The moment she stepped on the gravel path that would lead her to our altar, a sense of peace settled over me. Much like the first day we’d met. Every wish I’d made since that day was about to come true. She was the most beautiful bride I could’ve imagined.

  Long, wide curls bounced around her shoulders. A filmy white veil billowed behind her as she took slow steps. The ribbons at her shoulders fluttered in the soft autumn breeze. My heart thundered so hard I was afraid it would burst out of my chest.

  Dex’s grim face was hard to read as he acknowledged giving Juliet away. He was either trying not to cry or planning to toss me over the cliff. I hoped if it was the latter, he’d wait until after we said the “I dos.” I didn’t want to leave this world without being Juliet’s husband, even if only for a few seconds.

  The judge settled his stern gaze on us. He flashed a warm, fatherly smile, then began the ceremony.

  “Welcome family and friends. Thank you for your presence today. We are gathered here, surrounded by the beauty of nature, to celebrate the wedding of Juliet and Roman.”

  “Woo!” Someone behind us whistled. I turned slightly and caught Griff mid-clap. The grin on his face faltered as no one else joined in.

  “Too soon?” he asked.

  Everyone laughed, even the judge.

  Juliet grinned up at me.

  I couldn’t help but go off script. I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful.”

  She peered at me from under her lashes. “You’re quite dashing yourself.”

  Dashing. I liked that. It was worth all the discomfort the fitted dress shirt and tie around my neck had caused me this morning.

  The judge cleared his throat.

  I stood straight and faced him again.

  “We’re here to celebrate the love this young couple has discovered in one another and to support their decision to commit themselves to a life of happiness together.”

  The judge closed the book in his hands and dropped it to his side. “Love is not a fairy tale. But it is your story, Roman and Juliet. The deep, enduring affection two people find is both magical and irresistible.”

  Magical. Yes, that’s how I felt when I was with Juliet. Irresistible. A grin tugged my cheeks up. It’s like the judge could tell how much trouble I had keeping my eyes and hands off my fiancée.

  Wife.

  Holy shit! Juliet’s about to be my wife!

  I tuned into the judge’s words again. “The world is a tough place.”

  Understatement of the century. I peered down at Juliet. We both knew better than most how cruel the world could be.

  “Life can be rough. Show each other tenderness. Make your marriage a refuge from life’s harshness.”

  That’s exactly what Juliet and I had managed to create together—a safe haven.

  “Put down roots together wherever you create your home.”

  Juliet and I had never had roots. We grounded and centered each other. Home to me was wherever she was.

  I wanted to love and protect this woman for the rest of my life. Together we had everything.

  “Finally, I hope you will have many long years together to delight in each other’s company.”

  “Thank you,” Juliet whispered. She stole a quick glance at me as if she feared she wasn’t supposed to say anything.

  The judge bestowed a fatherly smile on both of us. “Now, Roman Hawkins and Juliet Hayworth, do you both present yourselves of your own free will to be joined in marriage?”

  We turned to face each other and smiled. “We do,” we answered together.

  “Do you promise to care for each other through every twist and turn of the sometimes-rocky paths you might face?”

  “We do.”

  “Roman, do you take Juliet to be your wife and promise to love, comfort, and honor her, in sickness and health, as long as you both live?”

  “I do.”

  “Juliet, do you take Roman to be your husband, promising to love, comfort, and honor him, in sickness and health, as long as you both live?”

  “I do.”

  “Wonderful.” The judge glanced at each of us. “For thousands of years, couples have exchanged rings as a token of their vows.”

  Dex nudged me with his elbow. I glanced down and accepted the slim wedding band he passed to me. Juliet tucked her flowers under her arm and took my ring from Vienna.

  “Your rings are a symbol of the past, present, and future of the love you share.”

  I took Juliet’s hand and slid the ring on her finger. “This ring is my promise to be your husband, partner, and best friend to the end of my days.” My voice cracked on the last word, but I smiled through the emotions crashing over me.

  Juliet paused and cleared her throat. “Roman, this ring is my promise to be your wife, partner, and best friend to the end of my days.” She slid the gold band into place, pushing so hard it was as if she wanted to mark me for eternity.

  “Easy,” I laughed.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry.”

  “Now that you’ve exchanged rings and said your vows, the love shared between you has been strengthened. In accordance with the laws of the state of New York, it is my honor to declare you husband and wife. You may now seal your vows with a kiss.”

  I wrapped my arms around Juliet, lifting her in the air so fast, she squealed and squeezed me tight. Our mouths met and fused together.

  Our friends clapped and whistled. Dex thumped me on the back, either to congratulate me or to warn me to cool it. I didn’t know or care.

  Juliet pressed our foreheads together. “You’re all mine now, Roman.”

  “I’ve been yours from the day we met. But I’m so happy to be your husband now.”

  She curled her fingers in my hair at the back of my neck and reached up to kiss me again.

  The hurricane of life had stolen my family when I was too young and powerless to do anything about it. I’d been tossed around in an ocean of brutality for years. My whole life, more than anything, I wanted to belong to someone.

  And now, Juliet and I had created our own family.

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Juliet

  “That’s everything.” Roman plopped a milk crate of tools on top of our already precarious stack of cardboard boxes.

  The only things that mattered to us fit into fewer boxes than I’d expected. I couldn’t stand to sell Mrs. Shields’ car yet. So we’d rented a garage to store everything while Roman and I hit the highway. The larger tools and equipment had been either sold off or given to our friends.

  “Excellent.” I checked off one more entry on our “to do” list.

  “I talked to Pip earlier,” Roman said.

  “Is his new house okay?”

  “Yeah. He seems happier. Said the kids are closer to his age. Eraser promised to pop by the school and check on him once in a while.” He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. “I have the address and said we’d send postcards.”

  I plucked the paper from his hand and pulled out my phone to snap a picture. “There. That way we won’t lose it.”

  He curled his arms around my waist. “So clever.”

  “Mr. Porter has the keys. He said he’d contact us if we need to do anything else for the closing.”

  “We won’t be far at first. Dex hooked me up with their charter near Virginia Beach. We can hang there for a bit.”

  I couldn’t stop my nose from wrinkling. Roman’s time in jail still haunted me. But as much as I wanted him to stay away from Uncle Dex’s motorcycle club, they always seemed to help us when we needed it. “No side work, I hope.”

  One corner of his mouth curled. “Nothing dangerous.”

  “Roman,” I sighed.

  “Everything’s going to be fine. I’m never leaving your side again.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” I poked him in the chest and he winced. “Oh, no! I’m sorry.”

  I peeled his T-shirt up and checked the bandage covering his freshly inked skin.

  “I’m fine. I should change that before we go, anyway.”

  I grabbed my purse and followed him into the bathroom. I bit my lip while he carefully eased his T-shirt over his head.

  “Stop looking at me like that, butterfly. There’s no furniture left in the house.”

  I fluttered my lashes at him. “Who needs furniture?”

  “Juliet.” He growled my name like a warning.

  “Okay, okay.” I carefully eased the tape away from his skin and uncovered the grinning skull tattoo. Roman had created the design himself and I loved it. A butterfly in shades of red, orange, and yellow perched on a skull resting in a bed of daisies and roses. He said it represented us. The way he didn’t truly feel alive until we met. It still made me choke up every time I thought about it.

  I studied the tattoo carefully. The skin under the lines was still slightly red and irritated but otherwise everything looked like it was healing. “Does it hurt?”

  “Just itches a little.” He raised his curled fingers as if he wanted to scratch, then dropped his arm to his side.

  He stood still, quietly watching me in the mirror as I cleaned and dried the area.

  I took out the plastic bag of supplies and instructions from the tattoo artist, then carefully applied the thin sheet of tattoo film over the area. “Looks good.”

  “Thank you.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Still think you’re going to sit for yours?”

  “Yup.” I tapped my left shoulder where I planned to have a matching skull-head butterfly inked.

  He brought me to life the day we met too.

  Roman

  “Are we ready to go, now?” I asked.

  I was sure ready to leave. Juliet’s Uncle Jared had gotten out of prison not that long ago. Dex and I had thrown him a special “welcome home” party. So now was a perfect time to get lost on the highway.

  Payback was a motherfucker.

  “Let me check.” Juliet jogged upstairs. Overhead, I heard her soft footsteps walking through each room. A few minutes later, she bounded down the stairs.

  “I think we’re good to go!” She grabbed her helmet from my hands.

  We only had a vague idea of where we were going and what we wanted to see. For now, that suited us fine.

  For weeks, maybe months, we planned to live like nomads. Ride from town to town. Move on when we’d seen enough. See things we’d only read about. Let our hearts lead the way.

  And that’s exactly what we did.

  Epilogue

  Vapor

  A few years and many roads later…

  “Are you all packed?” I shout down the hallway. Juliet’s been dawdling which isn’t like her.

  I want to get on the road before sunrise.

  “Just a minute!”

  “Babe.” I tap on the bathroom door. “Can I bring your bag downstairs?”

  She hesitates before answering. “Sure.”

  We have a long ride ahead of us to get to Florida. We’re meeting up with Dex at a bike rally.

  Sometimes Juliet gets annoyed with Dex for hooking me up with side jobs for Lost Kings all over the country. He’s vouched for me with other clubs he’s friendly with too. Through those connections, I’ve managed to carve out my own niche. Patched by no particular club but respected by everyone I do business with. Vapor—silent and deadly—is how I’m known now. Silent, because I’ll never snitch. Not to cops or to other clubs. Deadly, because betrayal ends in bloodshed.

  The riskier jobs get under Juliet’s skin the most. But me not working a regular nine-to-five means we get to spend a lot of time together. And we take impromptu road trips whenever the mood strikes.

  Either way, last I knew, she was looking forward to seeing Dex. So I don’t understand the sudden hold up.

  “Roman,” she calls out. “Come here. I want to show you something.”

  My mouth quirks. “Already saw all of you this morning, butterfly.”

  I push the bathroom door open and stare at my beautiful wife dressed in nothing but a pair of white lace panties. Like the greedy bastard I am, I stand there and drink all of her naked beauty in.

  “You’re killing me,” I groan. “I wanted to be on the road early. But now I want to take you back to bed.”

  “Roman.” She draws out my name in a low, singsong voice and waves something in my face.

  “Is that a tampon? You want to push the trip back a few days?”

  She doubles over laughing. “No, you goof.”

  I look closer. Rapid Pregnancy Detection.

  “What is that?” I ask slowly.

  “Really, Roman?” She’s the only person in our lives who uses my real name anymore. Love hearing it from her lips.

  Holy fuck!

  “Are we having a baby?”

  “Ding! Finally.” She sets the test stick down and throws her arms around me. “What do you think? Can an outlaw-nomad like yourself take some paternity leave?”

  “Butterfly, I can do whatever I want. What about you? You love your job.”

  She rubs her hand over her still-flat stomach. “I want this more. I want to give our baby all the love, attention, and chances you and I never had.”

  Her earnest words punch right through my chest. I’ll never leave my child at the mercy of the system like I was. “Think it’s time for us to move back to New York?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Eraser asks about ten times a week when we’re moving back.”

  Her mouth curves. He’s still one of her favorite people. “I’d like to live closer to him and Ella.” Her smile widens. “And the other guys too, of course.”

  My phone buzzes and I pull it out of my pocket. “It’s Prophet. Give me a second.”

  She rolls her eyes. “What does he want now?”

  I tap out a quick text telling him I’m headed out of town, before returning to Juliet.

  “You gonna tell Dex when we see him?”

  “No, maybe we shouldn’t tell anyone yet. Just in case. It’s too early.”

  Fuck, now that she’s told me, I don’t want to take any risks. “Maybe we should cancel the trip.”

  “No way. We’ve been planning this for months. Besides, it might be the last road trip I take for a while.”

  Riding without Juliet at my back? Just the idea seems wrong.

  “If we have a girl,” Juliet says in a soft voice, rubbing her hand over her stomach, “I’d like to name her Emma.”

  “For Mrs. Shields?”

  “Yes.” Juliet glances around our swanky one-bedroom condo. “Without her, we would’ve struggled an awful lot our first few years.”

  “Damn right,” I agree. “I wish she was here to see that we’ve turned out okay.”

  One corner of Juliet’s mouth kicks up. “I like to think she’s watching over us and she knows.”

  “Might be time for me to trade in the Green Flame for a cage.” I’d put a lot of hours into fixing my Harley but suddenly it didn’t seem as important.

  “I’d never ask you to get rid of your bike.” Her voice drops. “I love you, Roman. I always want you to be happy.”

  “Love you too. You’re what makes me happy.” I brush the hair out of her eyes. My gaze drops to her naked chest. “You look good.” I yank her up and against me and carry her out of the bathroom. “Let’s go back to bed and celebrate.”

  I fuse my mouth to hers. Soft minty breath washes over me and I stroke my tongue against her bottom lip.

  She pulls back, blinking at me. “What about Florida?”

  “It’s not going anywhere. I want to celebrate the addition to our family.”

  Family. I loved our life the way it was. But for the first time, I could visualize another person in the picture. A little one to guide and help grow. Someone to shower with the love and attention Juliet and I had been cheated out of.

  We started out as two battered souls.

  By seventeen we had suffered more heartache than anyone should have to experience in a lifetime.

  Then, we found each other.

  Two lonely, damaged spirits became one.

  The open road healed both our souls.

  Our love mended them together for eternity.

  I hope you fell in love with Roman and Juliet! While this is the end of their story, they do appear in other books in my Lost Kings MC series.

  If you’d like to learn more about Rock, the president of the Lost Kings MC and Hope, the attorney who steals his heart, their story starts with Slow Burn.

  The ebook is FREE at all retailers.

  Here is the first chapter.

  Or you can download it now, here.

  SLOW BURN (Lost Kings MC #1)

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  ROCK

  It wasn’t love at first sight when I met her. Lust? Definitely. I don’t think I believed in love at the time, but one look at her beautiful face, and all the bad stuff around me melted away. Not an easy feat for a guy in handcuffs.

  Someone as innocent as her should never have gotten involved with a man like me. By innocent, I don't mean she was some breathy, eighteen-year-old virgin ingénue. No—when we met, she was a thirty-one-year-old married lady. When I use the word innocent, it is in terms of never having killed someone. Never seeing someone die in front of her. Never breaking the law.

  True violence had never touched her life.

  Violence and I had been close personal friends for a large part of my life. Along with crime. And death. I used violence as a tool to keep order in my often chaotic world, just as she used the law to keep things orderly in her black-and-white one.

  She was a lawyer. I was a criminal. She was married to a decent, hard-working, honest guy. I fucked any willing girl who hung out in my club, and made my living in less than honest ways.

  She was kind. I didn't know any nice women. Hadn’t known one since my mother died shortly after my eighth birthday. I don’t have many memories of her, but the ones I do have are warm and pleasant.