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Driving into town, I gazed around at my new home. I was so excited and nervous for a new start. Yes, Bristol was much smaller than Blacksburg, where I’d lived my whole life, but I didn’t see that as a negative. I hoped being close to two-thirds smaller would mean it was a close-knit town where I’d find friends to last the rest of my life.

It wasn’t just my desire for a change and closeness that brought me here. It was something much more important. The one family member I was the closest to and missed so much—the one who always had my back, no matter what. Spotting the place I was looking for, I entered the lot and found a parking spot.

It was after lunchtime. I’d gotten a later start than I’d wanted. Even though it was only a two-hour drive, I’d hoped to be here no later than mid-morning. Despite the time, my destination was still doing a brisk business, if the parking lot was any indication. It wasn’t easy to find a spot.

Along with a bunch of cars and trucks in the lot, I saw there were several motorcycles. My heart sped up. I wondered if those belonged to the local motorcycle club, the Iron Punishers. I admit I was eager to meet them. I’d never met a real biker club. The closest I ever came was passing them on the road, reading about them in a book, or watching them on television.

Walking into the restaurant, I took in the feel of it. It was a diner, not a fancy restaurant, but often those could be the best kind. I knew this one, in particular, served terrific food. It had a homey feel, yet it was bright and cheerful and made you feel welcome. Scanning the busy place, I looked for a familiar face. I’d texted when I was about fifteen minutes out and was told to come here.

The rumble of voices was rather loud. My eyes landed on the bikers whose bikes were outside. They were seated toward the back. Just as I was checking them out, I heard my name half-squealed, which garnered attention and had heads turning. I smiled as I turned to be engulfed in a hug. She might be shorter than me, but she had a firm grip. I hugged her back.

“I’m so happy you’re here. I can’t tell you how excited we are that you decided to move here,” Annie gushed.

“And I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to move here to be close to you and Uncle Gareth, Annie,” I told her.

My new aunt was beaming up at me. I considered the day my uncle met her one of the best days of his life and mine. Annie was a sweetheart and had so much love to give. When she came to Blacksburg to take lessons from a CIA, Culinary Institute of America, trained chef, she had no idea that not only would she learn more about cooking and baking than she ever knew, but she’d meet a man she’d fall in love with and he’d do the same.

Gareth was a successful chef who had worked at some of the country’s top restaurants. He came up with the idea of providing classes to share his love of food with others. Annie ended up taking his classes because while she was a great cook, she always felt sort of like an impostor since she had no formal training. Both Gareth and I told her that was ridiculous. After taking the classes, she was finally satisfied with herself, so she stopped saying that.

When she let go of me, Annie began to lead me toward an open table. She waved off a waitress who I assumed was coming to seat me. “Is Gareth here?” I asked. I didn’t see him anywhere.

“He ran out for a minute, but he’ll be back any time. He’s so pumped to have you here, just as I am. You’ll see. It’ll be the best thing you ever did.” She gave me an empathetic look. Both of them knew what I had to deal with back in Blacksburg.

We sat at the table. “How was your drive? Did you have trouble getting away? You were planning to get here earlier. I was worried,” Annie said, frowning.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle. I got hit with more questions and remarks, wondering what had gotten into me and why I was doing something so stupid—the usual. Let’s not talk about that. I want to forget the stupid stuff and embrace settling into my new home and life. Are you and Gareth sure it’s okay to stay with you? I can rent a place until I’m ready to buy. In the meantime, I can stay at a hotel as long as storing my stuff at your place is fine,” I offered again.

“You’d better not ask again. We love the idea of you staying with us until you get fully settled in, and there’s no rush. We have room. You’ll have enough on your hands to begin with without adding searching for a place to rent on top of it. Stay as long as you want,” she assured me.

I squeezed her hand and gave her a grateful smile when her eyes shifted, and a soft, loving look came across her face. Without turning, I knew who was coming up behind me. Moments later, I was proven right when Gareth hauled me out of my chair and into a bear hug. He kissed my cheek as he hugged and gently rocked me.

“I’m so damn happy to see you, honey. It’s been too long,” he whispered in my ear. I embraced him back.

“It has been a month, Gareth. You act like it’s been years. Surely, you haven’t missed me that much,” I teased.

He eased back and gave me a reproachful frown. “You know more than a few days is too much. Now, sit and spill. How did it go? Any problems? Have you had lunch?” He glanced around and held out my chair for me. I sank back down.

Just as he sat beside me, a different waitress from the one I saw when I entered rushed over to us. Her nametag read Bonnie . “What can I get you, Annie?” she asked breathlessly.

“Well, first, you can stay in your designated area and stop bothering the Punishers. They aren’t in your section. Second, you should be at a table in less than five minutes to offer the customers something to drink. If you can’t make it, then you need to ask someone else to do it,” Annie reprimanded her.

Bonnie’s mutinous expression didn’t bode well for her. If she pushed, Annie would send her packing. I knew my new aunt well enough to know that. Annie was dedicated to her diner and expected those who worked there to be their best. Bonnie kept her mouth shut while we gave her our drink orders. After she walked away, Annie sighed.

“I swear, I’m going to have to let her go. She won’t stop with the flirting, especially whenever one of the Punisher guys is in here. After Lash claimed Troian, I thought she’d stop, but no, she just chases the other single ones. And if it isn’t one of them, then any moderately nice-looking man who comes in here is her target. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter if they have a woman with them. I swear to God, she has sex on the brain,” Annie muttered darkly.

Gareth laughed. “Sweetheart, just get it over with. She drives you crazy, and she’s not the best waitress anyway. Working short would be less aggravation than putting up with her.”

Annie sat there silently for a minute before she nodded and replied to his suggestion. “You’re right. I don’t need this. I’ll let her go and place an ad tomorrow. Hopefully, we won’t work short too long.”

“If you need help, I can fill in if you want. I’ve waitressed plenty of times. I won’t be working right off the bat on my stuff anyway, so I’ll have plenty of time to fill,” I offered.

“You’d do that? I mean, you went to college and have a degree. You’re starting your own business here. I don’t want you to work a job beneath you or interfere with opening your studio.”

“It won’t. I have to find a place first, and then, depending on whether it needs repairs or not, it could take months before I’m up and running. I’m happy to help. And it’s not beneath me,” I assured her.

“She does a helluva job, too. I’m not just saying that because she’s my niece. During those years, while she cared for Grandma, she worked waiting tables and did various other things. God knows neither Carrie nor the others helped,” he said with a sneer. “I wish I’d been around and knew how hard Haven was working while they sat on their asses.”

“It’s not your fault. You lived clear on the other side of the country. They kept you in the dark about what was happening,” I reminded him as I leaned over and side-hugged my upset-looking uncle.

I hated that he felt guilty about it. Grandma was my great-grandma, and my mom, Carrie, was his sister. While Gareth lived all those years in different parts of the country, Mom lied and told him that she, my cousin Jubilee, my aunt Ursula, and I were caring for Grandma. Jubilee was Uncle Judd’s daughter, and Ursula was his wife. Judd left the care of Grandma to the women. The truth was, I was the only one who took care of her. The rest flitted around, living their lives. Jubilee partied, dated, and went to college.

I never regretted the years I spent caring for Grandma. I loved her dearly and was happy to do it. She and I were close, and it was due to her that I could make this move and follow my dream.

I was distracted from our cuddle by the sound of several hard steps coming closer. I lifted my head and glanced behind Annie. I gulped as a wall of men in leather and denim came to a standstill at the back of her. I was trying not to be noticeable about examining them, but I’d have to be dead not to. Five bikers stood there in all their masculine glory. Some had beards, while others didn’t. They all had tattoos peppering their tan, muscular arms. Annie turned to face them.

“About time you got your asses over here. I have someone to introduce you to,” Annie snipped.

They were all over six feet tall and muscular. One guy with close-cropped dark brown hair, a trimmed beard and mustache, and a broad chest laughed as he shook his head. “Annie, I swear. I thought married life would make you sweeter. Gareth, you need to work on that, man. Sweeten her ass up. Well, we’re here, so introduce us to your guest, or do you want to bitch some more?”

My eyes widened, but all Annie did was scowl and then burst out laughing. “I swear, I don’t know why I put up with you,” she grumbled.

“Because you love us,” the lead guy said back.

“Maybe. Or maybe I have a screw loose and need my head examined. Now, behave so I can introduce Haven. She’s Gareth’s niece, and she just moved here from Blacksburg. Haven, this bunch of miscreants are part of the Iron Punishers MC. This ingrate is Reaper. He’s their president. Maniac is their VP. Spawn is their secretary and tech guy. These last two are Ink and Lash.” As she introduced each one, she pointed to them, even though I saw their names on their vests.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Gareth and Annie have mentioned you before,” I replied, holding out my hand. I wasn’t sure if I should shake hands or not. Each of them shook it and smiled.

“It’s great to meet you. I had no idea you had family moving here, Gareth,” Reaper said.

“Only Haven. Believe me, we don’t want the rest. She’s the only keeper in the bunch.”

“Hell, you aren’t the only one with that kind of family,” Maniac said with a chuckle.

“Make sure you bring her on Saturday. The others will want to meet her, and you know the old ladies will want to get to know her,” Ink added.

They were standing there chatting when Bonnie came back. She gave them flirtatious looks as she handed us our drinks and took our orders, but they ignored her.

After she walked off, Lash sighed. “I swear to God, she never stops.”

“Well, you know why she does it with you, but I have good news. Today will be the last time you put up with her here. I’m firing her ass and finding someone new. Haven has agreed to help me out until we fill Bonnie’s spot. I’m tired of her shit with the customers,” Annie told them quietly.

“Damn, that means I can bring Troian in here and not just on Bonnie’s days off. The last time we came, and she was here, Troian said if she catches her making eyes at me again, she was beating her into a coma,” Lash said, smirking.

“She would, too. She pisses off all our old ladies. Good luck on the hunt. And thank you for stepping in to help her out, Haven. I hate to run, but I’ve got to get back to work. See you on Saturday. Welcome to Bristol, Haven,” Spawn announced.

“Yeah, so do we. Welcome, and we’ll see you then,” Reaper said. They all gave us a chin lift and then left.

“Wow, they were intense,” I whispered.

“They are. Don’t get any ideas about those five. They’re all taken, not just Lash,” Annie warned.

“Hey, you won’t have any issues with me. I promise not to chase your friends or customers, even if they are single. But their wives have to be used to them being admired. They’re far from ugly, and those leather vests, chains, and tats are sexy.”

“They are. And just FYI, those vests are called cuts,” Annie informed me at the same time as Gareth protested.

“Hey, I don’t want to hear you say someone is sexy. You’re still a ten-year-old in my mind. You’ll be a virgin until I die,” he told me.

I snickered. “Keep telling yourself that, Gareth. I hate to tell you that I lost my virginity—” He cut me off with a hand over my mouth. I giggled behind it and winked at Annie, who was laughing. It was going to be wonderful living here.

Looking around my temporary home, I ensured everything was put away. After leaving the diner this afternoon, I drove to Annie and Gareth’s house and got to work on unloading and unpacking my things. Uncle Gareth came with me and insisted on doing the heavy lifting. There wasn’t a whole lot. Mostly, it was boxes I brought with me in my car. The remainder of my belongings will be here in a few days. They’d be stored in the garage until I found my own place.

Sinking back on my bed, I sighed. I’d only been here a few hours and already felt lighter. It was as if a weight had been lifted off me. The softness of the bed beckoned me to get under the covers and go to sleep. A soft knock on my bedroom door made me sit up as I said, “Come in.”

Annie walked in and shut the door behind her. “Is everything alright?” I asked, concerned.

“With us, great. I came to see if it was with you. I know you try not to say things about Blacksburg and the family in front of your uncle. You don’t want him to feel bad. I want you to know that you can vent to me. And if you do it with me, I won’t automatically jump in to fix it.”

I grinned. “Someone who understands. Don’t get me wrong. I love Gareth and the fact he wants to help, but I don’t need him to fix things for me. He doesn’t owe me anything for caring for Grandma, either. His regret over not being there and not knowing what Mom, Jubilee, and the rest were like isn’t on him. He had a right to pursue his dreams and live his life. Grandma wouldn’t have wanted him to stop that. You didn’t see Judd or Aunt Ursula doing it, and they lived right there.”

“True. Yet, he still does feel bad about it. As for the rest of them, they’re a piece of work. I don’t know how you and Gareth are related to them. And for them to get all bent that when she died, she left the bulk of her money to you, burns their asses, and makes your uncle and I want to laugh. The way they’ve carried on about being left out of the will and you and Gareth getting most of it pisses me off. He paid for many things to be done for your grandma, even though she had money. The others didn’t. From what you said, all they ever did was come around with their hands out. They don’t deserve anything more. You’re free, and we want you to enjoy your freedom. You need to live and have fun.”

I reached over and hugged her. “The smartest thing my uncle ever did was marry you.”

“I know,” she said with a wink. This remark set us both off laughing. When we regained control, she changed the subject.

“Is there anything you need in here? If so, just let me know.”

“I’m good to go. The rest of my stuff will be here on Thursday. I brought the items I knew I’d need before then with me. When do you need me to start picking up shifts?”

She’d announced when she got home that she’d let Bonnie go. According to Annie, Bonnie hadn’t exited gracefully. She was loud and obnoxious.

“Not until next week. I want to give the others a chance to pick up extra shifts if they want. I hope that’s alright.”

“It’s your diner, and of course it is. I’m doing it to help you, not for money. If the others want overtime, I say let them. I bet most have families to care for.”

“They do. You aren’t expecting to do it for free, are you?”

“Ah, yeah. Why would I have you pay me when you’re letting me live here for nothing? Which, by the way, my offer to pay is still on the table.” When they asked me to live with them, they refused my offer to pay rent.

“Haven! There’s no way we’re taking your money, so forget it. And if you work, you get paid. If you don’t want the cash, then give it away. I don’t want to hear another peep about paying in either instance. I have something better to talk about unless you want to talk shit about the rest of your family.”

“No, I’d rather forget them. So, what is it you want to talk about?” I asked, giggling at her wagging her eyebrows at me.

“Saturday. You’re coming with us to the compound. You must meet the other Punishers and their women. Oh, and they have five kids and two more on the way. Wait until you meet them. You like kids, don’t you?” she quizzed excitedly.

“I do like kids. Are you sure they’ll be alright with a stranger coming? I know they asked, but…” I let my voice peter off.

“They wouldn’t have asked if they didn’t want you there. It’s not uncommon for them to have friends and new acquaintances come to this kind of get-together. It’s how I introduced your uncle to them.”

“I know. Gareth told me how you two shocked them with your engagement announcement. Why didn’t you tell them you were dating him?” I’d wondered but hadn’t dared ask before this.

She sighed. “It wasn’t because of anything your uncle did or didn’t do, I assure you. It was all me. I hadn’t seriously dated anyone in years. Most of my dates were a handful, and then I’d find a reason not to go out with the guys anymore. I told you I was married when I was young, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience.” She paused, and I nodded. She shared some information about her nightmare of an ex-husband with me. I had no doubt there was much more she hadn’t shared.

“Well, over time, I kept building walls to prevent anyone from hurting me again. Oh, I was friends with the club and a few others, but never anything romantic. When I first met Gareth, he attracted me instantly, which scared me. I wouldn’t have kept coming to those classes if I hadn’t wanted to learn from him so much. As time passed, he kept asking me to go out, and I kept saying no.”

“He told me he wasn’t stopping until you at least said yes to one date or called the cops on him,” I told her.

She giggled. “He told me the same thing. After I said yes, I had no intention of saying yes again, except I found myself doing it. The next thing I knew, we were dating, and then there was more. By then, I didn’t want anything to mess it up.”

“And you thought they would. Why?”

“The guys are super protective, and I’ve known them for years. I’ve known Reaper and his younger sister, Harper, since they were kids. His aunt and I were best friends. He’s like a younger brother to me. I didn’t want them to say or do anything to scare your uncle off. Looking back, I know it was unfair to them and Gareth. I regret it. I know that nothing could’ve possibly frightened him away, but it was just me being crazy. I know it hurt them all, and I’m working to make up for that.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t have someone in all those years. You’re wonderful.”

“Thank you for saying that, although I’m far from it. I was waiting for the right person, and now I have him.”

“Eww, you two are so lovey-dovey. It’s kind of sickening, you know,” I teased.

“You wait until you find someone. I’ll remind you of this conversation, and we’ll see how sickening you are.” She lightly shoved me.

“We’ll see. Okay, I’ll come with you on Saturday. Honestly, I’m dying to see a bikers’ compound.”

We laughed, talked, and teased for an hour before she said she was heading to bed. I didn’t object. I was tired and looking forward to a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.