diff --git a/demo/index.js b/demo/index.js
index 0466573..ad6894a 100644
--- a/demo/index.js
+++ b/demo/index.js
@@ -24,24 +24,29 @@ highway.route({
   path: '/',
   before: [
     { name: 'test-event', params: [1, 2, 3, 4] },
-    (state) => {
+    async () => {
       console.log('before middleware')
-      setTimeout(() => {
-        console.log('resolve before middleware')
-        state.resolve()
-      }, 2000)
+
+      return new Promise(resolve => {
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          console.log('resolve before middleware')
+          resolve()
+        }, 2000)
+      })
     }
   ],
-  action (state) {
+  async action () {
     console.log('home controller')
 
-    setTimeout(() => {
-      state.resolve('youhou!')
-    }, 2000)
+    return new Promise(resolve => {
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        resolve('youhou!')
+      }, 2000)
+    })
   },
   after: [
-    () => {
-      console.log('after middleware')
+    (state) => {
+      console.log(`after middleware`, state)
     }
   ]
 })
@@ -55,7 +60,6 @@ highway.route({
   action (state) {
     console.log(state)
     console.log(`user controller for user #${state.params.id}`)
-    state.resolve()
   }
 })
 
@@ -77,6 +81,5 @@ highway.route({
   path: '/action/query',
   action (state) {
     console.log('action query state', state)
-    state.resolve()
   }
 })
diff --git a/src/route.js b/src/route.js
index 5fd753a..0b4a053 100644
--- a/src/route.js
+++ b/src/route.js
@@ -68,43 +68,41 @@ Route.prototype = {
     const { name, path, action, before, after } = this.definition
 
     // Wrap the route action
-    return function actionWrapper (...args) {
+    return async function actionWrapper (...args) {
       // Convert args to object
       const params = urlComposer.params(path, args)
-
-      // Create promise for async handling of controller execution
-      return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-        // Trigger `before` events/middlewares
-        if (before) {
-          return trigger.exec({ name, events: before, params })
-            .then(
-              // Execute original route action passing route params and promise flow controls
-              () => Promise.resolve(
-                action({ resolve, reject, params, query: parseQuery() })
-              ),
-              () => reject(
-                new Error(`[ backbone-highway ] Route "${name}" was rejected by a "before" middleware`)
-              )
-            )
+      const query = parseQuery()
+
+      // Trigger `before` events/middlewares
+      if (before) {
+        try {
+          await trigger.exec({ name, events: before, params, query })
+        } catch (err) {
+          throw new Error(`[backbone-highway] Route "${name}" was rejected by a "before" middleware`)
         }
+      }
 
-        // Just execute action if no `before` events are declared
-        return Promise.resolve(
-          action({ resolve, reject, params, query: parseQuery() })
+      // Execute route action and get result
+      let result
+      try {
+        // Wrap action method in a `Promise.resolve()` in case action is not `async`
+        result = await Promise.resolve(
+          action({ params, query })
         )
-      })
-        // Wait for promise resolve
-        .then(result => {
-          // Trigger `after` events/middlewares
-          if (after) {
-            return trigger.exec({ name, events: after, params })
-          }
-
-          return true
-        }).catch(err => {
-          // TODO What should we do when the action is rejected
-          console.error('caught action error', err)
-        })
+      } catch (err) {
+        throw new Error(`[backbone-highway] Route "${name}" was rejected by "action"`)
+      }
+
+      // Trigger `before` events/middlewares
+      if (after) {
+        try {
+          await trigger.exec({ name, events: after, params, query, result })
+        } catch (err) {
+          throw new Error(`[backbone-higway] Route "${name}" was rejected by an "after" middleware`)
+        }
+      }
+
+      return true
     }
   },
 
@@ -113,6 +111,8 @@ Route.prototype = {
   }
 }
 
+// Parse query params from `window.location.search` and return an object
+// TODO move to `url-composer` or maybe use `query-string`
 function parseQuery () {
   const result = {}
   let query = window.location.search || ''
diff --git a/src/trigger.js b/src/trigger.js
index 61e31c6..93b4495 100644
--- a/src/trigger.js
+++ b/src/trigger.js
@@ -2,12 +2,10 @@ import _ from 'underscore'
 import store from './store'
 
 export default {
-  dispatch (evt, params) {
+  dispatch ({ evt, params, query, result }) {
     const { dispatcher } = store.get('options')
 
-    if (_.isString(evt)) {
-      evt = { name: evt }
-    }
+    if (_.isString(evt)) evt = { name: evt }
 
     if (!dispatcher) {
       throw new Error(`[ highway ] Event '${evt.name}' could not be triggered, missing dispatcher`)
@@ -15,31 +13,33 @@ export default {
 
     params = evt.params || params
 
-    console.log(`Trigger event ${evt.name}, params:`, params)
-
-    dispatcher.trigger(evt.name, { params })
+    dispatcher.trigger(evt.name, { params, query, result })
   },
 
   exec (options) {
-    let { name, events, params } = options
+    let { name, events, params, query, result } = options
 
     if (!_.isEmpty && !_.isArray(events)) {
       throw new Error(`[ highway ] Route events definition for ${name} needs to be an Array`)
     }
 
+    // Normalize events as an array
     if (!_.isArray(events)) events = [events]
 
     return Promise.all(
       _.map(events, (evt) => {
+        // Handle event as a function
         if (_.isFunction(evt)) {
-          return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-            evt({ resolve, reject, params })
-            return null
-          })
+          // Wrap in a promise in case `evt` is not async
+          return Promise.resolve(
+            evt({ params, query, result })
+          )
         }
 
-        this.dispatch(evt, params)
-        return Promise.resolve()
+        // Else dispatch event to
+        this.dispatch({ evt, params, query, result })
+
+        return true
       })
     )
   }
diff --git a/test/spec/highway.spec.js b/test/spec/highway.spec.js
index 755bd85..1fcbe13 100644
--- a/test/spec/highway.spec.js
+++ b/test/spec/highway.spec.js
@@ -1,32 +1,32 @@
-const assert = require('assert')
-// const defer = require('lodash/defer')
-const isFunction = require('lodash/isFunction')
-const isObject = require('lodash/isObject')
+import assert from 'assert'
+import { Events } from 'backbone'
+import { isFunction, isObject, isString, extend } from 'lodash'
 
-const highway = require('../../dist/backbone-highway')
+import highway from '../../src/index'
 
 const location = window.location
+const AppEvents = extend({}, Events)
 
 const definitions = {
   home: {
     name: 'home',
     path: '/',
-    action (state) {
-      return state.resolve()
+    async action (state) {
+      return true
     }
   },
   profile: {
     name: 'profile',
     path: '/users/:id',
-    action (state) {
-      return state.resolve(state.params.id)
+    async action (state) {
+      return state.params.id
     }
   },
   optional: {
     name: 'optional',
     path: '/optional(/path/:param)',
-    action (state) {
-      return state.resolve(state.params.param)
+    async action (state) {
+      return state.params.param
     }
   }
 }
@@ -76,7 +76,9 @@ describe('Backbone.Highway', () => {
   })
 
   it('should start the router using `start` method', () => {
-    highway.start()
+    highway.start({
+      dispatcher: AppEvents
+    })
   })
 
   it('should execute routes using the `go` method', () => {
@@ -151,11 +153,10 @@ describe('Backbone.Highway', () => {
     highway.route({
       name: 'test-action-query',
       path: '/test/action/query',
-      action (state) {
+      async action (state) {
         assert.ok(isObject(state.query))
         assert.equal(state.query.hello, 'world')
 
-        state.resolve()
         done()
       }
     })
@@ -164,4 +165,84 @@ describe('Backbone.Highway', () => {
       highway.go({ name: 'test-action-query', query: { hello: 'world' } })
     )
   })
+
+  it('should handle `before` events', (done) => {
+    highway.route({
+      name: 'before-events',
+      path: '/before/:data',
+      before: [
+        async ({ params }) => {
+          assert.equal(params.data, 'events')
+        }
+      ],
+      async action ({ params }) {
+        assert.equal(params.data, 'events')
+        done()
+      }
+    })
+
+    assert.ok(
+      highway.go({ name: 'before-events', params: { data: 'events' } })
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('should dispatch named `before` events', (done) => {
+    AppEvents.on('before-test-event', ({ params }) => {
+      assert.ok(isObject(params))
+      assert.equal(params.what, 'events')
+      done()
+    })
+
+    highway.route({
+      name: 'named-before-events',
+      path: '/named/before/test/:what',
+      before: [
+        'before-test-event'
+      ],
+      action () {}
+    })
+
+    assert.ok(
+      highway.go({ name: 'named-before-events', params: { what: 'events' } })
+    )
+
+    AppEvents.off('before-test-event')
+  })
+
+  it('should handle `after` events', (done) => {
+    highway.route({
+      name: 'after-events',
+      path: '/after/:data',
+      async action ({ params }) {
+        assert.equal(params.data, 'events')
+
+        return 'yeah'
+      },
+      after: [
+        async ({ params, result }) => {
+          assert.equal(params.data, 'events')
+          assert.equal(result, 'yeah')
+          done()
+        }
+      ]
+    })
+
+    assert.ok(
+      highway.go({ name: 'after-events', params: { data: 'events' } })
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('should execute 404 controller for missing routes', (done) => {
+    highway.route({
+      name: '404',
+      action ({ params }) {
+        assert.ok(isObject(params))
+        done()
+      }
+    })
+
+    assert.ok(
+      !highway.go({ name: 'some-random-inexisting-route' })
+    )
+  })
 })