spur into the flank of his horse. Mirio did the same as they followed the trail of hoof prints leading from the town. Thunder rolled across the land, threatening to catch up with them.
Several hours later, the night began to fall as they pushed on as far as they could before they needed to rest their horses. They were grateful to have outrun the storm at least. The trail the outlaws had left behind was still intact for them to pick up first thing in the morning. Katsuki gathered supplies for a fire while Mirio scrounged in his saddlebags for food for them.
They sat close to the meager fire while they ate the last of the beans Mirio had. Mirio eyed the rough and ragged-looking sheriff. He’d been on the Hassaikai ’s trail for two weeks, but even he didn’t look that bad. Or so he hoped.
“Not to pry.” Mirio cleared his throat. “You sure you’re up to finding Chisaki? I don’t mean to sound impolite, but you look terrible.”
“Four days ago was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.” Katsuki dropped the empty tin bowl to the ground. He turned sorrow-filled eyes to Mirio. “It was my wedding day.”
Mirio gave a slight nod, waiting for Katsuki to finish.
“She was beautiful.” His voice shook. The look in his eyes tugged at Mirio’s chest. “I told her to stay in the damn church. Stubborn ass.” He chuckled to himself. “She never would listen to me, part of what I loved about her. She was a tough little shit- feisty as all hell.”
“What...” Mirio searched for the right words. “What’s her name?”
Katsuki swallowed hard as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Ochako.” He took a deep breath before he continued. “I heard the gunshots and the screams in the middle of our ceremony. My deputy, Eijirou, told me to stay while he went to check on things. Soon as he walked out the door, they shot him.”
“He make it?” Mirio asked, knowing the answer but hopeful he was wrong.
Katsuki shook his head. “I told her to stay in the church.”
“Then what happened?”
“I...” Katsuki hesitated.
Mirio could see in his eyes that the images from that day were still fresh in his mind. That was what was driving the rouge Sheriff.
“I went to my deputy. He was already gone. Then, I saw them standing there in the street—two men with shotguns. One of them had me in his sights. I shot first. Got him in the arm before taking cover behind the pillar in front of the church. That was when the other two ran out of the bank.”
“Where was Chisaki?”
“He was closest to the church. I never even saw him until it was...”
Mirio looked down at his hands. “Too late?”
Katsuki gave a subtle nod. “I heard her yell my name just before I heard the shot. She crashed into me, knocking me to the ground, her dress soaked in red.” Katsuki clenched his eyes shut. “I was holding her in my arms while they were getting away. I begged her to come back.”
“She… she died?”
“The doc took her. Said he’d do his best to get the bullet out of her and stop the bleeding, but she didn’t have much hope.” Katsuki wiped his nose. Mirio saw the sorrow shift into anger. “I sat by her side while he did the surgery. She didn’t look any better when he was done. She was so pale, and her breathing was shallow. Doc said she might have hours or maybe days. I swore I’d track them down and get them for her.”
“That’s why you don’t have a saddle,” Mirio said more to himself than to Katsuki.
“Didn’t have time. I was already behind.”
“Wait a second.” Mirio had a thought. “You said two outside the church, then the two in the bank. With Chisaki, that’s only five. Where were the others? Did you see a little girl with them?”
Katsuki shook his head. “No girl. I’d heard about Chisaki and his Eight Bullets. Thought maybe he’d lost the others until I caught his trail where they’d met up south of town. Girl must have been with the others. That why you’re after him?”
“The girl is supposedly Chisaki’s daughter. Her mom died a couple of months ago, and she was staying with her uncle. He told me that her mother had been running from Chisaki since Eri was born. Asked me to look over her while he was out of town.”
“She stayed with you?” Katsuki sniffed.
Mirio sighed. “She was staying with my-” he caught himself. “A good friend of mine, Momo. She runs a saloon in Denver and houses people in need. She was walking Eri home one day when Eri saw him. Eri wouldn’t tell me, but the look on her face... she didn’t have to.”
“He took her.”
Mirio nodded; his throat felt tight. The guilt was eating away at him like it had been the last two weeks. “A few days later, I searched everywhere for her, hoping maybe she’d run off to play with some friends, but Chisaki left a note in her room. Told me Eri was his, and I’d never catch them.”
A moment passed between them. Guilt and regret mirrored in each other’s eyes. They had jobs to protect people, and they had failed.
Mirio tossed the rest of his dinner behind him before standing up. “We should get some rest. We need to get back on their trail at first light. I have a feeling we’ll find them tomorrow, and we need to be ready.”
“You understand those assholes won’t go peacefully?”
Mirio, on his way to check on Lemillion, stopped and turned to look at Katsuki. “It’s my job to try.”
“You ever kill a man?”
“Once.”
Katsuki gave a nod of acknowledgment. “Just as long as you’re not going to hesitate when the shooting starts. I don’t plan on taking those fuckers back alive.”
“I could have your badge for that,” Mirio said flatly.
It was the truth. Katsuki was already outside of his jurisdiction. Mirio should have taken his badge. Knowing a lawman was planning to take revenge and doing nothing could result in him losing his as well.
Katsuki unfastened the star that he had pinned to his chest and tossed it into the fire. “Now, you don’t have to take shit, Marshal. Once this is over, you can arrest me if it’ll clear your conscience.”
Mirio’s heart ached for the man. “Night, Sheriff.” He turned toward his horse, tending to him before settling in for what little sleep he could get.
The dull morning’s light blanketed the prairie when they began their pursuit. For hours, they pushed on. By noon, Mirio was positive they had passed into Texas but couldn’t be sure until they reached the Pecos River and stopped to water their horses. Mirio searched the area for signs of the men they were chasing.
“Here.” Mirio knelt to point at footprints. “These prints are small. Eri maybe?”
“They stopped here last night,” Katsuki called when he found the remnants of a fire. “Nine different sets of boot prints around the fire.” He felt the charred wood. “Still warm! They can’t be more than an hour or two ahead of us!"
Mirio jumped to his feet before they ran to mount their horses. “They’re heading for the Rio Grande.”
“Look there.” Katsuki pointed to two different trails. “Think they’re trying to trick us?”
Mirio thought for a moment before answering. He considered what he would do if he was in Chisaki’s place, trying to anticipate his opponent’s next move. “They’re doing exactly what they did in your town. Half of them are pressing on toward the Rio and the border while the other half head toward whatever town is nearby.”
“Toyah,” Katsuki said confidently.
“You know it?” Mirio’s eyes snapped to Katsuki.
“Not very well. Passed through it once. It’s small, but they’ll have whatever those assholes are looking for. What do we do?”
“They’re too far ahead for us to stop them from attacking Toyah.”
Katsuki’s brows furrowed with anger. “So we just let them do what they did to my town?!”
Mirio closed his eyes. “There’s bulletins out about the Hassaikai. All we can hope is that the people of Toyah can fight them off, or even just give them what they want, and let them go. We keep going after Chisaki. He’ll have stayed with Eri this time. They’re too close to getting away. He thinks once he’s past the border, he’ll be free.”
“Not a fucking chance,” Katsuki growled.
“Not a chance,” Mirio agreed, spurring Lemillion into action.
They rode all afternoon, taking breaks to rest their horses but eager to catch up with the villains. Dusk began to seep over the sky when Katsuki sees something up ahead. He pulled Dynamight, his horse, toward Lemillion to tap Mirio’s shoulder and point to what he saw. Mirio had to squint his eyes to see the figures ahead. He slowed his horse, Katsuki following his lead.
“It has to be them,” Mirio whispered.
Katsuki pointed to a rocky formation for them to take cover. Once hidden behind the rocks, they dismounted their horses and peered around to see. Mirio looked at Katsuki and gave a single nod; it was Kai with half of his men. The sound of hooves nearby startled them. If Mirio’s prediction had been correct, it was the other half of the Eight Bullets returning from their latest run.
“We wait for full dark before we ambush them,” Mirio said in a low voice. “We have to wait for them to put Eri to bed, so she’s not in the line of fire in case a fight breaks out.”
Katsuki nodded. “I’d rather get the bastards now, but you’re right. You focus on getting to her. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“What do you mean you’ll take care of the rest?” Mirio asked.
“They’re not going peacefully, and you know it. Just get the girl, Bug Eyes. I can handle myself.”
“Listen, you might be right, but unless you can shoot better than Doc Holiday, even the two of us against nine is-”
“I’m better than that asshole in my sleep,” Katsuki cut him off with a twisted grin. “Who the hell do you think took out Billy and his Rustlers?”
“That guy went by Ground Zero, though. He was a vigilante.”
“I wasn’t always a sheriff.” He shrugged.
Mirio wanted to smack him. “I’ll get to Eri, but we’re doing this together. Like it or not, we’re partners now. I can’t let a good man die on my watch.”
“I’m here to kill these assholes for what they did to my wife, and you say I’m a good man?”
“A good man,” Mirio reiterated with a smirk. “Together?”
“Fine,” Katsuki huffed. “We just need to make sure the girl is out of the way.”
They waited in silence as the last light died out. It was time. They crept toward the outlaw’s camp. The glow of their fire made it easy for Mirio and Katsuki to see each silhouette.
Mirio carefully slipped his gun from his holster. Katsuki adjusted the shotgun strapped to his back before taking out his two sidearms. They checked their ammo and gave each other a nod before ducking to sneak closer to their target.
“No issues from the people of Toyah?” one of the Bullets snickered, taking a swig from a bottle.
“Just as easy as Vegas. Idiots had no idea what hit them.”
Katsuki tightened his grip around his revolvers. Mirio placed a hand on the man’s shoulder to steady him.
“Thought for sure that stupid sheriff would be after us,” another man added. “Guess he’s still grieving his pretty little wife.”
The men howled with laughter. “She was a pretty little thing, wasn’t she? Shame the boss had to shoot her. Could have taken her like we did with the girl.”
Mirio tightened his hold on Katsuki’s shoulder. He saw Katsuki breathing shallowly, shaking with anger as the men kept talking.
“There will be plenty of women once we hit Mexico. Who cares about a sheriff’s dead bride? Too bad he didn’t get to-”
“Shut up,” a gravelly voice hissed from the darkness.
The men all sat up straight and hid the bottle of liquor they’d been passing around.
“S-sorry, boss. Didn’t mean to disturb you,” one of the men stammered.
“What did I tell you about getting drunk before we’ve made it? Is this how you repay me after all I’ve done for you?”
Kai Chisaki stepped from behind one of the horses where a large tent had been set up. Mirio elbowed Katsuki and signaled to the tent that undoubtedly held Eri.
“Have we crossed the border yet?” Kai questioned with a threatening tone. Nobody dared to answer. “I said, have we made it across the border yet ?”
“N-no, ssssir,” one of the Bullets slurred nervously.
“That marshal could still be on our trail. Or the sheriff. We have to be ready, and you fools are drinking and celebrating like we’re already free. You’re all filthy, loathsome idiots!” Kai shouted.
“But, boss, that marshal would have caught us by now!”
Kai knelt in front of the man that dared to challenge him. He slipped a pristine white glove off his hand before taking the knife from the man’s side holster. Mirio could see the odd mask that Kai wore glimmering in the light of the fire as the outlaw ran the blade of the knife along the man’s neck.
“Are you arguing with me?” Kai stopped the point at the man’s jugular. “You know what happens when I lose my temper.”
Mirio knew this was their chance. Eri’s tent was tucked out of the way. The men were distracted and frightened by their boss. It was their best chance. Everything was on the line, and Mirio’s faith was in a stranger, but Mirio believed he was a good man and was trusting Katsuki with his life and Eri’s. Mirio swallowed hard, holding his hand up to Katsuki to signal it was time to go.
They stepped out of the dark. “Everybody, stay where you are!” Mirio shouted. “You’re under-”
Before he was able to finish, shots rang through the night as Kai and his men dove for cover. Mirio heard Eri shriek from her tent.
“Go get the girl!” Katsuki ordered. “I’ll cover you.”
Mirio ducked and dodged across the clearing toward Eri’s tent. Kai’s men shouted at each other to take him out. Mirio rolled across the ground, landing on his stomach then turned to aim at the men shooting at him. He watched with horrified amazement as Katsuki took each of them out one by one except Kai.
“Don’t worry about that marshal!” Kai shouted, holding the body of one of his men over him. “Take out the sheriff!”
There was nobody left to follow his orders. Katsuki stalked over to the cowering man while Mirio rose to get to Eri. The little girl peeked outside her tent. Her red eyes were glowing with tears in the light of the fire. Mirio knelt to her level with a soft smile on his face.
“Eri, it’s me, Marshal Togata. I’m here to save you,” Mirio said in a gentle voice as he held out his hand to her.
Mirio peered over his shoulder to see Katsuki kick the body off of Kai, pressing the barrel of his gun to Kai’s forehead. Eri took Mirio’s hand and looked around him.
“Please,” she whimpered. “Please don’t kill him.”
Mirio stood to face Katsuki, shielding Eri while he attempted to deescalate the scene in front of them. “Sheriff Bakugou, not here. Not in front of her.”
Kai’s eyes were locked on the sheriff. Katsuki looked calm. Almost too calm, Mirio thought. Mirio slowly moved a few inches toward them. He saw the fear that washed over Kai’s face when Katsuki ripped the mask away.
“How’s the little misses?” Kai’s voice was deceptively confident despite his expression.
Katsuki pressed the barrel of the gun harder into the man’s head. “You're fucking lucky that little girl is watching, but when she’s not,” Katsuki growled. “You’ll beg me to kill you.”
“Sheriff,” Mirio warned.
“You're outside your jurisdiction, Sheriff. That marshal should be arresting you for murder.” Kai’s lips turned up with a challenging grin. “You massacred my men.”
“I don’t give a fuck what he does once I’m done with you.”
Eri tugged on Mirio’s arm. “Please. Just let me go with him. He won’t hurt anybody else.” She wiped her eyes on his sleeve. “I don’t want him to hurt you.”
“Listen to the girl.” Kai leaned against Katsuki’s gun.
“You’re not in a position to-” Katsuki’s words were cut off just as Mirio saw the flash of the blade in the firelight. Katsuki recoiled while his gun went off above Kai’s head, narrowly missing him.
“Bakugou, no!” Mirio shouted as everything slowed to a crawl.
Kai snatched Katsuki’s gun and aimed straight at Eri. Mirio scooped her in his arms, turning his back just in time. He held her tight against his chest, stroking her hair and smiling as the bullet ripped through his back and out his side. A faint sound of hooves reached his ears. Kai was getting away. Mirio forced himself to focus on Eri and not the pain that was settling in as he set her carefully on the ground.
“The… the fucker is getting a-away,” Katsuki stammered, holding his side. “Go,” he huffed. “Go get him! He can’t get away! You have to get him so he doesn’t hurt her anymore!”
Mirio looked down at Eri. The adrenaline coursing through his veins kept the pain of his wound at bay enough for him to fight.
“Go! I’ll take care of her until you get back!” Katsuki ordered. “Go goddamnit!”
Without another thought, Mirio ran to Lemillion and roughly pulled himself into the saddle. He heard Eri’s pleas for him to stop, but he had to go. Mirio couldn’t let Kai couldn’t escape to come back and hurt her again one day. Mirio had to lock him away for good. He spurred Lemillion into pursuit.
It seemed like he’d been chasing Kai forever. His side ached as his blood-soaked shirt clung to his skin. Mirio didn’t know how much longer he could continue his chase. If he didn’t get help for his wound soon, he’d likely bleed out. He considered turning back and going for Eri until he remembered the horror-stricken look on her face when she saw Kai just days before he had kidnapped her. Mirio couldn’t let her go back to that life. It was his job to protect her, even if it meant laying down his life to make sure Kai never touched her again.
Mirio looked up; his eyes were wary, but he still made out the dark figure ahead. The blast of the gun sounded before he felt the sharp pain tear through his shoulder, knocking him off Lemillion.
“Thought you could catch me, Marshal? Your little sheriff may have killed my men, but you’re not like him. You plan to arrest me. Well, I’m not going.”
Mirio heard Kai’s voice coming from somewhere nearby. Getting thrown off his horse and the throbbing in his side and shoulder disoriented him.
Mirio laid on the ground, gripping his arm. He had to get up and fight. He had to! Rolling to his knees, he summoned every ounce of strength he had left to stand.
“You need better aim if you expect me to stop coming for you, Chisaki.”
Kai stood a few feet in front of Mirio with the shotgun aimed at his chest.
“You have one bullet left. That’s not going to be enough to stop me. You won’t hurt her again!”
Mirio saw the doubt flash in Kai’s eyes in the moonlight. It was all he needed. He lunged, dodging left as the shot echoed across the prairie. The bullet grazed his arm just before his fist connected with Kai’s jaw. Kai stumbled to the ground, landing hard on his back.
“Stay on the ground!” Mirio ordered, jumping on top of him to pin him. “You’re under arrest. I’m locking you away-”
Kai dug his thumb into Mirio’s shoulder wound before aiming a punch to Mirio’s head. Mirio fell to the side, his ears ringing from the blow.
“Pathetic,” Kai hissed as he got to his feet and stood over Mirio. “You’ve tracked me down like a dog only to die out here all alone. I’ll go back, shoot your friend to put him out of his misery, and then take Eri.”
Something silently moved behind Kai in the darkness. Mirio saw the white puff of smoke from the rifle before Kai dropped limply to the ground. Katsuki stood there for a moment before falling to his knees. Mirio scrambled over to check Kai’s pulse.
“He- he’s dead,” Mirio sighed.
“I don’t miss.” Katsuki’s voice gurgled with blood. “Knew you’d try your way. Couldn’t let your ass die out here.”
“Where’s Eri?” Mirio went to Katsuki’s side to help him to his feet.
“W-with my other deputy. Damn Deku has been chasing us while we’ve been chasing them. He has the brat.”
Mirio patted Katsuki’s back. “I’m supposed to arrest you. You know that?”
“I’ll die before that.” Katsuki’s lips trembled with a smug grin.
“Naw.” Mirio brushed it off with a smile and held Katsuki tight, leading him to his horse. “Besides, we’re across the border. I have no jurisdiction here.”
Mirio helped push Katsuki onto his horse before he got back on Lemillion. They rode together to meet with the deputy and Eri, never turning back to look at the villain lying alone in the dark.
Deputy Izuku Midoriya proved to be a huge help. He had thought to bring along the town's second doctor, who helped stitch up the two wounded lawmen. They rode back to Las Vegas with Eri holding tight to Mirio. A man was waiting for them at the edge of town.
“It’s Dr. Yagi!” Izuku exclaimed. “What’s he doing?”
Katsuki stiffened, Dynamight slowing a bit as if neither of them wanted to continue. Mirio had nearly forgotten about Katsuki’s loss until that moment. The fair-haired man kicked his horse, riding out to meet them.
“Sheriff Bakugou, you need to come quickly!”
Something in the man’s voice told Mirio that it was urgent. The party hurried to follow him into town. Katsuki jumped off his horse, landing with a groan as they reached what Mirio had guessed was Katsuki’s house. Mirio helped Eri out of the saddle before they ran after Katsuki up the stairs of the small porch. Izuku snatched the door open and held it while Mirio helped a hobbling Katsuki inside. A makeshift bed settled in the living room.
“K-Katsuki?” a sweet, tiny voice peeped.
Mirio knew instantly.
“Cheeks?” Katsuki exclaimed. “Cheeks! You-”
“I’m alive,” she croaked.
Katsuki collapsed near the bedside, gripping her hand in his before pulling himself up to kiss her furiously.
“How?” Katsuki questioned, cupping her cheeks in his hands when they finally pulled away.
“I couldn’t leave you,” she whimpered. “I was finally your wife. I wasn’t going to miss a minute of it.”
Katsuki pressed his forehead to hers. “You crazy little badass. I love you!”
The man who had greeted them at the outskirts of town entered the house. “She woke up about two days ago. She kept asking where you’d gone and said something bad had happened to you.”
“Katsuki, you’re hurt!” she screeched when she saw him wince and pulled up his shirt to inspect the damage.
“I don’t care about any of that now,” he muttered, kissing her cheek softly. He turned his red eyes on their audience. “You extras fucking mind? I just got my wife back. Can we get a little privacy?”
The crowd said their apologies before shuffling outside to let the couple enjoy their moment.
Mirio and Eri stayed in town for a few days until he was healed up enough to take her home to Colorado. He delivered her to her uncle, Shouta, assuring her that he would always be around if she ever needed him. Mirio thought about Sheriff Bakugou and his wife as he made his way down the street. Something about their love and devotion inspired him. He stopped in front of the saloon and took a deep breath before entering.
She was there behind the bar. Dazzling silver eyes met him with a soft smile.
“Marshal,” she tilted her head in a courteous bow.
“Momo.” He returned the gesture.
“What’ll it be?”
Mirio contemplated her question for a moment before replying. “Forever sounds nice, but I’ll settle for dinner for tonight if you’ll have me.”
Momo’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink before she rounded the bar and took his hand, and he knew she was leading him to a bright, new future.