Eric stood behind the bar, taking the position Harry once owned with a cloth thrown over his shoulder as he slid tumblers of liquor up and down the bar, laughing freely, without the shadows around his eyes I’d come to expect.
Rubin and Tate amused themselves among the enthusiastic young women, even though I believed Libby was still very much a part of Tate’s life. He was entering that stage where the boy was dying, and the reckless man was coming to life, and as I glanced over to keep checking on him, I vowed to try steer him onto better paths once the wedding was over.
“Refill?” Eric asked, dragging my attention back to him.
“One more,” I told him.
“Right.” He laughed to himself. “Because these lot are going to let you sleep tonight.”
“They’d better.” I studied the happiness on my father’s face as he went about his business. “It suits you, you know.”
“What does?”
“Happiness.”
Eric’s face fell, his eyes finding mine.
“If that’s what you are,” I added. “Maybe I’m just seeing you differently than I ever did before, but I like seeing you without the cloud over your head. The secrets, the regret… they all seem to have faded away. You’re not bad to be around when you’re like this.”
“Save your declarations and vows for tomorrow.” He smirked, but I could see the effect my words had had on him. The happiness shone a little more every time he realized our bond was growing tighter.
“Roger that.” I tipped my glass toward him before taking a sip and looking back over at my men.
As far as nights before your wedding day go, it was tamer than I expected.
Maybe they realized how important this was for me now. Ayda wasn’t just some chick riding through my life to satisfy a craving. She had become my life, and the build-up to this moment had been a rollercoaster of loving, losing, fighting, and trying to survive. Tomorrow marked the start of a new forever. The old one now dead and buried.
Tame or not, though, I still rolled into bed with a heavy thud, with Jedd laughing over me as he slapped my cheek and tucked me in for the night.
“Love you, brother,” I slurred, enjoying the warm buzz that flowed through my body.
“Get some sleep, shithead.”
I raised my middle finger, smiled dopily, and closed my eyes.
When I woke, it was morning, and the light poured through the open blinds. The haze of a new day meant I needed a second to catch up, and I threw my arm over my face, groaning as I rolled over and tried to open my eyes.
The minute I did, water was thrown on me, forcing me to gasp and sit bolt upright, my hands digging into the mattress as I breathed through the shock.
“Wakey, wakey, rise and shine. It’s lose your freedom for the rest of your life time,” Slater sang.
I flicked water from my eyes, shaking my hair as I looked up at him.
“You bastard!”
“Really? The first words you’re gonna say on the morning of your wedding are You bastard? Today is a sacred day, brother. Thou shalt not cuss or do anything little wifey wouldn’t approve of.”
“The fuck is wrong with you?”
“Not a damn thing.” He grinned brightly.
“Screw you.” I laughed, reaching for a pillow to throw at his head.
He dodged it, and ran over to me, rubbing his hand over the top of my wet hair. “Come on, Fucker. Get up. I have promises to keep and women to please. If you’re not in that shower within the next five minutes, my ass is on the line.”
“Anyone would think you were taking this best man shit seriously.”
“Don’t get me started. I’m still pissed about that.”
“You really expected me to choose between my best friend and my VP?”
“Fuck, yeah, I did. VP is his job. Being your best friend has been voluntary, and I deserved the good karma that went along with that.”
I reached for another pillow, tossing it at him as hard as I could and earning an exaggerated grunt for my efforts. “Fine. I’ll share the role with Jedd. Blah, blah, whatever. Now get in the shower.”
For the first time in my life, I did as I was told without argument, moving where Slater told me to, showering, trimming my beard down and spraying whatever shit he told me to spray over my body and on my neck.
When it came to getting dressed, I stood in front of the clothes hanging off the curtain rail and smiled to myself.
“Stepping into the shoes of a new man, Drew,” Slater said with excitement. “You ready?”
“I was made for this,” I told him proudly, and then I reached up and pulled down my clothes, eventually shrugging into my crisp white shirt before I stepped into the smartest pair of black suit pants I’d ever owned.
Deeks and Eric had helped me pick them out after I’d told them both I didn’t want to do the traditional MC wedding attire. I wanted this to be a once in a lifetime day for both of us—one where I’d look like me, only different. I wanted to knock her off her feet as much as I knew she was going to knock me off mine.
By the time I was dressed, standing in front of the long mirror, I palmed down the front of my shirt and shook out my legs to make my trousers fall right.
Slater was standing next to me, holding onto the black vest we’d had made with white embroidery on the back in the design of my club’s patch. The Hounds and Reaper were with me… we were just being a bit fancy for the day. Slater held it out, and I pushed my arms through, shrugging it into place and pulling down the edges to make it fall as perfectly as it needed to.
“Smartest cut I ever did see,” Slater admitted softly.
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat and began to fasten the buttons up, stretching my neck out as I did.
It had been a hard decision, choosing not to wear my cut. A decision I didn’t take lightly. It was as much a part of me as my legs and arms were, and even though there was a tiny bit of regret at not feeling the weight of it on my shoulders, the weight was exactly what I’d wanted to be free of for just one day.
That cut was covered in responsibility, death, and mistakes.
Those weren’t welcome at the altar. I didn’t want the ghosts of anyone looking at Ayda while I told her all the things I needed to tell her. I didn’t want my mind to drift when the familiar smell of leather reminded me of a time I’d rather forget. My cut would go on later that night, once the ceremony was over, but for now, I needed this. I needed peace.
I wanted this for both of us.
“You think it’s too much?” I asked, staring at my own reflection as I bounced on the balls of my feet.
“Not even a little bit, you handsome fucker.”
I grinned and caught his eye, watching as he turned away and rubbed at his brow.
“Allergies, Slater?”
“Yeah,” he croaked. “Give me a minute.”
“Take all the time you need,” I said, rolling the sleeves of my shirt up to my elbows before I reached over to grab the black bow tie on the side. “Well, maybe not all the time you need. Ayda will kick your ass if you make me late, and one of us needs to figure out what the fuck to do with this.” I held out the bow tie and watched the fear shine from Slater’s eyes.
“Shit. We need Eric, don’t we?”
“I guess we do after all.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
AYDA
I watched the scenery of Texas and Babylon pass by the window of the car as the ladies with me chatted with excitement. I couldn’t stop smiling, and my cheeks ached from it. Janette and Autumn had organized the whole morning. A cleverly designed RV bus had been converted into a mobile spa, including full hair, makeup, and even massages. I was now waxed, buffed, and coiffed into perfection.
The plan was to drive to The Hut, where Deeks would be waiting for us outside the gates. The car would take the ladies in, and they would proceed down the aisle. Deeks would be giving me away in his own unique way.
This was a day I’d dreamed about in seve
ral different ways since I’d been a little girl. But marrying Drew was a dream I’d never been smart enough to conjure until I’d known I couldn’t survive without him. I couldn’t seem to find it in myself to be nervous. Every time I thought about walking down that aisle, all I could think about was finally becoming his wife in front of our friends and family, and for it to be recognized legally by the great state of Texas.
“You ready?” Janette asked, leaning into me. She and Autumn were on either side of me, my rocks, as always. My two mother hens making sure every dream I’d ever had came true while making sure every part of the machine they’d put together ran smoothly.
“I am,” I admitted, moving my bouquet to the other hand and gripping hers. “I think it’s the only thing I’ve ever been this certain about.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she assessed me.
“No. None of that. You’ll just set me off,” I pleaded. “You can make me cry as much as you want after Drew’s seen the full effect.”
“Oh, look,” Sloane said quietly, her face practically pressed against the glass of the window. We all seemed to lean in at the same time as the limo slowed and pulled off onto the shoulder by the gates of The Hut.
There were flowers everywhere, and on either side of the gates sat logs in various heights, ranging tallest to shortest, blooming out from the gates to the street. Each log held two mason jars—one with flowers, and one with a candle flickering in the breeze. The open gates had beautiful wreaths made of waxy green leaves and romantic flowers.
“Wow.”
This hadn’t been something I’d arranged, and from the grin on Janette and Autumn’s faces, they’d not only known about it, they’d arranged it. The two had struck up quite the friendship since the real planning for the wedding had begun.
“You like it?” Autumn asked as the car stopped completely on the shoulder, just before the gates.
Like was an understatement. The whole thing was breathtaking, as were the emotions rising inside of me. It had been like this for the last week. The closer the wedding had come, the more the hormones had tangled with the excitement, leaving me to become a blubbering mess no one was quite sure how to handle. I think I’d scarred Tate and Rubin for life.
“It’s stunning.” I finally choked out, doing my best to blink back the tears that were already rising.
“There are a few more surprises, but I promise, we stuck to your rules.”
If the surprises were all like this one, I was more than happy to concede everything to them in the future. The entrance to the yard looked civilized and graceful in a way I’d never seen it. It was welcoming, warm, and everything I could have hoped for.
I was still gawking when I finally noticed Deeks leaning against his bike, just to the side of the gates. The chrome of his bike was bright in the sunlight, and the paint was polished to utter perfection. Deeks looked handsome and regal, wearing a suit with his cut in place of a jacket.
“Dapper.”
“My God, the man cleans up good.” Autumn hummed wistfully, all the love she had for him evident in her tone. “But he only does it rarely, and only for the people he loves the most.”
“Y’all are determined to make me cry,” I accused, picking up the small train of the dress in my free hand and sucking down oxygen like it was going out of style.
“Then we’d better get you down that aisle and to the man at the other end of it.” Janette opened the door, her hand gently holding my forearm as I stepped out and into the warm summer air. “We love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you, too.”
I walked toward Deeks, who had pulled off his sunglasses and was now staring at me with wide, watery eyes. I swore I wasn’t going to make it down that aisle without mascara down my cheeks. I knew this was all out of the love these people had for me, but I was barely holding my shit together as it was, and Deeks’ reaction just made that lump in my throat grow as my smile returned in full force.
“How do I look?” I asked, spreading my arms and turning slowly. I lifted the bottom of the dress in my hands and twisted my foot at him, an ivory colored cowboy boot sitting there comfortably.
Deeks stepped forward as the limo started to pull into the yard. They were gone by the time Deeks stepped in front of me. Gripping my hands in his, he squeezed them tightly, his face lighting up with a smile I’d never seen there before. It was filled with love and pride, and an emotion I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“You’re perfect, kid.” Lifting one hand, he twisted a finger into one of the loose curls falling around my shoulders, and let it spring free with a wistful shake of his head. “That boy ain’t gonna know what hit him.”
“Take me to him?” I asked, my voice trembling with barely contained emotions.
“It would be my distinct honor.”
Deeks turned to look at his shiny bike with a shit-eating grin I hadn’t seen there in a while. “Think you could manage sidesaddle?”
“On your bike?”
When I raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. “We all have our traditions, Ayda, and you’re about to experience one of the rare ones.”
I waited as he swung his leg over the bike and pulled it upright, offering his hand to me and grinning when I accepted it with a playful roll of my eyes. With my bouquet in hand, I gathered up the train of my dress and raised it up as carefully as I could once I was sitting behind him. It wasn’t as dignified as I’d have liked, but it felt right. Drew had warned me the guys had some things of their own planned, and I guessed this was one of them.
Deeks took off slowly, barely fast enough to make a breeze as he rolled toward the gates and into the yard.
The whole place was as transformed as the gates had been, with logs, flowers, mason jars, and candles filling the spaces surrounding us. Fairy lights and lanterns were strung all the way around the yard and crisscrossed overhead, leading toward where we’d agreed on placing our altar of metal and willow branches. This was where I knew my bridesmaids had just arrived and stepped into place and where Tate waited so he and Deeks could give me away together.
What I hadn’t expected was the club guys there, sitting on their bikes, each man lined up on either side of the aisle, parked diagonally and facing Drew with their bright lights on. My jaw dropped as I studied each of them looking at me the way Deeks had just done, their smiles authentic and filled with love.
I almost dropped my dress as my emotions threatened to overwhelm me.
The club was as much of the family as every one of the guys, and this was a way of acknowledging that. This act was their way of respecting this day, and this marriage, and the tears welled in my eyes only long enough for me to blink them away again. I couldn’t have anything hindering my view when Deeks got to the end of that Harley-lined aisle, and it was worth it all.
The moment Deeks turned that corner, I could only see what waited at the other end of it.
The man I’d been waiting to see all day.
Drew.
He looked amazing in his version of a tuxedo. His wide shoulders filled out the shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. A bow tie that was a bit wonky but totally him, sat around his neck, and a sexy as sin tailored vest hugged those abs of his.
He was all could see from that point on.
I took the hand that was offered to me and rose from the bike to my full height before letting the train of the dress go. I was barely aware of the girls slowly heading down the aisle before me. All of those little details that seemed so important to me in the planning suddenly fell away when Drew glanced around and saw me for the very first time.
Yes, I thought to myself as his eyes widened with hunger and awe. I’m yours.
Chapter Forty-Nine
DREW
She was breathtaking—beyond anything I could have conjured in my mind, and I had to shuffle my stance, push my shoulders back, raise my chin and swallow the emotion in my throat as I held my hands together in front of me and waited.
Her blonde hair
was a relaxed halo around her body—a body that carried my child and made me love her in ways I could never have imagined loving her.
The dress she wore hung in all the right places, showing me her strong, slender arms, her tanned skin, and just enough cleavage to make me contemplate ditching the wedding just so I could drag her back to her our room and ruin her.
Fucking perfect.
I had to swallow again, the world around me fading away until all I could see was the glow of lights from the bikes lining the aisle, and my woman. My savior. My soon-to-be-wife.
Whatever I’d done in life to deserve this moment, I would be forever grateful for it.
My slow rising smile soon turned into a grin of disbelief as she grew closer, her eyes locked on mine.
Get here to me, darlin’. Let’s live this good life.
It was like she read my mind. Her smile was brighter than the Texas summer sun and filled with happiness and love that was aimed directly at me.
The closer she got, the more I struggled to hold onto my emotions.
I wanted to run my hands through her hair, drag her to me and hold her there forever, in our forever—a forever no one could ever touch now.
It took a different kind of forever for her to reach me, and when she did, I sucked in a breath and held it in my chest as I watched Deeks and Tate take turns to kiss her cheeks and hide their need to cry like babies, too. When Ayda turned back to me, her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
Stepping forward, I reached out to take her hands in mine, any cool I’d ever possessed gone as I broke the rules, pulled her to me, and pressed my lips to hers in a slow, sentimental kiss I needed to take for nobody else but myself.
Without Forever: Babylon MC Book 5 Page 28