by Mj Fields
“Boys.” Mags’ stern voice shuts them the fuck up, and they all look down. “You all look very handsome in your tuxes, very grown up and mature. Could you possibly act that way, as well?” she continues.
A mixture of “Yes, ma’am’s” and “Yes. Mags” are whispered by them all.
I look at her, and she winks at me. I give her one right back.
Today, Mags is going to marry Phoenix and me. Not that the soon-to-be and last ever Mrs. Gage Falcon didn’t know we were all sorts of fucked up on each other from the beginning. We did. But Mags, she knew it was what we were both avoiding, and luckily, she gave it a softer touch in explaining to Phoenix, with words, that I was worth it, when I was just trying to fuck her so damn good she would never leave.
Mags is one of the main reasons Phoenix Star knew it was okay to fall for me, even when nothing was right. Nothing except her and Mags.
As the violins start to play, Mags smiles. “That’s our cue.”
We all follow Mags into the barn through the back door and take the stage.
Brand and Phoenix’s sisters, one on each side of him, arms linked through his, begin walking toward us.
I look at Garrett, and he looks back at me.
“Our little man looks like a million bucks,” Garrett whispers.
Our little man.
Finally, the sting is gone from what those words mean. Because, he truly is ours. Garrett’s son, my nephew—the titles mean shit. Blood is blood, love is love, and he, Brandon Falcon, is love.
And then, well, then he slows down.
“Aw, fuck,” Garrett whispers.
Brandon unlinks his arms from the very confused girls he’s walking with and pulls a flower out of his sleeve. When he starts walking to the right, I know—hell, we all know—where he’s heading.
“Excuse me,” he whispers to Josephina Steel as he makes his way toward her.
“At least he’s using his manners,” I whisper to Garrett, who chuckles.
“Excuse me,” he says as he walks past Josephina’s husband, Thomas. Then he’s standing in front of Bell Steel.
As he holds out the flower, she looks at her sister Kiki, who is scowling at her.
“Bell, I planted the friendship seeds. This grew. It’s yours,” he says, taking her unmoving hand and placing the stem in it.
The people gathered all make the “aw” sound.
Kiki snatches it out of Bell’s hand and glares at him. Brand looks shocked.
An audible gasp comes from our guests.
“Oh, hell,” Jase whispers. “Momma Joe, do something.”
Cyrus, Xavier, Zandor, and Garrett are chuckling, while Garrett and I are holding our damn breaths.
“Friendship doesn’t grow into flowers,” Kiki snaps at him.
“Does so,” Brand tells her.
“Does not,” she retorts, looking down at the flower.
Everyone is now giggling and chuckling.
“Brand,” Josephina says quietly, “you think we should continue?” She nods toward us.
He sighs and shrugs. “I suppose so, now that she ruined it.”
“Did not,” Kiki says a little louder.
“Brandon,” Josephina says quietly again.
“Yes,” he says, trying his damnedest not to be rude when he’s clearly pissed off.
She smiles and nods to us, and he sighs again before walking back out, looking behind him one last time.
“I’m not giving up,” he tells Bell.
“Game over.” Kiki sticks her tongue out then tosses the flower on the ground.
“There’s a whole garden, Kiki,” he hisses at her.
She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her body. “And there’re bugs.”
As the violins begin again, Brand and Phoenix’s sisters start walking down the aisle again, Brand looking annoyed this time and the girls looking confused.
When he gets up to us, Garrett grips his shoulder and leans down, whispering, “Not today, Brand. It’s Gage’s big day.”
Brand passes me an apologetic look, and I nod an okay.
One by one, the women start walking down the aisle, all in red dresses, none the same style. Phoenix wanted them all to pick what they liked best.
“They look pretty,” Brand whispers, taking my hand.
I look down at him and nod.
“Who are all these people?” he asks, pointing with his other hand out at the crowd.
“Friends,” I whisper.
He nods then looks toward Garrett. “There are more here than at yours and Mom’s.”
“Phoenix’s family has a lot more people in it,” I tell him, to which he looks back at me.
“So, they’re all …” Brand stops talking mid-sentence, and I look up.
“Christ,” I whisper, and Mags giggles.
Phoenix is in a red dress, not white, red, and it’s sexy as fuck. The bodice is form-fitting, silk, I think, with lots of sparkling stones. Just below her hips, it flows. Lots of fucking material. Seas of it, actually. She looks so ridiculously sexy I am getting hard.
Her lips match her dress, reminding me of fireball night at Carlin’s. Her hair is in loose curls, one side swept up slightly, the other hanging down.
As she walks toward me, her smile that started out as shy and fake, brightens, relaxes, and gets bigger.
When she stops in front of me, her father kisses her cheek then puts her hand in mine.
“Today, we celebrate love,” Mags says, her voice almost a song. “The love of a man, and the love of a woman. Neither searched for it, or sought it out. No, not these two. They fought it until love was bigger than even him, or the two combined.”
Phoenix is beaming as she looks up at me, and I am emotional as fuck.
She puts her hand on my cheek and smiles. I press my face into it and do my best to smile back.
“Their love is a combined storm that’s darkness has no choice but to give in to a love brighter than the sun.” She pauses, putting her hand on mine, the one holding Phoenix’s.
Mags’ hand, her voice, her words spoken for Phoenix and me to repeat our promises to one another, calms me. But Phoenix, she has the opposite effect.
I love her, fucking love her, and she needs to know just how fucking much.
When we are done with the vows, I look at Mags. “I have something to say.”
She nods. “I’m sure you do.”
I look at an almost stunned Phoenix and shake my head. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she says, tears now filling her beautiful brown eyes.
“Never thought it could be all-consuming like this. Never thought I would look at a little bit of a person like you and think, this one, this one’s the one who could crush me.”
“I never would.”
“I know that, but you could, squirt.” I correct myself, “You could have. Not now. Now, you’re mine, I’m yours, and I’m not a big believer in something bigger than oneself, but you, little bit of everything, are so much bigger than you even know. Together, we’re unstoppable. Forever, Phoenix, you and me, nothing less.”
“Forever, Gage, you and me, nothing less.”
I don’t wait to put a piece of metal on her finger. I wrap an arm around her, lift her up, and kiss those lips, because I didn’t get to last night, and now, well, now I’m never ever going to have to stop.
Mandee
I don’t think I have cried this hard out of happiness ever. My best friend is married to a man who is her soulmate. And someday, I will marry mine, and then we will be sisters.
“You have to stop.” She laughs as she hands me a tissue. “Pictures, we’re doing pictures.”
For her, I stop. And man, oh man, do we take pictures.
Her parents direct ever pose, and it seems like forever.
“Be right back. Gotta take care of something.” Grayson kisses the back of my head then walks out the door.
I see my father walking toward me with a cane. He’s in a tux, too, which
is shocking.
I look around as he approaches, hoping to get the photographer’s attention. I want a picture with my father in a tux and me in this dress that makes me feel beautiful.
When I look back at my father, he holds up a bouquet of red Gerber daisies.
“These are for you.”
“Aw.” I take them and hold them close to my nose, smelling them. “Thanks, Dad.” I give him a hug, and he hugs me back, tighter than usual and for a longer amount of time.
When I step back, he says, “You and I need to take a walk.”
But pictures,” I argue, looking behind me. “Wait, where did everyone go?”
By everyone, I mean the bridal party, the bride, heck, even Mags is missing.
I look out in the crowd and see the wait staff are handing out drinks and passing trays of food by each guest, none of which I know.
“Come with me,” Dad says, taking my hand.
I go with him, scanning the crowd to see if I might be able to see someone I know, to let them know my dad is the reason I will be missing from whatever is next.
When we walk outside, I keep looking, but I see nothing but a trail of buckets filled with red Gerber daisies. They are beautiful.
I was sure Phoenix was all about lilies, but apparently, she loves my favorite flower, too.
When we turn the corner around the barn, I see them all by the lake shore, everyone who was missing from the crowd.
“Dad, I think they’re taking pictures down here.”
“Well then, let’s you and I go see.” He smiles the biggest smile I have seen on his face in years.
I laugh, which makes him laugh, too.
“Well then, let’s go see,” I repeat his words, because they apparently make him laugh.
His smile falters a bit, and he suddenly looks … emotional.
“Dad, is everything okay?” I ask, wondering what the heck is going on with him.
“It’s a great day.” He nods. “A great day, Mandee.”
“Okay, then.” I step closer and wrap his arm around my shoulder, worried he may get tired. He’s just recently been able to use the cane after his accident.
He doesn’t even fight the help. In fact, he pulls me closer.
When we get closer, it’s like the parting of the Red Sea. The girls step left, the guys step right, and on the dock is Grayson, with his guitar.
As I look at him curiously, he smiles and says loudly, “Hey, Mandee Carlin.”
I smile back, wondering what I’m missing, and then he plays a few familiar chords.
“Hey, Grayson Falcon.” I laugh nervously, having no idea why, except everyone is looking at me.
Dad leans down and kisses the top of my head.
Then Grayson starts to play louder and sings, “There’s rice for throwing at a bride today, enough for two, if that’s okay. I know you like my stubble, so I didn’t shave. It’s the little things, but I just gotta say, hey, I think we’re doing this all right.”
As we walk closer, I feel butterflies in my belly when I see more and more red Gerber daisies filling buckets that line the dock.
“Yeah, I think I’ll make sure you know the truth. I’d do anything for me and you. It’s not drink or drug induced, it’s just us doing it right.”
I stop in front of him, tears falling as he continues to sing, looking just about as emotional as me.
“Well, it’s a great day to become my wife,” he sings, and I cover my mouth as I gasp.
“The sun, it’s shining, even when I close my eyes. No more hard times in this neighborhood. And I promise you every day will be just as good.”
When his voice cracks a little on the last note, I lunge at him, hugging him. I can’t stop myself.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you,” I whisper back, hugging him tighter.
“So, what do you say, Mandee? Let’s get hitched.”
I step back. “Right now?”
He nods.
“But, I don’t have a dress,” I say then laugh. “But I don’t care. Yes! Yes, let’s get hitched.” I hug him again, tears falling freely while I smile.
“You got a dress, sweetheart. Go let Phoenix help you in it.”
I step back and grab his face. “You bought me a dress?”
He shakes his head. “But I know this one will be exactly the one you want.”
“Let’s go,” Phoenix says, pulling me back as I try to kiss Grayson. “Now.”
I stand in front of the mirror, unable to stop the tears as I look at myself in my mother’s wedding dress. I was sure it wouldn’t fit, but it does, like a glove.
I hug myself and close my eyes, not caring one bit that the tears are falling harder and harder.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and look in the mirror.
“Daddy,” I sob, turning around to hug him.
“You look amazing, doodlebug, just like your mom did on our wedding day.”
Not wanting him to get upset, I pull back. “Is this too much? Do you want me to—”
“I want you to marry the man out there who you looked at the same way your mom looked at me. I want you to marry a man who looks at you the same way I looked at your mom. Mandee, I want you to live, and living without love”—he shakes his head—“it’s only half-living.”
He stands back and looks at me. “You look like a princess.”
“I feel like one,” I admit.
“Then let’s do this, because your soon-to-be husband said this is what you wanted, and that he’d be damned if he didn’t give it to you. Right now, the guests are occupied. Who knows how long that will last? So, let’s go.”
“Let’s.” I nod, smile, and cry. Hell, I do all of them at the same time.
Dad and I make our way down to the water, on a path lined with Gerber daisies. I’m wearing her dress, getting closer and closer to the man—no, the angel—she sent me.
She is here with me. She is everywhere. And Grayson Falcon, he did all that for me.
When we get to the dock, Dad places a kiss on my cheek. “Never wanted anything but the best for you, Mandee, and he’s it. Go marry that man.”
When he steps back, Phoenix rushes to me and hugs me tightly. She, too, is crying.
“I am so happy for you,” she says through her tears. “Go.” She laughs and steps back. “Go get married. Then get back here and hug me again.”
“Why does everyone keep saying go?” I laugh, and then I feel a hand take mine.
I turn and see Grayson.
“Come on,” he says, wiping away my tears.
I follow him down the dock and laugh when I see the floating dock, also full of daisies.
“Gray?”
He looks down.
“I don’t know how I will ever be able to thank you for this.”
“Loving me is thanks enough.”
We get to the end of the dock where Mags is standing in the middle of the floating dock. He helps me step across the space where the docks don’t quite touch.
“Grayson wants it to be just the two of you.” She smiles. “Seems it has been for years, but you both needed to get to a place where you could be open to what may be the most amazing story generations and generations of Falcons may hear. A song in the woods and a half-naked girl walking out of the lake.”
We all laugh, and then Grayson pulls me into his arms.
“Do you, Mandee, promise Grayson your full heart for the rest of your life?”
“I promise him everything—my heart, my soul, my everything—until the end of time, because death doesn’t mean love ends.”
“Oh, sweet girl, how right you are.” Mags’ eyes get misty as she looks at Grayson. “Do you promise the same to Mandee?’
“I promise her all that and a life filled with calming waters.” He squeezes my hand.
“You’re married.” Mags stretches out her arms and hugs us.
I hear cheers from the shore and smile.
Mags steps back then around us. I watc
h as my dad and Gail help her across the same way Grayson helped me. Then Grayson steps away from me and pushes the floating dock away from the other before walking toward me.
“You look so fucking beautiful, Mandee,” he says then squeezes his eyes shut before opening them. “You’re in white, you’re floating on the water, not under it, and you are Mrs. Grayson Falcon. I am so fucking blessed.
“We are blessed. We, Grayson, we.”
“We.”
He takes my hand and looks out over the water.
“What are we doing?” I whisper.
“Just floating, sweetheart, just floating.”
In his arms, I close my eyes, allowing the light movement of the water beneath us to do what it does, and breathe in...forever.
More Steel?
Why of course.
Do you remember, Valentina Segretti, Dominics sister from Ties of Steel?
Her body guard Franco, has a story of his own to tell.
Get it October 17th, exclusively in The Vault anthology. Then In February we are jumping ahead eight years. Do you know what that means?
Our Steel kids are coming of age! Look for more information on them coming soon.
A look at
Terzetto
Forward
Livorno, Italy
* * *
Prima
* * *
“Franco, come,” I hear Dominic yell to me from several rows away in his family’s vineyard here in Livorno.
I don’t answer him. I don’t answer anyone. I haven’t spoken in three years. Not since my sister died.
“You staying here?” Dominic asks.
I nod my response.
“You going to help your father?”
I nod again.
It isn’t true. He won’t question it, though.
My father and mother have worked for his family since before Dominic’s parents died four years ago, and before my sister died, since before I can even remember. My father is a businessman, and my mother is a secretary for the vineyards.