Page 42 of Bikers & Bars

“Oh thank goodness,” my mate muttered with relief, making me laugh.

My phone rang as the drivers handed the keys to Romeo and then left in their tow truck. Thank goodness we were at his job for the drop off and not the compound. No way would Damien let me forget this anytime soon if he had been here for this.

Without looking at my caller ID I answered with a quick hello.

“Is it there?!” Valentina’s excited voice came over the line.

“It is! It’s very… pink.”

“Awful isn’t it?” she chuckled. “But a paint job is cheap and it’s top of the line besides that cotton candy explosion. Plus, thatpink made it cheaper cause no one was buying it. See, for you, I bought the deal instead of something ready to go.”

I pursed my lips not sure how I liked being called out so easily but she was right. It did make me feel better that she hadn’t just gotten top tier off the bat, even if it was just the paint color.

“And you can make it your own this way.”

“True,” I said with an exaggerated sigh before smiling. “Thanks, V.”

“No need to thank me beyond the free food,” she replied tartly then hung up.

I slipped my phone in the back pocket of my jeans and stared at the monstrosity in front of me. Romeo had popped the hood and was checking everything out. He was muttering things under his breath so I decided to check out the inside.

Everything was brand new and shiny stainless steel. Plenty of prep area, big fridges, never-before-used stove, and even a boxed up iPad with a note saying that I had a full year of eMobile to use as a register.

A ding from my phone caught my attention and when I checked it was Valentina saying that Maximo’s business manager was going to be emailing all the forms I needed to complete and file to start my business.

My throat was thick and I blinked back the tears as overwhelming emotions hit me.

It was just… a lot.

Usually I was the one orchestrating things for people, giving gifts… receiving them was something I wasn’t used to. As much as Valentina spun it as her being an investor, this was a gift.

“Eliza?” Romeo’s voice made me jolt.

Quickly I rubbed my face and spun around to face the beta with a smile. “Yeah?”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, brow furrowed as he stepped fully into the truck. “Is something broken? I could—”

“No, nothing is broken. It’s all… It’s all perfect,” I choked up, unable to stop fresh tears from escaping.

I was happy and just overwhelmed.

Romeo hummed as he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. The scent of juniper berry and tonka bean surrounded me and I melted into him, happy to have his support right now.

“Thank you. It’s just… It’s just perfect.” He didn’t call me on repeating myself but it was all I could manage in that moment. This was crazy. My off the wall vision was quickly becoming a reality. And it wasmine.

“You deserve perfect,” he whispered fiercely against my neck. “You’re going to be amazing.”

“You’ve never even eaten anything I’ve cooked,” I protested with a half laugh and pushed back away from him.

“Well, go change that,” he challenged me with a cocky grin. “You’ve got this whole-ass truck. Test it out. I’ll get it hooked up and you get some food. Everything looks good… besides the pink.”

“Yeah I need a name and new colors,” I told him, my mind buzzing with excitement. “Can I really do a test run?”

“I’ll be offended at this point if I don’t get to try your cooking. Go get some stuff and come back.”

He smacked my ass on the way out, laughing when I let out a mock-affronted gasp.

“What do you have a craving to eat?” I threw over my shoulder as I started for the sidewalk. Luckily, there was a grocery store just a block over.

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