The skeleton of the house stood against the bright November sky, a maze of raw lumber and the sweet, sharp scent of sawdust. There were no walls yet, just the “bones” of our future. Large rectangular openings showed where our windows would eventually overlook the valley, and the subflooring creaked slightly under my boots as Austin led me into the space that would one day be our living room.

It was cold, the wind whistling through the open studs, but I didn’t feel it.

Stone was already there, standing near where the fireplace would be. He didn’t look like the lethal president of a motorcycle club today. He wore a simple black hoodie and jeans, holding a small leather-bound book and a manila envelope. Lex stood beside him, looking radiant in a thick sweater, clutching a bunch of wildflowers she must have raided from a roadside stand. Austin’s parents stood to the side, Sarah dabbing at her eyes while Gunner stood tall, a rare, soft smile on his face.

“You’re sure about this?” Stone asked as we walked up to him. His eyes flickered to me, then to Austin. “No fancy aisle? No music?”

“Just the ink, Cole,” Austin said, his hand sliding into mine, his grip firm and grounding.

There were no formal vows. We didn’t need them. Every moment of the last few months—the way stood amidst the wreckage of the kitchen, the way he held me through the nightmares, the way he’d looked at our son on the ultrasound screen—those were our vows.

Stone opened his book. He didn’t give a long speech about the sanctity of marriage. He knew us too well for that. He just looked at us, his voice dropping into a low, steady rumble that felt like a blessing.

“Austin, you’ve been my brother since we were old enough to walk. I’ve seen you look for peace in a lot of wrong places. I’m glad you finally found it.” He turned to me, his expression softening. “Addie, you’re a Miller now. That means you’re a Halo. You’ll never have to look over your shoulder again. We’ve got you. He’s got you.”

He skipped the “til death do us part” and the “in sickness and in health.” Instead, he looked at Austin and asked, “You taking her? For real? Forever?”

“Always,” Austin said, his voice echoing in the empty frame of our home.

“And you, Addie? You taking this stubborn bastard?”

I looked up at Austin. The man who had given me a reason to stop running. “Yes,” I said, my voice clear and sure. “Every single day.”

“Then by the authority given to me by a questionable website and the fact that I’m the President of this club,” Stone grinned, “sign the damn papers.”

We leaned over a makeshift table—a stack of plywood sheets—and signed our names. I watched the ink dry on the line next to mine: Adelina Miller.

“There,” Stone said, tucking the papers back into the envelope. “It’s done.”

Austin didn’t wait for a cue. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me flush against him, his mouth finding mine in a kiss that tasted like woodsmoke and fresh starts. Behind us, Lex let out a cheer, and I heard Sarah sobbing openly now as Gunner let out a boisterous laugh.

I rested my head on Austin’s chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart. We were standing in a house with no roof and no walls, but as I looked at the ring on my finger and the family surrounding us, I realized I had never been more protected.

The house would be built. The baby would come. But the home? The home was already finished.

__________________________

Author's note

First of all, THANK YOU so much for being here and reading my story. If you read Lex&Stone's story, then you probably know that this is my first time writing fiction. I absolutely love it, but I'm sure I make a lot of mistakes.

If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review. It helps more than you think ❤️

Stone, Riot, Neon and Ink’s stories are also complete and available on my page, and I’m currently publishing Doc’s story

I have some bonus chapters from Lex, Stone and Bruiser's perspectives - you can find them on my page in the book called "

Broken Halos MC: Bonus chapters

".

If you want to be up to date with what I'm working on and what my publishing schedule looks like, you're welcome to follow my page ❤️

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