by A. M. Myers
I nod as I laugh. “I really do.”
“Fuck me.” His voice is full of wonder as he falls back onto the bed and I laugh again, cuddling into his side. He presses a kiss against the top of my head and I close my eyes, reveling in the feeling of peace surrounding us. “So… what now?”
“Huh?”
He props himself up on his elbow and meets my gaze, wiggling his eyebrows. “Well, you love me and I love you so based on my vast experience in this area and what I’ve witnessed around the clubhouse, I suppose we have to get married now.”
“Uh, hold up.” I giggle, shaking my head at his playful expression. “I think we start with a nice, normal date. Remember, like we talked about?”
Nodding, he leans down and steals a quick kiss. “Yeah, I remember, Princess, and it sounds like the best fucking thing I’ve ever heard.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
Rowan
Pulling the Impala into a parking space outside of our apartment, I put the car in park and sigh, smiling to myself as I reach over into the passenger seat and grab the white gift box I picked up on the way home. My stomach flips as I run my fingers along the blue ribbon wrapped around it, wondering how Travis will react when he sees what’s inside. I glance up at our apartment, the one we moved into almost eleven months ago, and I can’t help but think about everything that has happened in the past year and how far he and I have come.
After I was released from the hospital, Travis and I spent two days locked in his room as he told me as much as he was willing to share about his dad and my heart still aches when I think about the look on his face as he told me about the twenty-three women his father murdered before he was arrested and sent to jail – including his mother. He shared with me that he was the one who found her body in their apartment after he had spent two days digging through crime scene photos of his father’s other victims and how he couldn’t believe it was real until he watched them zip her up in the black body bag. After that, I wanted to know more and did my own little internet search into Samson Hornback and the things I read will be burned into my mind forever. Tears sting my eyes and my chest aches. Honestly, Travis been through so damn much and I wish, more than anything, that I could take all of his pain away but I know that I can’t. I just hope that I help in some way, that I make the hard times a little bit easier.
Leaning my head back against the seat, I sigh as my mind drifts to Evan. As much as I hate to admit it, he still plays a big part in our relationship and we still feel the impacts of his actions in our lives. After Travis killed him, Jake and Caleb were arrested and charged as accomplices in all of Evan’s crimes and the brothers spilled their guts as soon as they got the chance. Apparently, as soon as Evan was released from prison, he came to them and told them of his plan to get revenge against the club but they didn’t know how far he intended to go until it was too late and they were already in it. They told the police that Evan had a hand in messing with every single guy in one way or another. For some, all it took was a little suggestion and nudging and in other cases, he played a bigger part but they didn’t know all of the details. I think it’s still something that haunts Travis but he’s trying to let it go. We both also struggle with the night Evan almost killed me and we’ve had to fight to get where we are now but I can honestly say that Travis is the love of my life and my best friend in the whole entire world so he makes every ounce of struggle worth it.
Glancing up at the apartment, I grin. He and I really did try to take things slow and be a “normal” couple for about three weeks before it became clear that we couldn’t stand to be away from each other and we started looking for an apartment. It only took us a little over a week to find this place downtown and we both fell in love with it the moment the landlord told us about the private roof access that was included. We’ve spent so many nights up there, talking, loving, and looking up at the stars. I smile as I touch the star pendant Travis gave me Christmas Eve as my belly flips again as I think about the news I have to share with him. There is no way to know how he will take it but I’m confident that together, he and I can withstand any obstacle.
I turn off the car and open the door, stepping out with the box in my hand. His bike is parked next to me and I take a deep breath as I press my shaking hand to the top of the box. My mind races as I walk up the stairs to our door, going over in my head how I should start this conversation and what I should say but nothing sounds quite right. When I reach the front door, my steps falter and Travis flashes me a grin. He’s standing in front of our door in a black button up shirt and jeans, a red rose in his hand, and his green eyes are staring straight into my soul like they always do.
“Hey, Princess.”
My belly flips again and I smile. “Hi, baby. What’s this?”
“I have a surprise for you,” he answers, closing the distance between us and handing me the rose. My smile grows as I bring it to my nose and breathe in its rich scent, my eyes locked on his. God, I love him.
“What is it?”
He cocks his head to the side and flashes me a look full of challenge. “It wouldn’t be much of a fucking surprise if I told you, would it?”
“Fine,” I reply, arching a brow. “Where is it then?”
“You have to put this on first.” He holds up a blindfold and my eyes widen before I slowly nod.
“Okay.”
He grabs for my bag and the box in my hand. “Let me set those inside for you.”
“Uh, not the box,” I snap, my voice going up an octave as I jerk the box out of his reach. He cocks a brow and I swallow, forcing a smile to my face as I hand him my bag. “It’s a present for you.”
With a nod, he grabs my bag and turns back to the apartment, trying to hide the shy smile on his face but he can’t hide anything from me. And I’m glad because that smile, the one when I catch him off guard and make him feel butterflies that he’ll never admit to, is my absolute favorite. Once my bag is securely in the apartment, he walks behind me and presses a kiss to my neck as he ties the blindfold around my eyes.
“Can you see anything?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Total darkness.”
“Perfect,” he answers, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers together. “Come with me.”
He starts leading me somewhere and I try to visualize where we’re going in my mind but after a moment, I realize he’s leading me in circles so I can’t figure out what he’s up to and I sigh. I swear, I can feel his triumphant smile.
“Where the hell are we going, Travis?” I ask, squinting into the blindfold as he drags me along behind him but I can’t see anything. His laughter floats through the air and a wave of warmth rushes over me. Despite our struggles in the year since Evan attacked the club, I have seen a total change in my man. The weight he has been carrying for most of his life is not gone but it seems to get lighter each and every day we spend together and when he smiles now, it reaches his eyes. It’s truly a breathtaking sight and my love for him back then pales in comparison to the way I feel about him now. Travis is my forever, my one true love, and I know it with every fiber of my being.
“Can’t you ever be patient, Princess?”
I arch a brow and turn to him as he falls back to walk next to me. “I can’t believe you even have to ask that question. Do you know me at all?”
He laughs and the next thing I know, I’m being lifted into the air as I shriek and cling to him as I hold the box in my other hand. It only makes him laugh harder as he hooks one arm under my knees and the other under my back as he begins walking again.
“I love you,” he whispers, his voice full of happiness as he presses a kiss to my forehead and I cuddle into him as my chest expands. I love this man so damn much that it’s a wonder my heart doesn’t just burst out of my chest sometimes but as my mind drifts back to the news I have to share with him today, my stomach churns.
“Are we almost there yet?” I ask, desperate to focus on something else as I hear a do
or open and we step outside into the cool night air. Where in the hell is he taking me? His lips press against my cheek and I close my eyes as chills blanket my skin and my heart jumps in my chest. He gently sets me back down on my feet and moves behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders.
“Ready?” he whispers, dragging his fingertips down my arms and I fight back a moan as I lean into him and nod, releasing a heavy breath.
“Yes.”
He unties my blindfold and pulls it away from my eyes. My vision blurs as it adjusts and I blink a few times before drinking in the scene in front of me. We’re on the roof of our apartment and he has a little round table set up in the middle with two chairs. There are candles all over the roof, casting a warm glow around us and I drop my head back, smiling at the stars twinkling down at us before I turn and wrap my arm around his neck.
“What is all of this for?”
He grins. “For you, Princess.”
“Right,” I muse, glancing back at the incredibly romantic setting before turning back to him. “But why?”
“Can’t I just spoil you?”
Narrowing my eyes, I turn to the table and he grabs my hand lacing our fingers again as I peek up at him. “I’m suspicious, Broussard.”
“I know,” he answers, laughing as he guides me over to the table and pulls out one of the chairs for me. I sit down and set the box on the ground next to me as he sits across from me and points to it.
“When do I get to open that?”
My stomach churns. “Now. I suppose.”
I hand him the box, my hand shaking like crazy and my stomach now doing somersaults inside me as my heart races. With a grin, he takes the box and pulls off the ribbon like an over eager little kid on Christmas morning and I can’t help but smile despite my nerves. Pulling the lid off, he tosses it aside and peels back the tissue paper before flicking a confused glance up at me. My teeth sink into my lower lip as I wait for him to get it. He yanks the tiny little leather jacket out of the box and holds it up in the air.
“Rowan, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?”
“Well,” I start, clamping my hands together to keep them from shaking. “Right now, nothing. But in a year or so, you could put it on the baby.”
His gaze snaps to mine. “What? What fucking baby?”
“Our baby,” I whisper, pressing my hand to my belly and he stares at me, his eyes wide, as he drops the jacket onto the table and blows out a breath. Running his fingers through his hair, he shakes his head.
“Fuck… How…”
“You are not about to ask me how this happened, are you?”
He shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair again. “Right… Shit… I…”
“I know this is a shock but we’ve got this, babe,” I assure him, reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. He stares down at the jacket, his face pale.
“I’m gonna be a dad… Fuck, babe… I don’t know how to be someone’s fucking dad… I mean, look at the example I had… I’m gonna fuck this kid up so much… he deserves better…and so do you…”
Shaking my head, I stand up and walk over to him before sitting on his lap and grabbing his face, forcing his gaze to me. “Look at me, Travis. I do not ever want to hear you say something like that again, you understand? You are incredible and I love you so damn much.”
“I don’t know how to do this,” he whispers, his eyes shining with unshed tears and my heart breaks. Leaning down, I press my lips to his and kiss him until I feel his body relax slightly underneath me. When I pull back, I meet his gaze.
“No one knows how to be a parent, Travis. You think I’ve got everything figured out? Hell no. But, I love you and I love this baby and together, I know we can figure this out.”
He shakes his head. “My dad…”
“Is not a factor in this,” I snap, cutting him off. “You are not your father, Travis. We’ve had this conversation so many times and I know you struggle with it but I need you to really hear me this time. You are so incredibly kind and brave and you stand up for what’s right and the people you love. When I’m down, you lift me up and all it takes is just being in your presence to feel your warmth. Does that sound like your fucked up father?”
“No.”
I nod. “No, it sure as hell doesn’t. You are your own man and I have no doubt that you are going to be an amazing father to our baby.”
Sucking in a breath, his gaze drops down to my stomach and he stares at it for a second before reaching forward and pressing his hand over my belly button. So many emotions flicker through his eyes but finally, I see a sliver of happiness and I release a sigh as he meets my eyes and smiles.
“You believe in fate, Princess?”
I nod. “You know I do. Why?”
“Because,” he answers as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pear shaped diamond ring with an interwoven band as he meets my eyes again. “I brought you up here tonight to ask you to marry me, to tell you that I never thought I would find someone that understood me the way you do and accepted all my flaws and quirks but as soon as you walked through the door, I was a goddamn goner. I was going to tell you that I can’t imagine spending a single day of my life without you and that marrying you would make me the happiest fucking man to ever walk the earth and then you drop this little bomb on me and it seems like fate is at work, once again, that on the night I was going to ask you to be my wife, you tell me that we’re going to be a family.”
“Travis,” I whisper, tears building in my eyes as I stare down at him, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.
“I fucking love you, Rowan, and it’s still so crazy to hear myself say that because I never thought I would utter those words, never thought I would have all of this but I need you to know that I’m grateful each and every fucking day for it. I’ve always known that you deserve the fucking world but I didn’t think I was the guy to give it to you. Hell, maybe I’m still not but I’m willing to spend every day working my ass off to try to be... if you’ll have me…”
I nod as tears drip down my cheeks because I’ve never been more sure of anything else in my entire life. “Always.”
If you are head over heels in love with the Devils
and you need to know what happens next for the club,
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Other Books by A.M. Myers
The Hidden Scars Series
Hidden Scars:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014B6KFJE
Collateral Damage:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G9FOS20
Evading Fate:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L0GKMU0
Bayou Devils MC Series
Hopelessly Devoted:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY5XQFW
Addicted To Love:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B6RPPPV
Every Breath You Take:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DPNTV2G
It Ends Tonight:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JL4FJ18
Little Do You Know:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M812N1T
Never Let Me Go:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NWWN2VJ
Every Little Thing:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XFGC82J
Wicked Games:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YL8NFQR
About the Author
A.M. Myers lives in Cody, Wyoming – a little town about an hour away from Yellowstone National Park – with her husband and their two boys. She has been wri
ting for most of her life and even had a poem nationally published in the sixth grade but the idea of writing an entire book always seemed so daunting until a certain story got stuck in her head and wouldn’t leave her alone until she started typing. Now, she can’t imagine a time when she won’t be letting all of the stories in her head spill out onto paper.
A.M. Myers writes emotional, gripping romantic suspense novels that will leave you swooning and hanging off the edge of your seat from start until finish. When she is not writing, you can usually find her up in the mountains with her boys, camping, fishing and taking photos of the beautiful landscape she is lucky enough to call home.
