King (Rogue Rebels MC 2)

I had even passed the BAR exam. I couldn’t put into words how much of a weight off of my shoulder that was.

Needless to say, there was a lot to celebrate.

I turned my head sideways, smiling at Colt in the driver’s seat. Perhaps sensing my gaze, a slow smirk spread across his handsome face. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” I said. “I’m just…happy. Everything worked out in the long-run.”

“As I told you it would,” he said.

“Even your cocky attitude has been restored.”

He laughed. “So, your dad is meeting us at the pub, right?”

“Yes,” I said. “He might even be there already.”

“Or he might stand us up in favor of celebrating a night in with Milly. Maybe you might not be an only child much longer.”

“Okay, stop it. That’s just gross,” I said.

Colt laughed, pulling into the parking lot of the pub. He gave a low whistle, glancing around at the numerous cars parked. “Looks like quite a crowd.”

“Yeah…” I said, growing slightly apprehensive.

“Well, it’s not like you’ve got much to worry about, right?” He glanced upward into the rearview mirror at the secret service agents in the car behind us.

“I guess you’ve got a point,” I said. “that’s certainly going to take some time getting used to.”

“You’ve had a lot of practice already. First with me trailing your every move, and then Jones.”

“Yeah, but this is different.”

“I guess,” Colt said. He cut off the car engine. “Ready?”

“Yep.”

We exited the car and headed toward the pub, with the secret service agents trailing quietly behind us.

Just as we had expected, the place was crowded. Immediately upon entering, a huge sign was on display, reading, ‘CONGRATULATIONS, VICE PRESIDENT FINLEY.’

I felt like smiling and cringing at the same time. I was somewhat superstitious, and didn’t like seeing my father referred to as the Vice President already. There was still a very long time until election day. Nevertheless, I did feel that probability his team winning was pretty high.

Colt took my hand in his, and we entered the pub to an outburst of applause. We actually had become quite famous in our own right, and it was still taking me some time to work out how I felt about that. News cameras across the country had captured perfect footage of Colt and his sign, as well as me jumping into his arms. Now, there was constant speculation about when the wedding bells would be ringing. While I didn’t like the pressure and attention this put on us, Colt didn’t seem to mind. And as for various campaign strategists, they all but thought it made my father’s ticket a shoe-in for the win.

“Everyone loves a good love story to cheer for,” one of the campaign strategists had said when I inquired about whether the attention Colt and I were getting was appropriate for the campaign.

I could see her point, but I also hoped that none of it interfered with my law career, or Colt’s new job; he had just been offered a position at an Embassy downtown in DC.

I guess we would both find out soon enough though.

As for right now, however, it was simply time to celebrate our good fortune and get ready for the long campaign ahead of us. We all knew the real work was just beginning.

We smiled and waved, shaking hands with people who’d come to the bar in support of my father officially making the ticket.

Colt leaned down to whisper into my ear. “There’s your friend.”

I smiled, already knowing exactly who he was referring to. I turned to see Eden pushing through the crowd. Cameras flashed at her as she made her way over to us. We hugged and she kissed both of my cheeks.

That day at my father’s rally, I learned that she had spotted Colt in the crowd holding his sign when she arrived. When I realized that had been the reason for her unusual behavior and the secretive smile she had kept trying to hold back, all I could do was laugh. She had been right about needing a raincheck regarding whether we were going to hang out that night; Colt and I had spent that entire night in a hotel room, eating strawberries and using the whipped cream on each other’s bodies.