Page 196 of Colt

“Wanna meet my Mom?” he asked. “She’s drivin’ me up the fuckin’ wall, Frey. Can’t take a shit without her asking when I’m bringin’ ya around.”

I winced slightly. “What if she hates me?”

“She won’t.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Ma’s already got the weddin’ magazines out. She reckons our day’ll make Harry and Meghan’s look bougie.”

I giggled. “My mom will love her.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “We’ll find out at the weekend. Couldn’t exactly ask your dad for your hand in marriage, so I called Adele. She’s comin’ down to check out our house and talk weddings with ya.”

“Our house?” I repeated, a thread of shock in my tone.

Colt’s fingers trailed up and down my back. “I bought us a place. Got so much to tell ya. I’m gonna be based in D.C. I’ll be workin’ with Hendrix’s chapter too.” He nodded toward the hospital. “You’ll love the brothers. Bones is one of us. Can you imagine my shock when I told him all about my girl and it came out he was interviewing you for an internship?”

A sharp pain ripped through my chest. “Oh my God! Was it a setup? Please tell me I didn’t get the job through nepotism.”

Colt let out a snort. “Have you met Bones? D’ya think he’d let anyone in his ER if he didn’t think they were the best?” He rubbed my shoulders. “Baby, you didn’t get the job because you’re connected. He called me after he sent you to HR to tell me he hired you on the spot because you’ve got gumption, and balls of steel.”

A wide smile spread across my face. “Really?”

Colt’s blue eyes twinkled, and he leaned in, pressing his lips against mine in a tender, earth-shattering kiss that left me breathless, before pulling away and leaving a lingering warmth on my skin.

“Yeah. Really,” he said with a laugh. “Now we need to go. Mom’s expecting us, and then I wanna show you the clubhouse. Hendrix can’t wait to see ya.”

I went to turn toward the SUV but paused, clutching Colt’s hand. “Is this a dream? Am I gonna wake up and find none of it’s real?”

Colt traced a finger down my cheek. “It’s real, baby. This is it. This is everything we’ve been working toward.” He opened the passenger door of his SUV, taking my hand and helping me inside. “Hold on, baby,” he reiterated, pulling my seat belt across my lap, and fastening it securely. “And enjoy the first day of the rest of our lives.”

That Night

The evening sun cast a warm glow through the room, bathing the worn wooden floorboards in golden light. Low music thumped through the speakers, filling the vast bar with a deep, resonating thud.

I sat with Colt’s arm around me, feeling his warmth as we chatted with the brothers. The dim lights cast shadows across their faces, each one a unique tale of secrets and stories that I couldn’t wait to discover.

We’d been at Colt’s mom’s house all afternoon with his sisters, and we’d hit it off straight away. Gracie had teased him about our age difference—her and I were the same age—but his mom just rolled her eyes and asked if we wanted more food.

After living a life of being pampered, Caroline had discovered a love for cooking and baking, not everything she served was a resounding success, but I loved the fact she was trying to live a normal life after being waited on for so long.

Picasso, the brother who would become a tattooist in the new shop Hendrix was opening, took a long pull of beer. His eyes were dark and heavy with thought, but a playful smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You seem to be settling in okay,” he said, nodding to Colt. His gaze flicked toward me and the smirk turned knowing. “And I can see why.”

I felt my cheeks flush, but I forced my gaze to remain steady.

“Am now,” Colt responded, glancing at me. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, and a smile played around his lips. In that moment, his whole demeanor softened, filling me with a kind of calmness that warmed me from the inside out. “In fact,” he added. “My life’s pretty much fuckin’ perfect.” He lifted my hand, entwined with his and kissed my palm.

Picasso raised his beer bottle in a mock salute before taking another swig. His gaze never wavered from me although his eyes were glazed over in thought—or was it a memory? Who knew?

The Virginia chapter was shiny and new, like a fresh, crisp newspaper hot off the press. Hendrix and Blade were building the club in a way where I knew they’d do good, decent things and secure their place within the growing Speed Demons organization.

“What about you?” a southern-accented voice asked from beside me. “You think you’re gonna like Virginia?”

My smile was wide as I studied Hendrix’s dad, noting how much he and his son were alike, even though the man sitting opposite me had more lines around his eyes and greying hair.

Will was a character. At first I would’ve compared him to Abe, but after getting to know him, I could see their differences. Will had a hardness about him that you only found within military men. His shoulders were always straight, and his walk carried more intent, like he had a mission to complete, and nobody would stop him achieving his objective.

“I love it,” I replied gently. “My new job is exciting, and I get to be with Colt. What more do I need?”

Will beamed a genuine smile. “Nothing, girlie. Seems to me like you’ve got the world at your feet. Taking pride in what you do, and having the love of a decent man should keep your heart beating steady.” He patted his chest. “Not like my old ticker.”

“Dad,” Hendrix said, elbows to table. “Don’t try and garner sympathy. Your heart’s had so much work done on it you’re almost a new man. You’ve been fine since you had the stents done and your pacemaker fitted.” He turned to me, cocking his eyebrow. “Don’t let him—”

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