by Cari Quinn
Mal took them and tested their weight in his hand. “Thanks, man. Why isn’t he in here instead of some other unnecessary people?” He arched a brow at Nick, who shrugged, clearly unrepentant.
Sometimes the dude was even amusing in his rudeness. Today was not one of those days.
“Someone had to corral the guests in the living room. Laverne and Fred to the rescue. Here, let me help you with these. You seem a little…on edge.” When he flashed his younger brother a death glare, Michael quickly ducked his head to help Mal with the cuff links. “Gotta say I’m impressed how you pulled all this off on such short notice.”
“It helped having a venue in place. And having Li.” He shook his head, still a little mystified about how she worked her magic—and so fast and competently too. “It’s like the world lives to do her bidding.”
“No, that’s just Nicholas.” Lila tossed a smile over her shoulder and Nick smirked.
“Seriously, though.” Mal cleared his throat and let Michael do the heavy lifting with his cuffs while he struggled to find the words he never seemed to have. “I couldn’t have done this without you. And while I might’ve liked to have only a few important people here, she would’ve hated it. Not now, but when she looked back, she would’ve remembered all the faces who weren’t here. You made this happen for her. Thank you.”
Lila didn’t respond for a moment then she sniffled and eased around Michael to pat Mal’s cheek. “Don’t make me ruin my mascara. You’re welcome, but it wasn’t just me. You did a lot. Especially for you.”
“Funny.” But he had to smile because hey, truth.
“I love her. And I love you.” She returned his smile and one of the locks inside his gut gave way. That last bit of reserve in her direction, the final link to the angry, confused kid who fought back so he didn’t get run over. Or left behind.
Chain broken.
“I—” He bowed his head and shut his eyes. “I’m trying, Li.”
“I know you are. That’s more than I ever expected. Let me handle this, Michael. You’re as thick-fingered as Mal is.” She nudged his brother out of the way and took over on his second cuff. A second later, it was perfectly in place and she stepped back triumphantly. “One of my little known talents.”
Mal drew her into a hard hug and felt her surprise in every line of her body. Then she relaxed into the embrace and hugged him back just as strongly. “You’re going to do just fine,” she whispered. “Understand me? This is a beginning. A beautiful one. You’re not your parents, Malachi. You won’t make their mistakes.”
When she stepped back, he couldn’t be certain her eyes were the only ones that were wet.
Michael clapped him on the back. “Damn straight we aren’t our parents.”
Mal nodded and blew out a breath. “Would you guys mind giving me a few? I think I’m about to be shitty company.”
“She’ll be here. You know she will. She just has a heart the size of the world so we knew she’d be just about the last to leave the party. Why this plan was so genius. You barely even had to ask Lindsey and James to keep her busy.”
“I barely had to because they weren’t much interested in letting me talk.”
Michael laughed and pulled out his vibrating phone. “They’re a pair, aren’t they? No wonder Brooklyn Dawn is such a force to reckon with.”
“Teagan’s the one who held her up. That chick is a disaster waiting to happen.” But she was one of Ricki’s oldest friends and seemed to really care about her, so he liked her well enough.
Just whoa, what was it about redheaded women?
“Teagan just texted me that Elle left a little bit ago. Evidently, she fell off a piano bench and bumped her head when she was trying to create a diversion to clear the banquet hall. She’s on her way too.” Michael rubbed his chin. “Noah McManus is driving her. Hmm.”
Mal shook his head. “Need I say more about that girl? I think not.”
“Even so, look, good news. No divorce before the ceremony.”
“Get out.”
Michael grinned. “Aww, there’s the grouchy Mal we all know and love. He’s not a completely new person after being struck by Cupid.”
“I’ll pull this arrow out of my ass and kick yours. Now scram.”
Lila took Michael’s arm and tugged him with her. “Come on. We’ll go see if we can find those rowdy children of ours.”
Michael grinned. “You mean the ones who will never go to bed on time ever again after the lateness of this shindig?”
“Indeed.” They headed toward the bedroom door.
Mal glanced at Nick, who was still sprawled on the chaise as if all he needed was popcorn to watch the show. “You forgot someone,” he said pointedly.
“No, he requested this moment alone with you.” Lila gave him a sympathetic glance. “Remember, his bite hurts, but his bark is just entertainment.” She pulled the door shut behind them, closing Mal in with his interrogator.
Lord help him.
“I’m really not in the space for a lecture, and besides, you covered that when I told you I was going to propose. So let’s just—”
“Told me? I do believe you came to me and Li and wanted our blessing. Very gentlemanly of you. I was impressed, gotta say. But then you’re tight with Fred and Laverne, so they brought you up right.” Nick leaned forward and rotated his neck as if he was gearing up for a fight. “Me? I’m from the slums. Born and raised. I stumbled into figuring out I should go to Fred to ask for Li’s hand. I was shaking in my damn boots the entire time.”
Mal crossed his arms and waited.
“So, yeah, under my dick shell, I know I shouldn’t fuck with you. And yet, she’s my sister. My fucking twin. If I had another heart, it’s in her body.” His eyes gleamed as he met Mal’s gaze. “If fucking with you ensures you know what you’re getting into with our family, it’s worth it. Because hear this, brother—once you’re in? You ain’t getting out again unless it’s in a pine box.”
“Exactly what kind of family we talking about here?”
“You know full well. We take our bonds seriously. That said, I know you love my sister. No matter what kind of shit I dish out at you, you stand and take it. You’re a good dude, even if going bald as a fashion choice lost popularity in the Telly Savales era.”
“Tell Vin Diesel that.”
Christ, did he really just say that? Mal rubbed his brow. He needed to get married fast before this love plague infested his entire personality and turned him into a man who bought Hallmark cards “just because.”
“I’d rather not. You’re sure she’s not knocked up?”
“Considering my dad apparently harassed her about getting a prenuptial agreement and asked if she was knocked up and she said hell, no, I’m going to say that’s a no.”
“Okay. Just don’t screw around on that end of things. She’s not a flake like our mom was. She wants to dote on her kids, and it’d be nice if she didn’t have a full set of false teeth when she finally had one.”
“Not sure the reproductive cycle lasts quite that long, but thanks for the tip. Also, do you realize that you just gave me crap about knocking her up and also about getting her pregnant asap in virtually the same breath?”
Nick cocked his head. “Martin is a fucking dick. He put Li through hell. Do you honestly wonder why I didn’t like you from the get?”
Mal didn’t even have to think about it. “No. I don’t. Because if I’d been you, I wouldn’t have liked me either. Also, the lack of hair is obviously an issue for you.”
He touched his own shoulder-length hair. “My locks aren’t quite as flowing as Simon’s, but I’ve been known to get my share of praise. Don’t be a hater, son.”
“I’ll try not to. By the way? If you ever try to call me son for real, I’ll have to lay you out. It never quite worked with Lila either.” Until recently. Funny how he didn’t mind that kind of term of endearment now, when he’d never had any use for it as a kid.
“Lila thinks you’re a good guy.”
Mal had to snort at that one. “Yeah, that’s now. Maybe. A few years ago? Not so much.”
“Oh, yeah? You think she’d send just some random dude in after my sister back when she was with that asshole ex of hers?”
Mal stared at the floor.
“She was right about you. You’d die for my sister. No second thoughts.”
Mal didn’t reply. What was there to say? Anyone who knew him knew that was true.
Nick rose. “That’s all I need to know. Other than a reminder if you ever fuck around on her, I will bring you pain you can’t even fathom in that bald dome.”
Somehow Mal managed not to laugh. “You would certainly try.”
“Yeah, yeah, none of you know the power in these fists. I’ll see you downstairs.” He held up his phone as the screen lit up. “Your bride has arrived, Telly.”
Mal dipped his hands in his pockets and clenched the ring box he’d refused to give up. No, he was not passing it to Mike to pass back to him. Screw that. He’d carry his own damn rings.
Sweet Christ, she was here.
She was finally here.
“I’ll be right down.”
“You better. Don’t keep her waiting or I’ll—”
“Kick my ass, make me learn to love pain, cry over the day I ever met you. That cover it?”
Nick shocked the hell out of him by laughing. “You’re all right, Shawcross.” The door shut softly behind him.
Mal sagged onto the chaise Nick had vacated and dropped his head in his hands. He took a few deep breaths and took out the vows he’d scribbled in pencil on a scrap of composition paper from one of Ricki’s many song books. His palms were so damp the words were beginning to blur.
Luckily, he knew them mostly by heart. There weren’t many. He wasn’t a guy to compose sonnets. But he was one who had changed miles because she loved him.
She loved him, and everything was different now.
His phone went off in his pocket and he dragged it out, grinning at the text she’d sent him.
Sorry I was late, but if u stand me up, remember I have pix of u in very compromising positions.
He sent back a quick reply.
I thought it was video?
She answered almost immediately.
I’m no dummy. I took both.
Her follow-up text was a slew of emojis that ended with about five eggplants. He laughed out loud and just like that, the nerves twisting up his gut dissolved.
What the hell was he freaking out about? He loved her. She loved him. These people were his friends and family. He cared about most of them and had learned to tolerate the rest.
This was cake.
After a quick stop to take care of business in the bathroom, he headed downstairs, following the voices into the front hall. His niece and nephew were cavorting with Nick’s and Lila’s daughters, all of them running in some kind of manic sugar-induced circle that meant tears were sure to follow. Chloe was trying to calm them down, mostly unsuccessfully.
In the living room, he glimpsed most of the members of their band and Oblivion and Brooklyn Dawn to boot, along with a few Ripper Records execs and random friends and family.
Quite a turnout on such short notice and for a midnight wedding to boot. Such was the power of Lila Ronson Crandall.
Mal stopped dead as Lord Lewis stepped out of the living room and smiled. “Big night, Malachi.”
Mal grunted something that passed for “hello,” then possibly “thank you for coming.” And fled down the long hall and out the back door that led to the patio and the beach beyond.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw her.
She wasn’t wearing white. Of course not. How could he ever have thought she’d go traditional? Instead, she was wearing a long column of red that clung to her from breasts to hips and then draped to her toes. She was barefoot, which he knew for certain even without being able to see her toes from this far away. Her long, windswept blond hair hung loosely down her back, dancing in the breeze, and she had some flower-type thing on her head. A circlet, he thought they were called. No veil. Nothing to hide her face from him for even a second.
“Jesus Christ, you’re not supposed to see her. Even I know that.” Nick yanked him back inside hard by the arm and shouted to someone unseen to cue the fucking wedding march.
Guess it was time to get married.
Twenty-Two
Happy wedding night to me.
Oh, how perfect it was already.
Moonlight glowed over the gentle rolling waves and Elle smiled into the darkness as she rubbed the stiffness out of the arm she’d injured last fall. It rarely bothered her anymore. Odd that it had chosen now to kick in, but maybe this would be its last hurrah before leaving her in peace.
Like so much else was leaving her now.
Not the guilt or the pain from last year. They would never truly recede. But the fear of losing Mal, the worries she would never be linked with her band in the same way again, the feeling she wasn’t strong enough to become the person she most wanted to be—all that seemed very far away right now.
She was loved, and love was all she had ever wanted.
Her fondest wish come true.
A soft breeze skimmed over her as she waited for Nick to come collect her for the walk down the “aisle”—an unrolled length of red carpet that looked like it belonged at the Emmys telecast. Tiki torches lined the way. A possible fire hazard, but she had to assume Lila had the fire department on standby. She left no stone unturned. And c’mon, this was clearly her handiwork. She loved Mal, but he was about as much the guy capable of putting something on this scale together as she was the kind of woman not to try to see what all was going on in Michael and Chloe’s house.
She hadn’t even been allowed inside, for God’s sake. They’d made her change in the pool cabana, which had the worst lighting known to man. Then she’d been herded back to the patio where she’d been instructed to wait until called.
The back door had opened for a fraction of a second and she’d thought she glimpsed Mal, but then the door slammed shut behind him and the wedding march had started. A moment later, people started pouring out of the house to gather on both sides of the red carpet aisle. It was far too dark to make out who was who, other than the occasional vivid glimpse of blond hair—Molly—or a loud laugh that could only be Lo.
Elle’s heartbeat thudded in her ears as her gaze careened from face to face. There were so many of them.
All her important people, here in one place.
Even though he’d said this would be small. Just them and their closest family. But he hadn’t lied, had he? Just their circle was so much wider than it had been a short time ago. All of the people in their band and their significant others were their family. As were the people in Oblivion. And now, Brooklyn Dawn as well. She couldn’t begin to guess how many people he’d assembled, but it was far bigger than the intimate ceremony they’d planned.
Some of the women broke away from the pack to walk toward her, so slowly she had to fight to keep from running to them. But it felt like this was part of the pomp and circumstance of it all. They were coming to meet her before they walked before her down the aisle.
Her bridesmaids. Her bandmates. Her sisters.
Her eyes were full before Denver, always at the head of the group, reached her. She didn’t speak, just hauled Elle into a rib-crushing hug. Lo was behind her, and she wasn’t nearly as quiet. She shrieked and squealed and hugged Elle with enough enthusiasm to rouse a corpse. Elle’s tears faded, replaced with laughter as Molly and Chloe came next, then Teagan. Teagan sniffled as she tipped her forehead to Elle’s.
“Good job, hooker. I hate you a little for getting someone so delicious, but I love you more.”
Elle had to grin. “Ditto on the love thing. I’m so glad you’re here. And your delicious man will come.”
“Hopefully early and often, after he makes me come.”
“Damn straight.”
When she stepped asi
de, there was Jules. Jules, who was carrying a bouquet of white lilies and red roses, the flowers they’d decided on for her bridal bouquet back when the ceremony was supposed to be at Happy Acres.
White lilies, the flowers the band left on Randy’s grave once a week like clockwork.
To some, it would’ve seemed like a macabre reminder. To Elle, it was the closing of a circle. A tightening of their web of friendship and loyalty and love.
Stronger even than death.
Elle covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head as Jules drew her in for a hard hug. They embraced for a long time, so long that the wedding march spun through its entire loop and started again.
Someone swore a blue streak, and that someone was her brother. Which made her laugh through her tears as she finally released Jules.
Behind her was Lila—and Nicky.
Elle grinned as she looked between them. “You’re both walking me down the aisle?”
“We are, if you’re okay with that.” Lila pursed her lips. “We weren’t sure who you intended to ask to be your maid-of-honor—”
“You, of course. I only have one sister.”
Lila’s throat moved as she smiled. “I’d say you have an entire band full of them, and Teagan besides. But thank you. I’m honored to play both roles.”
“She just likes getting to plan shit. Mal made her life with this thing.”
Elle linked her fingers with her sister-in-law. “Thank you for this. You’re a lifesaver in so many ways. Including that little incident with the police—” Too late, she realized her mistake and darted a glance at her brother.
Who did not seem the slightest bit surprised.
“Like brother, like sister. She got me out of a scrape with the cops too once upon a time. And yes, I know about what happened at Simon’s after the comeback show. She’s divulged all your secrets now, so don’t come up with any new ones, capiche?”
Lila patted Elle’s back. “I’ll just give you two a minute.” She escaped before Elle could say boo.
Not that Elle could blame her. She probably figured the Crandalls were about to throw down, wedding or not.