Harley's Surrender: Wild Kings MC: Dander Falls

by Erin Osborne

  “Now that it’s all out of the way, are you ready to get your hair done?” Riley asks as she waits for me to make my way over to her.

  Nodding I follow her to the wash station. As she’s washing my hair, I tell her that I want a trim with long layers put in it. She’s going to add some red highlights to my dark hair before she styles it. I don’t even have a dress to wear so I don’t know exactly how to have my hair. Kim assures me that there’s a dress waiting at home for me and I’ll love it. Riley looks at a picture of it and tells me she knows exactly what to do to my hair. I leave it to her capable hands and close my eyes as I relax.

  We all talk and laugh as our hair gets done. Darcy closes the salon so that they can go to the nail salon with us. The entire time, they’re trying to keep my mind off of the fact that within a few hours I’ll be married to Steel. The man of my dreams that I didn’t even know I was looking for. We’ll finally be a family and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that no one fucks with that. Including the club girls.

  “This is where we leave you,” Darcy says, pulling me in for a hug. “Know that we’re with you in spirit and we’ll be waiting at the clubhouse for you later. Yeah, you’re having a reception and I don’t want to hear any shit about it.

  When Darcy gets like this, I know that there’s no arguing with her. She is as stubborn as the men most of the time and I wouldn’t dream of taking this away from her. Steel is giving me the intimacy of a private ceremony with only Kim and Fox in attendance. I’m sure he’d rather have his club there and shout it to the world. I just can’t do that though. Not just because I don’t want to be the center of attention but because my parents aren’t here to celebrate the love I feel for the man that has stood by my side for years now. My dad can’t give me away and my mom won’t be there to fuss over me. Shaking myself, I let the negative thoughts go while I think about my parents watching over Quinn, Steel, and me. They’ll be here with us today even if I can’t see them. Before we leave the two girls, Riley pulls me in for a quick hug and tells me that she couldn’t be happier that I found my way back and that Steel is giving me a day to remember.

  “You okay over there?” Kim asks as we get in her car to head back to my house.

  “Yep. Just thinking,” I tell her, pasting a genuine smile on my face. “I’m ready to do this. Even though I didn’t expect it because we’ve never talked about it. Is he sure that he wants to be tied to me for life?”

  “He’s already tied to you for life. You have a precious daughter with the man. He’s done nothing but talk about marrying you when you were at work or busy with Quinn. Steel is more than ready to be yours and for you to be his,” Kim tells me, shocking me even more with the revelation she just dropped on me.

  I just nod my head in response because there are no words that can explain what I’m feeling in this moment. I’m honestly glad that Steel took the lead and did everything to get ready for today. If it were left up to me, I would’ve procrastinated and questioned every decision. Including his decision to marry me. Instead, I get to enjoy the day and relax while being pampered. He truly knows me and knows that this was the best way to get me to marry him sooner rather than later.

  “Let’s get you in your dress and in just under an hour we’ll be heading to the court house. There’s no time to stall. You can jump in a shower but be careful with your hair,” Kim lets me know as she pulls into the driveway and parks.

  “I’ll take a bath instead. That way I don’t have to worry about ruining Riley’s hard work,” I respond, unlocking the door to see Sally sitting on the couch holding Quinn as she’s falling asleep.

  Sally has been around almost every day to see Quinn and she’s the main one that watches her when we need a sitter. After Alan took them, she was worried that we hated her and weren’t going to let her near our daughter anymore. I sat down and had a long talk with her and told her everything. It’s getting easier for me to share my story with others, and I think that she needed to hear it. That way she could understand why I wasn’t upset with her at all. There was no way she was going to stop Alan and his quest to get at me. She was there for Quinn and took care of her while they were gone. I’ll never be able to repay her for making sure that she was there for her when I couldn’t be. At the same time, she’s still a club girl, but she’s only there a few days a week. Mainly on the weekends unless we need her to watch the baby.

  “Hey Sally,” I say in greeting as I walk in to run my finger down Quinn’s cheek.

  “Hey. I’ll be heading to the clubhouse when she wakes up. I want to make sure she’s there when you guys get there. Mike’s out back and he’ll stay with us. Wayne is on his way here too,” she tells me, wanting to make sure that I know what’s going on today.

  I nod and smile at her before heading up to finish getting ready. Kim follows me and makes her way to the guest bathroom so she can get in and out in case I need help getting my dress on. She still hasn’t let me see it and I’m barely holding on with the anticipation coursing through me. So, I rush through getting washed up and head out to our bedroom to see lingerie and the dress laid out on the bed. There’s a white lace strapless bra with matching thong. A garter belt sits next to it along with a pair of white thigh-highs. As I look at the dress, I see that it’s flowing with a sweetheart neckline. Red flowers adorn the bottom of the dress while a thin red strip of ribbon rests just below my chest. Once again these pesky tears fill my eyes. I feel a wave of nausea hit me and I barely make it to the bathroom. Kim is behind me and I feel a cool washcloth placed at the back of my neck. Maybe it’s the excitement of the day? I ask myself as I think about why I’m suddenly getting sick.

  “You okay?” she finally asks after I’ve been in front of the toilet for a few minutes.

  “I think I’m good,” I respond, pushing myself off the floor and going to brush my teeth.

  “Nerves?” she questions, placing the washcloth on the sink and sitting on the edge of the tub as she watches me.

  “I don’t know. I’m trying to think of when my last cycle was. I can’t remember,” I say, as the possibility of being pregnant hits me and a smile replaces the uneasiness.

  “Taking a test?”

  I nod my head and bend down to the last drawer under the sink. There’s a few stashed there just in case the need to have one ever came up. Looks like that time is here sooner than I thought. Excitement begins to fill me as Kim leaves me to do my business. Instead of stressing out as I wait for the response, I head back out to the bedroom to get my dress on. Kim helps me when I need her to and together we head back in to look at the test. We see two little pink lines and I can’t help the laughter that bubbles out of me. This time Steel will get to experience everything about this with me. There won’t be a single thing he misses out on. I couldn’t be happier than I am today. This makes our wedding day even better!

  “You ready to go?” Kim asks, pulling me back in the moment.

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” I say, ready to head toward the first moment of the rest of my life. Today is the beginning of our lives merged into one and our family becoming whole.

  The drive to the courthouse doesn’t take long at all. On the short ride, I let my thoughts wander with what Steel is going to say about adding to our family and when I should tell him. I don’t want to it while we’re getting married or right after. I want to be able to bask in the glow of becoming his wife. Maybe at the party afterward? Fuck! A thought hits me that I’m supposed to work at the Kitty Kat later on tonight. How the hell am I supposed to pull that off with getting married today? I’ll have to talk to Steel on our way to the clubhouse. I can’t leave the place with no one there. Addison would never forgive me. It’s been forever since she’s taken any time off and she really wanted to see Blaze as nothing is going on with the Nomads right now. It’s the perfect time for her to leave for a few days.

  As we pull up to the courthouse, Fox is waiting outside for us. He walks over to the car and gives Kim a kiss bef
ore walking over to me. Placing his arms out, he waits for us to loop our arms through his. The three of us walk up the stairs and head into the building. Everyone walking around us gives us a wide berth as they take one look at the man standing between us. To me, he’s just a man that makes my very good friend extremely happy. I don’t care if he’s a biker, an accountant, or anyone else. Kim’s happiness is the only thing that matters to me. Screw these judgmental jerks.

  “So, um, Steel wanted me to walk you down the little aisle. He knows that you’re probably upset that your dad isn’t here. Harley, it would be an honor if you would let me do this for you,” Fox says, a little uncomfortable at Steel’s request.

  “I’d be honored to have you walk me to him. Thank you, Fox,” I say, leaning over and placing a chaste kiss on his cheek.

  Kim walks on before us and I see her enter a door a few feet in front of us. Fox waits until she pokes her head back out the door and tells us that they’re ready for us. I take a deep breath and walk with Fox at my side. There’s a man holding the door open for us and I see Steel standing there waiting impatiently for me. I can tell by the way he’s shifting from one foot to the other with his sexy smirk covering his face. It’s the one that he knows I can’t resist and gets him almost anything he wants.

  Fox stops in front of the judge and waits until he hears the question about who’s giving me away. “Kim and I do in memory of her mother and father,” he says, placing a kiss on my cheek as Steel growls at him.

  As Fox steps back and sits down next to Kim, I turn and face my man. He takes my hands in his and I can’t wait for the judge to begin. He goes through the words and I barely listen to them as I stare into Steel’s eyes. He’s completely captivated me, and I can’t pull my gaze away. “Ethan, you’ve told me that you want to go the traditional route and go with the vows in the ceremony, is that, still right?” he asks, pausing briefly while Steel tells him that’s right.

  “We don’t need special words to show how we feel about one another. We spend every day showing it and that’s good for us,” Steel says, knowing that even in front of Kim and Fox I’d clam up and have a hard time.

  So, we repeat after the judge as we slip rings on one another’s fingers. Before I know it, the judge is telling Steel to kiss his bride. My husband leans forward and places a warm, gentle kiss on my lips. He pulls away too fast for my liking before I remember that we’re standing in the middle of a judge’s chambers with an audience. Placing his arm around me, we wait for the paperwork to be signed and get out of the courthouse. Fox and Steel look a lot calmer the second we get outside.

  “You’re with me, wife,” Steel says, pulling me over toward his bike.

  “Um, I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work with this dress on,” I tell him, pulling on his hand to get him to stop. “Why don’t I just ride with Kim and meet you at the clubhouse?”

  “Nope. Kim, can you fix this?” he asks, waiting while Kim reaches under the bottom of my dress. She takes part of my dress and attaches it to some other part causing the dress to be snug on the bottom of me while I wrap the excess in front so it doesn’t catch on anything while we’re riding.

  “All set. I’ll follow you back,” she says, smiling at me before heading toward Fox and her car.

  Steel helps me climb on the back of his bike before settling in front of me. I plaster myself to his hard body and hang on. A giant part of me wants to tell him to take the long way back to the clubhouse since I know I won’t be riding anymore once he knows I’m pregnant. On the other hand, I want to see everyone that’s waiting for us. So, I keep my mouth shut and enjoy the ride.

  Steel

  Finally, Harley is my wife and tied to me more than just sharing a daughter. Now, she’s got one more surprise waiting at the clubhouse and I can’t wait to see her wearing the rag that’s been made for her. She hasn’t said anything about one, but I’ve seen the look she gets in her eyes when she sees Darcy and Riley wearing theirs. Or the old ladies from Clifton Falls when they’re here visiting. She hasn’t made a trip there yet, but I can’t wait to take her.

  Pulling into the clubhouse, I see the parking lot filled with cars, SUVs, and bikes. This was supposed to be small and just our club. Apparently, Darcy and Riley didn’t get that memo. Or they just chose to ignore it as usual. It’s too late now to do anything about it. Hopefully Harley is okay with the amount of people here. I back my bike into the spot reserved for me and let my wife climb off before I do. She’s standing by my side and I can see that there’s something she wants to say to me. I can only imagine what it is.

  “What’s up?” I ask her, knowing that she won’t willingly tell me unless she wants to.

  “I don’t want to tell you yet,” she says, turning her face away from me so I can’t read her face.

  “Angel, we’re married now. You can tell me anythin’ without worryin’ about my response. I’ve been tellin’ you this,” I say, tipping her face up to see my face as I talk to her.

  “I found something out just before we left the house,” she starts to say as my heart rate picks up with anticipation. “I’m pregnant.”

  I take a few minutes and let the bombshell that she just announced sink in. I’m going to be a dad again. And this time I get to be by her side for the whole thing. I didn’t think today could get any better, but she just blew that shit right out of the water. Happiness like I’ve never known flows through my body as I look at her and see the same feeling shining back at me.

  “Are you serious?” I ask, a smile covering my face.

  “I haven’t been to the doctor yet. But the test at home came back positive,” she answers, wrapping her arms around my waist and burrowing in as close as she can get to me. “Are you happy?”

  “I’m fuckin’ ecstatic!” I say, lifting her up bridal style and carrying her through the clubhouse door. “I’m gonna be a dad again motherfuckers!”

  Everyone turns to the announcement I just made, and the hollers, whistles, and clapping begin. The girls, every old lady from Clifton Falls and Dander Falls descend upon us as they give hugs and kisses. Soon, the men follow them and I have to hold myself in check as Harley gets her share of kisses on the cheek. I’ve never wanted to punch my brother’s in the face as much as I do right now. The only thing stopping me is knowing that she’s my wife and I get to have Harley by my side for the rest of my life. Now, it’s time to party and celebrate the day with the ones we love and are closest too.

  The afternoon has been long and I swear that I’ve hardly seen Harley at all. I still need to give her the rag, but we haven’t had a chance to do that. She’s been talking, laughing, and dancing with the girls. I’m so happy to see her having such a good time. I’d rather her be in my arms, but there will be time for that in a little while. Right now, I’m going to make sure that she feeds our baby and sits down for a little while. So, I make my way over to her and drag her away from the clutches of the girls. We fill our plates and sit down at a table that’s out of the way of everyone. Harley’s face is flushed from dancing, so I place a cold bottle of water down in front of her.

  We sit and eat, enjoying a few minutes of peace. Quinn has been with us, but right now she’s taking a nap. Sally is going to stay at our house with her tonight and will get up with her. We’ll be staying there with her, but I wanted to make sure that we have all night with no distractions. My intention was to work on getting Harley pregnant again, but that’s already been accomplished, and we weren’t even trying. Sally is still going to stay with Quinn in her room. Kim and Fox will be staying at the clubhouse as far as I know. Tomorrow will be a sad day as they head out.

  “Are you havin’ fun?” I ask my angel as she finishes eating and pushes her plate away from her.

  “I am. Are you?” she asks, turning to lean into my body.

  “I’d be havin’ more fun if I could spend more than five minutes with you,” I growl out, pulling her in as close to me as she can get.

  “We’ll be out of here soon.
I won’t be able to last much longer,” Harley says, standing up and leading me to the dance floor.

  As we stand in the center of the make-shift floor, A Thousand Years by Christina Perri begins playing. Harley must have gotten with the girls and told them to play this song. We slowly move around and around as the words of the song settle in around me. A thousand years with Harley will never be enough. I want eternity with the girl that captured my heart and broke down every wall that was ever built up. She’s the only female that knows my story and I’ll forever love her. At the same time, our story is just beginning, and I can’t wait to see where the world takes us as we spend the rest of our lives together.

  “I have one more thing for you,” I tell Harley as the song comes to an end.

  I lead her over to the table holding the cake that Skylar made. It’s got five tiers and is all white except for the red roses that outline each layer. On top of the cake is a girl in a wedding dress dragging a man behind her with a bike behind them. It’s the perfect topper as far as I’m concerned. But, Harley didn’t have to drag me to the alter.

  “Before we cut the cake and let everyone here devour it, I have somethin’ to give you,” I say as Gage and Grim come up behind me. “Angel, here’s your rag.”

  Harley’s eyes fill with tears as she turns around so I can pull it up her arms and set it on her. She spins around and looks at me with a question in her eyes. Holding her hand, I spin her around and stop her as I see the ‘Property of Steel’ on her back. It takes my breath away and I can’t help the possessiveness that overtakes me. No one else will ever know what a gentle soul the girl standing before me is. I get to see parts of her that no one else will ever see. Not even the girls that are coming to mean so much to her. She’s finally building a life surrounded by people, but I still get a few parts to myself.