Bound by Steel: Mountain Misfits MC Book 3

by Voss, Deja

  “You ladies about ready?” Esther says as the roar of motorcycles rattles the windows in the house. “Looks like the gang’s all here.”

  Sloan and I embrace, and a wave of memories washes over me. The very first time we met, and how she never treated me like the weird kid when we were growing up. How much trouble she kept me out of while still letting me live my life. How I dragged her up this mountain to begin with, setting off the chain of events that is our life.

  I toss my fur wrap over my shoulders and take one last look at myself in the mirror. Never in a million years.

  All the men in the club, aside from Gavin and Tank, are gathered in the driveway. They catcall us when we walk out on the porch. They’re all dressed in tuxedos, as per Sloan’s request, but they wear their leather cuts on top, as per mountain tradition. Everyone looks their best, beards neatly groomed and smelling all good. They might be a rough bunch, but they clean up pretty nice.

  Sloan wanted to ride her horse to the wedding, and she mounts the black beast in her white dress, looking like something out of a glamour magazine. I can’t even climb up in my Jeep at this point, so that was out of the question for me.

  “Look what we made you, Olive!” Austin says, pointing to what looks like a wheelbarrow with a seatbelt. “We can pull you on our bikes.”

  I’m really not sure Tank would approve of this. I know I can’t ride my bike or on the back of anyone else’s, so maybe this was the best possible option. Maybe he was the one that suggested it. He is the mechanic after all.

  “Thank you?” I say weakly. As I’m about to climb into the contraption, Goob grabs my arm and just shakes his head at me.

  “It’s a joke, Ollie,” Goob says, “Esther’s going to drive you.”

  “Ya’ll are assholes,” I say, cracking up. “Are you trying to make me pee my wedding gown?”

  “You always make us laugh,” Brooks says, pulling me in for a hug. “We figured it was the least we could do.”

  “I thought you guys were serious,” I say, damn near crying, I’m laughing so hard.

  “That’s enough of that,” Esther says. “You make her laugh too hard and she might explode. Which one of you wants to see what a baby coming out of there looks like?”

  “No thank you,” Brooks says, putting his hands up in the air and backing away.

  “You ready, woman?” Esther asks. She opens the door to the black convertible and I roll my way inside. As goofy as it is, the fact that these men go out of their way to make me smile, to make me feel welcome, it warms my heart. I wouldn’t want my big day to go any other way.

  Sloan leads the formation on her horse, then the men follow her on their bikes. Esther and I slowly follow behind in her convertible, down the dirt road to the place where it’s going down.

  Tank’s dad is waiting for me, and he opens the car door and takes me by the arm.

  “Are you ok, Mr. Ellis?” I ask. I have grown to love this man, and I know that he would do anything for his son, and probably me, too. “I know this isn’t really conventional.”

  “You know, if you would’ve asked me that question a few years ago, I’d probably try and make up some story about how ‘if it makes him happy then I trust his judgment’ while I was really dying a little bit inside. This has been hard on his mother and I, seeing him choose a life like this. Then you came along, Olive. You changed everything. You showed us from day one that you love our boy as much as we do. You showed us that he wasn’t just going through a phase, or that he wasn’t just doing all this to rebel against us. I’m proud of him. I’m happy for him. And I’m so excited to have you as my daughter-in-law.”

  I squeeze his hand and try and hold back my tears. Nobody’s called me daughter before, at least not in a way that wasn’t dripping with regret.

  The music from the band starts playing, and he smiles down at me.

  “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?”

  “Nope!” I say, lifting up my dress to show him my fuzzy boots that go up to my knees. “Let’s do this thing!”

  The procession starts with Evie, tossing red flower petals in the air carelessly as she prances down the aisle. Since everyone in the club is of equal importance, we decided against making everyone line up up front, and instead, the men in the club stand off to the side. The seats are filled with a lot of people I don’t know, some I’m sure are friends of Sloan’s from the hospital, some are brothers and old ladies from other chapters, and even the dirty birdies are looking a little less skanky as usual for this big day.

  Goob walks Sloan down the aisle. He might not be a father figure by any means at all, but her father is long gone. So is Gavin’s. As Gavin’s brother, he’s pretty much the next best thing. I watch my beautiful best friend walk gracefully through the field, and seeing Gavin’s face light up with love fills me with this joy for the two of them, so happy that my friend found peace after the terrible cards she was dealt until he came along.

  Mr. Ellis kisses me on the cheek and we begin our walk. Everyone in the crowd disappears when I see Tank. He looks sexy as hell, and knowing that I get to wake up next to that every day for the rest of my life gives me chills. I definitely hit the husband jackpot.

  Not just because he grows more attractive to me every minute we stay together, but because he’s a good man.

  He’s the best man.

  And twenty minutes from now, he’s mine forever.

  The ceremony is officiated by Heat, and it’s about as sweet and simple as a double wedding can possibly be. My hands tremble as Tank slides that ring over my finger. I’m surprised it fits at this point, but if he had to dip my hand in butter and use a pair of pliers to get it on, I wouldn’t complain. He kisses me with that passion that he always has, everyone in this field melting away until we are the only two people in the field, in the world. It’s just him and me for the rest of time.

  As we walk through the field together and everyone cheers, he keeps his arm tight around my waist. “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” he whispers in my ear.

  “You’re not so bad yourself,” I say. “I bet we’d make some really pretty babies.”

  We head straight for Esther’s convertible and drive to the pond nearby for some pictures.

  “How you holding up?” he asks as I lean into his body for a little extra support. I definitely need to sit down soon, but I want to make sure he gets to enjoy everything that a traditional wedding should entail.

  “I’ll be fine, babe,” I assure him. “Although you’re going to have to get me fed as soon as we get to the reception. I think Ethan is gnawing on my stomach lining.”

  “Get you fed, and get you home,” he says, pressing his lips to my forehead.

  “No way. I want you to have fun with your friends. This is your day too. Unless you’re in a hurry to make me an honest woman, that is,” I say, batting my eyelids.

  “I can’t wait to ruin that dress,” he laughs. “I hope you didn’t plan on wearing it again.”

  We get in the car and drive to the clubhouse, and I realize just how awesome being this pregnant is. Nobody judges me as I quickly wave them off and head straight for the buffet. I let Tank handle greeting all the guests. I don’t even bother with the table that’s been set up for us, I just prop myself up on the nearest barstool and attack this plate of pulled pork like it’s the last meal I’ll ever eat.

  “Olive!” Tank’s mother says, sprinting over to me the best she can in her high heels. She looks stunning in her long red gown, her make-up soft and her hair pulled up. “I haven’t got to talk to you yet today. You look so beautiful,” she says.

  “Give me five minutes and I’ll look like a barbecued beach ball,” I giggle. “You look amazing, Mrs. Ellis. I hope you enjoyed the wedding.”

  “I loved it,” she says, wrapping her arms around me. “And I love you. I love you so much, and I hope you know it.”

  “I love you, too, Mrs. Ellis,” I say, trying not to cry with food in my mouth. “You have been so good to
me. You don’t know how much that means.”

  “And now…” the lead singer of the band announces over the loud speaker. “We present you the newly wedded couples, Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Boden, and Mr. and Mrs. Thurston Ellis, for their first dance.”

  Everyone begins cheering and catcalling and Tank comes over and grabs me by the hand.

  “They’re going to make me dance, Mom,” I whine, winking at her.

  “Did you just call me?”

  “Watch my food,” I say as he drags me off onto the dance floor.

  “I know you hate this,” he whispers, pulling me into his body, pressing his forehead to mine.

  “I definitely don’t hate this, Tank,” I laugh. “I hate that I’m not the beautiful bride that you deserve and that I can’t get drunk and do cartwheels across the dance floor, but that stuff can wait. I love you, and that’s all that matters, right?”

  “You’re the most beautiful bride I could imagine, Olive.” He puts his lips to mine. “And you taste like barbecue sauce, which I don’t think any sane man would complain about.”

  We finish our dance and the crowd fills in the space around us, a bunch of wild bikers ready to celebrate. It’s easy for the two of us to disappear into the sea of people. Any other time, and I’d be in heaven right now. This is definitely one of the biggest parties I’ve ever seen in all my time on the mountain.

  Instead, I track down Trixie, who’s replenishing food on the buffet line.

  “Thank you so much for doing all this, Aunt Trixie,” I say, hugging her. “You care if we grab some to go?”

  “Not at all, Ollie. You’re probably beat.”

  “I promise I won’t be knocked up for your wedding. Then we’ll really throw down.”

  Her laugh is loud and filled with snorts. God, I love this woman, and not just because she’s filling up a giant sheet pan with food for me.

  Tank comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me. “Are you ready to go home?” Ethan starts bouncing around like a jumping bean when he feels his father’s hand on my stomach. It’s cute, even though the way he’s positioned right now is with his feet pointing directly at my bladder.

  “If you want to stay, I’ll be fine. I can just take a nap in one of the rooms upstairs. I don’t want you to miss out on anything.”

  “Well I don’t want to miss out on one minute of the rest of our lives together. Come on,” he says, grabbing the pan from Trixie and walking me towards the door. We go to say goodbye to his parents, who are sitting with Esther and Brooks, eating wedding cake.

  “Concert choir, huh, Thurston?” Brooks says with a wink, slapping him on the back.

  “Don’t let him fool you,” Esther laughs. “Your fearless president tried to play the clarinet all through middle school because he had a crush on the band director.”

  “Now I only play the skin flute,” he says, shrugging. Mrs. Ellis must have had a few cocktails because she slams her hand on the table as she throws her head back laughing.

  “We’re going to get out of here, guys,” I say. “This band has Ethan all riled up. I think he’s trying to break dance in there.”

  “Well, go home, guys,” Esther says. “We got this.”

  “Yeah,” Mr. Ellis says. “Don’t let us hold you back.”

  I hug my friends and my new in-laws, and Tank and I walk out the door, hand in hand, into the chilly April air. The wind is blowing, but the sun sits high in the sky and I can feel the excitement of spring in my bones. The new life. The fresh smell of everything green making its appearance after a long hard winter. I’m looking at the world through new eyes. I feel like a new woman. I feel complete and content and everything is right in my world.

  We get in the car and drive off to our home, his hand in mine, and I sink back into the seat and close my eyes, letting the wind hit my face.

  “Well, Mrs. Ellis?” he asks, opening the door for me. “You want me to carry you across the threshold?”

  I wrap my arms around his neck and he lifts me in his arms as I squeal. I might be big as a whale, but he makes me feel so small, so safe, everything is so effortless with us.

  “Now about that dress,” he says, setting me to the floor in the bedroom. I tug the zipper on the side and gaze into his eyes.

  “You ever screwed a married woman before?” I ask, licking my lips.

  “It’s been on my bucket list since the day I met you, Olive.” He smiles at me, pulling the straps from my shoulders, looking at my body like it’s the first time all over again.

  “At least you don’t have to worry about me getting pregnant,” I giggle, as his lips touch my neck, his beard grazing my collarbone in that way that makes me melt.

  I close my eyes and our life together flashes through my mind as he lays me on the bed. From the day we met until now, until the day we are old and gray, the love that I feel for him only growing stronger and stronger. The way it was always meant to be. No matter how we got here, it was all worth it.

  “Everything I need is right here,” I sigh, my eyes rolling back in my head as his mouth travels down my trembling flesh.

  Tank:

  I don’t know what feels better, the fact that my life turned out exactly how I wanted it to, or the fact that I finally let go of the guilt of losing my best friend in the process.

  As hard as it was on Olive when she found out about the cover-up, I did my best to stay strong and hide what I was actually going through. I tried to focus my attention on my bikes, on our baby coming, on making plans for our new house, the wedding, everything good that I had coming to me, but at night I’d pace circles in the pile of rubble where our house once stood, trying to make sense of everything.

  Why wasn’t it me home with her that night? Why, of all the days that he would decide to come back, would that be the night that Brent broke into the house? The guys insist he was probably staking the place out, he probably had been watching Olive since she got out of jail, and maybe got tipped off that we were going to be out on a run that night, but God, the timing is chilling.

  Red’s coach was the only person who really came looking for him. Trying not to break down and tell the man exactly what happened was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life. He explained to us that Red had been acting erratic ever since they went to Atlantic City, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he just wandered out into the ocean one night. The man felt terrible, that’s for sure, like he let us all down by not keeping a better eye on him.

  We all know better though. Red was going to do whatever Red wanted to do, period, full stop.

  The more I paced that lot, the more I found peace. I could almost hear him telling me to be happy, telling me that I better take care of Olive. It’s what he wanted all along. He died fulfilling his life’s purpose, protecting the woman he loved and making sure that I could be around to take care of her, and taking care of her is my life’s purpose. Everything came about full circle, and even though this isn’t the kind of happily ever after that you read about in fairy tales, it’s about as good as it gets when you choose the Mountain Misfit lifestyle.

  Ethan is a quiet baby. He looks like his mother, but he acts like me. He’s wide-eyed, observing everything around him, soaking it all in. One of my favorite things to do with him is strap him to my chest and take him walking in the woods, through the fields, all over the mountain. He smiles when the breeze hits his face. He wants to touch everything. Leaves, rocks, bark, watching his wonderment as he experiences all these new sensations and learns about the world around him is one of the best things about being a father.

  Every once in awhile, when we’re out walking, I’ll catch a whiff of burning in the air, and it brings me back to that night, but I just think of it as Red letting us know he’s here with us. Hell, his ashes coat this mountaintop. He’s everywhere. He was always the kind of guy that had to be the loudest person in the room. He never flew under the radar. I’m sure the fact that the leaves this fall are all turning a bright hue of red is just his
way of reminding us he hasn’t gone anywhere.

  Ethan and I stand in the backyard, and I look through the kitchen window at my beautiful wife, singing to herself as she washes dishes in the sink. I could stand here all night long watching her. Knowing how happy she is makes me complete. It makes me proud of the man I’ve become.

  I come inside and she snatches Ethan from my arms. She kisses me on the lips like I’ve been gone for months. She always does.

  “What do you got there, little man?” she asks Ethan, his fist clenched tightly in a ball. She pulls his fingers apart and squeals. It’s a wooly bear caterpillar, bright red with a single black stripe across it. He smiles at her like he got away with something. I don’t know how he’s gotten so smart in the six short months he’s been alive, but I swear he has a sense of humor already.

  “Is your uncle Red playing pranks on me again?” she laughs. She opens the back door and flings the fuzzy bug outside. “I think it’s time for your bath,” she says, kissing the top of his head. I help her get the tub ready and wish that this moment would never end.

  “What about you, Tank?” she whispers, batting those long blonde eyelashes at me as she dries him off and wraps him in a diaper. “I bet you could use a bath, too. I know I could. I’m feeling kind of dirty.”

  “I’ll put Ethan to bed,” I say, flashing her a wink. “You go get that water running.” I slap her ass and she giggles, trotting off to the bathroom.

  I put Ethan in his crib and he drifts off within seconds as I stand over him, watching, wanting him to know that I’ll always be here to keep him safe.

  “We’ve got a situation,” I hear Ollie’s voice come over the baby monitor in a quiet whisper. “I seem to have misplaced my clothes.”

  “Stay put,” I laugh, as I sprint down the hallway to the bathroom. I stand in the bathroom doorway and she stands there in all her glory, grinning from ear to ear. My beautiful wife, the woman of my dreams, the mother of my children, everything I need is right here.