"Umm … okay," I answered with curiosity. I took the helmet from his hand and climbed on behind him. As soon as I was settled, he revved his engine, and I placed my hands on his hips as we pulled out onto the road. Once we'd picked up speed, I leaned my back against the seat and let the wind whip around me, and I couldn't help but smile. I loved the feeling of being out in the open. Everything around me seemed more vivid, like I could just reach out and touch all the different colors. I could've ridden with him for hours, but the ride ended when Shadow suddenly pulled into a driveway in the center of midtown. I turned to see a beautiful, dark gray bungalow with a beautiful white porch that led up to the entry way. There was a swing on one side of the front door and two wicker rocking chairs on the other.
As he helped me off the bike, I was surprised to see two familiar bikes were parked ahead of us in the driveway. "Who's house is this?"
"You'll see."
He reached for my hand, and without saying a word, he led me inside. As soon as we walked through the front door, I left Shadow's side and started walking through all the different rooms. There were hardwood floors throughout with fresh paint on all the walls. There were three bedrooms and two baths, and it had brand new tile and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. While the house was empty and didn't have any furniture, I could image how fabulous it would look completely furnished, and as I looked around at every last detail, I couldn't think of a single thing I would change. I absolutely loved it.
I was just about to ask Shadow why he'd brought me to see it when T-Bone and Gunner came strolling in through the back door. Gunner looked over to Shadow with a big, goofy smile and asked, "Well? Does she like it?"
Answering for him, I said, "I love it."
"Did you check out the master bathroom?"
"Umm … yeah. Why?"
"Did you check out the bidet?" Before I could answer, he said, "It's got cold and hot water options, and I gotta tell ya, the cold water has got some power behind it."
I couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm. "Is that right?"
"It's awesome. Hell, the whole house is awesome. You should definitely buy it."
I quickly turned to Shadow and asked, "What is he talking about?"
Before answering me, he turned to T-Bone and Gunner and said, "Give us a moment, guys."
As they started for the door, T-Bone answered, "You got it, brother."
Once they were gone, Shadow walked over to me, and as he placed his hands on my waist, he said, "Once I saw it, I thought you might like it, and if you do, I'm gonna buy it … but only if you like it."
"Are you kidding? I love it!" I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly as I told him, "It's absolutely perfect. I can't believe you found it."
"Then, that settles it. Looks like we're buying ourselves a house."
Before we left, we took another quick look around, and Gunner made sure to show me the bidet as we strolled through the enormous master bathroom. I hated to leave, but it was time for us to head over to Blaze's. When we got outside, I stopped, and as I took one more look at our future home, I was overcome with joy. Once I'd gotten back on Shadow's bike, I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a squeeze. "I love you, Mason."
He turned around to face me, and just before he pressed his lips to mine, he whispered, "And I love you, Alejandra."
Our tender moment was derailed when Gunner shouted, "Come on, you two! We're gonna be late!"
With an irritated groan, Shadow started the engine, and with Gunner and T-Bone following close behind, he backed out of the driveway and headed over to Blaze's. By the time we got there, several of the guys had already gathered around the grill and were watching Moose as he prepared his special BBQ ribs. After we said our hellos, we headed inside to see what we could do to help. When we walked into the kitchen, Kenedee was taking the beans out of the stove, while Blaze was gathering the plates and utensils to take outside. I walked over to Kenedee and asked, "Hey. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I think I've got everything, except the deserts. Would you mind grabbing them from the fridge?"
"Sure!"
Shadow helped me take the various pies out to the picnic tables, and in no time, Kenedee and Blaze had everything ready to go. The guys were practically frothing at the mouth as Moose placed the meat in the center of the table, and as soon as Gus had given the blessing, they all dove in, piling their plates with food. Shadow and I had just sat down to eat, when Jason pulled up, and to my surprise, he hadn't come alone. When he started towards us, there was a beautiful, young blonde by his side, and from the look on her face, she was quite taken with him. I couldn't help but smile as I watched them sit down next to us. "Hey. I'm glad you could make it. Who's your friend?"
"This is Alice. We met at Newman's a few weekends ago." He turned to her and said, "This is Alex and that's her guy, Shadow."
A light blush crossed her face as she looked over at us. "It's really nice to meet you both. I've heard a lot about ya."
"It's nice to meet you, too."
"It took some convincing to get her to agree to come, but once I told her about Moose's BBQ, there was no way she could turn me down." He reached across the table and as he started making them both a plate, he looked over to Blaze and Gunner and said, "Hey, guys. How's it going?"
With their mouths full of food, they both answered, "Good."
Just before Jason sat back down, T-Bone leaned towards him and whispered, "Got yourself a nice piece there, brother. I'm impressed."
Jason gave him a quick nod and smiled. "Thanks, man. Just remember she's taken."
"I'll do my best," he chuckled.
Once he'd finished making their plates, he came back over to the table and sat Alice's food down in front of her and smiled. "See. It looks awesome, doesn't it."
"Yes, it does."
"It tastes even better."
We all started to eat, and as we sat there talking, I quickly realized that Jason had found his perfect match. They both had similar tastes in music, and whenever he got out of hand, she quickly put him in his place. I liked that about her, and apparently, he did, too. He couldn't take his eyes off her. I'd never seen him so smitten, and it did my heart good to see him so happy.
We had just finished eating when Jason turned to Shadow and said, "I owe you an apology."
Shadow's eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "What for?"
"The night after you helped Alex to her car, I told her that she should steer clear of you. I'd heard some things about your club, and I was worried she might get hurt if she got involved with you. After getting to know you and your brothers, I see how wrong I was."
"Appreciate that, but it wasn't necessary."
"It was. You make her happy, and nobody deserves to be happy as much as she does."
"Couldn't agree more."
As Jason and Alice got up from the table, he turned to me and said, "Well, I hate to eat and run, but we have a concert to get to."
I walked over and gave him a quick hug. "I hope you have a great time."
"Are you sure you don't want to come?"
"No." I shook my head and smiled. "We'll catch the next one."
"Okay. Suit yourself."
After he said his goodbyes to the others, Jason took Alice's hand in his and led her back to his car. Once they were gone, Shadow and I helped get everything cleaned up and put away. The guys were all standing around the fire, and I was expecting Shadow to go over and join them. Instead, he came over to me and asked, "You ready to go?"
"You don't want to stay?"
"We could, but I'm not sure staying out late is a good idea. We're going to have a long day tomorrow."
I didn't realize we had plans, so I asked, "Why? What are we going to be doing?"
"Moving into our new house."
"What are you talking about? We haven't even bought the house yet."
"I made a call to the relator. Offered to pay extra if we could move in right away, and the buyers accepted."
"You're kidding me!"
"Nope. The house is ours. She's bringing the papers by first thing in the morning, and once we've signed, she'll hand over the keys."
"I don't know how you did it, but I'm glad you did!" I reached up and hugged him. "Oh, God. There's so much stuff at my apartment! It's going to take me forever to pack."
"We have plenty of time for all of that." He pressed his lips against mine, then said, "Right now, I just want to spend the night making love to my girl. You good with that?"
"Yeah, I'm good with that. I'm always good with that."
Epilogue
There's no better feeling than having her in my arms, listening to the sound of her breathing as she nestles her head beneath my chin. She was perfect in every way. Her rosy cheeks and big brown eyes melted my heart. There was only one other person who could get to me the way she did, and that was her mother. They both filled my heart with a love like I'd never known, and there was nothing in this world I wouldn't do for either of them. Over the past few months, I'd made a habit of rocking her too long. Alex fussed at me, telling me that I was spoiling her, but I just couldn't help myself. Emma was just eight months old and still so tiny. I wanted to cherish these moments with her while I still could. It wouldn't be long before she was crawling, then walking. I knew when that time came, she would want to explore the world, and moments like these would be no more.