Rhea stood over the stove with Evelyn at her side. The smell of her native cuisine hung in the air like a heavenly fog. I meandered to her side.
“Do you know what’s going on?” I asked.
“I was told Devin has an announcement he’s going to make,” she said. “That’s all I know. Herb said he wanted everyone he’s been working with to be here for dinner. I volunteered to cook at the last minute.”
“Where’s Devin?” I asked.
She stirred a boiling pot. “I think he’s in Miami.”
My heart sank into the pit of my stomach. “Miami?” I asked, nearly bringing myself to tears. “Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure,” she replied. “I heard Vinnie talking to Kate’s boyfriend. Why?”
“I was just…” I swallowed against the bile that rose into my throat. “Wondering.”
The thought of living without Devin was crippling. Just a day earlier, Britt had returned my money, along with a letter of apology admitting what he’d done wrong. I wanted to tell Devin in person but now wondered if it would even be possible.
Be it the spices in the air, the fact that Devin was with his MC, or that I didn’t have a single picture of us together, I’d never know. But I began to softly cry and had to excuse myself to the bathroom.
I stared in the mirror and wondered how I’d allowed myself to make such a mistake. No matter how many times I went over it in my head, I couldn’t force myself to believe anything I’d done should have been done differently. I had no regrets.
Only heartache.
After wiping my tears and fixing my makeup, I checked myself in the mirror. I looked like a blond raccoon. Frustrated that I’d be incapable of masquerading my sadness, I dabbed concealer under my eyes.
The wall-mounted mirror began to shake. The faucet followed. A horrendous thunder began to shake the floor beneath my feet.
The sky was clear when I showed up. It was only fitting that a hurricane would crop up out of nowhere and ruin the evening for everyone else.
I burst from the bathroom, certain the end was imminent.
The thunderous noise grew louder with each passing second. By the time I’d reached the living room, the entire group was gathered at the window, peering outside.
“What’s going on?” I asked, still standing in the hallway, petrified. “What’s happening?”
Vinnie stepped to the side, giving me a view of what they were gawking at. I wouldn’t have guessed it could get worse, but it did.
Instantly.
Motorcycles lined both sides of the street. Tattooed men in black vests dismounted their Harleys and hugged one another, slapped each other’s backs, and extinguished their cigarettes.
I watched with balled fists as dozens upon dozens of men filtered toward the door. In the middle of the crowd, one stood out above all the rest. I almost didn’t recognize him, as he was wearing his motorcycle gang’s leather vest.
Devin.
It was apparent his decision was made. Anger built within me until I shook.
The door opened. One by one, leather-clad bikers entered the home. The smell of cowhide, gasoline, and adrenaline wafted past me.
As soon as Devin cleared the doorway, I pushed my way through the crowd. When our eyes met, he looked away. If I learned nothing else from Devin, I learned to be myself. Biting my tongue wasn’t an option.
“Really?” I spat. “Really?”
Standing nervously beside two of his MC brethren, he pushed his hands into his pockets. Seeing the patches on the front of his vest—BONE and SERGEANT AT ARMS—made me want to vomit. The battle for his heart had been won, and it was clear I wasn’t the victor.
“Teddi, wait,” he said. “I can explain.”
“If you’ve got something to say, say it,” I snapped back. “I’m not interested in doing this.”
He pushed his way through the crowd. “Doing what?”
“These people. All these people.” My eyes welled with tears. “Is this necessary?”
He stepped in front of me. “I needed the men—”
“Fuck them,” I blurted. “What about me? I love you, Devin.”
Confusion washed over him. “I love you, too.”
“Then why?” I asked.
“Teddi—”
“Why?” I demanded, sputtering like a child. “Why all the people? Just to tell me you’re leaving?”
“Will you let me talk?”
I shot him a glare. “Talk.”
“I had an announcement to make,” he said nervously. “Like it or not, these men are my family. I wanted them to be here to—”
“Make it,” I demanded.
He gave me a look. “Excuse me?”
“Just say it,” I said, cocking my hip. “Have the guts to say it.”
“Right now?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and gave a nod. “Right fucking now,” I said, not bothering to wipe away the tear that trickled down my cheek.
“Tank!” he bellowed, turning his head to the side. “Front and center!”
Frank shoved his way through the crowd. Devin turned around and whispered something. Frank extended his clenched fist. Devin pounded his knuckles against Frank’s before facing me.
“I’m sorry for the confusion,” Devin said. “I haven’t been sick for the past few days. I’ve been busy getting things in order. A lot has happened. I’ve decided to make some changes.”
It was painfully obvious he was making changes. I needed to know exactly what they were. It was the only way I could come close to forgiving myself for falling head-over-heels for a man who was married to a motorcycle gang.
“What are they?” I asked.
“I’m turning in my kutte,” he said.
“I don’t know what that means.”
“I’m quitting the club,” he explained. “No more MC.”
The truth was miles from reality. My lips parted slightly. I wanted to apologize for my preconceived notions but couldn’t get my thick tongue to cooperate.
“I’m getting my Realtor’s license,” he continued. He reached behind his back. Smiling, Frank the Tank handed him something. Devin clasped his open palm over his clenched fist. “I’d like for you to answer a question.”
I mouthed the word okay.
“A life without you in it isn’t one I want to live.” He opened his hand. The ring from Dunkin’s Diamonds glistened in his flattened palm. “Will you end a lifetime of misery and agree to marry me?”
My knees buckled. While thirty onlookers waited for my response, I stumbled toward the bathroom like a drunken sailor.
Herb caught me before I tumbled to the floor. He held me upright. “Damn it, woman,” he said. “Say something.”
I’d waited a lifetime for the moment to arrive, and it was now before me. I swallowed a ball of nervous apprehension and met Devin’s curious gaze.
“Yes,” I said. “I will.”
Devin slipped the ring onto my finger. A nervous sigh escaped him. “I was beginning to wonder.”
“You’re not the only one,” Herb chimed.
Devin and I embraced in a kiss. When our lips parted, my tear-filled eyes scanned the crowd. Smiles, tears, laughter, and raised fists—many of which were covered with tattoos—filled the living room.