Sinners at the Altar

by Olivia Cunning

  Eric snatched the box out of Jace’s arms and headed in Rebekah’s direction. Her eyes widened, and she slipped back into the dressing room, pretending she hadn’t been eavesdropping.

  “Do you know how hard it is to hold a giant box while on a motorcycle?” Jace complained. “The wind kept catching it, and I almost wiped out three times.”

  “Not my fault you’re an idiot. You should have borrowed Aggie’s car.” Eric spoke just outside the dressing room door.

  “You didn’t tell me the thing was so fucking huge.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  A sudden knock on the door made Rebekah jump.

  “Yes?” Rebekah said, trying to sound nonchalant even though her heart was hammering out a rapid staccato.

  “I have something for you to try on.”

  “What is it?”

  “A dress.”

  “Where did you get it?” she asked.

  “Open the door.”

  “I’m in my underwear. Remember?”

  “Turn around, dude,” Eric said to Jace. “He’s not looking, Reb. Open the door.”

  She eased the door open. Eric beamed a smile at her, shoved the giant box into her arms, and then closed the door behind her. She set the box on the floor and stared down at it. The oversized box was shockingly familiar.

  “Eric?” she said, covering her lips with a trembling hand.

  “Does it make you happy?”

  “Eric? How did you get this?” She didn’t have to open it to know what was inside.

  “I asked your mom if she had something you could wear and sent Jace to your parents’ house to get it.”

  She gnawed on her lips, knowing those tears she’d just gotten under control were going to start falling again the second she glimpsed her mother’s wedding gown, which was undoubtedly nestled inside. She’d seen it a hundred times as a girl and had dreamed of getting married in a fairy-tale church wedding to a handsome prince in that beautiful sentimental dress. Well, the church would be a courthouse and her prince was a tattooed metal drummer with a crazy hairstyle and no manners, but this day was definitely her dream come true.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Hurry, baby,” he said. “We’re going to be late. Jace is being a slowpoke today.”

  “It’s a miracle I didn’t crash,” Jace said.

  She heard several thuds as a punching match ensued between the two friends.

  Rebekah lifted the lid from the box and pulled the dress out, shaking it and smoothing the wrinkles with her hands. Seeing it didn’t trigger the tears she’d expected; instead, her emotions took a completely unexpected trajectory. Rebekah beamed at the dress, her heart fluttering with joy, and hugged the garment to her chest. She put it on over her head and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked like a bride. Eric’s bride. She couldn’t help but smile even more broadly.

  “Perfect, perfect, perfect,” she said, hugging the loose bodice to her chest and doing a happy dance. She opened the dressing room door and crushed Jace in a huge and hasty hug for risking his life to bring the gown to her before grabbing Eric by the arm and tugging him into the dressing room. He stared at her with his mouth agape.

  “Oh my God, baby. You look amazing.”

  She touched her fingertips to her lips and nodded, too choked up to speak.

  “Did I do good?” he asked.

  She nodded again and tried to swallow her happiness. It settled somewhere over her heart and swelled in her breast.

  Her words came out all breathless as she forced them through the knot in her throat. “You did wonderful, Eric. I’m overjoyed that you did this, that you thought of this and made it happen. It never occurred to me to wear my mother’s dress today.” She touched his jaw. “This means so much to me. You mean so much to me.”

  He smiled, his eyes uncommonly shiny with moisture. “I’m glad,” he said, a breathless hitch in his own voice. “On both counts.”

  She pecked him on the lips and then turned her back to him. “Button me?”

  His fingers trembled against her skin as he fastened the long row of pearl buttons up the center of her back.

  “You two better hurry—Brian says they’re ready,” Jace called through the dressing room door.

  “Dude,” Eric yelled at Jace. “Shut up!”

  “Ready for what?” Rebekah asked, peering over her shoulder. “What are you up to, Eric Sticks?”

  “Nothing,” he said, working his way up the row of buttons more quickly.

  “Eric…”

  He huffed out a breath. “You made my birthday special for me, so I’m trying to make your wedding day special for you. Stop asking questions and deal with it.”

  She chuckled. “Consider it dealt with.”

  She stopped pestering him about his surprise, though her mind was racing with possibilities, and she held still so he could finish buttoning her gown. She watched him in the mirror, too enamored with the look of concentration on his face, and the devilish tongue pressed against his upper lip, to take note of her transformation into a bride. This was a far different scene from what they’d shared in this dressing room mirror the first time, but she felt even closer to him this time. Not sexually closer, but him helping her dress was infinitely intimate.

  “This thing is going to be hell to get off of you tonight, isn’t it?” he said as he finished up with the last few buttons.

  “I’m sure we’ll figure out a work-around.”

  “Done!” he said and tagged her bare shoulder before lifting both hands in a sign of victory.

  “A new record,” she said as she gathered the wide embroidered skirt in both hands to turn toward the door. The dress style was fairly simple. Her shoulders were bare except for the slender straps just thick enough to cover her bra straps. A band of satin several inches wide completely circled the dress at the level of her collar bones, continuing around her upper arms and back. The rest of the bodice was fitted to the waist, and the A-line skirt continued to the floor and trailed into a long train behind her. The only embellishments to the humble style were the pearl buttons at her back, the beautiful floral embroidery work that decorated the matte satin, and a delicate trim along the hem of the skirt and train. No lace. No bows. No ruffles. Just elegance

  Before she could turn the knob to exit the dressing room, Eric covered her hand with his.

  “Okay, time to get you back out of that dress.”

  “What? What’s wrong with it?” She smoothed her hand over the fabric looking for the tragic flaw she’d apparently missed. If he said it looked hideous, she’d likely pull a Cleopatra or a Juliet and end it all right then.

  “There is no way I’ll be able to concentrate on anything but my dick with you looking that beautiful.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief and slapped at him. “Stop goofing around, Eric Sticks.”

  “She thinks I’m joking,” he said to his reflection.

  She laughed and opened the dressing room door.

  Jace glanced up from his cellphone, and his jaw dropped.

  “Wow,” he said. “You look amazing.”

  Which earned him another unwanted hug from Rebekah and a thunk in the forehead from Eric.

  Eric glanced at the clock and went pale. “When did it get so late?”

  “When you were seeing the bride in her dress before the ceremony,” Jace said. “That’s bad luck, you know.”

  “I’m currently the luckiest motherfucker on the planet. I’m not worried about some lame superstition.”

  Jace blinked at him and shook his head. “Okay, that’s a first. First you deviate from your ‘dye your weird hair a different ugly color every forty-nine days’ routine, and now this?”

  “I always wondered why you dye it every forty-nine days,” Rebekah said. “Sixty-nine seems a more likely number for Eric Half-Porn-Star/Half-Rock-Star Sticks to base a superstition around.”

  Eric grinned, probably thinking of sixty-nines past.

  “While six
ty-nine might result in two people getting lucky, seven has always been my lucky number.”

  Rebekah’s brow furrowed. “There’s no seven in forty-nine,” she said.

  “There are seven sevens in forty-nine. Which makes it the luckiest number in existence.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m so surprised you’ve stopped caring about your luck,” Jace said.

  “I used my lifetime supply to win the girl,” Eric said. “Now that I have everything I want, I don’t need luck anymore.”

  Rebekah melted at his declaration. Jace gagged and pantomimed shoving his finger down his throat. Eric checked out the clock and grabbed Rebekah’s hand.

  “Is everyone there already?” Eric asked Jace as they raced toward the exit. “Thanks for letting us use your store!” he called to the proprietor on his way out the door. “We’ll come back again soon.”

  “Welcome to Malachi’s Cos…” the man murmured in his sleep.

  “You might want to empty out the trash in the dressing room,” Eric added. “Just saying.”

  Rebekah felt her face go warm as she thought about all those used tissues and wet wipes they’d placed in the trash.

  “They’re still waiting on Trey,” Jace said when they stepped outside. “But I think he’s on his way.”

  “Just how many people did you invite to our small private ceremony?” Rebekah asked. Not that she minded. She was just surprised. When had Eric even had time to invite them? Had that been why he’d slipped outside and spent twenty minutes on the phone? And kept annoying her by checking the damned device instead of giving her his undivided attention?

  “I invited only family,” he said.

  And since he had no real family to speak of, that meant his band. When she was on the road running Sinners’ soundboard, they were like her surrogate family too. She was glad Eric had invited them. The dress meant a lot to her, but it would mean even more if those she cared about got to see her wear it when she pledged to love Eric for the rest of her life. She hoped that would be a very long time.

  Chapter Three

  Eric opened the passenger door of his recently awesomified vintage Corvette and helped his beautiful bride get her dress into the car without catching it in the door. When he leaned over the open convertible top and kissed her forehead, she smiled up at him, her blue eyes twinkling with happiness.

  That look right there—he wanted to be the cause of that look on her face for the rest of his life. His heart swelled so big that he found it difficult to draw air. This woman meant everything to him and for those few horrible minutes while they’d been waiting for her biopsy result that morning, he’d thought he might have to figure out how to live without her. He wasn’t sure he’d have been able to do it. He was determined to fill every moment they spent together with joy and love because even if she lived to be a hundred and twenty, there still wouldn’t be enough time to show her how much she meant to him.

  “You’re looking particularly sappy at the moment,” Rebekah said. She reached up to tap his nose with her index finger.

  “Do you prefer my horny look? I’m sure I can find it if I stare at your cleavage for a couple of seconds.”

  She did look spectacular in her wedding dress. Her mother’s wedding dress, some cock-blocking synapse in his brain reminded him.

  She laughed. “Get in the car. I need to marry you now.”

  “Well, that’s not going to get rid of my sappy look. If anything, it’ll intensify it.”

  She took his hand and kissed his knuckles before pressing them against her cheek. “I’ll figure out a way to put up with it somehow,” she whispered.

  She released his hand, and he stole a quick kiss before climbing behind the wheel and starting the car. It roared to life with none of the knocking, glugging, or grinding it used to produce. Produce, that is, when he was actually able to get it started. “You’re a genius mechanic, baby,” he said, flashing a grin at his bride-to-be.

  “Are we going to work on my Camaro tonight?”

  Eric laughed. “Not unless we’re using the back seat for consummation purposes.”

  He pulled into traffic and drove to the courthouse, wondering if Rebekah would be okay with all the quick plans he’d made to make their day a bit more special. He knew women liked to plan these things, and he’d never heard of a groom making all the arrangements, but they weren’t a typical couple. Nope. He was sure they were much happier.

  Jace waited outside next to his motorcycle while Eric helped Rebekah out of the car and into the courthouse.

  “Isn’t he your witness?” Rebekah asked. “I should call my mom to let her know we’ve made it.”

  Her mom had miraculously agreed to be Rebekah’s witness, but she wouldn’t be meeting them here. They had somewhere else to go after they picked up their license, but he wasn’t going to tell Rebekah where. He wanted to surprise her. Even more so now that he’d seen how she’d reacted to her wedding gown surprise.

  “We have to get the license first,” he said. One of many things he’d learned when he’d called the courthouse late that morning. He’d also asked who could perform the ceremony. Which had started his mind churning on another way to make Rebekah’s wedding day more meaningful.

  People were grinning at Rebekah as she passed them in her wedding dress. They were probably wondering why she was with the tall goofy guy in jeans and a T-shirt. He hoped Trey was able to find the tuxedo in Eric’s closet. He’d worn it to the Grammy’s a couple of years ago and was pretty sure he still had it stuffed it in a box somewhere. Eric also hoped that the guy didn’t get distracted by something far more interesting than wedding attire on the way to his house.

  While he and Rebekah were waiting in line to get their license, Eric discreetly checked his text messages. He was glad he’d been able to keep Rebekah distracted with trying on costumes while others put together his preparations for him. It hadn’t been easy orchestrating things right under her nose.

  One text from Brian: Still waiting on Trey. Everyone else is here and ready to roll.

  One from his soon-to-be mother-in-law, Mrs. B: Thanks for making today special for her. I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you.

  One from Sed: Don’t you think I have better things to do on my day off than attend your wedding?

  Eric knew he was just messing with him, so didn’t take offense.

  One from his soon-to-be brother-in-law, Dave: If you ever break her heart, I’ll run over your balls with my wheelchair.

  Eric winced and shifted uncomfortably at the very idea.

  One from Rebekah’s ex-fiancé, Isaac: You didn’t have to invite me, but thanks. I’m glad she’s happy.

  And one from Jon: Sorry, can’t make it. But kiss her once for me.

  “You’re certainly popular today,” Rebekah said, craning her neck, trying to see who he was texting.

  He tucked his phone into his pocket. “Me?” He placed a hand on the small of her back and urged her closer, even though it buried his legs in her cumbersome skirt and made him feel off balance. “Everyone is looking at you today.”

  “I feel kind of dumb wearing this huge, fancy dress in the courthouse,” she said. The train was draped over one arm. She lifted the skirt in front and gave it a shake.

  “You shouldn’t feel dumb, you should feel beautiful,” he said. “Because you are.”

  When they reached the front of the line, they showed the clerk their IDs to have their marriage license prepared.

  “How do you want the names to read?”

  Eric froze. They hadn’t exactly discussed that. His birth name was Anderson, but his legal name was Sticks. Would she even want his name? He wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. He knew it was chosen-by-an-eighteen-year-old lame.

  “Rebekah Esther Sticks,” Rebekah said without hesitation.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Of course. Unless you think I should lose my horrible middle name while I have the chance?”

  “I was ref
erring to the last name.”

  “I definitely want that one,” she said, beaming up at him.

  He didn’t understand why her taking his chosen last name filled him with pride. “You’re the boss, Mrs. Sticks.”

  “Where do we go next? Is a judge performing our ceremony?” Rebekah asked.

  “Nope, not a judge,” he said.

  “A magistrate?”

  “Nope.”

  “Justice of the peace?”

  “Nope.”

  Rebekah’s brow crinkled. “Then who?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “You are certainly being mysterious today,” she said.

  “I’m always mysterious.”

  She laughed. “You’re never mysterious. Your openness is one of the things I love most about you.” She slid a hand up his neck, and there was no way he could resist that open invitation to indulge in a lengthy kiss.

  When he drew away, he cupped her cheek. “Sometimes surprises can be good things.”

  “I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me,” she said. “I’m sure it will be memorable.”

  She said memorable as if he’d hired a circus clown to spell out their vows in balloon letters and marry them on a trampoline. He grinned. She really was going to be surprised when she saw what a hopelessly traditional sap she’d agreed to marry.

  Marriage license in hand, he escorted her out of the courthouse and back to the car.

  “Um, where are we going?” she asked.

  He grinned at her, working hard at maintaining the mystery when all he wanted to do was tell her every little detail of his plan.

  “You’ll see,” he said.

  While they’d been inside, Jace had done his part and tied a collection of empty cans to the bumper of their car. He’d also attached a sign to the trunk that read, Almost Married.

  Rebekah giggled when she saw it and gave Jace another hug. This time he actually hugged her back.

  “I know today is all about making the bride happy,” Jace said quietly, “but take good care of that crazy man of yours. He’s sort of important to me.”