Then there's the fact each time she sees me; she makes me promise that once the baby is born, I'll take care of it. I've been thinking a lot all night about what that means, and to tell you the truth, I'm terrified she's going to hurt herself to get out of this marriage, just as Avery hurt herself when she thought Ghost had been taken from her. I tried to explain my fears to Hammer this morning. He told me to mind my own business and that I didn't know what I was talking about. If anything happens to Maria because he didn't heed my warning, I'll fucking kill him!
I feel like a fucking fool in this suit, and I can't seem to make myself leave the clubhouse. I should've gone ten minutes ago, but this cold beer is just too good to leave. There ain't nobody else here, but a couple of prospects manning the gate for security, every brother and his old lady have already gone to the church. Even those without women left ages ago. My dad has already called me twice to tell me to get a move on, but all I want right now is to break some fuckers face! Maybe that will make me feel better.
“Don't you know it's rude to turn down a wedding invite?” Vidal. What the hell does he want? How the fuck did he even get in here? Bastard could have snuck up on me and killed me!
Damn prospects!
“What do you want, Draven?” I don't even look at him, he ain't worth looking at. I'll end up punching him, and fighting a man like Vidal is not in my favor right now. The man's a cage fighter, a ruthless killer, and I've been drinking. Might be just the two of us here, but I ain't sure either of us would walk out alive should it come to it. The guy might be built bigger than I am, but I'm not stupid when it comes down to it, and I'm in just the right frame of mind right now to kill a damn army! All he has to do is fucking try me.
Shit, I've never been any good with loss. Couldn't cope when Celia – the woman who gave birth to me – took Nova and left me behind. The loss of my sister destroyed the little boy I once was. Turned me into this brutal fighting, killing machine.
I couldn't cope when my grandfather, Apollo, the president of this club before my father, died. I was so angry for so long that I almost lost myself to grief.
Losing Maria and the baby? Nobody is fuckin' safe from me right now, including this motherfucker!
“Mind if I join you?”
“Free country.” I shrug.
He takes the stool beside me at the bar, entwining his fingers in front of himself like he's Lord of the fuckin' underworld.
“I came here because I want to know why for the past month my brother has been badgering me about you. Seems to think I'm making a huge mistake where Maria is concerned. The same mistake I made with Avery. So I wanna know what you think.”
“Why, Draven? It's not like I have anything to say that you'll listen to.”
“Not what my brother seems to think. Tell me why my sister wants to be with you so much, tell me why you want to be with her? You don't even know each other.”
What the hell am I supposed to tell him? I can't tell him that I've been sneaking into his house for the best part of a week to fuck his sister. He'll blow my fuckin' head off before I've finished the sentence.
Regardless, I'll tell him what I think of his sister.
I lean over the bar and grab a bottle of whiskey from underneath the counter and two glasses. I pour us both three fingers and slide a drink over to him. “You wanna know why, Draven? I'll tell you. She's amazing. Never been able to talk to a woman the way I can talk to her. That first night, we connected in a way I didn't even know was possible. We talked for hours about nothing and everything all at once. She makes me smile, makes me laugh. Just being near her makes me a better man. I don't give a shit what you think of me, it's irrelevant. However, I'll give respect where respect is due and tell you that you did a good job raising her the way you have because she is so special, Draven. So damn special.”
I can sense him smiling. Bigheaded cunt.
“She's pregnant with my kid. Neither of us expected it, but it happened. She came to find me and tell me because she wanted to do the right thing. She's a good girl, Draven.”
“You don't need to tell me that.” He tells me in an annoyed manner.
I ignore him and carry on.
“She wanted us to get married for the baby, but I would be a liar if I said I felt nothing for her and that I just wanted to be with her for the kid. She means everything to me. I don't understand how it happened, but she had me from the moment I first laid eyes on her. That kid inside of her is half me, half Maria. I want to be a father to my child, Draven. You must understand that?”
“I know you've been sneaking over the wall of my house to see her,” Fuck! “That isn't a blind spot I saw you each and every time.”
“Why didn't you stop me if you wanted me away from her so badly?” And why aren't I dead already?
“Because I heard you talking one night. I'm not sure if it was the first time you'd snuck in or what, but I charged up those stairs ready to blow your brains out right in front of her.” I don't say anything, don't even move a muscle in my face, there's no need for me to act tough in front of this man right now. I want to hear why he didn't stop me sneaking into his house.
“I heard the way she cried to you. Won't lie, it brought back memories of my mother and hearing her cry. I was angry with you, with myself, but I figured I'd let you both get it out of your systems. I also figured it would sting you more to know you'd never have her again after today. Then Hammer told me how much I was so obviously hurting Maria because she'd fallen in love with you. I spoke to her last night, and I saw how in love with you she is. What I want to know is have you fallen for her, too?”
I look at him for a moment, sizing him up. I don't know what's going on here, but I am no liar. That's why I nod my head in honesty. “I have. I know you're all about respect, Draven, and I have respect for you, but when it comes to Maria, I can't stay away from her. She did something to me, something I swore I'd never let any woman do. She made me fall in love with her, and I can't shake it. She's beautiful, smart, the mother of my child. The thought of her marrying some other guy, having him raise my kid as his own, knowing he'll have his grubby hands all over her...” I grit my teeth in anger.
I take a deep breath and center myself. “Having to watch it from afar. I don't know, man,” I shake my head. “Feels like the worst kind of punishment.”
“If I wanted to punish you for touching my sister, believe me, it wouldn't be this way. Trust me; I would hurt you in ways even a biker hasn't heard of.” He knocks back his whiskey and sets the glass on the bar and gets out of his seat. “The wedding starts in thirty minutes. I expect to see you there. Show me that you're a real man, Jett. One last test.” With that, he slaps me on the back and walks away from me.
Be a man? Be a fuckin' man? One last cunting test! What else am I supposed to do, stop the wedding? Have three-hundred or more Italian mobsters plow me with bullets?
I can't attend this damn wedding it all but killed me watching her getting ready this morning. Yeah, I snuck over the damn wall that Draven Vidal now knows about, and I watched her in her room and all the women rushing around her. One doing her hair, another doing her makeup, one doing her fingernails, another doing her toenails, and the whole time she stared off into space. She didn't want to be there, and she doesn't want to marry that motherfucker, but what can I do about it? I have nothing to offer Vidal in exchange for his sister's hand in marriage.
But am I really gonna sit here and let the mother of my child marry someone else?
What the fuck is wrong with me? I've never in my life just given up like this, and I damn well won't start now.
No. Maria is mine, and I'm going to get my woman back or die trying.
Chapter Thirteen
Maria
A girl's wedding day is supposed to be the best day of her life. All of her childhood dreams about wedding dresses, horses, and carriages, her groom waiting at the altar. The man she has loved for what feels like forever. Waiting to hear the I do's, and that first k
iss as a married woman, yet I feel like I'm about to enter hell with a man I can't bear to even look at.
I know I'm not the only woman in the world to be forced into an arranged marriage, and I know many women in this world don't even get to voice their concerns about marrying a man they don't know. They don't get to tell their father's or brother's that they don't want that life, and I should really think myself lucky that I have someone to care for me the way my brother does.
I thought about it a lot last night, and I feel really selfish in the way I've acted towards my brother. All he's doing is what he thinks is right for my baby and me. Yes, it's killing me inside that I won't get to be with Jett. It's killing me that I'll have to sleep with Jovanni; actually, the thought makes me physically sick, but I can't let Draven down. I will go through with this wedding, and I will try so damn hard to make it work. I'll try even harder to put Jett out of my mind as much as I can.
God, even the thought of not being with him for one-second is tearing me apart, but what's the point of wallowing when there is nothing I can do to change things?
I was woken up by my aunt's at 6 AM, forced into the shower where they scrubbed me clean. Like I wasn't capable of cleaning myself! Talk about humiliating.
They shaved every inch of me, good job I'd already had a wax down there, or I'm sure they'd have tried to shave me there too!
They creamed up my body, powered me, sprayed all sorts of body sprays and perfumes on me. It began to choke me at one point. As I sat in my robe while having my hair styled, all I could think about was Jett and the fact I'll never get to be with him in any way again.
Never again will I get to feel his lips against mine, my hands on his skin, his hands touching me. I'll never be able to touch him in return. Never hear him telling me that I belong to him.
Of course, I smiled and chatted with fake happiness in my voice with the female members of my family helping me get ready. I kept the charade going, didn't want anyone thinking I was unhappy with my choice of husband, even if he wasn't my choice. I think I did quite well in faking it. No one seems to have noticed anything anyway.
However, now, it's time. I can't put it off any longer. Goddamn time seems to have rushed by in the blink of an eye. Now everyone is inside the church waiting for me. It's just my brother and me on the outside. I'm nervous. I feel like I might throw up. However, I push it back and take a deep breath. I loop my arm with my brother's. I guess I'm getting married.
“Ready?” My brother smiles at me. However, I'm not ready, not yet.
“Wait,” I grab his arm. He turns to me with narrow brows. “There's something I have to say first before we go in.”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I just wanted to say thank you,” He's looking at me like I'm crazy. I know he always tells me that I don't need to say thank you for anything, but I want to say it now.
Jovanni already informed me the other day that once we're married, he won't allow me to spend much time with my brother. We'll be moving into our own house away from Draven and his influence, and I'm not to defy him because he'll make me sorry I ever did.
Nothing he ever did would keep me away from my brother. Draven wouldn't allow it anyway, but I didn't say anything to Jovanni, just nodded my head like I agreed with him. God, he'll have a big shock when we are married.
“I want to thank you for everything you've ever done for me. I don't know if I've ever thanked you properly. I know I've been difficult this past month. I shouldn't have been. I know you've only ever done what's best for me. Thank you for letting me keep my baby, and for sorting out the mess, I made of my life.” I swallow back my emotions hard. I am so very grateful to my brother, and I'm not saying any of this to make him feel guilty. I just think it's time.
“You didn't make a mess of your life, Maria.” I lower my head, but he slides his hand against my cheek, careful not to touch my up-do. “You're going to have a very happy marriage with a husband who will love you so well.” Sure he will. “Your baby is going to want for nothing.”
Except for its father. However, I don't say that to him; it will only make things worse.
Gently, he kisses my forehead, but all I want to do is hug him tightly. I know I should be angry with him for doing this, but I can't hate him for loving me.
I could never hate him for anything. That's why I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head against his powerful chest. I sense his smile as he wraps his big arms around me.
“I love you, Dray.”
“And I love you, Principessa. Everything is going to be all right.” With a kiss to my head, he asks me if I'm finally ready. I chuckle and tell him, yes.
I don't want to look up as we walk through those double doors, but I know I have to paint on the big smile for my family. I will not look at Jovanni though until I absolutely have to.
I smile at my family, most of the women are already crying and saying how beautiful I look. I may look beautiful in my wedding dress, the dress that has a specialized panel across my torso to hide my baby bump, which it does beautifully, but I feel anything but inside. I feel ugly. I feel like I'm doing something terrible, probably because I am. My stomach is churning horribly because of it.
However, I keep the smile on my face and nod appropriately. My eyes widen a little when I see the members of Jett's MC sitting in the congregation. I'm a bit confused as to why they'd be here. I knew Hammer and Willow would be here, Avery and Ghost also, but I wasn't expecting the rest of them Each biker is wearing a suit, shockingly. Each of their women is dressed in beautiful, elegant dresses. Even the children of the MC are in attendance, and each one looks so beautiful.
My eyes scan each of them, looking for Jett, but he's not here. I don't know if I'm happy about that or not. It's good that he's not here so he can't make a scene. However, it also hurts that he's not because he promised me that I wouldn't have to go through with this, that he'd make sure of it, but I knew deep down that it wouldn't happen. There's no way he'd even get through the door without one of my brother's men stopping him.
I look at my brother for a second, our steps never faltering, bringing me closer to the altar and Jovanni. What is my brother up to? He'd never invite bikers to my wedding, except for Avery and Ghost, Sam and his wife, of course, and even though they're here, Sam won't make eye contact with me, as much as I want him to, and I do want him to. I want him to show me some kind of love. He and Draven aren't best friends or anything, but they are carving out a brotherly relationship.
What is it about me that he doesn't like? I've wracked my brains, again and again, to figure out if there's something that I do that annoys him. Is it the way I dress? The way I speak? Am I hideous, is that it?
I know it must be me because he's okay with Avery, they have a great relationship, and whether that's because she's married to Ghost or not, Hammer acknowledges that she's his cousin.
I don't have time to think about Sam – Hammer – whatever he calls himself, or anything else for that matter because we've come to a stop at the altar. My eyes are everywhere. The flowers along the pews and all down the aisle, the huge bouquets at the altar, the beautiful members of my family and... Wait, where the hell is Jovanni's family?
I know he has a family; he told me when he couldn't stop talking about himself all about his mother and Nonna, who were coming in from Italy. They really should have been here days ago to help with the wedding. It's a tradition. However, I don't see them. I know every person here, my family, the MC, my brother's men at every door and all around the huge church. Tony is here looking like one of the men in black.
If I turn and run, do you think I'd make it out of here without anyone stopping me?
A girl can dream, right?
I close my eyes and breath deeply. There's no going back now. My brother lifts my veil over my head, and it drops past the crystal clip in the back of my hair. He then kisses my cheek and squeezes my hand. He winks at me and then takes a step back.
I hand my posy t
o Abrianna. She looks gorgeous in her bridesmaid dress of silver. It's floor-length and strapless. She's one of five bridesmaids that I chose, including Avery. Well, I chose the two of them, and my aunts pushed the others on me. They're all dressed the same. My brother wanted it that way.
You wouldn't believe this was my wedding.
I take another deep breath before turning to the priest. I should smile, but I can't seem to force one. As he starts to speak Jovanni tries to take my hand in his. I snatch mine away instinctively. I will not have him touching me. I know I can't put it off forever, but right now? No, thank you.
He leans into me, and I try not to breathe in. I don't even want to smell him. “You don't want to hold my hand, princess?” He whispers toward me, and it's like something shot through me. It can't be.
My head shoots to the man by my side, and the man I see is not the man I expected to see. He smiles at me, but I think I'm a little in shock. I look to my brother, who winks at me. I can't believe this.
“What's going on?” I ask, stopping the priest in his tracks, who then asks if everything is okay, and should he continue. “Draven?”
My brother gets out of his seat and comes toward me. I'm scared. I know that's stupid, but I am. He cups my face with one hand and tells me, “You are my world, Maria. I would do anything to make you happy. Marrying Jovanni was making you anything but happy.” A tear falls from my eye, and I'm fighting the urge to ball my eyes out.
“Someone told me that I was being unfair.” My eyes follow his to Sam. He's not looking at us, he's looking anywhere but, which is typical for him. However, if he hated me that much, why would he say that to Draven? Unless he did it for Jett. Yeah, that's more like it.
“That same someone told me that you marrying the father of your child wasn't such a bad choice and that you'd be just as safe, just as Avery is with Ghost. I have his word, you see.” I giggle-sob and wipe tears from my cheeks. I'm ruining my makeup! It's waterproof, but still.
Never Give You Up (Snakes Henchmen Book 3) Page 10
