by Laurie Roma
Beckett, Zoe, Sam, Nikita, Dante and Sheriff Wyatt sat at one of the large picnic tables having a heated discussion about something, while Hammer, Nate and a few other teens stood close to the two large barbeques where Hunter and Dare were dutifully flipping burgers and hot dogs. Evie looked over to her right as she set the bowl of potato salad down on the makeshift buffet table and had to grin.
Anna’s husband Tim was sitting at a table with Malcolm Fox, her uncle Tony and Shane, where they—along with a few other older men—were teaching the young boy the intricacies of poker. Russ and Leanne held hands as they passed by the card game. Russ was holding onto the leash of Nibbles, the little pit bull they had saved a few weeks ago. They had recently moved in together and had asked Evie if they could adopt Nibbles after he had been moved out of the medical unit of the clinic.
Evie looked around to see where her own dogs were, and laughed softly as she noticed them sitting by Dare and Hunter. Galahad, Percival, Lancelot and Gawain had accepted Hero into their little group as if the little boxer had always been a part of them. The five of them had become inseparable, and all five dogs’ soft, brown eyes were watching the men cook with hopes that some of the food might be passed their way.
The last week had passed by in a blur of activity, and it was nice for this break away from the normal chaos that seemed to surround them.
The trial of Bill Hollis had been quick. As promised, the courtroom had been filled with the men and women of Breakers. There had been a sea of black leather vests and jackets worn by the official members of the Breakers’ Bad Boys, all there to support Nate and Shane. When Nate took the stand, he had told his story staring straight into the eyes of the man that he wanted put behind bars. Nate was a fighter, and wouldn’t back down from doing the hard. Evie was so grateful that Hammer and Dante had formed a bond with the young man. They kept him busy at the gym, helping Nate channel all the anger he felt into something constructive.
And then it had been Shane’s turn.
It had brought tears to Evie’s eyes as she thought about what Dare had done for Shane. He had given him hope. He’d given that young boy a chance to speak and tell his story without fear. And Shane did. When the young boy had taken the stand, Shane eye’s had sought out Dare in the crowd of people. Shane had relaxed when Dare nodded to him, silently conveying to him that he had nothing to be afraid of any longer.
After taking a long, deep breath, Shane had answered the questions put to him, and told his story of that terrible night Bill Hollis attacked him. Evie had watched the reactions of the judge and the members of the jury, and knew they could feel Shane’s pain as he spoke. Because of that, it took very little time for the jury to come back with their deliberations, and Bill Hollis was sentenced to life in prison for what he had done. Nate and Shane’s mother had also been charged with kidnapping, and they were finally free to live their new lives with Anna and Tim.
They were officially a part of Breakers now, and the men and women of Breakers took care of their own.
The sound of feminine laughter filled the air as Madeline, Kali, Becca and Anna walked outside carrying trays packed with food. Others jumped up from the tables to go inside to help get the rest. Evie looked back over toward the grills and saw the men were almost finished cooking.
Every time Evie thought about her relationship with Dare it put a smile on her face. Since he had moved out of the boarding house and in with her, they had fallen into a rhythm of living together as if they had been doing it for years. They still had their bumpy moments. He was autocratic and demanding, but she was equally as stubborn and hardheaded as he was. It made for some very interesting arguments, and even better make-up sex.
As if he sensed her looking at him, Dare’s head turned and their eyes locked. She loved him so much, and knew how much he was changing his life around to be a part of hers. She made a vow that she would try to give him the breaks he needed. In fact, she had planned a little break for them herself before he started working at the hospital next month.
Dare walked over carry two plates with hamburgers on them. “Foods ready. Let’s eat before the horde descends.”
They made their way over to the buffet and filled their plates full of food, then sat down at one of the tables. When their friends sat down with them, Evie once again was overcome with a feeling of happiness. The engagement ring on Kali’s hand flashed fire in the sunlight, almost blinding her for a moment. Someday she wanted that with Dare, but Evie simply smiled as she continued speaking with her friends. She could wait. It was a damn good feeling to be surrounded by the people she loved, and that was what mattered.
Dare couldn’t stop looking at the woman next to him. His Eve looked absolutely radiant as she smiled. God, he loved her so much it fucking hurt. “I think you should marry me.”
Evie froze, then blinked at him. “What?”
Dare turned so he was facing her completely. This wasn’t exactly how he had planned to ask her, but somehow it felt...right. Surrounded by all their friends and her family, what could be more perfect? “I made it clear I wasn’t going to let you go, so you might as well just marry me.”
“I...oh...”
Hammer sighed. “Oh, man. That was...”
“Bad. Really bad,” Hunter said around a mouthful of food.
“Jesus, and I thought I had romance issues,” Dante scoffed.
Dare glared at them, then focused back on Evie’s stunned face. “I know this isn’t exactly candles and roses. I had a plan...I was going to wait until I got you a ring and found the perfect setting to ask, but all of that is just bullshit. You know I never say the perfect thing. Hell, you know I’m not a perfect man. But I am the perfect man for you, and I promise you, no one will ever love you more than I do. I don’t want to wait. I love you, Eve. Marry me. What do you say?”
Evie smiled brilliantly at him, thinking back to when he had asked her to be his biker babe. Be Dare’s for life? She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “I think I can handle that.”
Dare crushed her against him, kissing her with all the love and passion he felt for her. He heard the riotous applause around them, but he didn’t care about anything but the woman in his arms. The woman he loved more than anything.
He had finally found his home, the place where he belonged.
With his Eve.
The End
www.laurieroma.blogspot.com
Other Books by Laurie Roma:
www.evernightpublishing.com/laurie-roma
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Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
