Page 111 of On The Rocks

I swear his eyes misted over. “We’veworked hard, Maeve. We’re a team, right?”

“Right,” I agreed with a decisive jerk of my head.

“This wouldn’t have happened without you. The new drinks—well—they’re amazing. It’s all you.”

I touched my fingertips to his lips to stop him from talking. “It’sus. Team, remember?”

He smiled, turned his head, and kissed the inside of my wrist. “You ready, wife?”

My eyes slid to the door.

Despite the cold and the threat of snow in the air, a queue of people waited to get inside. A stab of nerves clenched my stomach, but they didn’t feel debilitating like usual. These were my neighbors and my friends. I belonged here with them the same way I belonged here with my family.

I looked up into Callum’s gorgeous blue eyes, and all my fears melted away. He was mine, and I was his. There was no reason to be scared because he’d proved I could trust him with anything. I knew he’d always protect me the same way I’d always protect him.

“I love you,” I whispered, unable to hold the words back anymore because my heart was bursting with them.

Something shifted behind his eyes, something warm and beautiful. “Love you, too,” he whispered back.

My mouth curved, and I beamed up at my handsome husband and murmured, “Awesome. Now you can open the doors. I’m ready.”

“We hadto grease the fat-assed fucker out in the end,” John Stone relayed to a roar of hysterical laughter. “Took a whole vat of engine grease, and bikers runnin’ up and down that slide for thirty minutes. Eventually, we gave him a hard tug, and out he popped, like a goddamned jack in the box.”

Atlas sniffed, muttering, “Fuckin’ slide was a death trap. Poor kids.”

“Not what you said at the time,” Breaker retorted. “It’ll be fine, you said.It’ll put hairs on their chest, you said.” He deadpanned. “More like grease on your ass, and not in a good way, either.”

Another burst of laughter erupted.

The bar was packed, the party was in full swing, and everybody was having a blast. The beer and cider were obviously going down a storm because a few women had already lost their inhibitions and were up dancing to the music coming through the bar’s upgraded music system. Everyone seemed in fine spirits, and if the atmosphere in the bar was anything to go by, the exclusive drinks, the refurbishment, and the new image were a huge success.

You could almost feel the electricity sparking in the air. Everybody was so excited to be here. Every table was taken, and the bar was packed with people four deep, trying to get served.

Callum had disappeared somewhere to make sure the band was ready for their first set. He wanted to welcome everybody to the new and improved Lucky Shamrock just before he introduced Dischordium. My husband had kept me by his side all night, or rather, kept every single man under the age of fifty away from me by glaring any time they came too close.

Maybe it should’ve annoyed me, but secretly, I was flattered by his overt jealousy. I loved that he was so into me that he didn’t want another man close. If I could’ve gotten away with it, I would’ve been the same way with women trying to get close to him, except I didn’t have his confidence or his gall.

Talking of which, Shannon had stayed away from me all night—thank God—though it was probably more to do with Patrick and Liam keeping her on a tight leash than her showing respect. Still, it didn’t bother me in the least because there was nothing she could do or say to ruin this night.

Against all odds, Callum and I were finally on the right path. My husband loved me, and I loved him right back, and Shannon bitch-face Doyle had nothing left in her arsenal that could come between us. She’d already done her worst.

A flicker of warmth trailed down my spine, and I closed my eyes to savor it.

I’d never been truly happy before. There had been moments, of course, though they were few and far between. But now, every day was like living a beautiful dream, one that I wanted to hold onto and never wake up from. This was everything I ever wanted, being somewhere I belonged alongside the person I belonged with. It was such a simple thing, but it felt so fundamentally right, deep down to my soul.

“You okay, Maeve,” Aislynn asked from beside me.

I looked up at her, almost startled. I was so deep in my head that I nearly forgot I was in the middle of a party. “Yeah.” I giggled. “I’m just away with the fairies.”

Her stare caught on something over my shoulder, and she squinted. “Are they bikers? They don’t look like any Speed Demons I’ve ever met.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I caught a flash of leather. I couldn’t see at a distance in my contact lenses, but I could make out three big, burly men weaving toward us through the crowd.

Atlas lifted his hand to draw attention to us and barked, “Over here, Pagan.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed. “They’re the Kings of Anarchy boys. It’s a new MC based near Rock Springs. We went to a party at their clubhouse a couple of weeks back. It was grand.”

“Jesus,” she breathed. “I can’t believe sweet, shy Maeve Monroe is going to biker parties. Patrick will have a conniption if he finds out.” She leaned toward me and whispered, “Who’s the one with the shaved head who looks like he’d slit your throat in your sleep? And why do I find him so hot?”

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