“There it is,” Ro says softly, a rare gentleness in her usually brash tone.
“Welcome to the club,” Victoria says with a warm smile. “Literally and figuratively.”
“So… what do I do now?” I ask, feeling lost and found all at once.
Gia grins. “Now? You stop running from it. You let yourself feel it. And when that gorgeous man finally pulls his head out of his ass and tells you what you mean to him?” She leans forward conspiratorially. “You hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Because loving a biker? It’s the adventure of a lifetime.”
“Even when they’re being stubborn idiots?” I ask.
“Especially then,” all five women chorus together, and despite everything, the fear, the uncertainty, the sheer impossibility of it all, I find myself laughing.
And for the first time since this whole thing started, I let myself imagine what it might be like to stop pretending this is fake.
To just let it be‘real.’
The door to the Chapel opens again, and the men start filing out. Nitro’s eyes find mine immediately, and the way his entire expression softens when he sees me makes my breath catch.
Jesus, that meeting was quick.
He crosses the room in long strides, and when he reaches me, his hand finds the back of my neck in a gesture that feels possessive, protective, and perfect.
“Ready to head out?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say, standing. “I think I am.”
As we walk toward the door, I catch Victoria’s eye. She winks at me, and I can’t help but smile.
Maybe she’s right.
Maybe this is real.
Maybe I’m not as scared as I thought.
Or maybe I am, and that’s precisely why I need to hold on tighter.
Because for the first time since Derek destroyed me, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be…
With Nitro.
With his family.
With his brotherhood.
With people who see me and don’t look away.
And as we step out into the Nevada sunshine, Nitro’s hand is warm against my back, and I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, this could be something real after all.
Chapter Fourteen
NITRO
The Next Day
I’m grinning like an idiot as I walk through the clubhouse, and I don’t even care who notices.
Last night was perfect.
Watching Marley with my brothers, seeing her laugh with Victoria and Ro, the way she fit into this world as if she’d always belonged here, it changed something fundamental in my chest.
