Chapter 37
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN
Wells
My friends were getting married tonight.
I thought about that as I straightened my cuffs, then took a breath. It was my turn.
I headed down the aisle of a little white chapel off the Las Vegas strip.
The shotgun wedding was Dorian’s idea. He and Sloane had only been engaged for like a second, but, according to him, he’d waited long enough to have her as his wife.
He’d been in love with his girl since high school and only waited this long out of formality.
He wanted Sloane to have more time with her family. There was a history there, where she’d been separated from them for a while.
Dorian beamed from the front of the aisle.
Well, “beaming” for Dorian Prinze was a strong smirk.
Dude smiled, but not a ton, and he was giving the grin from up front.
He rocked black on black but the rest of his groomsmen, Thatcher, Ares, Bru, and I, all wore differently styled suits.
Dorian wanted us to be comfortable up there with him.
Dorian had no best man tonight. We were all his best men, and I was last to head up the aisle to join the groom.
Bru waited for me behind Dorian, Ares, and Thatcher, and the moment Bru and I locked eyes, a heat rushed to my dick.
His suit was ridiculously snug and hit his broad shoulders and brawny frame just right.
He had his hair swept back, and he had the classic look of a nineties Val Kilmer on the red carpet.
Yeah, I was taking that ass tonight.
He appraised me too, an appreciation ringing his brown eyes as I made my way toward him. I smirked, but it slipped when we broke eye contact for a second during my strides. There were other people in the audience.
Our parents looked pissed.
I was aware the cat was let out of the bag about this event the moment my phone started blowing up after my flight to Vegas landed.
Literally, my phone (and my friends’) started chiming off.
Our parents, all our parents, including my god-dad, LJ, and his wife, Billie, were aware of this wedding.
But not only that, they were coming to Vegas to see it.
They were obviously all here now, and, straightening my tie, I tried not to buckle at the looks I knew I was about to get.
Dorian and Sloane planned to have a larger affair when they got home.
That affair included all our parents of course, and, though the couple hadn’t gone out of their way to not have them attend, they also didn’t want our families to talk them out of things.
This wedding was spur of the moment. It was about Dorian and Sloane, and, of course, the guys and I aided them in their pursuit of that.
We all knew the risks. Especially me. Had I wanted to test my father so soon after he didn’t cut me off?
No, but it was a risk I was willing to take.
Fuck, I was willing to possibly lose out on a full ride to culinary school, and everyone knew what that shit meant to me.
Dorian was my brother though, and I’d do anything for him.
So, with those thoughts in my mind, I made sure there was confidence in my strides as I continued to make my way down the aisle.
I saw LJ and his wife, Billie, first. LJ definitely had a look of judgement in his eyes, but Billie was smiling.
I honestly couldn’t believe they were able to come.
They’d been on their way out of the country after all the graduation stuff.
Swallowing, I caught the eyes of Thatcher and Bow’s parents next. Right away, Mr. Reed gave me a look, but I had a feeling that was equally for flying his baby girl out of town as it was for keeping this wedding a secret.
Mr. Reed crossed his arms in my direction, but Mrs. Reed didn’t look too pissed. If anything, there was a peaceful look on her face as she studied me, and was that a gentle nod?
I had to be imagining that, but I got a similar nod from all the mothers in attendance as I passed them, including Dorian’s mom, Mrs. Prinze, and that was crazy.
I even got an eye crinkle from her. Sloane’s mom too: Mrs. Mallick’s eyes were definitely warm as I passed her, but what was crazy was my mom.
My mom grinned. She even put her hands up to cover her mouth.
Something inside me bounced a little that I might have gotten away with this secret shit, but then I caught my dad.
He brought his fingers to his eyes, then pointed them both at me.
Like he was watching me, but then he smirked and took my mom’s hand.
For some reason, my parents didn’t look totally pissed.
“Apparently, your mom got him to come around,” Bru whispered to me when I finally got to the front. The guys were all up there with a well-dressed officiant. I mean, the guy had nothing on all us dressed in Armani, but whatevs. Bru eyed me. “And I totally want to fuck you right now, by the way.”
That fucking heat returned to my cock, something I passed a discreet hand over before leaning toward him. I grinned. “I just may let you later if you’re a good boy.”
I felt Bru shiver. His big body eased out a breath before he straightened and passed the moment off.
I didn’t usually let him fuck me. I liked control and domination, but I found myself submitting to Bru more and more. I was gone when it came to him.
But I was done when it came to her.
Bru and I both were, and I felt his breath leave again when a tiny woman made her way down the aisle in a soft pink color. My breath left too.
Bow still had a bandage on her head from the accident, but that didn’t matter. She was still the most beautiful thing in this room right now.
The smooth material Bow wore was modest, as it came down to her ankles, but the dress had a slit that went up to her mid-thigh.
This exposed her fair skin every step she took.
Like a peek at the treasure that led up between her thighs, and my cock could fucking split wood thinking about the heat there, her smell there.
I squeezed Bru’s other side, and I felt a rumble in his back against my chest. Bow would be in an ankle-length dress and turn us on.
She was heaven.
The need to protect this girl, her innocence, overtook us both. I didn’t regret previous actions when it came to her, and I know Bru didn’t.
None of my brothers did either.
We all did something not long ago to someone who hurt one of our own without shame or hesitation.
“I want you to hunt him down.”
We all did what Bow asked us to that night. I avenged her, and I had Bru by my side.
I’d done some dark things with my friends before. We’d all gotten our hands dirty in the past making people pay, but taking a life was a new level, for me in particular. I had blood on my hands, but I’d never played jury and executioner.
Patrick Donovan had begged in the end. He’d begged for his life, and even brought our parents into it. He said we’d never get away with what we were about to do and threatened there’d be consequences from our parents if they found out.
I’d smirked at that because I knew our parents. I knew my father. I knew for a fact what my dad and his friends would have done had they actually found the man who almost killed Bow and Sloane.
They would have made him suffer. They would have ended him.
Just like my friends and I did.
We were the men raised by our fathers, and we were proud to be their sons. We also didn’t want to burden our dads with this, and didn’t need to. We took care of it.
We took care of Bow.
It wasn’t hard to make things look like an accident, since people got lost in those woods all the time.
I was sure they’d eventually find Donovan’s body at the bottom of a ravine in Grimwood Hollow, and his death would look like an accident.
Like a man who went on a walk behind his property and got lost. Even his maid didn’t know he went out that night.
As it turned out, he abused her too, often, and she had no problem telling anyone that she had no idea her boss left on a walk that night. She also had no problem backing up the story that her boss had no visitors that evening.
My friends and I made some calls to ensure that she already had a new, better job.
All of that was history now, or we were moving toward that, at least. The wounds were still fresh, and Bow would always have them. A part of that fucker would probably always remain as a cloud over her life, and how could it not?
We’d make it easier for her, though. All of my friends would, yes, but especially Bru and me.
A flush bloomed in Rainbow Reed’s cheeks, and every parent she passed wore the same warm, adoring smile toward her.
I knew it’d taken a lot for Bow to keep this wedding a secret.
She obviously didn’t like lying to our parents, since she was such a goody-goody.
She was also loyal, and I knew she’d take all our secrets to the grave no matter how dark.
Bow’s goodness only made me love her more, but my smile fell a little noticing Mr. Reed’s eye twitching. He obviously saw my attention on his daughter. I stood up straight. Bru did too, and I assumed Mr. Reed also caught him looking at Bow.
Clearly having noticed her dad wanting to murder us with his eyes, Bow shook her head a little. She mouthed, “Dad,” to Mr. Reed, and, right away, his hard expression softened. Only she and Mrs. Reed could get that huge dude to bend and ease up.
Bow made it about three-quarters of the way down the aisle before Bru and I left the ranks to give her our arms. Each of us guys did that when our girls came down the aisle, which was why Fawn and Aspen were already standing up front on the bride’s side of the officiant.
Fawn and Aspen were also in that soft pink color, but my focus was on Bow and how she smelled like a flower just as soft as the color she wore. A hint of cinnamon backed the scent.
“You guys look so handsome,” she said to Bru and me.
“I have no words,” Bru said, his gaze sliding down her pink dress, but only in the most respectful of ways.
That was just Bru though. Even if our parents weren’t here, he’d be that way.
He put his hand on top of hers before he leaned down and said, “I’ll settle for ‘you’re one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,’ Bow. Seriously, stunning.”
His compliment voiced my thoughts, and I was happy he was the one to speak. If it were up to me, I’d end up saying something very inappropriate in front of our entire family.
The flush in Bow’s cheeks hiked up a thousand degrees at the compliment, and, before I could give her mine, we made it to the altar. I supposed I had to hand her off to the bride’s side now, but not before I passed her some parting words.
“Later,” I said, kissing her hand. There was a promise in my word. Later, she would be with me. Both of them would be.
In case my promise wasn’t clear, I slid my gaze over her.
She only gave us a peek of tits, but it was enough to charge blood to my cock again.
I held Bow’s hand until I was forced to let go of her.
I noticed attention from both our fathers in the moment.
Dad’s eyes on me were in warning, but Mr. Reed had his own promise in his eyes.
Mr. Reed loved me like a son, but he would definitely kick my ass if I didn’t let go of his daughter right now.
Knowing that, I gave him a wry grin and his daughter a parting wink before returning to the groom’s side with Bru.
Dorian fought a chuckle behind his hand. He obviously saw the exchange between myself and Mr. Reed, and Ares and Thatcher sported their own grins. I had a feeling their future fathers-in-law would be a lot easier to deal with, and I knew Dorian’s would be. Sloane’s father, Ramses, was nice as hell.
Whoa… I realized the words father-in-law were in my head. Like one day, it’d be Bow walking down this very aisle. She would be, if Bru or I had something to say about it.
Those were thoughts for another day though, because today was about my friends. I was sure we all would be doing this again soon for Dorian and Sloane, a big wedding with all the pomp and circumstance. Our parents would see to it that Dorian and Sloane got a proper wedding when we got home.
Sloane looked beautiful at the front of the chapel. She wore a white suit which was so like her. She was always going against the grain.
Dorian loved Sloane’s grit. He loved her strength, and he sucked in a breath as soon as he spotted her. I’d never seen such a look in my buddy’s eyes. His future wife completely consumed him.
I knew the feeling, and couldn’t help sliding my sight over to Bow. She stared at Sloane with a sheen in her eyes; those were probably the first tears of many, knowing her. She had an ability to be constantly vulnerable, and that was something I could take a note from.
Bru also noticed the tears, his grin on Bow shortly before going back to his sister, Sloane. Bru had so much pride on his face. He and his sister had certainly come full circle. I knew they both had so much tragedy in their lives, but that wasn’t today. Today was a new beginning.
I squeezed Bru’s shoulder, his grin widening. It managed to get even bigger when he noticed someone stand up in the crowd. It was his dad, Ramses, who had his own prideful grin as he left the pews and headed to his daughter. He put out his arm for Sloane to walk her down the rest of the way.
This really was a full-circle moment.
I think we all choked down a few tears that day, Ramses taking Sloane up to the altar, then later, handing her off to Dorian.
I think the only moment that was more emotional was when Dorian received her, and the two started their vows.
I’d never seen my buddy so earnest, passionate.
He spoke with so much love in his heart.
A pin could have dropped in the room while the couple exchanged their vows, but the space also exploded in applause when they finally sealed the deal.
The kiss between them was legendary and was followed by Dorian dipping his new wife.
My friends were married, and their family got to be a part of it.
We were family and always would be. A legacy couldn’t be broken.
It was forever.