Chapter 14
Why would you want to marry me anyhow?
So I can kiss you anytime I want.
-Sweet Home Alabama
Ember
We pulled up to Free, him on his bike, and me in my car. Instead of pulling around the garage to the houses in back, he pulled up to the bay door and shut the bike off. I pulled up next to him, and got out with brows raised.
He’d then taken my hand and led me into the office, and then out into the garage. All the lights were off, which was exceptionally unusual because normally at this time of day air wrenches were singing, tools were being dropped, hammers were banging, and a loud blaring of rock music played in the background.
None of that was happening today, which was downright freaky for three in the afternoon.
“What’s going on?” I asked curiously.
“Ember Leigh Tremaine, will you marry me?” Gabe asked into the darkness.
“I already said yes, weirdo. Why do you think I’m still wearing the ring?”
His laugh vibrated off the skin of my neck when he said, “I mean today, right now, as a matter of fact.”
At that statement, the lights flipped on blaringly bright, and I was presented with our friends and family in the shop. It was decorated in skulls, red, and black, just like I’d always wanted.
I turned from all of our friends staring expectantly at me back to Gabe, and then threw my arms around his neck.
“Of course, you didn’t even need to ask.” I said right before I kissed him.
“You’re supposed to kiss after you say, “I do!”” Jack yelled from across the room.
“Let’s go.” He said against my lips.
And so, we were married. By Elliott at that. Apparently, Dougie had dared him at one point to get licensed to be an ordained minister, and Elliott wasn’t one to pass up a challenge. Max had somehow pulled off getting a marriage license without the both of us present (Which was illegal since blood tests were involved, as well as both of our signatures, but hey, who was I to say anything here?) which made it all legal in the eyes of the state.
I got married in jeans and a t-shirt. The only thing missing were my parents, but I knew they were watching me with smiles on their faces.
Max walked me down the aisle. He held on to me tight, and gave me a bear hug before releasing me to Gabe’s arms. I ignored the “fuck up and die” look he gifted Gabe with, and smiled at Elliott who’d winked at me.
The ceremony was short and sweet. Everyone cracked up each time Elliott said something minister like. Cheyenne and Blaine were at my side crying their eyes out. Not sure why though, because there was nothing to cry about here. I was almost as happy as I could be; the only thing that could make it better was if my parents were alive.
We spent the afternoon eating, dancing, laughing, and carrying on. Kids ran around at our feet laughing and playing. I’d shared a dance with my husband, brother, and then every member of Free after that. I also might have slow danced with Cheyenne and Blaine, but I’d never tell. By that night, I was so tired that Gabe ended up giving me a piggyback ride back to our place. He dropped me on my feet right at the door, and then picked me up bridal style.
I looked into Gabe’s eyes as he carried me through the door to his house. They were soft and warm, full of love, and I never wanted to look anywhere else.
“I love you, Gabriel. This was the best day of my life.”
“It was a pretty perfect one for me, too. Thank you for saying yes.” He smiled.
“Anything for you. Anything.”
Unlike a normal wedding night, we spent the next few hours sorting through the enormous amount of baby paraphernalia. Gabe installed the car seat with only a little guidance from Sam. I sorted out the spare room, shoving all of my belongings out the door and into our room to sort through later.
“What’s in that box?” Gabe asked as he came into the room.
“All the newborn stuff you had to have.”
“I can’t wait for the baby to wear it. We’re gonna have to add on to the house like Sam did so we can have another room. There’s not enough room in this place.”
“Gabe, honey, Cora won’t be able to fit into any of this stuff. You bought it for no reason, and some of this is even for a boy!”
His gaze looked at me until the confusion that was on my face registered with him.
“You do realize that we’re having another baby, right?” He asked carefully.
The light bulb went off in my head and I started laughing. My brain was stuck in Cora mode, not on our own baby.
“Gotcha. Sorry, not sure why that didn’t register with me.”
We spent the rest of the night unloading, putting away, and organizing. This wasn’t the ideal wedding night, but it was perfect for us.
Ω
Gabe was looking a little green as we pulled into the daycare Cora attended. His face was a little pale, and his breathing a tad fast. The hand that I had a hold of with my own was clammy.
“Gabe, it’ll be just fine. Take a deep breath. Don’t let them see your nervousness or they’ll think you can’t handle her.”
Nodding, he visibly toned down the terrified look, and a blank mask replaced it. We pulled up to the Audi that The Moran’s were standing beside, and shut the truck off. From their faces, I knew this wasn’t going to go down easy.
We both got out and walked to the front of the truck.
Sidney spewed acid first, “You can’t have your whores around Cora. According to Texas law, you have to take her by yourself if I’m uncomfortable with the girlfriend, or I can refuse to give her to you.”
“Actually, Ember is now my wife, so that law wouldn’t apply in this situation. Anything else? Is she already inside, or what?” Gabe asked calmly.
She looked ready to chew nails when she heard that juicy tidbit. I tried looking into their Audi, but the windows were newly tinted, and so dark that I wasn’t able to see in anymore.
“I’ll pay you a million to sign your rights away.” Mr. Moran spoke evenly.
“No. Now where is she?” Gabe replied.
I watched them volley back and forth until finally I couldn’t handle it anymore. Pulling out my phone, I sent a text to Cheyenne who would send in backup. We knew they were going to try something, so it came as no surprise when they started with bargaining, and then turned to threats.
“You’ll never find business in this town again. I could put that biker club of yours underwater in two seconds flat. Are you sure you want to do this?” Mr. Moran seethed.
Gabe visibly got his temper under control before he replied, “Listen, I just want my daughter, nothing else.”
They didn’t get a chance to reply before two police cruisers pulled up alongside our cars and got out. Luke, stepped out of one, and a handsome red head stepped out of the other. Both of them were drool worthy in their KPD shirts and black cargo pants. They looked like total badasses.
The redhead flashed a blinding smile in my directions, and two twin dimples popped out on each cheek. He looked too cute! He was stocky, about Gabe’s height, and had muscles bulging. What was with all the men in my life lately? They all looked like they competed for body building competitions.
The red head surveyed the situation before asking, “What seems to me the problem here, gentlemen?”
Apparently, the women didn’t count. But then again I wasn’t the one in a hostile position. Gabe and Mr. Moran were. Sidney stood at the door to the Audi like she was a sentry sent to guard the gates of hell.
“This, this vagrant is trying to take our daughter.” Sidney spit as she curled her nose in distaste.
“Gabe didn’t realize you were a vagrant. When did that happen?” Luke queried.
“I’m just trying to pick my daughter up. We just got visitation scheduled, and this is the first day that I am supposed to get her for the weekend. I have the papers right here if you need to see them.” Gabe said as he handed over the papers.
The red
head took them, read over them quickly, and then passed them to Luke. Luke read over them quickly, and then handed them back to Gabe.
“Looks like he has the law on his side, Mrs. Moran. Where is the baby? According to the papers, he gets her until Monday morning.” Luke said evenly.
“He can’t have her. According to the law, if I feel uncomfortable with his girlfriend here, I don’t have to let him have her.” Sidney said rudely.
She was really quite dumb. There was no such law, but I wasn’t about to get into the middle of this. I didn’t want it to look like I was trying to hurt this situation. I wanted to be the silent support that Gabe needed. Every instinct in my body was telling me to open my mouth and let this woman have it, but I held my tongue, because I wanted that little girl just as much as Gabe did.
“Actually, Mrs. Moran, there is no law against a girlfriend living with him. Although, they were married yesterday, so it’s a moot point anyway. Now, this is a court order, so if you refuse to give the child over then we will be forced to arrest you.” Red head said.
I really liked this guy. I’ve never met him before, but I knew I would like him just by that little speech alone. It also didn’t hurt that he was hot.
“This is outrageous. He wasn’t even there for her birth or the last year and a half of her life. She doesn’t even know him.” Mr. Moran said.
At that comment, I lost my will to stay quiet.
“Listen here buddy. That wife of yours,” I said pointing at Sidney accusingly. “told Gabe while he was deployed that she aborted his baby. Then she broke up with him. How was this his fault that he’s not spent the first year of his child’s life with her? He’s done everything he could in the last week to gain the right to see her. He’s known for a week. Does that sound like someone that didn’t want to be in his child’s life? He was devastated when he learned she aborted his child. Devastated.”
By the time I was done, I was in tears. Fucking hormones.
Mr. Moran stood there in shock, as if he wasn’t aware that was what really happened. Which he probably wasn’t. Sidney was a devious bitch, by the look on his face the light finally came on, and he wasn’t too happy with that dear of wifey of his.
“Cora is in the daycare right now. We’ll be back Monday morning. Please call if you have need of anything.” He said stiffly, and then got into his Audi.
I also didn’t miss the look he passed his wife, which had her scrambling to get into the car before he took off.
A smile broke out over my face, and I jumped up and down while clapping my hands. Then I threw my hands around Gabe’s neck and jumped up and down while hugging him hard. Then repeated to Luke. I might have done it to the red head, too.
“Let’s go get her!” I screeched.
I was to the door and inside by the time Gabe caught up with me. The woman at the counter smiled warmly, and then asked for our ID’s to verify our identity.
“She’s in the toddler room eating her morning snack. It’s down this hallway second to last door on your right. Would you like me to take you to her, or do you think you can find it?” The worker asked.
I gave her a bright smile and shook my head. “No, I think we can find it. Thank you!”
We opened the door to the toddler room and saw two tables with chairs built into them filled with toddlers. They were all eating what looked like toast, but it was all chewed and slimy, so it could have been anything at that point.
I immediately found Cora. She was the only girl who had black curly hair and olive-toned skin. She was dressed in a pink solid shirt with black leggings. No shoes. Her face had remnants of her snack sticking to it, and she was drinking from a green plastic sippy cup.
I smiled at the teacher who came to greet us. The teacher was in a bright blue t-shirt that had “Primary Colors” across the boobs, and blue jeans. She was young, brown-haired, and blue eyed. She was also giving my man googly eyes.
“You must be Cora’s dad. You look just like her.” The teacher said.
“Yes, I am. Did Sidney tell you the situation?” Gabe asked.
She looked confused when she said, “What situation?”
“I’m filing for joint custody. I’ll be picking Cora up every other Friday, as well as every Wednesday until we have it settled.” Gabe explained.
“How awful, I’m sorry to hear that you and Mrs. Moran are separating.” Blondie said.
Gabe didn’t answer, but went to stand to the side of the table that Cora was at, and squatted down to Cora’s level. He regarded her for a second, and then reached out and ran his finger down the side of her cheek.
Cora giggled, and immediately held her hands out for him to pick her up. My heart soared when I witnessed this. One of my fears drifted away. I was so worried that Cora would be scared of Gabe since she’d never met him, but apparently, she didn’t have that “stranger danger” mentality yet.
Gabe leaned over and picked her up out of the chair. He put one forearm under her tiny little bottom, and the other circled around her back to hug her to him. His eyes closed, and my heart melted. This was perfect. I couldn’t have asked for this to go any better.
We exited the daycare and hustled to the truck where I strapped Cora into her new car seat. Gabe watched on since he didn’t have a clue how to do it. We stopped by Subway to pick up lunch, and then headed back to Free.
Everyone and their brother (literally, because Max came too) poured out of the front office to welcome us home. I got out and unbuckled her from her seat. She was dead to the world, so I did it as carefully as I could so I didn’t wake her. Cora’s head fell limply to my shoulder, and I closed the door quietly before turning to the gathering.
The all looked on with adoration in their eyes, and gathered close to get a better look at her. Cheyenne raised up on her tiptoes to give her a kiss on the forehead before backing off. Blaine repeated the process as well.
“She’s beautiful, Gabe.” Jack said gruffly.
“Thanks, man.” Gabe said before smacking him on the back.
Walking to Gabe, I passed Cora over. He didn’t out and out say it, but you could tell that he wanted to have her in his arms again. She transferred smoothly, and I grabbed the lunch out of the front seat before walking in to the office. I picked the chair next to the desk so I could have somewhere to sit my lunch.
Everyone followed, and took seats where they could. Gabe stayed standing, swaying back and forth. Max snuck up behind me and tried to grab a chip.
I smacked his hand away and mumbled, “Back off, bitch.”
Cheyenne laughed and informed me that I wasn’t allowed to say bad words anymore.
Yea right. We’ll see how that goes. I tried quitting once; it was the worst seven minutes of my life.
Ten minutes later Cheyenne’s mom rolled up with her twins and Janie. Her girls weren’t quiet little creatures. They were loud, obnoxious, disrespectful, and awesome. I taught them with everything I knew. Janie was also my little creation. I taught her how to belch, give Wet Willies, and even how to play Candy Land. When the twins were old enough, and the same went for Cora now, I would teach them the same things.
Cheyenne’s mom looked about ready to puller hair out as she walked in.
“I tried to shoot for nap time, but I just couldn’t handle it anymore. Janie watched the VMA’s last night, and she keeps getting her teddy bear and dancing crazy like that Miley girl. The twins were copying her, and I just couldn’t handle it anymore. She doesn’t stop.”
I burst out laughing. “So she was twerking?”
“If that what you young kids call it these days. I remember when you and Cheyenne used to sing and dance to those boy bands. At least they didn’t do a bunch of butt shakes. Lord knows I heard and saw enough of them to last me a lifetime.” Cheyenne’s mom said.
N’Sync and Backstreet Boys were the bomb when we were younger. I used to have a picture of Justin Timberlake above my bed. Cheyenne had a picture of Nick off Backstreet boys over hers. We constantly foug
ht over who was better. To this day, we still argued over it.
“N’Sync!” I yelled just as Cheyenne screamed, “Backstreet Boys!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I said James roll his eyes in exasperation. “They both blew, if you wanted my honest opinion.”
I turned and glared into his direction. “Well no one asked you, Jamie. Keep your opinion to yourself.”
Cora chose that moment to blink her eyes open, smiling happily at Gabe as she lifted her head from his shoulder. There was a circle of drool where her head had rested. Although, he didn’t seem to mind.
Sam interrupted the festivities and cleared his throat for everyone’s attention. “Alright, we need to start getting ready, how about we take the kids out back, and then we can let them play while we load. Jack, why don’t you bring the auction bike around to the trailer? The trailer’s hooked up to the Suburban already.”
The next few hours we spent getting ready and loading the Suburban with all the essentials that we needed to take. Okay, well maybe the guys loaded everything, and the girls all sat inside and watched Pitch Perfect for the thousandth time. Fat Amy sure was a trip; everything that came out of that girl’s mouth was hilarious.
We were also given the privilege of seeing Janie “twerk.” Really, it was more of a bending of the legs more rather than actual ass shaking and grinding that Miley had going on at the VMA’s.
We sent Hoochie home with Cheyenne’s mom for the weekend. She already had Cheyenne’s Mastiff for the same reason, so it would be interesting to see how the two got along.
The car seat for Cora was installed, and James of course didn’t have a problem with one extra in the car with him. Pack and plays were loaded for three children. Bags, snacks, diapers, and finally the kids. I’ve concluded that kids require a ton of shit, and next time we should just rent a U-Haul. And, possibly some movers.
We’d just loaded the kids into the car, and I was heading to Gabe’s bike when he stopped me. He’d grabbed me by the waistband of my jeans to stop my forward movement.
I looked at him curiously over my shoulder, and then lifted a brow in question. “What?”
Highway Don't Care (Freebirds) Page 22
