The days after the attack were tough. I was struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened. Losing someone you care about is one thing, but watching them take their last breath is another thing altogether. It stays with you, lingers in your thoughts and haunts you in your dreams. Shadow knew what that was like. Remembering the pain he’d gone through when Michele died, he arranged for Marcus to have a proper burial. He thought it might help me find some sense of closure, but even after his funeral, I was still having a difficult time. Shadow assured me that things would get better. That I just needed more time, but I didn’t agree. I needed something to take my mind off of things, so against Shadow’s wishes, I reopened the bookstore. I knew he was worried that my father’s brother, Josue, would come after me, especially after I’d explained his connection to my father’s business, but I was done living in fear. I wanted to get back to work and visit with my customers so I could find a sense of normalcy in my life again.

I found solace in my old routines, and with each day that passed, I felt the tightness in my chest starting to fade and it wasn’t long before I was back to my old self again. I was pleased to see that I wasn’t the only one who found comfort in old routines. I’d only had the store reopened for a few days when Shadow came strolling through the door. Like so many times before, he walked over to the counter and made himself a cup of coffee and then scanned the different shelves looking for the perfect book. It was at this point his routine took a dramatic change. Instead of going to the back of the store to read, he’d find a spot close to me and we’d spend our morning together. Those moments quickly became the best part of my day.

I was happy, truly happy, and things in my life were finally settling down. Shadow had me talk to Gus about my Uncle Josue. After I told him everything I knew about him, he assured me that the brothers would keep an eye out for him. Knowing they would do everything in their power to keep him at bay, I let go of my worries, and eventually our lives got back to normal. After spending the night making love to Shadow, I woke up with my head on his chest and his arm wrapped around my waist. There was no better feeling than feeling his warm body next to mine. With great hesitation, I got up and took a long, hot shower. Once I was done, I got dressed and headed to the bookstore to get things ready to start the day. I’d just gotten things ready when Jason came charging in.

He could barely contain his excitement as he asked, “Did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“The Sacred Knights are going to be at Newman’s tonight!”

It was good to see that all of his bruises had finally disappeared, and all his lacerations had healed. They had been a constant reminder of his kidnapping, and while he’d assured me that he didn’t blame me for any of it, I couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. As he stood there with a thrilled look on his face, I hated to disappoint him, but I had no idea who he was talking about. Having no idea what to say, I replied, “Okay?”

“Aren’t you pumped?”

“Umm… I hate to break it to ya, but I’ve never heard of the Sacred Knights.”

His mouth dropped as he looked at me with utter disbelief. “Are you kidding me! How do you not know about them? They’re huge!”

“I don’t know what to tell ya. I’ve been busy.”

“Well, that must be rectified. You’ve gotta come with me.”

I grimaced as I told him, “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“What? Why not?”

“I’ve already made plans with Shadow.” I could see the disappointment in his eyes as I continued, “We’re going over to Blaze’s house for a cookout with the guys. You should come grab a bite with us.”

“Nah. You go ahead. I don’t want to intrude.”

“Don’t be silly. You know Shadow wouldn’t mind. I think you’re kind of growing on him.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding hopeful.

Over the past month, Jason had made a habit of stopping by the bookstore at times when he knew Shadow would be there and had even come by the clubhouse a few times. At first, I thought it was just his way of checking up on me, but I quickly realized there was a different reason for his visits. Even though he’d never admit it, I could tell that he was intrigued by Shadow and the club, and the more time he’d spent with him, he discovered that he was actually a good guy—a guy he actually liked. I know he was surprised by the fact, but I couldn’t have been happier. I smiled at him as I answered, “Yes. Really. You should really think about coming by. Maybe we could hit the concert after?”

“Okay. I think I can do that.”

“Great. The cookout starts at six. I’ll text you with the address.”

“Sounds good.” As he started for the door, he said, “I’ll see ya tonight!”

Once he was gone, I hurried to wrap things up, so I could close the store early. I wanted to have time to take a quick shower before we headed over to Blaze’s place. As soon as the last customer left, I locked things up and headed upstairs to my apartment. Even though I spent every night with Shadow, I hadn’t officially moved in with him, mainly because there simply wasn’t enough room for all of my things in his room. We’d tried finding a place of our own, but nothing seemed to suit me. Shadow had dropped several hints, letting me know that he was growing impatient, but I wanted to hold out for the perfect place for us to start our lives together.

After I got dressed, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. I’d just locked the door, when Shadow pulled up on his motorcycle. As I walked over to him, I smiled and said, “Hey, there handsome. I wasn’t expecting you to come here. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything’s good.” He offered me my helmet as he said, “I had something I wanted to show you before we headed over to Blaze’s place.”

“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.”