She kissed him on the cheek. “You can. It’s brought me nothing but good luck. I fell in love with a sexy caveman, I married him here in Vegas, and I have this family because of it. I’m blessed, and I can’t help but want you to have all of that too.”
He hugged her. “I love you, Emma.”
She returned the words.
“Now, let’s put this in your pocket, and let’s get this flower onto your suit jacket. You look handsome, Mr. Bentley. You’re going to knock your sexy Croft man off his feet.”
He felt a million times better.
“You are going to be a wonderful mother,” he stated. “Your child is going to be so happy.”
She kissed him again.
“I’m the one who will be blessed. Children are a gift, and they should be loved. I’ll be your mother today,” she offered.
He wasn’t surprised she knew he was thinking about that too.
“For you, and for everyone who needs it.”
He held her hand. “Thank you, Emma. That will make today perfect.”
That’s all she wanted.
Steele deserved this.
He deserved to feel this love.
Everyone did.
* * * G r e y s o n C r o f t * * *
Greyson was sipping some champagne as his brother messed with his bowtie. It was the fifth one he’d tried on, and he kept pulling them off.
He could tell he was a nervous wreck.
“Need my help?” he asked.
“Was it wrong of us to kick Mom and Dad out from my wedding? I feel like a huge asshole that I’ve done that to her. I mean, I know she’s a bitch about most things, but she’s still our mother.”
He patted him on the shoulder.
Greyson had already handled it.
“She’ll be here.”
He looked over. “What?”
Croft laughed. “You can’t have it both ways. You either have crazy in the seats, or you don’t. Decide.”
“What did you do?”
“I spoke to Dad this morning. He said she feels bad. You know how she gets when she drinks.”
He was aware.
She had no filter.
At.
All.
“She feels bad? Really?”
“Dad asked as a personal favor if I would let them come to the wedding. I told him if she behaved, she could come. If she didn’t, she wasn’t ever coming back. I think it has to do with the fact that we are having a child. She was pissy because of that, and now she knows it’s happening, she’s willing to chill.”
He hoped.
With Reggie, you never knew.
Still, Dante continued to be nervous.
Apparently, that wasn’t the only thing bothering him, so Greyson knew as best man he needed to keep digging.
“What are you stressing?” Greyson asked. “I know you’re not a virgin, so…”
“Funny.”
“Spill it.”
“Is being married any different from being a couple?” he asked. “I guess what I’m asking is if something is going to change.”
Greyson sat and thought about it.
“A lot is going to change,” he offered. “You’re going to grow stronger as a unified front, and it’s a different kind of love,” he stated.
Dante sat beside him on his bed.
“Is it worth it?”
“Are you having cold feet?”
“Between us, yes. I am.”
“Why?”
“I let him get hurt once, and I don’t know if I can live with myself if that happens again. Once he becomes a Croft, he’s wearing that bull’s-eye. You know the shit is coming. Is he safer not having my name? Is my desire to have him as my partner clouding a rational way to protect him?”
Greyson was glad that was all this was. If it were more, he’d tell his brother not to do it.
“I don’t know what tomorrow will bring but that’s why we gave you the apartment in New York City. You’ll be safer there. If you have to leave, or I think you and Steele are in danger, I’m sending you there.”
“Grey.”
He stopped him. “I won’t have my brother killed because of me. I won’t have a man, who withstood hours of torture and rape to protect us, hurt again. If what’s coming hits at my core, I’d rather be the one who goes down.”
“You have a child on the way,” Dante stated.
“Yes, and I have a family to protect. All of it. Emma is my life. If anything happens to her, I’m going to be unstoppable. I’m going to kill everything in front of me. They know that. They won’t hit at her. They’ll wait. They are going to start to weaken us, Dante. My brother is a hit directly at me. If it goes bad, I want you to take your husband and leave.”
He wouldn’t do it, but he’d tell his brother he would. Dante wouldn’t leave him behind.
It wasn’t happening.
“Okay, Grey.”
“Thank you.”
“As for should you get married, don’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they stopped you from being happy. Today is your day. Get married, celebrate tonight, and head out tomorrow. You deserve a honeymoon with your husband.”
“You’ve been my best friend since the day I was born.”
He hugged his brother. “Mom and Dad did one thing right,” he admitted. “They gave me one hell of a brother. I’m glad I have you.”
They sat there.
“Any advice about tonight?”
“Make it count. You only get one shot at your wedding night. Make it a night Steele will never forget. Do it up Croft style.”
That he could do.
“I’m going to use the penthouse tonight,” he stated. “I have something romantic and special planned.”
Greyson was glad.
He’d assumed as much.
“Are you in the mood to get married?” he asked.
Dante took a deep breath. “Which bow tie?”
“The black one.”
He didn’t hesitate as he put it on and tied it. When his brother stood in front of him, fixing it so it was just right, his eyes filled with tears.
“I’m proud of you,” Greyson stated. “Today, you become a husband. Always put Steele first, make sure you tell him you love him at least ten times a day, and never forget that you nearly lost him.”
He wiped his eyes.
“And most importantly,” Greyson began, patting his brother’s cheek, “remember that you’re a Croft, and we run this city.”
He couldn’t forget.
The family was larger than life, and Steele was about to make it even better.
Life was about to begin.
Dante was about to become a married man.
It was about damn time.
Chapter Six
Saturday
One P.M.
E verything was perfect. The musicians had arrived, the caterers were setting up food, and the tents were blocking the helicopters and drones that were overhead. Nothing was going to spoil this day.
Nothing.
The media was in a frenzy as they tried to get a few photographs of the couple. Only, that wasn’t happening. Greyson had made sure that they were blocked at every avenue. That also meant Viktor Marchenko was blocked too.
Today, when his brother and Steele headed to the hotel in downtown Vegas, they’d be going there in a limo, right to the elevator to the penthouse.
He wasn’t messing around. Had there not been some maniac trying to kill them, then he wouldn’t have been so hellbent against the media getting a few shots.
Tomorrow, the family jet would take them directly to New York, and they’d be safe.
At least he wouldn’t have to worry.
As he stood in the foyer, waiting for his wife, there was a knock on the door.
Greyson already knew who it was. Dimitri had let them in, and he only hoped his mother behaved herself.
If she didn’t, his wife was going to kick his ass for giving her another chance. He didn�
�t want to piss off his kitten today. He was hoping to get into her panties later, or even when he could steal her away from the festivities.
Normally, he’d molest his girl before they rolled out of bed, but she’d actually been up before him, and that was a feat in itself. He got up to run in the gym at the ass crack of dawn, and she’d still beaten him.
He hoped this wasn’t going to be a habit.
Greyson didn’t ask for much.
He wanted her naked, beside him, and ready when he was moved by the soft glide of her skin against his.
He’d make up for it later.
When the door opened, he stood there like a sentry guarding the kingdom. His mother stopped the second she saw him.
“Greyson.”
“Mother.”
Christopher Croft elbowed her.
“About last night.”
Greyson didn’t give her the opportunity to say anything more.
“It won’t happen again. If it does, Emma’s order for you to never be here again will stand. I’m going against my own wife on this, and that’s not kosher. I don’t like usurping her decisions, as I know I would loathe if she did that to me. The only reason I’m going to stand between you both, especially after you struck my pregnant wife, is for my brother. He wants you here.”
She said nothing.
“You can head outside. There are refreshments before the service. I suggest you don’t drink. You tend to say things when you do.”
She nodded and headed away.
His father stopped and hugged him. “Thank you, Grey. I’m sorry about all of this. I know this puts you in a predicament with your wife. Blame it on me. I’ll take the heat.”
“For you, Dad, I’ll handle it, but you had better make sure Reggie minds her manners, or she won’t see our wedding. She struck my wife. That’s…bad.”
He agreed.
“She and I had a bad fight last night over it. I told her I would leave her home for your wedding. She misses being the only woman in your life.”
“Well, that boat has sailed. She had me for forty years, Dad. It’s Emma’s turn. Plus, she talks about Steele and Dante like being gay is a bad thing. It’s love. Who are we to judge them? I’m far from perfect. I won’t sit here as my mother who believes in a higher power, preaches tolerance, and she judges them. I just can’t. This is my house and my rules.”
“OUR house,” Emma said, coming down the grand stairs. “Right?”
Well, here it came.
“Emma, you look beautiful,” Christopher Croft stated.
She gave him a kiss. “Thank you, Dad. Now I know where your sexy son gets his good looks. You’re looking very dapper and father of the one groom in your tux.”
He patted her cheek as she fixed his bowtie.
“Thank you for giving my son a good day. I’m happy to see him tie the knot.”
She genuinely loved this man. He had a sweet soul and a gentle heart.
HE wasn’t the issue.
“I hope you enjoy the day. YOU are always welcome here, Dad.”
He gave her a kiss and focused on his son.
He was screwed.
Christopher Croft had been married almost forty-five years. He knew a dead man walking when he saw one.
“I’ll go make sure Reggie is not drinking.”
He hurried away.
Emma stared at her husband.
“You do look beautiful. He’s right,” Greyson said, trying to gauge the chill he was feeling.
Was it Antarctica?
Or was it just the freezer?
That would tell him a lot.
She didn’t speak.
“Okay, what’s this going to cost me? Are we talking a bad fight or can I bribe you with something pretty?”
“I do believe I told you she was not allowed here,” Emma said, crossing her arms. “I do believe after she struck me, then you, and then called the people we love misfits, that she was NEVER to darken our doorstep again.”
“You did.”
“I don’t understand how you’ve confused this. I also don’t think you misunderstood how NEVER was a very long time. Unless I’ve misplaced my watch, this doesn’t feel like never or when hell freezes over. In fact, I’m pretty sure the Devil himself didn’t invite her. Oh wait…”
He lifted a brow.
“Kitten, tread lightly.”
She went to walk away.
He grabbed her arm. “Not happening. We are hosting this, and we need to be a unified front.”
Emma stared up at him. “Oh, are we? This doesn’t feel like it’s unified. You let her back in here.”
“She’s my mother.”
“And I’m your wife.”
“I did it for Dante.”
She pulled her arm free. “You could have at least asked me. I would have said yes. I’d bleed for everyone in this house. You could have made me feel like I matter more than your mother by simply warning me. That’s the issue—not her being here. For OUR brother, I would have given in.”
He knew he’d crossed a line.
“Emma. Please.”
Tears filled her eyes. “No, Grey. Now, I have hosting duties to handle. I saw Riley arrive. I’ll see you for the wedding.”
She walked away, her heels leaving an angry staccato, echoing behind, as she crossed the tile foyer and disappeared into the swarm of people working this wedding.
Greyson sighed.
And here it was.
He’d managed to piss off his wife for a woman who irritated the hell out of him.
Why?
Because blood mattered.
Now he had to fix this.
Somehow.
Outside, she smiled cheerfully, as she greeted all their guests. There was Dante’s staff, his secretary, and a few of his friends from Vegas.
Steele’s brother was standing there, and he looked lost. Emma immediately went up to him. “Well, Ben, you look all handsome and ready for a wedding.”
He smiled. “I am. Where is my brother?” he asked. “I know I’m late. I had to escape my mother’s questions. She was inundating me with them.”
She laughed.
Yes, mothers.
She got it.
“You could have brought her as your date. We wouldn’t have minded.”
He hesitated. “Are you guys really what they say on the media reports?” he asked.
She liked that he was honest.
“Are you asking if Greyson is the mob in Vegas?”
“Yes.”
“The Crofts are the biggest, toughest, and most dangerous mob family here.”
He got it.
While he’d play in the dirt for his brother, he wouldn’t risk his mom.
“Then for her safety, she should stay away. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
She got that.
“Although, it looks pretty safe here.”
Yeah, she noticed.
There was security everywhere. You’d think Dimitri was guarding the Queen’s jewels. He’d hired more backup for them all.
It was ridiculous.
This was a wedding.
“Why don’t you head in to see your brother?” she asked. “Ask one of the housekeepers. They will take you to him.”
He smiled.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Emma. I feel welcome here with my brother.”
“You’re family because Steele is our brother.”
He headed off.
“Wow, this is some party,” Delilah said, as she slinked up to Emma in her sexy black dress.
It left NOTHING to the imagination.
Delilah looked like some nineteen forties arm candy. She was throwing serious sex down today.
“WOW! Who are you trying to catch?” Emma asked their attorney.
“Apparently, a sexy cop. I don’t know why, but he makes me insane,” she admitted. “Where is Detective Do Good?”
She snorted. “Over by the bar. I saw two mimosas in his hands. I think he’s loo
king for a wicked witch to catch for his own.”
She grinned. “What do you know? Good and evil can play in the game together. If we disappear, I’ll be molesting Dudley Do Right in a spare room. Do NOT send help.”
Emma loved their attorney. She was straight forward, and she didn’t mince words. Emma only hoped that Riley Henderson knew what was coming.
She was going to turn his world upside down.
Clearly.
Emma watched her strut off, and when she found him, she tripped and landed against his body. Riley caught her, and she kissed him.
Yep.
Sunk.
That detective was taken.
Next, Emma found Chris working the perimeter with Dimitri.
“You look gorgeous,” Chris said, giving her a kiss on the lips when he saw her.
“Thank you. I do try. You know how I have to be perfect for the king.”
He heard it.
So did Dimitri.
Emma was NOT happy.
“His mother?”
She nodded.
Then she told Chris when he looked confused.
“Cut him some slack. He had to play nice. He’s just as fucked as the next guy when it comes to family.”
She was aware, but if she gave her sexy cave-Croft an inch, he’d take four miles.
Anyway...
“Will you be saving a dance for me?” she asked, fixing Chris’s tie.
“You know it. You can have the first one.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Perfect.”
Then she faced Dimitri.
“And you? Will I get to dance with our sexy Mr. Gideon? Think you can squeeze me in?”
He laughed. “I’m working, but we will see.” Dimitri knew he’d give her anything she wanted.
This included.
“Yeah, like you can’t multi-task. I want to hear all about you making out with Steele.”
Chris sputtered.
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear? You have to kiss the groom,” Dimitri offered, busting his employee’s ass. “I got mine out of the way.”
“Oh, hell, no.”
Emma smiled.
“I’ll kiss Emma. That’s as close to kissing Dante and Steele I’m going to get.”
Wedding of Our Dreams: Dante & Steele (Croft Family Mob Series Book 0) Page 14