Wrecked by the Bad Boy: The Sick MC

by Olivia Stephens

  He smirked. “I’ll do my best.”

  We peeled off in opposite directions outside of the bar. I’d never been the poetic type, but I could spot a good bit of symbolism when I saw it. I knew what they must think of me, of us. They probably thought I would come to regret my decision. How could a guy like me ever be happy with such a simple life? But what they didn’t know was that I’d been born into danger. Sure, I’d fucked and fought and loved every second of it most of the time, but I’d always been waiting for something more. I’d always been waiting for her.

  If it were just an adrenaline rush they thought I would miss, they’d obviously never been between Sasha’ silken thighs. And they never fucking would be. Point being, there was enough electricity there to light up the whole French Quarter.

  I cruised back off the highway and into the woods again, letting the cool shadows swallow me up like I was one of their own. The trees were a blur alongside me, but if I looked deep enough, I could see them standing like crowded sentinels, keeping watch over the quiet forest floor. The wind changed; no longer was the pervading scent in my nostrils asphalt and exhaust. I smelled pine, earth, and something sweet on the breeze that I doubt existed anywhere else in the world. I wouldn’t miss the open road. I didn’t envy Niles and Grant, heading up there on the I5 on the long stretch to Canada. I was heading home.

  I got my own shot of adrenaline as I banked around a corner. It wasn’t because of my speed or the angle my body took as I turned—I was too good of a driver to let something like that bother me. It was because I realized where else I’d be getting adrenaline soon—from being a father.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Sasha

  “Knock, knock!” a masculine voice called through the door.

  “Don’t come in!” My yell was more of a roar, panic sweeping through me. I couldn’t hear, through the door, which man was standing outside. If it was Zane, this was the worst possible time for him to come by. I had just gotten into my dress, and my mom was behind me dutifully buttoning up the pearl clasps.

  “Alright, alright,” the man said. “I just came to wish you luck on your big day. It’s David.”

  I let out a breath of relief, which made the dress fit properly again—instead of too tight with my breasts up around my face like a blow-up doll.

  I nodded toward Katrina, my maid of honor. “Let him in.”

  The brunette turned on her heel and clasped the door handle, pulling it inward. My old boss nearly tumbled in. I guess he’d been leaning on it. Katrina caught him as best she could, but she was a slim girl, and even David was much bigger than her.

  “I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed. “I thought I was just about to be yelled at to go away.”

  Everyone laughed nervously, and I decided that by flipping out at the insinuation that I was a bit of a bridezilla, I’d only be proving it. Instead, I slapped on a cheery grin and greeted my old friend.

  “Hey you,” I said. “How’s the store?”

  He stumbled toward me through the room, crowded as it was with shoeboxes and people and other assorted ornaments. He pulled me into a light hug once he’d reached me, conscious of my mother’s handiwork behind.

  When he pulled back, David was beaming. “The store is fine. It misses you, of course, but people still sometimes buy flowers, so I’m not out of business.”

  “I’m fine too!” shouted Harriet from across the room. I found it amusing that her boss hadn’t so much as waved at her upon entry. He’d gone from staring at Katrina to staring at me.

  David waved a small parcel in front of my face, wrapped in floral wrapping paper. It was long but thin; probably a necklace. Weird thing to get for a wedding gift. Especially for your ex-employee.

  “Thank you, David,” I said, holding out my hand for the package. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  He rocked back and forth on his heels. “Well, I did. It’s a wedding. Anyways, it’s only something small.” He winked at me. “I’m not made of money, you know.”

  I gave him a stern but playful glare, remembering all the times he’d told me that when I asked for him to bring on more staff. But I had left on good terms, and I was still grateful for everything David had done for me during the time I worked there. I was glad he made it, even all the way from the South.

  “I like the setup you’ve got here,” David said, gesturing around. “It’s cozy.”

  “I assume you mean the house?” My mom gave a tap on my shoulder to tell me she was done buttoning. I dutifully sat so she could help me into my shoes.

  “The whole thing. The house. The big field out back. The wedding.” He gestured around at the other people in the room. “The ladies.”

  “David!” I chastised. “I hope you didn’t come to my wedding just to pick up a date.”

  He snorted. “Of course not.” After a shrug, he added, “I didn’t realize you had any female friends besides Harriet. Otherwise, I might have come a bit earlier.”

  “She left us all in Maine,” Katrina said, entering stage left. I had forgotten how much she loved an older man. I supposed David had his attractive qualities. If you turned your head and squinted a little bit.

  “I’m Katrina,” she continued, holding out her hand. “Pleasure to meet you properly. Sasha has told me so much about you.”

  I scowled at her. I had done nothing of the sort. In fact, I’d been so wrapped up in my coursework and my mom’s health that I’d barely told anyone anything until quite recently. Now that I was more settled in life, I looked forward to actually having a social life again.

  “David, Katrina!” I barked. “You’ll have time to canoodle after the ceremony.”

  My mother’s voice drifted up from somewhere below my skirts. “Honey, you can stand up now.”

  Katrina and David looked at each other sheepishly, before David murmured a goodbye and quietly slipped out of the room. If it took Bridezilla to make everything go smoothly, Bridezilla they would get.

  I lightly tossed David’s gift onto the bed so my hands would be free for my bridesmaids to grab them and pull me up. Wobbling, I reached my full height and turned to the full-length mirror to inspect the finished result.

  I gasped.

  I’d never been one of those girls who thought she absolutely must have a princess gown for her wedding day. I only had a very simple dress for my prom and figured the same would be true on the day of my nuptials. But something about the way I felt with Zane made me want to look like a princess. It was like I’d developed a desire for my outside to mirror my inside.

  I had definitely achieved that effect. The tight-fitting top, studded with pearl beading and embroidery, flared out dramatically at my hips in an explosion of tulle and sparkle. I was Cinderella, but nothing was going to turn into a pumpkin at midnight. And I was never going to run away.

  “You look beautiful,” my mom gasped, coming around in front of me.

  “Mom, you’re blocking my view,” I said, tears gathering in my eyes. Maybe if I acted like a huge bitch nobody would know I was secretly a big pile of mush inside.

  But she did know, and she chuckled as she moved aside so I could continue staring at myself in awe. My hair had been swept up into a pile of curls at the back of my head, with a couple strands hanging down to frame my face. We’d opted not to go for a veil, just because I wanted to knock Zane dead right out of the gate. If he couldn’t see my face, what was the point? I couldn’t see my shoes beneath the dress, but I loved them too. They were silver and sparkly, with a small heel that would make my legs, and the garter on them, look exceptionally good when Zane unwrapped me later like a Christmas present.

  “Wowza,” said Katrina.

  “Hand me some champagne,” I commanded, holding my hand out to receive the drink. I shouldn’t have been this nervous. After all, I was getting married. This was the happiest moment of my life! But I guess I just worried so much that something this perfect couldn’t possibly last.

  How could it? It was like a shining, glass t
eardrop. Beautiful, but so fragile.

  I downed half the flute of champagne as soon as Katrina dropped it into my hand.

  “Whoa there,” she said.

  I shot her a warning glare.

  She backed away a step, pretending just to be adjusting her flowy blue gown so that it hung properly from her hips. I smirked. I liked people being afraid of me, probably a little too much. I would never dream of making myself this fearsome again unless absolutely necessary, but it was helping with my nerves.

  “The best thing to do is talk about it,” my mom encouraged. “Everyone has pre-wedding jitters.”

  “Yeah,” Katrina offered. “Zane’s probably out puking his guts out somewhere.”

  A collective groan went through the room as I sank back onto the bed and downed the rest of the champagne.

  “Katrina!” Harriet chided.

  My mother simply glared.

  Harriet and my other two bridesmaids darted forward to reassure me that everything was going to be fine. I waved them off. “Relax, relax. Let’s try the talking thing.”

  They retreated, and I took a heavy breath. “The very moment Zane and I got together, we’ve had someone trying to rip us apart. More than one someone,” I explained. “I guess I’m just worried that this is too good to be true, you know?” To myself, I murmured, “Like a glass teardrop.”

  Mom reached for my hand, holding it tightly in hers as tears gathered in her eyes. “If that’s all you have to worry about on your wedding day,” she said sagely, “then you don’t have much to worry about at all.”

  I frowned. “I am worrying, though. That’s what I said. I mean, come on guys.” I addressed the room. “Haven’t you ever been in a situation where it’s been too good to be true? Like the guy is just too perfect and you love him too much?”

  The girls exchanged glances with each other, then slowly began to return their gazes to me and shake their heads. After saying it out loud, though, I began to realize how ridiculous it sounded.

  I sighed, squeezing my mom’s hand. “You’re right, you’re right.” I smiled at them all. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch today.”

  A chorus of “Not at all!” met my ears and I laughed.

  “Are you going to open that present that David brought you?” Katrina asked hopefully. She’d been eyeing it since I put it down on the bed. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who thought it looked suspiciously like a necklace. The thought of Katrina spending my wedding day worrying if the guy she was crushing on had brought the bride jewelry made me chuckle.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said with dramatics. “I suppose I should.” I turned to her. “Help me up.”

  Katrina and my mom helped me back onto my feet, where I wobbled in the heels as I tried to get my balance despite being weighed in every direction by the monstrosity of a dress. I snagged the package from where I’d dropped it, wiggling my eyebrows at Katrina as I began to pull apart the wrapping. The floral paper fell away to reveal a long, black box. Exactly like a jewelry box.

  Yikes. I didn’t know how I felt about opening this in front of a room full of my friends…

  A loud banging on the door startled me, and I dropped the box. It slid down my skirts and landed quietly on the floor, forgotten.

  “Who is it?” I demanded.

  “It’s Niles!”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “And Grant!”

  I laughed but rolled my eyes again.

  “You may enter,” I declared.

  The two bikers entered the room through a small gap in the door, closing it firmly behind them like they were afraid the tulle and ribbons were going to escape. Both of them had cleaned up quite nicely. Though it was a backyard wedding, we had opted to go for formal attire. Not black tie necessarily, but ties at least. Niles looked actually pretty hot in his black suit and skinny black tie, like he’d hopped out of an eighties movie about Wall Street punks. Grant’s suit didn’t fit as well as Niles’s, but he made up for it in the way he’d combed his gray hair back and tidied up his mustache for the event.

  “You guys look great!” I exclaimed, beaming.

  Both of them stared at me with their jaws nearly on the ground.

  “Sasha…”

  Grant picked up where Niles had left off. “You look like a princess.”

  “I should bloody hope so,” I said, winking.

  They picked through the room and embraced me in turn, patting me on the arm and then turning to hug my mom, too.

  “Not that I don’t appreciate the visit,” I said, “But is there any particular reason you’re here?”

  “There was a problem with the cake, and the caterers were all too scared to come ask you how you wanted it fixed,” Niles said.

  I was quiet for a moment, and the whole room seemed to hold their breath as they waited for how I would respond. I took a deep breath and then released it in an explosion of laughter, filling the whole room with my booming mirth.

  Nobody else laughed, too straight-backed and cautious in case I went postal and started tearing out my hair, no doubt.

  “You shouldn’t be bothering the bride with questions about the cake right before she walks down the aisle,” Harriet snipped. She tossed her long, black hair back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Now you’ve driven her crazy.”

  Niles stalked over and squared up with Harriet, who was only about an inch shorter than him. “The caterers wouldn’t accept a decision made by anyone but Sasha, okay?” His eyes flickered over her as he spoke. “So they sent me in because I don’t scare easy.”

  “Unless he sees his roots in the mirror,” Grant piped.

  I had quietened by this point, but I started up again laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. Caterers were scared of me. Niles was about to either fight or fuck Harriet. Grant was full of wicked burns. I couldn’t have designed a more entertaining scenario if I’d tried.

  Niles recovered from the insult and swaggered over to me. I sobered up as best as I could, though the odd giggling hiccup escaped my lips as he assessed me.

  “Do you have a fever or something? Are you okay?” he asked.

  “She’s fine!” Harriet snarled. “Just ask her what you came to ask her and get out.”

  Niles didn’t acknowledge her comment, but his lips twitched at the corners as he watched me and waited for me to calm down a little more. Then he said, “One of your little nephews or nieces or whatever swiped one of the candy pool balls off the top of the cake. Now there’s a crater in the fondant where it was and nothing to put there. They’re wondering what you want them to do.”

  I meditated on it for a minute, and then I said, “Nothing. Do nothing.”

  Niles looked over his shoulder at Harriet. “You’re sure she’s feeling tip top?” he asked. “I could have sworn I heard the caterers saying earlier she—”

  Niles cut off mid-sentence, presumably from the panicked face and neck slicing motion coming from the direction of Katrina. I only caught it out of the corner of my eye, but it made me smile nonetheless.

  “Really, Niles,” I said. “Thank you for letting me know, but just tell them it’s fine and to leave it.”

  He eyed me warily but nodded. “Your wish is my command, princess.” He bowed his head in my direction, and it gave me butterflies. I could get use to this royalty schtick.

  “I guess we’ll see you after the service,” Grant said, placing his hand on the door handle.

  “You will,” I said. “And tell the priest we’re about to get started. We won’t be letting anybody else in this room, you hear?”

  He chuckled. “Got it. No distractions.”

  He and Niles left with a brief wave, slipping out just as cautiously as they came in. I watched Harriet watch Niles’s retreating form, a smirk crawling onto my features.

  “He’s a bad boy,” I told her. “He’d be nothing but trouble.”

  She looked over at me, eyes wide with fake innocence. “Maybe I could use a little trouble.”

 
; I snorted. “I could ask the priest if we can accommodate two more couples in the aisle. May as well get you all paired up before the night is through.”

  Katrina and Harriet giggled, faces turning pink.

  “I’ve got to ask,” Mom said, arranging my skirts at the back as I walked toward the door. “Why didn’t you get them to fix the cake? I bet they could have just put a bit of icing there or something to fill it in.”

  I looked at her and smiled, warmth radiating from my features. “Because now the wedding isn’t perfect anymore. It’s not a little glass teardrop.”

  She looked proud of me, but she still huffed. “You and Zane were never a teardrop,” she said. The girls began lining up in front of me. My mom was walking me down the aisle, and I threaded my arm through hers as we waited for the signal for the girls to start walking out. “You guys are a freaking diamond if I’ve ever seen one.”