“Some upgrades I still want to make,” I agreed. “Custom paint too.” I didn’t want to get crazy like the guys who came to Rock and dropped their entire paychecks on fancy gadgets. I had bigger goals in mind.
“Whatever you need.” Rock spread his arms, indicating his shop. “You’re welcome to use the space.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.” I slapped the envelope against my open palm, feeling the weight of the bills inside. “Right now, I’m going to go pay off my girlfriend’s engagement ring.”
The easy smile slid off his face. “Dex’s niece, right?” He wobbled his hand from side to side, in what I interpreted as meaning he knew Juliet and Dex weren’t actually blood-related, but niece was the best way to describe their relationship.
“Yes, sir. Juliet.” I braced myself for the “you’re too young to settle down” speech every other biker seemed to give me whenever I expressed my lack of interest in strippers and random hook-ups.
“Dex know?” he asked.
“I mentioned it to him a while back.” I lifted my chin and squared my shoulders, prepared to tell him to mind his own business if he tried to talk me out of proposing to Juliet.
“You two have been through a lot.” Rock’s solemn voice shook my defiance.
Some days it still amazed me she didn’t tell me to fuck off when I got out of jail. “Even when I screw up, she has my back.”
“That’s good. It’s not a crime to be wrong.” He chuckled. “Fuck knows, we go through life being wrong about lots of things. It’s part of being human. Not admitting your mistakes and learning from them is the crime. If she can help you through that, never let her go.”
I turned that over in my head. Juliet forgave me easily. I hadn’t forgiven myself. I could see the mistakes I’ve made in my past. I wasn’t sure if I’d learned from them yet. “Yeah. She always has faith in me. Even when I don’t have any in myself.”
“You’re lucky to find that in someone at your age.” He blew out a long, heavy breath. “Always make her your priority. Protect her with your life.”
Wait, what was happening here? My jaw dropped. Considering that I’d rarely ever seen the same woman leaving his place twice, I expected him to give me the biker version of “variety is the spice of life” or something equally gross.
“I do,” I answered lamely. “I will.”
“All this stuff is nice.” He gestured toward the row of bikes lined up against the opposite wall. “But it’s just stuff. It won’t listen to you when you have a rough day or kick your ass when you need it.”
My mouth curled up. “Juliet definitely kicks my butt when I need it.”
“I bet she does.” He chuckled and patted my shoulder. “Congratulations.”
“She hasn’t said yes, yet.”
“She’d be crazy not to.” He nodded to the tools scattered around the bike I was working on. “Clean up and knock off early. He’s not coming to pick this up until next week.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, go on.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, “I need to lock up and head down to Crystal Ball anyway. Fuck knows it’s one emergency after another down there.”
An eerie sense of calm settled over me as I finished work and headed to the mall. The future I wanted to share with Juliet sprawled before me. I couldn’t wait to take this next step with her.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Juliet
“Why am I up before the sun?” I asked with a deep yawn.
Roman answered by squeezing my hand and hurrying me outside.
Cool, dewy air brushed my cheeks and tickled my nose. “Roman, where are we going?” I blinked up at the inky sky. Darkest before the dawn, isn’t that the saying? I yawned again.
We stopped next to his bike and he pushed my helmet into my hands. “It’s a surprise.”
I yawned loudly, this time stretching my arms up over my head. “The sun isn’t even up yet.”
Rough fingers tickled over the sliver of my stomach that peeked out between my jacket and jeans. I quickly jerked my arms down but couldn’t stop my laughter. “Knock it off. That tickles.” I pushed his hand away and righted my jacket.
“Come here.” He gripped my waist and yanked me closer. “I love you.” He leaned in and brushed his nose against mine, then dipped lower, pressing a soft kiss against my lips.
My knees turned to jelly. Good thing he was holding onto me. “I love you too.”
“Let me take you for a ride.”
“I’ll go anywhere with you, Roman.” I tucked my hair up under my helmet and secured it into place.
A few minutes later, I was in my spot on the bike, gripping him tight. While I loved riding with him, the rush of the pavement beneath our feet and the movements of the bike still felt unnatural.