“Rex, the Hellion? As in, Shooter’s brother?” she questions with a surprised gasp.
“Yeah, Rex, Catawba Hellion VP. So more than Shooter’s brother; he’s Shooter’s Vice Pres.”
“Do I even want to know?”
“I’m not a barfly, if that’s what you’re thinking. I was once Rex’s barfly, I guess you could say. It’s a long and complicated history he and I share. Axel is the best thing to come out of it for both of us. We’re still working on the new dynamic of our relationship, but Rex is there for his son. Being with Rex for years without really being with him warped my ideals of marriage and relationships. For a long time, I was waiting for him to wake up and want any kind of future with me. I was willing to accept anything from him. Then Shooter and I kept getting thrown together. Literally, he was tossed into my life by chance circumstance when my car broke down.”
“Damsel in distress … the stuff fairy tales are made of.” She smiles sweetly at me.
“Our story is far from a fairy tale, but he is my knight. Maybe not in shining armor, but he is my knight that rides in on his horse of steel to save the day; how about that?” We both laugh.
“Well, how do you feel about it? Is there anything else you want or need?”
“Honestly, I have my man and my son, so I just need my momma, and everything will be complete.”
“Simple. I like that about you, Tessie.”
We finish our coffees then head back to the hotel. Shooter and Axel are in our room when we walk in.
“Hey, baby,” he greets before coming over and kissing me breathless.
“Hey, handsome.” Will I ever get tired of kissing this man? Doubtful.
“Fred flew in with your mom and Rex,” the man who makes my world spin says with a smile. “My parents are driving but left early enough that, although tired, they will get here about an hour before the ceremony.”
“If we have to wait for them, we can. I’m sorry I didn’t think of all that when I asked for this.”
“Baby, I don’t give a shit who is here, as long as when we lay down tonight it’s as husband and wife.”
“I love you, Andy.”
“I love you, too.” He kisses me again right as there is a knock at the door.
“Thank goodness someone is here to save us from all their kissing. Morgan, I hope you aren’t like this, too,” Axel says to my new friend as he bounces past us.
“Party is here, so open the door, fuckers,” Rex shouts from the other side of the door.
Axel immediately opens the door and runs to hug my mom. Rex enters our room, leaning down to give me a half hug before greeting Shooter in their half hug, man back slap thing. When his eyes land on Morgan, I can’t help laughing.
“Hey, girl. What’s your name? You know what, we don’t need names. I’ll call you Angel, because you’re sure to be calling me God later tonight.”
“If you want to keep your balls, I wouldn’t call her anything but Ice’s ol’ lady,” Shooter replies, laughing as Morgan turns red and backs up to the wall.
Obviously, she has never encountered anyone like Drexel ‘Rex’ Crews.
“Does that shit really work?” Morgan fires back at him once she has a moment to let his words sink in.
Yes, this one has just the fire and attitude needed to be with a biker. I smile at her.
“Worked on her,” Rex tosses his thumb over at me.
“Not really. It’s me she’s marrying, fucker,” Shooter chimes in.
“You’re the better man, brother.” Rex looks at me seriously. “She deserves nothing but the best.”
Tears pool in my eyes. I don’t have the same feelings for Rex that I once did. That ship has truly sailed. However, there is a piece of me that will belong to him because he gave me Axel. There really is a heart inside that man. He just doesn’t know how to show it or doesn’t want to. I haven’t figured out which it is yet.
“Rex,” I whisper.
“Tessie, I did you wrong. I’m man enough to own that shit. I’m also man enough to stand at this fucker’s side when he claims you for eternity. You’ll possibly always be the best thing that I ever had, but he was made for you.”
“The best is yet to come, Rex,” Shooter states, looking to his brother.
“You’re standing at his side?” I ask, wondering what these two are conspiring.
“He’s family. We’re a weird but functional unit. I asked him to be my best man.”
Rolling up on my tiptoes, I pull Shooter’s head down to kiss him. “I love you, Andy.”
“I think I’m gonna be sick from all the feels in this room.” Rex grabs at his stomach dramatically. “It’s too much emotion for my small heart to take.”
“Shut the hell up. Let’s go, brother,” Shooter says, releasing me.
“Go where?” I ask curiously.
“Guy stuff, Momma. You wouldn’t understand,” Axel chimes in, taking both Shooter and Rex by the hands and dragging them to the door. “See ya later, Gigi. Love you,” he adds, making his way out the door.
Shooter glances over his shoulder at me as he exits and mouths, ‘I love you,’ before filing out the door behind my little man and my ex.
Chapter
6
A Mother’s Love
~Tessie~
Morgan leaves not long after the boys so she can get ready. I think I have a new friend in her that will last a long time.
“Momma, want me to curl your hair?”
Tears glisten in her eyes. “I would love that.”
When Momma first got sick, it would really upset her that she struggled to wash and brush her own hair. There is a bond we share, not because she is my mom, but because we have been there for each other at our lowest.
When I first came home after the attack, even though I tried to hide my problems, there were nights she would come to my room and just run her fingers through my hair in silent reassurance that I wasn’t alone. When I was a little girl, she would do the same thing to put me to sleep after a bad dream.
“Did the trip take too much out of you, Momma?”
“Rex was good about helping me maneuver around, and I used my wheelchair in the airports, so I wasn’t walking too far.” She wipes her eyes as she settles in on the hotel toilet seat while I plug in the curling iron. “Tessie, I’m proud of you.”
“Momma—”
“Let me finish. Things haven’t been easy for us.”
I run my fingers through her hair to get the tangles out. “Me and you always.” Picking up the brush, I separate her hair into a section, apply some holding spray, and begin to curl her hair.
“Shooter is an answer to my prayers.”
“Momma—” I start as I see the tears roll down her cheeks.
“Tessie, there will come a time when I won’t be here. Until Shooter, I was worried about you. I tried to teach you, to guide you, but I got sick. Because of that, I haven’t always been the mom I wanted to be. I’ve prayed for you to have what I didn’t have, for Axel to have what I didn’t give you. Shooter does that. He puts my heart at ease for you. Tessie, you are my world.”
Tears freely run down my cheeks as I release the curl and set the hot iron down.
“Momma—” I try to choke out.
“He is my every wish for you. He is my answered prayer. You were my gift at the end of every day, baby girl. Axel, he’s a gift to you. But, honey, you deserve so much more and that is Shooter. He’s good, baby girl. He’s never gonna leave you or Axel. He’s solid. He is a real man. All of that is there with Shooter. Today, when you take those vows along with his name, you are getting something good, baby girl. You will be the only woman he will ever love. He will give you his name, his love, and his everything. He will take care of you. He will give you the best of him. Your burdens will be carried by him, no longer on your own. Tessie, he will lay the world at your feet and fight with everything inside him to ease your struggles. He will make the days come easy and make the moments last. He is your ligh
t. He is your gift at the end of every day.”
With shaking hands, I go about another curl as we both let the tears freely fall. Everything she says about Shooter is true—they don’t come any better than the man I am marrying today.
“I know, Momma, and I love him for it.” I release another curl and go about the next one.
“And he does you, as well. Today, I will proudly watch you become a wife to a truly honorable man. Today, I can breathe easier because, when I am no more, Shooter will be there to hold your hand. As a mom, I worry for you. I wonder who will be there for you when the day ends. Since you found Shooter, I don’t worry anymore. He will always take care of your every need. He will be your rock.”
“You’ve always been my rock, Momma,” I reply, not wanting her to feel replaced.
“And you are my rock, Tessie. You are my very best friend, you are my safe place, and you are my world. You are more than my daughter. You always have been. You’re my reason for being.”
I wipe the tears from my face as I try to move onto the next curl.
“As the saying goes, today, Shooter ‘takes’ you as his wife. Even though things will change, I’m not losing my daughter; I’m gaining a son. Enjoy your day, baby girl. This is the first day of the rest of your life.”
While her words sink in, I release the curl, setting the curling iron on the countertop. Without a word, I wrap my arms around her. I love Shooter with every breath I take. I am completely confident in marrying him, but something about having this moment with my mom makes it feel so right and so real.
Chapter
7
Beyond a Lifetime
~Shooter~
“Jeans, man. I think we should wear jeans. Tessie said simple,” Rex whines.
“Suck it up. Tessie wants simple, but I want her mom to know we do clean up all right.”
We went out and bought white button up shirts and khaki pants for tonight. The ceremony is on the beach, so we are all going barefoot. No ties, nothing fancy, but my woman deserves to see her little man dressed up as he walks her down the aisle to me. If Axel is dressing up, Rex and I will, too. Well, our version of it.
“My dick feels restrained in these pants.”
“Shut the hell up,” I laugh at my brother.
After we finish helping Axel spike his hair, we make our way down to the beach. I give hellos to Fred and my parents as they settle into the white folding chairs that have been set out for everyone. Pride swells in me as I take in the people who have surprised us by showing up.
Rex did his own thing to make sure all the important people share this moment with us. Roundman, Danza, Tank, Sass, Frisco, and even Amy from the Haywood’s Landing charter are here. Tripp, Doll, Boomer—with Purple Pussy Pamela on his arm—and even Caroline are here from Catawba. Bowie, Lock, and Shay are in attendance since they were still in town from the graduation, and Ice and his crew are all settled in.
Family.
In one way or another, these people are all family to Tessie and me.
Rex escorts her mom down to her seat slowly and carefully. Taking a moment, I make my way over to her.
“Rex, take Axel to his mom so he can escort her down please.” He smiles at me as I kneel in front of my soon-to-be mother-in-law’s chair.
“I promise you, here and now, to take care of your daughter, her son, our children, and you. Today, as I stand up there, I not only commit my life to Tessie, but to you and Axel.”
Tears fill her eyes as she simply nods at me.
I squeeze her hand as I stand back up and take my place to wait for my bride. Blowing out a breath, I drop my head to my feet to take in this moment. When we leave here today, she will be my wife and I her husband. Something I never thought I would have is happening today.
When I look up, she takes my breath away. At the end of the make-shift aisle is my very reason for being—my son and my bride. He may be Rex’s by blood, but in my heart, he is just as much mine.
When her eyes meet mine, I have to remind myself to inhale. Never has she looked so beautiful. It is not the dress or her hair, although they are gorgeous; it is everything that is Tessie. Nothing is over-done, because she doesn’t need all that. Her beauty comes from the heart and radiates out into everyone and everything around her.
They reach the end of the aisle, our boy practically bouncing in excitement. He looks up at me, smiling bigger than ever before.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she, Shooter?” Axel asks me.
Before I can reply, Rex is stepping from behind me to high-five our son.
“Hell yes, she is, little man. You made an awesome escort. Looking good, buddy,” Rex whispers to Axel. I don’t know if I want to smack him for looking at my woman or laugh for the real bond he shares now with his son.
“Yeah, Axel, she’s the most beautiful girl in the whole world,” I say, not taking my eyes off my bride.
“Duh, she’s mom. You always say that, but today she’s rockin’,” Axel says with so much enthusiasm none of us can keep from laughing.
The officiant clears his throat to begin the ceremony. We have met with him briefly, giving him an idea of who we are and what we are about. We decided to give him time to open the ceremony a little bit, then we will share in our personal vows before closing out. Since this was not planned, we didn’t bring our rings, and our ceremony will be far from traditional, much like everything else about us.
As he begins his opening words, my chest swells with emotions. “Today, there will be no dearly beloved, no ancient rhyme of the married. Today, there are no dead languages to solemnize vows that are very much alive and will remain so for a lifetime. Today, promises become permanent. Two friends join together in love to become family. Today is not about the words spoken or the rings exchanged. It is not about grand pronouncements and recessional marches.
“This day is the day Andy and Tessie share their love with all of you as they commit to one another for this lifetime and beyond. For love knows no boundaries between this life and eternity. The love they share is one that it is all-encompassing. The love they share is one that is consuming, one that is as necessary as your next breath.”
When Tessie’s eyes fill with tears, I want to reach out and hold her, but it is not time yet. The words he speaks are so true, making me want nothing more than to hold her close now and always.
The officiant continues, “However, love isn’t simply a word; it’s an action. Love isn’t something you say; it’s something you do. Love is genuine, honest, and open. Love is compassionate, kind, passionate, and blind. Love doesn’t know space or time. As the Bible says in Corinthians, ‘Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.’
“Not only do Tessie and Andy love one another romantically—it’s in every look, every touch, and every moment they’re together—they also share the love of friendship. That love and enjoyment of each other in friendship will help sustain the promises they make today. Everyone here will help solidify this bond. This new journey will be at times richly rewarding and other times extremely difficult. Most importantly, this will be a ride you take together. With that, we will begin.
“Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
Axel makes a face before reaching out to me. I squat down in front of him, concerned about his reaction.
“Shooter, I can’t give her to you. This wasn’t part of the deal. You said hold her hand and bring her down the aisle to you. I mean, we can like share her, but I can’t give her to you. She’s my mom.”
I almost fall back laughing. Tessie is squeezing his hand and laughing as are everyone that could hear him. God, I love this little boy.
“We’re gonna share her. I’m not takin’ your mom away, I promise.”
Axel looks up to the officiant innocently. “We’re gonna share her. So I can’t say I’m giving her to anyone. Can she still get married, mister?”
The officiant laughs before replying, “Well, as long
as no one objects, yes, son, she can still get married.” He looks out to our guests. “Is there anyone with any reason that these two should not join together as husband and wife today? Speak now, or forever hold your peace.”
When the moment passes and no one objects, he nods down to Axel. “Looks like we have a wedding to finish. How about you let Andy hold your mom’s hands and you come stand here with me?”
Axel does just that.
Once Tessie’s hands are in mine, I feel her squeeze. In this moment, my heart feels so full it may just burst.
“I love you,” I whisper to her as her eyes glisten with unshed tears.
The officiant begins, “Marriage is much more than your signatures on a legal contract. Today, you will make promises to each other in front of all these people that you love. Today, you are giving your word, your lives, and your love to one another for eternity. No pastor or priest or justice of the peace can create a marriage, because a marriage truly is nothing except the promises made and kept by two individuals. Andy and Tessie, your wedding day is one brief day in time. Although your vows are spoken in a matter of minutes, they are promises that will last a lifetime.”
Tessie smiles sweetly at me, knowing that for both of us this truly is the beginning of our future. A happiness neither of us imagined possible has been gifted to us in what has been a hard ride through life.
“Will you, Andy, cherish Tessie as your lawfully wedded wife, protecting her, tending to her needs through illness, disappointment, and all of life’s challenges?”
“With all that I have and all that I will be, I will,” I answer honestly, proudly, and with more love than I have ever felt in my lifetime.
“Will you strive to understand her, giving her comfort when she seeks it from you? Will you try never to say in anger that which you wouldn’t say in friendship? When night falls, will you go to sleep with thanks for her presence at your side and renewed love for her in your heart?”
Ice Page 21