by Harley Wylde
The not knowing was going to drive me crazy.
“Now what?” I asked, looking around at everyone.
Lyssa checked the time. “The boys are probably getting hungry again. We can let them eat burgers at the clubhouse while we make something here, or we can cook something to take over there.”
Hayley was shaking her head, her eyes wide. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but she apparently didn’t want to go to the clubhouse. It made me wonder if maybe she’d heard from Hawk. I’d noticed she’d checked her phone several times, and I’d seen her texting.
“What’s going on?” I asked, watching Hayley. She flushed and looked everywhere but at me. “Hayley, you know something.”
“It’s a surprise. Please don’t ask me to ruin it.”
I sighed. “Fine. Just tell me this… do we need to make dinner right now?”
“No, but, um. You need to put on your dress and shoes.” She looked at my mom, then back to me. “And your mom needs to dress up too. We all do.”
Huh. If I needed to put on my dress, it sounded like we were getting married right this minute. I wasn’t complaining, but a little warning would have been nice.
“I’ll stay while your mom gets whatever she needs. Then the two of you can get ready together. I think you need the time alone, so I’ll head home. Hayley and I will meet you at the clubhouse. Don’t go there before five.” Lyssa narrowed her eyes at me. “In fact, wait here. I’ll come back for you, and we’ll ride over together.”
“I’ll be back shortly,” Mom said, giving me a hug. Hayley went ahead and loaded Freya into her car seat and drove back to her place. I helped Lyssa pack up all the things she’d brought, and she was ready to go home by the time my mom got back.
“How did you know to bring a dress?” I asked, as Mom brought her stuff into the house.
“I didn’t, but I’ve learned to always be prepared. Your dad likes springing things on me. So now when we leave town, I pack at least one dress. Sometimes two.”
“Why don’t you get ready first?” I suggested. “I need to feed the horses anyway.”
“All right. Hurry back. You’ll want to rinse off in the shower after going out there. You should probably wash your hair too. And shave!”
I eyed my legs and remembered they’d been a little prickly when I’d been trying on dresses. The clock on the bedside table said it was nearly four o’clock, which only gave me about an hour to get ready. I could make it. I hoped.
I rushed outside and made sure the horses were fed and had plenty of water. I checked their hay before heading back inside. As much as I’d have loved rushing through a shower, since it seemed to be my wedding day, I took my time. I washed and conditioned my hair, shaved, and when I got out, I slathered on a ton of moisturizer.
“Ready?” Mom asked as I stared into the mirror.
“As I’ll ever be.”
She helped me dry and curl my hair. I even let her do my makeup. By the time I’d dressed and slipped on my shoes, I hardly recognized myself. Mom had pinned up part of my hair. The rest hung in spirals down my back and over my shoulders. I looked… elegant.
“I brought something for you. I hadn’t realized it would end up being for your wedding, but I think it’s the perfect time to pass them on.”
“Mom, what are you talking about?” I asked.
She took two velvet boxes out of her purse and handed them to me. “Your dad bought these for me the first year we were together. I’d always planned to give them to you at some point.”
I opened them and saw the diamond studs and necklace she’d worn for special occasions. I reverently touched them, awed that she’d give me something that meant so much to her. She loved this set.
“Mom, I can’t accept these.”
“You can, and you will. I already told your dad what I wanted to do, and he agreed they should be yours. He’s already bought me another set to wear when we celebrate special things like anniversaries or holidays.” She hugged me. “And one day, you can pass these on to your daughter.”
I placed a hand over my stomach. What if I was pregnant already?
The front door opened and shut, then I heard Lyssa calling out for us. “You two ready?”
“Let’s go!” Mom smiled. “Time for you to get married.”
We got into Lyssa’s SUV and headed to the clubhouse. I saw Hayley’s car already there, and the bikes that had been here earlier were still present. I got out and smoothed my hands over my dress.
Dad stepped off the porch and held out his hand to me. “You look beautiful.”
“Am I really doing this right now?” I asked. “I thought he’d want to wait until after dealing with Lewis.”
“That’s for Ranger to tell you, when and if he decides to share his reasoning. Does it matter? He wants to be with you, and you clearly want to be with him. The timing isn’t important. Let’s get you down the aisle to your husband-to-be. He’s been antsy as hell waiting for you to get here.”
My throat felt tight as Mom and Lyssa hurried ahead of us. They went inside, without giving me so much as a glimpse of what they’d done to the clubhouse. I shifted on my feet as my heart pounded against my ribs.
Dad pulled me into his arms and hugged me. “Everything is going to be all right, Danica. That boy thinks the world of you. I have no doubt he’ll move heaven and hell to keep you happy and by his side.”
“I feel the same about him,” I said.
He nodded and placed my hand in the crook of his arm. We walked up the steps, and he pushed open the clubhouse door. My breath caught when I looked inside. Chairs were on either side of a makeshift aisle. Decorative paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, and twinkle lights had been strung along the bar. Each chair had white and yellow ribbons tied to it in big, pretty bows.
“How?” I asked, taking it all in.
“Minnie did a lot of it. And the Prospects helped. One stayed on the gate. The other two worked on this. When Lavender took a break from helping Wire and Shield, she pitched in too.” He tipped his head to a table on the back wall. “She called a few places to have food brought in, and Minnie tied the bows to the chairs. She didn’t think you’d want her here for the event, so she took off when she finished.”
I smiled up at him and the flash of a camera made me see spots. What the hell? I looked around and spotted Hayley with a camera in her hands. She waved and took another picture.
“And Hayley offered to make sure you had wedding photos,” Dad said.
“It’s perfect,” I said.
Dad walked me down the aisle and I saw Ranger waiting. He’d changed into a white button-down but wore his cut over it with his jeans and motorcycle boots. I knew he hadn’t been to the house to get anything, and it made me wonder if the shirt was new. It seemed he’d been busy.
Prospero winked when we reached him and Ranger. “Who gives this woman to this man?”
“Her mother and I do,” Dad said. He kissed my cheek and gave my hand to Ranger.
Tears misted my eyes as I stared up at Ranger. I knew in that moment I wasn’t falling for him. I’d already fallen. I only hoped one day he’d come to love me too. The ceremony passed in a blur and only lasted about ten minutes. Thankfully, Hayley seemed to be click happy, and the flash of her camera was constantly going off. I’d have plenty of pictures to remember this day.
I’d noticed Wire stood off to the side with his phone. At first, I’d thought he was working still, or messaging everyone at home. Until I’d realized he was filming the wedding.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Prospero grinned. “You may kiss the bride.”
Ranger tugged me up against him and slanted his mouth over mine. If I’d thought he’d give me a quick peck, I’d been wrong. His tongue slipped between my lips, and he kissed me until the room spun. Everyone hooted and stamped their feet, making him pull back.
“Mine,” he said. “All mine.”
I leaned into him farther. “I was already you
rs.”
“Come on, honey. Time for our first dance.” Someone started up music, and everyone pushed the chairs to the sides. Ranger held me close as we swayed to the music. “You look beautiful.”
“You clean up nice too.”
He pressed his lips to mine again as we danced. Soon, others joined us. My heart felt full to bursting. It was the most magical night I’d ever had. I was so thankful my dad had mentioned wanting to walk me down the aisle. This was so much better than letting Wire marry us in a not-so-legal way.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “I don’t know how you did it, but this is the perfect wedding.”
He kissed the ring on my finger. “Only the best for my wife.”
“Dad said Minnie did a lot of this,” I said.
“She did.” He tipped his head to the side a little. “That bother you?”
“No, I only wished she’d stayed to enjoy the wedding. I think we should give her a gift or something, I want her to know how much I appreciate all she did for us.”
Ranger smiled and pressed our foreheads together. “You’re one amazing lady. I don’t know too many women who would want someone like Minnie at their wedding.”
“Other than Satyr, is there anything she needs?” I asked.
Ranger threw back his head and laughed. “I’m sure she’d like anything you gave her. But if you find a way to give her Satyr, she’ll love you forever. That girl’s been chasing him for a while now. Idiot’s too stupid to realize she doesn’t touch anyone but him.”
I had a feeling the same couldn’t be said for Satyr. With a name like that, how many other women had he been with? I knew it had to hurt Minnie. She’d seemed nice.
Ranger stopped dancing and cupped my cheek, staring at me with such tenderness. “I love you, Dani. No matter what the future brings for us, I want you to remember that.”
Tears misted my eyes again. I hadn’t felt the need to cry so much since Champ died. “I love you too.”
His words both warmed my heart and scared the crap out of me. What did he mean “no matter what the future brings”? Was he expecting things to go badly when they went after Lewis? If the cost of taking care of him, and whatever it entailed, was that I’d lose Ranger, it wasn’t worth it. I didn’t know why he had to be part of it. We’d just gotten married, and it scared me that I might lose him.
I hoped he knew what he was doing.
Chapter Twelve
Ranger
Marrying Danica made me so damn happy. I only wished my parents had been here. I’d called Mom and told her about Dani, and the wedding. After she’d yelled at me for keeping a fiancé a secret from her, she’d said making the trip was impossible. Both she and my stepdad were sick with the stomach flu. They’d even had to call in help for getting the animals fed and stalls cleaned. It smarted I’d been such a horrible son they hadn’t thought to call me for help.
I assured her I’d bring Dani to visit once they were better. And I made a vow to myself to go visit more often. My mom had done a lot for me over the years. I’d make sure I did what I could to make her life easier. Plus I wanted her and Dani to have a good relationship.
“You sure you want to do this?” Beast asked.
“Yeah. I need to.” At the very least, I wanted to see the fuckers who’d thought they could hurt Danica and get away with it. They’d been rounded up while I’d been getting everything ready for my wedding. Even if I hadn’t had a hand in bringing them in, I needed to see them. Hurt them. They’d come after my woman. My wife. I knew Cowboy would want his daughter avenged. My guess was they had no idea who her dad was outside the rodeo. They only knew him as a rodeo champion, long retired.
He nodded. “All right. Well, Hatchet wants to finish it. I think he’s earned the right since his daughter suffered at their hands. Not to downplay what Danica’s been through, but they didn’t go beyond stalking her. We know these men were the ones harassing Danica, and one of them slipped up and admitted to being part of the crew who hurt Raven.”
I agreed. If anyone deserved to end their lives, it was Hatchet. I couldn’t imagine not only discovering I had a child, but also hearing about all the horrible things these men had done to her. I was amazed Hatchet hadn’t gone over the edge.
“These two the only ones who were watching Danica?” I asked.
“Yeah. Lewis harassed her at a few events, but these were the two leaving her letters and breaking into her truck. Lewis was the main instigator of everything, but these bottom feeders enjoyed hurting the women Lewis targeted.”
I removed my cut and shirt before facing them. The two men hanging from the ceiling didn’t look like much. Neither were in shape, and one was missing a few teeth already. The thought of either of them touching my wife sickened me. I thought of all the women they’d destroyed. The ones they’d terrorized, then stood back while Lewis beat the hell out of them and raped them. They were scum. The lowest of the low. If we didn’t put them in the ground, they’d go after someone else.
“You boys fucked up,” I said. “You should have never come after my wife.”
Since they were both gagged, I couldn’t understand anything they tried to say. I had a feeling it would be either a bunch of whining, or cussing. I didn’t much care to listen to either. Instead, I got to work. Using my fists, I pummeled them both. I slammed my knuckles into first one and then the other, breaking as many ribs as I could. I wouldn’t kill them. Hatchet would get that honor. I just wanted to make them suffer as much as possible.
I used them as punching bags until they were choking on their own blood. As much as I wanted to toy with them for hours, making them wish they were dead, I saw Hatchet pacing, waiting for his turn. He needed this more than I did. If anything, I needed to be home with Dani. I didn’t want her to look back on our wedding and remember I’d disappeared that night instead of spending it with her.
I’d planned to leave with Hatchet and go after the others. I knew that wouldn’t be the right choice. Not now. Lewis was the only one left who’d been after Danica. As badly as I wanted to see the fucker bleed, I knew Hatchet would do his best to draw out the man’s misery. He wouldn’t let Lewis go easy.
“They’re all yours,” I said, going to the sink to wash my hands. I made sure I didn’t have blood elsewhere before putting my shirt and cut back on.
“You sure?” Hatchet asked, eyeing the two men.
“Yeah. I need to get home to Dani. I won’t be going with you.” I saw the way his fingers twitched, and knew he wanted to get his hands on these men, and all the others. “Just make sure Lewis knows why you’re torturing him. Not just for your daughter, but for all of them, including Dani.”
He nodded. “Consider it done.”
I walked out and got on my bike, heading home to my wife. She’d wonder about my bruised knuckles, but I hoped she didn’t ask too many questions. I wouldn’t be giving her answers, other than to tell her she was safe.
Cowboy and Jacey had retired to the guest house for the night, which meant Dani was alone at home. It ate at me, knowing I’d abandoned her tonight, even if only for a little while. If she forgave me, I’d count my blessings. Beating those men had been cathartic. I’d even go so far as to say I enjoyed it. Didn’t mean it had been the right choice. Would I look back ten years from now and regret the decision I’d made?
I walked into the house and noticed the silence. All the lights were off as I made my way to the bedroom. I quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Even in the darkness, I could see the shape of her under the covers. I stripped off my clothes and decided to take a shower before getting into bed. Even though I hadn’t noticed any blood on me before I’d come home, I didn’t want to start our marriage feeling dirty. I might not have killed those men, but I would have.
I started the shower and climbed under the spray before it had a chance to heat. The cold made me shiver a moment. Reaching for the shampoo, I lathered my hair and rinsed before picking up the soap. I scrubbed at my skin, wanting to wash away
any filth that might cling to me. Danica was sweet. Innocent. She deserved better than me. Too bad I’d never let her go.
When I’d finished, I got out and dried off. I tossed the towel over the rack before I went to the bedroom and slipped into bed next to my wife.
Dani turned toward me, seeking me out even in her sleep. I held her close and kissed the top of her head, breathing her in. My Dani girl. With her in my arms, I felt at peace. I’d leave Lewis and the others to Hatchet and whoever else wanted to chase after them. My club still had my loyalty, and I’d do whatever job Beast assigned me. But my priority would be Dani, now and always. Her and whatever children we had.
I held her closer, wondering if maybe she could be pregnant already. The thought of her growing round with our baby made me smile. The house wasn’t overly large, but I hoped she wanted at least two or three kids. I’d grown up an only child and I had to wonder if I’d had a sibling would things have been easier.
Dani stirred and her eyes slowly opened. “Parks?”
“I’m here, honey.”
“Everything go okay?” she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.
“Yeah. I decided Hatchet needed to handle this more than I did. I’ve handed it all over to him. I won’t be going anywhere, unless Beast sends me on a different job.” I ran my hand down her back. “Which means I’m yours. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it.”
“I haven’t met your family yet. Why weren’t they here for the wedding?” she asked.
I’d wondered when she’d ask about them. I’d honestly thought she’d ask at the wedding. I hadn’t kept it from her on purpose. There just hadn’t been a good time to bring it up. Wire had already emailed a copy of the video to me, and I’d sent it to my mother. It wouldn’t be the same as her having been there, but it would have to do.
“I called Mom. She and my stepdad are both sick. They want us to visit after they’re better and know they aren’t contagious. I gave them my word we would. Might be a few days, or more than a week. Hard to say for sure.”