“Shh, no one knows about it so keep your voice down.” I grinned at him as he twiddled his thumbs. “Her name is Olivia.”
“Olivia, huh? Where did you meet this girl?”
“At my shop, where else? Her sister came in to get a tattoo and Liv came with her.”
His eyes drifted off into space for a second and suddenly he was smiling like an idiot.
“Is she hot?”
“She’s so fucking beautiful, man. She has long black hair, these deep chocolate brown eyes, and her skin looks like fucking caramel.”
“You’re making this girl sound like a candy bar,” I snickered.
“Shut up, she’s gorgeous.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“Not too long. Actually, we haven’t really been out on an official date, we’ve just hung out. I have asked her out several times but she keeps laughing me off and thinks I’m not serious.”
I reached out and patted his arm. “She sounds a little insecure. Maybe you need to step up your game and the next time you two hang out, get a little physical.”
Jake stared at me like I’d grown two heads.
“What the hell does that mean? She’s shy as hell! If I make a move she’ll freak the fuck out and run away.”
“God you can be a moron sometimes,” I laughed. “Flirt with her, Jake. Tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, pretend you see an eyelash on her cheek so you have an excuse to touch her face, things like that.”
“You think it’ll work?” he asked me eagerly.
I looked pointedly at him.
“You really like this girl, don’t you?”
Jake ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed.
“Yeah, I do. She’s killing me, man.”
“Well, nothing good in life is ever easy, trust me. If you want this girl, don’t give up until you get her. I wasted a whole year with Danni because I was too fucking stubborn to admit I loved her.”
Jake put his hands up and shook his head.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, no one said anything about love, Beau. I just like this girl. Like a lot,” Jake stated. “I never said I loved her.”
“I know you didn’t, but it’s all over your face, man. You love her. You just won’t admit it yet.”
Jake stared at me, dumbfounded, before his face softened.
“Well, fuck,” he muttered.
I smiled and placed my hand on his shoulder. “Give it up, man. You’re a goner.”
“I guess this is what it’s like to be pussy whipped like you all,” he said, laughing.
“Well, you can’t be pussy whipped if you’re not getting any pussy, man.”
“Below the belt, Beau,” he laughed.
“Might as well get some action down there since this Olivia chick isn’t giving you any,” I answered back.
He flipped me off, saying, “You’re lucky I like you, dude. Listen, I’m glad we talked. Seriously, I’m really happy for you and Danni. She’s a great girl and I know you two will be really happy together.”
“Thanks, Jake,” I answered. We quickly man-hugged before breaking apart.
“And don’t stress about your girl. You’ll work it out. Just don’t give up on her.”
“Oh trust me, I won’t. This one’s worth the chase.”
“The good ones always are. Come on let’s get out of here and go play some poker back at Ryder’s place. You’ll get to meet Danni’s dad.”
“Wow, you actually seem excited about seeing your father-in-law. I take it he’s not a bastard then?”
“Hell no! Dan Sharpe has to be one the coolest guys I’ve ever met. You’ll see,” I told him. “And if you think Dan’s awesome, just wait until you meet Danni’s mom.”
I laughed at the thought of Jake’s reaction when Brenda was unleashed on him.
Wedding Day
I hadn’t slept all night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone without sleep for that long. I know I should have tried harder to get some rest the night before my wedding, but I just couldn’t without the feel of Danni by my side. The morning had been even slower. The guys and I played basketball before going to breakfast. Ryder was trying to find activities to fill up the morning so I would calm down and stop being so antsy, but nothing worked. But I just wanted Danni and nothing in the world would calm me until I was in her presence again.
After the longest morning ever, we were finally at the church dressed in our tuxedos. Dan had left us to go meet Danni and the girls in the bridal room, Jake had gone to call Olivia (for the hundredth time since he’d arrived in Cincinnati), and Jagger, Zayne, Logan, and Cash had all taken their seats in the sanctuary and were probably hitting on some of the wedding guests.
After John had gotten the girls safely to the church, he’d taken over the security for the event. His team had a tight perimeter set up to keep out the paparazzi and any other unwanted guests. Ryder and Everleigh got married in Vegas, so there hadn’t been time for the press to be tipped off about their wedding. On the other hand, when the news of my engagement to Danni hit, it was a media frenzy. There were photographers following us everywhere we went trying to get wedding details.
It wasn’t as bad as I’d expected it to be but it was still annoying as fuck. The media was insane when news of Danni’s pregnancy broke, so naturally everyone assumed a wedding would follow.
I was pacing the room and constantly checking my watch. When would this damn wedding start? Jude walked over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder.
“Beau, you have to calm the hell down. I know you love Danni and want to marry her, but this pacing shit is annoying as fuck and we are all about to kill you.”
I huffed out a laugh. “I know, Jude, I’m sorry. I just…”
Flanking my other side, Ryder jumped in. “I know. When Evie and I got married I was only away from her for a few hours. This night away from Danni must have been torture. It never goes away either. Last night without Evie was freaking brutal, especially since she could’ve gone into labor at any time.”
“I know. Looks like we’re both anxious to get to our girls today,” I replied, nervously toying with my cuff links.
There was a knock at the door and John poked his head in. “Guys, it’s show time,” he said, smiling at me.
I wiped the thin layer of sweat off my forehead and felt my stomach flip. As eager as I was to get this show moving, I was fucking nervous and started to panic. What if she got cold feet? What if she realized that she was better than me and that I wasn’t good enough for her? What if she still didn’t trust me?
Kris put his arm around my shoulder and gave me a comforting shake. Sensing that I was about to have a full-blown freak out, he spoke calmly.
“Beau, just breathe. That girl loves you with her whole heart. She’ll will be walking down that aisle toward you in just a few minutes.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Right, I know.”
“Let’s do this thing,” Jude announced, and we left the room to take our places at the end of the aisle.
The sanctuary was beautiful; Danni had done an amazing job planning the wedding. The church was decorated with tons of white, maroon, and dark orange roses; it looked like the perfect autumn wedding. It was so perfect that it was as if Danni created not just her dream wedding, but mine too.
There were about sixty people there. Other than our close friends and family, the guests included some of Danni’s distant family members, most of our road crew who had been with us for years, everyone that worked for Rebel Records, a few rock reporters we’d befriended over the years, and our old manager Steve Roberts. We hadn’t let him go; once we parted ways with Bulldoze Records he decided to retire in order to spend more time with his family. He said the only reason he’d put up with our former bosses at the old label was because of us. So when we didn’t re-sign with the label, he decided to take some time for himself. I was glad that he was able to make it to the wedding. I’d actually missed the big guy.
Th
e music began to play, and I felt even more nervous than I had been before. I wasn’t going to fully believe this was real until it was over and Danni was finally my wife and in my arms. One by one, each couple started to slowly walk down the aisle. Jude and Sadie came first followed by Kris and Jessie. Ryder and Everleigh came next and once they reached me, Everleigh gave me a wink and a smile before taking her place on the other side of the aisle.
Ryder stood next to me and whispered, “I’m happy for you, man. Wait until you see her, she looks so beautiful.”
I felt calmer knowing he’d seen Danni and that apparently the wedding was still a go. Once the music changed to “The Wedding March”, my palms started sweating all over again. When the sanctuary doors opened, my eyes landed on her immediately and my heart skipped a beat. Danni was breathtaking…she’d never ever looked so beautiful. Tears filled my eyes and I wasn’t holding them back this time. This was really happening. Danni was really walking toward me in a gorgeous white dress looking like an angel, my angel. She was really going to be my wife today. I could say if I were to die tomorrow, I’d die happy, but that wasn’t true. This moment was the beginning of our life together, of our family and our future, and I planned on being here for every single moment.
As she reached the end of the aisle, her crystal blue eyes were locked on mine. I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand, watching as the preacher asked who gave this woman to this man. Dan looked like he was choking back his own tears as he announced that he and Brenda did. After kissing Danni’s cheek he stepped to me, placing her hand in mine.
With his hand tenderly on the back of my neck, he embraced me and whispered into my ear, “Take care of my princess.”
“Until the day I die, Dan,” I replied, and he clapped my shoulder and smiled.
Dan took his seat next to Brenda, who was openly crying, as Danni and I stepped toward the preacher.
As he began the ceremony, Danni reached her hand up to wipe a tear that had rolled down my cheek. “I love you,” she mouthed to me.
“Love you more,” I mouthed back.
I could barely contain my joy as the preacher went through the ceremony. I was so wrapped up in the sight of my beautiful girl that Danni had to nudge me when it was my turn to speak. I vowed to love, honor, and cherish her all the days of my life. I vowed to be by her side through better or worse, in sickness and health, and until death parted us. When she promised me those things in return, I felt like she’d given me the world.
Most of the ceremony was a blur…all I saw was Danni. As soon as I heard the preacher say that we were officially man and wife, he didn’t even get out “you may now kiss the bride” before my lips claimed hers for the first time as my wife. This was the most important kiss I would ever give her and I was going to make it count.
I slid my tongue past her sweet lips and she gasped into my mouth. I’d been away from her for an entire day and my whole body hurt from how much I’d missed her. We were so lost in the moment that we didn’t stop until we heard loud clapping and cat calls behind us. Danni pulled away from me and giggled as I turned and saw everyone in the church standing up and applauding us. I smiled and pulled her to my side, kissing her neck and resting a hand on her belly where our daughter was safe and warm.
We walked up the aisle, smiling at our friends and family as we left the sanctuary. As soon as we were in the hallway, I pulled her into the closest room I could find and crushed my mouth to hers.
“God I’ve missed you,” I murmured against her lips.
“I’ve missed you too,” she said, her voice breaking. “Don’t ever leave me again. I can’t take spending another night away from you.”
“Oh baby, I can’t either. Last night without you was pure torture.”
“I can’t believe we’re married. I actually get to say I’m Danni Cavanaugh now,” she said happily.
My dick was getting hard, and I knew she could feel me as I was pressed against her thigh.
“Mm, I’m getting hard as hell hearing you say that. Can’t we skip the reception and get right to the honeymoon?”
Danni giggled. “Keep it in your pants until after the reception. After I toss the bouquet then we can go home and it’s all you can handle, hubby.”
I growled and pulled her sultry body into mine.
“I’m holding you to that, Mrs. Cavanaugh.”
She smiled a smile brighter than the sun and kissed me deeply.
“Come on, let’s get this party started.”
“God, I thought that reception would never end,” I said to Danni as we pulled into our driveway.
“Come on, you didn’t enjoy yourself even a little bit?” she asked.
I smiled at her. I really did have a great time at our reception; it was just as spectacular as the wedding. The décor was perfect, the food was incredible, and the music was killer. Danni is a rock fan so that was mostly the kind of music that was played at the reception. But I will admit I got a little choked up when Ryder, Jude, and Kris surprised us on the stage performing a stripped down acoustic guitar version of John Legend’s “All Of Me” for my first dance with Danni.
“Oh, I did have fun, but I can’t wait to get you inside the house and out of that dress.”
“Believe me, I can’t wait either,” she answered, shivering in my arms as I kissed her bare shoulder.
“You looked so beautiful today walking down that aisle toward me.”
“Me? God, have you looked in a mirror today? You are gorgeous,” she said, biting her bottom lip. “You aren’t the only one that struggled to get through the reception.”
“Well, why the hell are we still in car? We’ve got lots of honeymoon sex to get started on,” I teased, opening my car door as she giggled.
I helped her out of the car then quickly led us inside. I had one more surprise and I couldn’t wait for her to see it.
As soon as we were in the house, I covered her eyes with my hand.
“Beau, what are you doing?”
“I have a surprise for you, but you have to keep your eyes closed.”
She sighed. “All right, just don’t let me fall or run into a door or anything, okay?”
I chuckled and kissed her hair. “Never, beautiful.”
I led her carefully into our bedroom and once we were there, she inhaled deeply.
“What is that?” she asked, taking another deep breath. “It smells wonderful in here.”
I smiled as I looked around the room. I had Sadie slip out of the reception long enough to decorate our bedroom with candles and rose petals. Danni was too far along for us to travel anywhere for our honeymoon so I wanted to make the next few days as romantic and wonderful for her as possible. Sadie had once again done an amazing job…there were white and red rose petals all over the room, candles lit everywhere, and the whole room smelled like flowers with a hint of cinnamon.
Removing my hand from her eyes, I placed it on the small of her back. “Open your eyes and find out,” I replied. When she saw the room she gasped.
“Beau, this is unbelievable! Did you do this?”
I shrugged. “Well, I might’ve had some help, but the idea was all mine.”
Turning, she wrapped her arms around my neck and looked right into my eyes. “This is amazing. You’re amazing.”
“I have my moments,” I said, smiling down at her. “I just wanted this night to be special for you since we can’t really travel.”
“Beau, I don’t care if we are here, on a beach in Hawaii, or in a cardboard box behind a building. We’re married, it’s our honeymoon, and I get to spend the whole night in your arms. No woman in the world is luckier than I am right now.”
“Danni,” I whispered, caressing her cheek, “I love you so much.”
She pulled the tie out of my hair and combed her fingers through it.
“Make love to me?”
“All night long,” I replied.
My hands found the zipper on the back of her dress and slowly I pulled
it down as I traced the curve of her neck with my tongue. Her skin was so sweet and I moaned as I savored the taste of her.
I broke away for just the briefest of moments as I watched her dress fall off of her, pooling at her feet. My cock was instantly hard as I admired her standing before me in nothing but a pair of lacy white panties. Her stomach was hard and round, and I could make out a few tiny jerks around her belly button…our baby girl was moving.
I placed my hand there and felt the tiny nudges on my palm. My heart skipped a beat and after a few seconds, the kicking stopped.
“She’s sleeping,” Danni said. “She usually kicks like this around this time of night and then she drifts off again.”
I rubbed her belly before I slipped my fingers into the waist of her panties.
“As much as I love our daughter, I’m glad she’s sleeping because there are so many things I want to do to you tonight, and I prefer she not be moving around for them.”
Danni laughed and was about to reply, but I stopped her by finding her clit and rolling it between my fingers. She gasped and moaned loudly as she gripped my shoulders for support.
“Beau,” she whimpered, twisting the jacket of my tux in her hands. “I think you’re wearing entirely too much clothing. That’s not fair.”
I grinned and slowly pulled my hand away.
“Well why don’t you do something about it?”
“Gladly,” she replied, sliding my jacket off my shoulders.
Danni wasted no time in stripping me of my tuxedo and didn’t stop until I was completely naked. I shivered as she ran her delicate fingers along the ridges of my abs. They contracted under her gentle touch and when she moved her hand down and grabbed my rigid dick, I growled as she began to stroke me up and down.
I quickly moved us over to the bed and gently urged her to lie back. Danni sat down on the bed, slowly scooting backward until she was lying in the middle of the bed. My breath caught when I saw her there looking so angelic in the glow of the candlelight. It hit me again that this wasn’t a dream and that this amazing, wonderful woman was actually mine. I would spend the rest of my life by her side.
Reckless Redemption: A Bad Blooded Rebel Novel (Bad Blooded Rebel Series) Page 20
