by Tia Lewis
As if on cue, Drake pulled up on his bike. My heart rate sped up the way it always did when I laid eyes on him. Sometimes I still wanted to pinch myself when I remembered he was mine. I had a hard time believing a man like him—gorgeous, sexy, strong—wanted to be with me.
“What are you degenerates doing to my fiancée?” he asked as he approached. “Telling her thing she shouldn’t be hearing? Turning her toward a life of crime?”
“If she didn’t already start a life of crime because of you …” Creed started, smirking.
Drake shrugged. “True.” Then he took me by the waist and kissed me, reminding everybody who I belonged to. As if they could forget.
“Where’ve you been?” I asked.
“Oh, I had a couple things to do before the big day. Like, um …” He patted the inside pocket of his black leather vest, where there was most definitely a small, square box I would have bet was covered in velvet.
“Ooh!” I reached for it, but he twisted out of my reach.
“Nope. You have to wait. I’m sure it’s some kind of, like, bad luck or something to put on the ring before the wedding.”
“It’s not!” I kept reaching, and he kept it out of reach. The guys laughed as I struggled, until I finally gave up. “Fine. Then you don’t get to see what I bought earlier today to wear under my dress. A shame. It’s right there in your old bedroom, too.” I walked away, arms crossed.
It took all of three seconds for him to get the hint. “Uh, I changed my mind! Here, you wanna see the ring? You can wear it if you want!” I laughed as he chased me into the clubhouse and carried me to his bedroom.
25
Drake
A Week Later
“I can’t believe you’re going through with it.” Creed shook his head in what I hoped was fake sadness.
“Shut up. You’re the one who told me I was stupid to fight with her, right?”
“Maybe I did. I don’t remember. I say a lot of things. And without even a decent bachelor party. Breaking my heart, man.”
I grinned in the mirror, putting on my tie. “You didn’t have to be my best man.”
“Why am I, if I can’t throw a damned bachelor party? I thought that was the whole point.”
“Thanks. It doesn’t have anything to do with us being friends or anything.”
He went on like I hadn’t said a word. “And then you tell me we can’t have Bobby’s girls around the clubhouse anymore. What did I ever do to you?”
“You know how it goes. I had to give in on at least one thing with Nicole, didn’t I? And it’s not like the other girls liked having them around, either.”
“No. Tamara hated it.”
“I know. So see? It was either have a bunch of whores at the clubhouse or have the women in our lives giving us shit every day and getting into fights. I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like getting nagged every day.”
“No, but it might have been fun to see a catfight,” Bobby pointed out. I couldn’t disagree with that.
I turned around to face him. “How do I look?”
“Weird.”
“That’s great, since you’re wearing a matching suit, dick.”
“You think I don’t know I look weird?” He pulled at the collar of his shirt, wincing. “This thing is choking me.”
“You only have to wear the tie for the ceremony. After that, take it off, put on your leather vest. As long as we get a few pictures with the ties and stuff. I know Nicole wants that. Another thing she’ll nag me about for the rest of my life.”
Creed snickered, sitting down on the guest room bed. We’d been shoved into that room by the women the night before. I couldn’t even sleep with my fiancée the night before my wedding. Like we had never slept together before. But Tamara had been adamant. No seeing each other between midnight and the minute Nicole walked down the aisle.
“You ready for this?” he asked, finally serious.
“I know I am. I’ve been waiting for her my whole life, brother.”
Creed shook my hand. “I can’t argue with that.”
“You’ve got the rings?”
“Jesus, for the tenth time, yes. I’ve got the rings.” He patted the breast pocket of his navy blue suit jacket. One argument I had managed to win was the “no tuxedo” argument. I couldn’t imagine putting on one of those. It wouldn’t feel like me at all. We’d compromised on dark suits. Even that was a little much, but I could see making a sacrifice for her. As it was, we’d moved the wedding way up for a certain guest we both wanted there.
Jack’s nurse wheeled him into the room. He had agreed to a wheelchair when I told him he would have to use one if he wanted to be part of the wedding. I knew deep down inside that he would never have used one if it wasn’t so important for him to be there for us.
“You okay, son?” Jack asked, smiling.
“I’m better than okay. You okay?”
“I’m pretty happy. This is a good day.”
I touched his shoulder, looking into his eyes. “It’s a good day.”
“I was just outside. It looks like the place is filling up.”
“Yeah?” I went to the window that overlooked the backyard. He was right—the chairs were almost all taken on both sides of the runner leading to the altar. We had a good day for the ceremony. It was cool, but not cold, and the trees that edged our yard were just turning deep red and orange.
“For a wedding you planned in a fucking week, this isn’t half bad,” Creed murmured, standing next to me.
“You don’t even know how much it means to me that she was willing to do this. I wanted to make sure Jack could be here for our wedding.” I said.
“It means a lot to her too, that he can be here. You did good, brother.” We both turned to smile at Jack, who gave me a thumbs up.
“Come on, Jack. I’ll take you out to the yard so these boys can finish getting ready.” Jack’s nurse, a big, brawny woman who didn’t look like she would take shit from anybody, pulled the chair out of the room and wheeled him down the hall.
“He needs a nurse like her. Can you imagine how hard it must be to get him to do anything?” We laughed together.
“Okay, brother. Ready to go out there?”
“As I’ll ever be.” I just wanted her to be my wife. Nothing else mattered.
“I still can’t believe it’s happening. You, of all people.” Creed chuckled a little as we stepped outside.
“Your time will come,” I promised.
“Yeah, right. When pigs fly,” he smirked. “I’m not the marrying type or even the settling down type. You know that.”
“True. And I can’t imagine any woman being crazy enough to want to marry your ugly ass.”
“Love you too, brother.” We smiled.
26
Nicole
“Well, here we are. The end of the craziest week of my life.” I laughed a little, holding up a glass of sparkling champagne. Tamara and I were hanging out in my bedroom, finished dressing but unwilling to go downstairs until we had confirmation that the boys were outside. I didn’t want anything to go wrong. We had come too far for some silly slip-up to ruin everything.
I finished putting on my makeup while Tamara watched from her spot on the bed. I could tell from the way she smiled that she was happy for Drake and me.
“I always knew you would end up here,” she whispered.
“What, here at my house, getting married in my backyard after exactly a week of planning?” I laughed a little, putting the finishing touches on my mascara.
“You know what I mean. From the beginning, when you first picked a fight with him at the clubhouse. Years ago. Remember that first day?”
“Oh, yeah.” I turned to her with a smile, leaning against the dresser. “I had picked up sandwiches with Richie, and Drake didn’t want me at the clubhouse. So he started a fight.”
“And you stood up to him. Right then and there, I thought, that’s the girl for him. You didn’t back down. You even made him laugh.
I never saw anybody make him do that before.”
“So you knew, huh?”
“Yup. Even before you did.” Tears overflowed her eyes, and I rushed over to hand her a tissue. She had been an emotional wreck all day. I hoped it wasn’t some sort of weird jealousy thing, like she felt left out because I was marrying one of the club members. She was still young, and beautiful, and she had a lot of time left. I wanted to tell her that, but I didn’t want to make her feel insulted or condescended to, either. I only patted her back.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what it is with me right now. I can’t stop crying.” She dabbed carefully at her eyes.
“You should have waited for the eye makeup,” I decided.
“What difference would it have made? I’d end up crying it all off at some point, anyway.” She laughed through her tears, and I gave her a hug.
There was a knock at the bedroom door. We looked at each other, shrugging. “Yes?” I called out.
“It’s Aunt Karen.” I looked up at the ceiling, sighing.
“I can get rid of her,” Tamara whispered.
“No, she’ll just want to talk later. I might as well get it over with.” I got up, put on a smile and opened the door.
“Oh, sweetie! You look so beautiful!” Karen crossed her hands over her heart. “I mean it. I’m so overwhelmed.”
“Thanks,” I murmured, smiling. I felt pretty good, especially considering how I’d purchased my dress off the rack. It was a tea-length white dress with a boat neck and long sleeves. A crinoline slip held the A-line skirt out, making it full and fluffy. When I’d found it, I’d known it was the dress for me. The fact that it fit perfectly was a plus, too.
“Can I speak to you alone for a minute?” she asked, smiling at Tamara. She pulled me down the hall to the bathroom before I could answer one way or the other.
“We’re starting soon, I think,” I whispered.
“I know, I know.” She held out her hands, and I took them. It was a lot for me to avoid rolling my eyes—I hoped she understood how much strength I was using just for her. “I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you.”
“Proud of me?” I didn’t snicker, but I did smirk.
“Yes, proud. You decided what you wanted, and you went for it. You even threw this together on short notice so Drake’s close friend could be here. You’re a very special young woman, and I know your father would be proud of you today.”
My eyes filled. “Please, don’t make me cry,” I whispered.
“I wanted to give you this.” She opened her pink satin purse, which matched the suit and shoes she wore. “It was your great-grandmother’s.” A lace handkerchief, so fragile and delicate I thought a stiff breeze might make it fall apart.
“Oh, gosh.” I was almost afraid to touch it.
“I wrapped it around the stems of my bouquet on my wedding day, and I wanted you to have it today. I didn’t have a daughter to give it to, but I’m proud to give it to you.”
For the first time in a long time, I felt the urge to give my aunt a real hug. She could be the biggest pain in the ass, but she wasn’t all bad.
“Should I tell the minister you’re almost ready to go?” she asked.
“Yes, give me just another five minutes or so. I have to put on my hat and get my flowers together.” Karen nodded, hurrying downstairs. I went back to my room with a smile on my face, holding the precious bit of lace in my hand.
And I found Tamara heaving her guts into the wastebasket. “Oh, no!” I fell to my knees in front of her, waiting until she was finished to wipe her face. I handed her a glass of water. She looked green.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured.
“It’s okay, sweetie! What is it, the flu? Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t feel well?”
She looked at me, a funny expression on her face. “It’s not the flu.”
“No? Then what’s going…?” My jaw dropped when I finally put it all together. The empire waist dress. The strappy sandals she had a hell of a time getting on her feet, though they were in her size. The fact that she hadn’t had any champagne with me.
“You’re pregnant,” I whispered.
“Ten weeks,” she confirmed. “And I’m already blowing up like a beach ball.”
“Oh, Tam!” I didn’t know whether I should be happy or sad or what. There was no reading her expression.
“I’m generally glad about it, just not at this moment,” she said. I patted her forehead and neck with tissues, where she was a little sweaty.
“You poor thing. Put your feet up.” I pulled a chair over, and she sat in it with her feet on the bed to elevate them a little.
“I’m so sorry,” she said again. “I really hoped I would have been out of this phase by now.”
“Oh, sweetie. I think it’s too early for that.”
“I promise I’ll make it down the aisle. I don’t know if I can make any promises after that, though.”
“If it would make you feel better, you don’t have to walk me down at all.”
“Bullshit. Yes, I do. That’s my job.”
“Listen, you already ran around with me all week, getting things together. I probably exhausted you. I wish I had known.”
“It’s okay. I wanted to do it.” She took my hand. “I’m a little nervous, though, now that we’re talking about it. You’re the only person who knows. I’d been keeping it to myself this whole time.”
“So even the father doesn’t know?” She shook her head. “Do you not want to talk about that?”
“I don’t at the moment.”
“I understand. You just stay here and rest as long as you need. They’ll wait for us. I’ll finish getting ready.” I slid into my heels and fixed my pillbox hat with its little birdcage veil to the top of my head. My hair was in a simple French twist—classic, no-fuss.
“So? What do you think?” She burst into tears again at the sight of me. At least I finally understood why she was so emotional.
Ten minutes later, with my great-grandmother’s lace handkerchief around the stems of my cream rose bouquet, I walked downstairs behind a very slow, very cautious Tamara. I’d given her a pair of nude flats to wear, since my feet were a little larger than hers. They fit perfectly, and the sigh of relief she’d let out told me the agony she’d been in. That and the lines pressed into her feet from the straps to the sandals. If she was already swelling up like that, she had a lot of fun to look forward to. Still, she looked beautiful.
“Do you want some ginger ale before we go out there? Just in case?” I could tell she wanted to say no, but the look on her face told me she could use it. I sat her down at the kitchen table and handed her a can of ginger ale.
Tommy was waiting for me. After a long talk with Drake, I decided that it only seemed fitting that he walk me down the aisle. I didn’t know my Uncle Joe well enough, though I knew it would have made Aunt Karen happy if I’d asked him. I wasn’t even sure at the time that Tommy would accept, but he did—and happily.
His eyes looked a little misty. “You’re beautiful, kid.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.” I straightened his checked tie, then flicked a piece of lint off his shoulder.
He glanced over at Tamara, who was sipping ginger ale with her feet up. Pregnant, I mouthed, then held a finger to my lips. He nodded sagely.
“Before we go out there, I wanted to take a minute to apologize.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s all in the past.”
“I still think I do. It’s sweet of you to ask me to do this—you already showed me I’m forgiven, and that means a lot. But I still feel bad for the grief I caused you.”
“You didn’t really cause much. If there’s anybody you should apologize to …”
He winced but nodded. “I know. I know I do.”
“Then I’ll leave that up to you.”
“Your dad would be proud,” he said, smiling.
“He’d be proud of you too. Being able to admit w
hen you’re wrong and all.” I winked, taking his arm. Tamara looked considerably better than she had before, and she picked up her bouquet with a determined look in her eye.
“Ready?” she asked. I nodded. She opened the double doors leading out to the backyard, and the makeshift altar under a flowered archway. The florist had done a fantastic job, considering we were under such a tight deadline.
The music from the string quartet shifted from a soft little nameless melody to a very recognizable one. I didn’t want the wedding march played, but had chosen Canon in D instead. Tamara walked in front of us, taking slow, measured steps. I crossed my fingers, praying that she’d make it through the ceremony. It was a good thing we’d planned a short one.
When she reached the minister’s side, I looked at Tommy.
“He’s here, too,” he murmured.
“I know. I feel him everywhere.” And I did. Every minute of the day, Dad had been with me. I didn’t need to see him to know he was there.
“Ready?” he asked, smiling.
“Yes.” And we started out the door, down the path to the white runner which had been rolled out for us.
I tried to capture every last detail of the walk in my memory. The blueness of the sky—the sky is only that blue in autumn, and crystal clear. The color of the leaves on the trees. The cool breeze. The happiness on the faces of my friends and loved ones, as they turned to watch me walk down the aisle on Tommy’s arm. Darcy, who had made the food for the reception. Violet, who had helped me with wrangling guests at such short notice. All of the guys from the club and their wives and girlfriends. Jack. My eyes filled with tears when I saw him beaming at me from his seat up front. Aunt Karen, sobbing her eyes out. My two cousins, who looked like they couldn’t possibly be more bored.
And Drake. Standing there waiting for me, smiling. My heart settled into a slow, relaxed beat. I had nothing to be worried about. He was there. He would always be there.
When we reached him, Tommy leaned down to kiss my cheek. Then, he turned to Drake. I heard them murmuring to each other, and Drake grinned a little as they shook hands. I wondered what they’d said, but thought it would be best to leave it between them. Sometimes men had to have their little secrets.
