Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 103637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Mike blinked, his gaze turning away as he chewed on his lip, anchored by Arden’s fingers in his facial hair. The Jarens and Hellers were shouting in the background, still arguing some points despite the temporary truce, but Arden only saw Mike and the way his features relaxed.
“I know. But are you ready for this danger to always be there?”
Arden stroked the soft facial hair, pondering the question on a deeper level than just yes- because-I-love-you.
“I’ve been the little queer boy at school, I’ve dated and hooked up with men like Luke, and I live with the knowledge that someone might target me for being the way I am. Are you ready to live with that danger? Because for me being with you means more safety, not less.”
Mike swallowed and pulled himself up, dragging Arden with him. “Nobody in their right mind will touch you,” he said, leading Arden past the Smokeys waiting for the weird arranged date to end, to his bike. “I’d go after them, and fucking impale them on streetlamps,” he said, anger oozing out of his voice as he opened the saddlebag and pulled out a bundle of denim. He seemed strangely nervous when he unfolded it, revealing Leah’s old vest. Bleached denim. And those patches.
Property of Mad Mike.
“Be mine?” Mike asked, his voice as intense as his blue gaze in the bright sun above.
Arden’s lips spread into a smile, and he hadn’t realized when tears blurred his vision. “Always,” he whispered through the rock in his throat
Mike’s shoulders hunched in relief. “I can… like… get you a new one, if you want. Or we’ll add the club patches to this one.”
Arden shook his head and turned around, spreading his arms so Mike could put it on him. “This one’s perfect.”
His heart was so light he felt as if his feet might leave the ground at any second. He used to worry Mike saw him as second-best, but he no longer harbored such ignorant fears. By wearing Leah’s vest, he’d be honoring the memory of a girl who Mike once loved, and maybe this way he’d make the awful memory of her death a little less painful.
Mike’s presence behind him was enough to send a shiver down his back before they even touched. When the vest was in place and Mike hugged him from behind, he felt so utterly complete. As if in the moment that denim touched his shoulders he’d found his true home.
“My family staged an intervention. Can you believe that?” Mike asked, smiling against Arden’s neck while they faced the naked hills surrounding the only road leading to the compound.
Arden snorted, tickled pink that Mike’s family approved of him so much. “Guess you needed one, huh?” He lifted Mike’s hand to his lips and kissed the center of his palm where Mike would forever hold his heart. The vest was the symbol of Mike’s love and protection. Everything a boy could want.
Mike turned them around to face the others, and while the Jarens were still there, clearly not a hundred percent happy with the situation, Arden focused on the smiling faces of his new family.
Mike held his arm over Arden’s shoulders, and it was the sweetest weight, only emphasizing the fact that he now belonged with Mike, and everyone needed to acknowledge that undeniable fact. He grinned at the pearly nail polish on Mike’s fingers. Maybe they’d make that an ongoing thing. Something to mark Mike as his.
Rain patted Mike’s arm on the way to her own bike. “Axel’s staying with Dad to polish out the details.”
Mike’s mouth fell open. “Wait… he’s really interested in marrying her?”
Rain snorted, rolling her eyes. “I’ve got no idea what he said to her on that five-minute date, but they’ll be tying the knot.”
“I’m Mike’s property now,” Arden boasted to her in case she hadn’t noticed.
Rain straddled her Harley, snickering. “Get ready for the ride of your life then.”
A soft warmth filled Arden’s chest as he stood on his toes to kiss Mike. “Ride me as often as your bike?” he whispered with a wicked grin.
Epilogue – Mike
Mike didn’t think he’d ever say that, but the Jarens knew how to throw a party. He’d been full of doubts when Harlyn’s father insisted the bride’s family should always be the one to organize the wedding, but he was changing his mind fast.
The Jarens served a whole roast hog as the main meal, its meat more succulent than any Mike had ever tasted, and alcohol flowed freely as if it came from a bottomless well. Guests danced around a huge bonfire set up in the middle of the Jarens’ front yard while others sat on long benches in and out of the workshop, which had been converted into a wedding venue for the occasion. The wedding favor was a small plastic figurine depicting aliens as the bride and groom, and if that didn’t describe Axel and Harlyn’s relationship, he didn’t know what would.