Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ry stood in front of Tiny, his arms wrapped around her, his chin on her shoulder as they watched Brick and Alaska enter the lodge. Brunch that morning had been lively, everyone in excellent moods. Robert had a huge spread ready and waiting when they’d all wandered up to the lodge. Spirits were high, and Ry hadn’t felt as relaxed as she was now in years.
Her dad was behind bars, Tiny had made long slow love to her the night before, and not only was she watching one of her friends marry the man she’d been in love with forever, she herself was basically engaged.
The latter was hard to believe. Actually, as far as Ry was concerned, it was a miracle.
The furniture had all been pushed to the side, and Brick and Alaska had bucked tradition and entered the lodge together, walking toward where Owl was standing. Since he’d gotten certified to marry Cora and Pipe, Brick had asked if he’d marry him and Alaska as well.
Alaska was wearing a white floor-length dress with cap sleeves. It skimmed her torso and flared out at her hips. It wasn’t a wedding dress, per se, but was completely appropriate in Ry’s eyes. Even if it wasn’t, no one would’ve cared. She could’ve worn a hot-pink dress with orange polka dots and no one would’ve blinked. This was her day, her wedding, and she could wear whatever she wanted.
Her shoulder-length brown hair was pulled back in a simple upsweep, her makeup was modest yet elegant…and she looked radiant. The smile on her face was bigger than Ry had ever seen.
And Brick looked just as happy. He had on a pair of pristine black jeans and a white button-down shirt with no tie. He looked relaxed and confident, and he couldn’t take his gaze off of Alaska.
Brick’s mom had tears in her eyes as she watched her son walk toward Owl with Alaska by his side. From what Ry had heard, she was the one who’d fished the cross-stitch Alaska had made for Brick out of the trash all those years ago, giving it to him before he’d headed off to boot camp. A high school graduation gift that he’d kept with him for nearly two decades, until tragedy had brought him and Alaska together again.
And now, several more years later…here they were.
“Welcome to all the friends and family who’ve come together today to celebrate the joining of Drake Vandine and Alaska Stein,” Owl said with a smile. “This isn’t the start of a new relationship, but a continuation of many years of support and love they’ve both given to each other. Alaska and Brick have spent decades getting to know each other as friends, and we all get to witness how they’ve come full circle to stand before us today.
“Out of all the owners of The Refuge, Brick has truly been our leader. Our rock. He was the one who had a grand vision for this place. Who encouraged us to keep going forward when we wanted to quit. Who always had the utmost confidence that we’d succeed. Honestly, it was kind of annoying.”
Everyone in the room chuckled. Ry looked back at Tiny. “Is that true?” she whispered.
“One hundred percent,” he said. “He was always positive. We wanted to throw him off Table Rock sometimes.”
Ry giggled, then turned her attention back to the ceremony.
“But you know what? He was right,” Owl said. “The Refuge became so much more than any of us could’ve imagined. More than a business. More than a money-making venture. It became our home. Our own refuge from a world that seemed overwhelming and too harsh at times. It was a place for us to heal our own wounds while we did the same for those who trusted us enough to come all the way to our small corner of New Mexico, to see what The Refuge could do for them.
“But honestly, it wasn’t until Alaska arrived that we realized something had been missing from this place. We built it, kept it going, hired the best people we could to help it run like a well-oiled machine…but it lacked heart. Love. And Alaska brought that tenfold when she arrived. She not only worked her way into Brick’s heart—which wasn’t hard, because the man had been a goner for her ever since she’d brought him back from the brink of death in that hospital in Germany—but she embedded herself into all of our hardened hearts too.
“Alaska, Brick. You two are the backbone of this place. You’ve unselfishly let some of us have our wedding ceremonies here, while putting off your own. You’ve celebrated our successes, and suffered with us through our trials and tribulations. I can’t imagine a more perfect start for your marriage than this one. Than standing before our family and friends, surrounded by everything we’ve all built. I have no doubt your marriage will be just like the trees around us…steadfast and strong. Blowing in the wind, but never breaking.”
Ry’s eyes filled with tears. She had no idea Owl had such a way with words. What he’d said was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Alaska obviously thought so too, because she sniffed and turned to Brick. “I need a tissue. I’m about to snot all over myself.”
Everyone laughed at that, mostly because just about all the other women in the room were crying, as well. Once Alaska got herself under control, she nodded at Owl.
He smiled at her and said, “Brick and Alaska will mark their transition to a married couple by celebrating the love between them, but they also want to acknowledge the love that surrounds us today. The love of between couples, siblings, old friends, and new friends.
“They’d decided to exchange their own vows…so ladies, keep those tissues handy because I have a feeling we’re all going to be a little teary-eyed by the time they’re done.”
Once again, everyone chuckled.
Brick turned to Alaska and took her hands in his. “Hi, Al,” he said with a small grin.
She beamed up at him.
“To be honest, I planned out in my head this long speech about how much you mean to me, and how I’m the luckiest guy in the world, but standing here before you today, I realize that’s not true. Seeing all our friends and family here with us, I know they all think they’re the luckiest people in the world too. And that’s amazing to me.
“We’ve all found partners who see beyond our faults. See beyond our warts and the parts of ourselves that we hate. We all deserve to be loved like that, to love someone like that in return. And with you, I can be exactly who I am. I don’t have to pretend to love broccoli, or like wearing ties, just because it’s what’s good for me or what society thinks I should do. You’ve set me free to be the man I’ve always been, but a better version of myself.
“With you, I’m not the decorated Navy SEAL, I’m not the guy everyone looks to for answers, I’m not a problem solver, or the garbage-taker-outer, I’m simply Drake. The man you love. Who you’ve always loved. I’m not sure I’ll ever feel as if I deserve to have your love, but I’m not giving it back.
“I promise to always love you. To cherish you. To come when you need me, whether that need is a glass of water because you’re thirsty, or because you’re locked in a speeding train in a country thousands of miles away. You own me, Al. You’ve owned me since I was a kid.
“During the long years when we were apart, every morning I’d look at the gift you gave me when we were eighteen, and I felt grounded. When my world was shifting around me, all it took was seeing that cross-stitch, knowing how much effort you put into it, for me , and I was able to find my purpose again. I feel like that every morning now, when I wake up and see you lying next to me. You’re my purpose, Alaska, and in sickness and health, good times and bad, richer and poorer, I give myself to you. Today and every day that follows for the rest of our lives. ”
The room was so silent, you could hear a pin drop…until Brick’s mom sobbed. That was followed by several sniffs around the room.
But Alaska wasn’t crying. She was smiling at her almost-husband with a look of such love on her face, it made Ry truly believe in soul mates for the first time in her life.
“Wow,” she whispered when Brick was done. “I totally should’ve gone first.”
Her words broke the heavy emotion in the room, and everyone laughed.
“Get it, girl!”
Ry wasn’t sure who said it, but it made her laugh harder.
Alaska took a deep breath before speaking. “Drake, I love you. I’ve always loved you. From that first bus ride when you sat next to me and asked if I wanted to play war with you. And yes, I remember that conversation, just like I remember all of them. You befriended me when I needed a friend the most.
“I was yours before I even knew what that meant. And when I needed you, you came. Without question. Without hesitation. I don’t think you truly understand what that meant to me. How completely unusual that was. And then you continued to be there for me. Whatever I needed, you gave to me. But the only thing I truly wanted was you.
“I never thought it would happen. I would’ve been content with a lifelong friendship. But then somehow, someway, you decided that you liked me as much as I liked you. I felt like I was that little girl on the school bus all over again. I felt giddy, and excited, and scared to death. Terrified I’d do something to mess it up. To make you not want me anymore.
“But…I’ve realized something since I’ve been here. We’re not perfect. None of us are. And you know what? I’m glad. Because being perfect would be exhausting. You let me be grumpy, eat the last Pop-Tart, be selfish and sleep in when you’re just as tired as me. You deal with the toughest customers so I don’t have to, and you don’t flinch when I wear my ugliest fat pants and huge T-shirts around the house, because you know that’s what makes me most comfortable. You don’t judge me, don’t want me to be anyone other than who I am.
“And I feel the same about you. I never want you to change who you are because you think it’s who I want you to be. You’re Drake Vandine, ex-SEAL Brick, Refuge owner. And I love you so much it hurts sometimes. I’m totally rambling now and I have no idea what else I wanted to say, so I’ll add one more thing then shut up so we can get on with this party…with our friends.
“You know what? I never really had friends. Ever. Except for you. I’d convinced myself that I was an outcast.” Alaska looked around the room as she spoke. “But you all accepted me. Embraced me. Made me feel as if I was truly a part of something for the first time in my life. You came to me when you needed help, had questions, or simply wanted to talk. You’ll never know how much that meant, means , to me.”
Everyone was crying now, and Ry was no exception. It was as if Alaska had looked into her brain and pulled out exactly how she felt. She’d been that same person, the one without friends, who never thought she’d fit in anywhere. And now she was surrounded by men and women she’d felt as if she’d known her entire life. And Ry would gladly protect each and every person standing in this room. No matter what it took, no matter how many laws she had to break. She’d keep them safe from whoever or whatever tried to take them down.
As far as she was concerned, this was her family.
“Right, now we’re all crying. Sorry,” Alaska said with a small sniff. Then she looked up at Brick. “I take you, Drake, for my own. I’ll love you if we win the lottery—which we don’t play—and have a hundred million dollars in the bank, or if we’re down to our last dollar. I’ll love you when you’re sick with a man cold and complaining that you’re dying, and when we’re completely healthy. When times are good, like now, and when the shit hits the fan, I’ll stand by your side and love you. There will never be anyone else for me. Ever. You’re it. And as far as you deserving me, or me deserving you…I think we deserve each other. We’ve been through hell, and we’re each other’s reward.”
To Ry’s surprise, a tear rolled down Brick’s cheek. It wasn’t as if she didn’t think men cried, but seeing how moved Brick was by Alaska’s vows was as heartwarming as anything she’d ever seen.
Alaska reached up with the tissue in her hand and dabbed Brick’s face as she smiled.
“Right, now that Alaska made us all teary eyed,” Owl said with a huge smile, “let’s get this done so we can party. Before these witnesses, you have pledged to be joined in marriage. You have sealed this pledge with your vows and the rings you wear on your fingers. By the power vested in me by the state of New Mexico, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride—but don’t forget that you’re in the presence of minors and we’re all ready to dance and have a beer or two, so don’t take all day.”
Once again, everyone laughed, lightening the mood. Ry smiled as she watched Brick take Alaska’s head in his hands and tip her chin up. Then he leaned in and kissed her. It was a sweet kiss. Beautiful. Until he wrapped an arm around her waist, put another behind her head, tilted her backward and kissed her long, hard, and deep. That definitely wasn’t a chaste, innocent kiss. It was a claiming. And it curled Ry’s toes simply by watching. She could only imagine what Alaska was feeling.
“You want that?” Tiny asked in her ear.
His warm breath wafted over her skin, making her shiver in delight. “Want what? Brick to kiss me? No.”
“Smartass. No,” Tiny said. “As if I’d let him get his lips anywhere near yours. You want a ceremony like this? With friends and family? A party? Because I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just say the word.”
Ry turned in Tiny’s arms and shook her head. “No. I’ve never dreamed of a big wedding. Honestly, I never thought I’d ever get married. I want what you said, a small civil ceremony. I have everything I’ve ever dreamed about already. You, everyone here at The Refuge. I don’t need or want something big like this.”
“You think this is big?” Tiny said with a grin.
“It is,” Ry insisted.
“You’re adorable,” he told her. “Fine. No big wedding shindig. But I’m gonna want a honeymoon. I want to take you somewhere. Warm, cold, doesn’t matter to me. Somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.”
“Hawaii,” Ry said without hesitation. “I want to go to Hawaii, eat malasadas, climb Diamond Head, go to the North Shore, eat snow cones…which aren’t called snow cones over there, but I forget at the moment what they’re called. I want to buy a hula girl and put it on the dashboard of our car, go to a luau, and have a room with a balcony that looks out onto the ocean. I want to make love with the ocean breeze coming in through the door of that balcony and revel in the knowledge that I’ve got the handsomest, bravest, most Jake Ryan-est husband in the whole world.”
Tiny’s pupils dilated as she talked about making love, but he chuckled at her last remarks. “I love you,” he told her.
“And I love you back,” she said without hesitation. The truth was, she didn’t need to go to Hawaii, didn’t even need to leave their cabin. Wherever Tiny was, she was happy.
“Every day that goes by, you get more and more beautiful,” he whispered before his head lowered. He kissed her sweetly, with only a hint of tongue, but Ry could still feel the passion in his touch. In the way his hands held her, the way he breathed unsteadily when he lifted his lips, the way he stared at her as if she was literally the only woman in the world.
“We’ll go to Hawaii. I know some SEALs there. We’ll get them to show us all the best places to visit on the islands. Where all the best malasadas are. We’ll watch surfing competitions on the North Shore and make love every night, all night long. I can’t wait to see you in a bikini.”
Ry snorted. “Not happening, Tiny. Sorry, but no. Just no .”
“Why not? ”
Ry rolled her eyes. He might find her irresistible, but she wasn’t comfortable in a bikini.
“Champagne for a toast!”
Turning, Ry saw Luna standing next to them with a tray filled with glasses. They were plastic, as The Refuge had no need to own champagne flutes, but it didn’t seem to faze anyone around them, who were all eagerly waiting for a chance to toast the new couple.
Ry took one and smelled the drink, then wrinkled her nose.
Tiny laughed. “Never had champagne before?”
“No. I’m thinking it’s not going to be for me.”
“It’s an acquired taste. But if you don’t want to drink it, don’t. No one is gonna care. Especially not Alaska or Brick.”
Ry knew that. It was one more reason to love being here.
“To Brick and Alaska!” Stone said, holding up his plastic flute.
“To cross-stitch!”
“To meddling mamas!”
“To friendship!”
“To babies!”
Everyone kept calling out toasts, and everyone took sips of champagne between each one. But after her first swallow, Ry only pretended to drink. Champagne definitely wasn’t for her. It was bitter and it made her eyes water.
Eventually, Brick held up his hand and stopped the multitude of toasts. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to eat something. I know Robert and Luna made an amazing spread for us, and as much as I like being toasted as if I’m king of the world, my feet hurt. ”
Everyone laughed.
“But, I think we can do one last toast,” he added. “To friends!”
The cheer that rose in the room was almost deafening, but Ry found herself yelling her agreement along with everyone else.
Brick and Alaska were immediately surrounded by everyone congratulating them. Ry held back, watching with a smile on her face.
“You’re happy,” Tiny said.
“No,” Ry said with a shake of her head.
“No?”
“Nope. I’m ecstatic. Overwhelmed at how lucky I feel to be here. To be a part of this.”
“You and me both,” Tiny told her, wrapping an arm around her waist once more and pulling her back against him.
Ry rested against his chest and watched as the people she loved most in the world, people she never would’ve guessed would become her entire world, celebrated the joining of Brick and Alaska. She still felt the need to pinch herself now and then to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. That she still wasn’t in some dingy apartment trying to hide from her father.
“Come on, Ry! Come try the punch Robert made. It’s delish!” Jasna exclaimed, grabbing Ry’s hand and trying to drag her toward the table against the wall that held huge bowls of red liquid.
“Go,” Tiny urged. “Have fun. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Smiling at him over her shoulder, Ry let the teenager drag her over to the punch. There were big signs in front of each, making sure guests knew which had alcohol and which didn’t. Between the kids and the pregnant women, Robert didn’t want anyone to accidentally imbibe.
Jasna scooped a ladle of alcohol-free punch into a glass and handed it to her. Ry cautiously took a sip. Then smiled as the flavor hit her taste buds. “This is good!” she exclaimed.
“Yup,” Jasna said happily. “Maybe Elizabeth would like it.”
Ry chuckled. “I’m thinking she’s a little young for punch, but it won’t be long before she’s following you all over this place.”
“I know, I was kidding! And I can’t wait for her to walk,” Jasna breathed. “I love her so much.” Then she saw one of Cora’s new foster kids across the room. “Oh! Kason needs to try this!” And with that, Ry was standing by herself in front of the punch table, but not for long.
“That looks good,” Isabella said.
She smiled at Reese’s sister-in-law. “It is. Although I think I might want to try the leaded variety.”
They both put some of the alcoholic punch into a cup and sipped.
“Wow, this has alcohol in it?” Isabella asked as she took another swallow.
Ry was amazed herself. It tasted almost exactly like the alcohol-free version Jasna had given her. She wondered if Robert was playing a trick on everyone. Making them think they were imbibing when they weren’t. But after drinking an entire glass, and feeling the effects, she decided he wasn’t tricking anyone…he was simply that good at making punch.
Ry walked around the room, talking to everyone, for once in her life not feeling out of place or too timid to strike up conversations with people she might not know all that well. Like Paige, the cook in Maisy’s previous home. She was sweet and obviously very fond of the woman. She kept talking about how excited she was for the baby to arrive…which would be quite a while yet, as Maisy wasn’t that far along.
She also chatted quite a bit with Khloe, who seemed intimidating at first, but once she’d talked to her for a while, Ry realized the woman felt a little out of place, and that was probably why she came across as a little standoffish at first.
Everywhere she looked, Ry saw people having a good time. When the music started, the kids were the first ones on the makeshift dance floor. The finger food had been a genius idea, as everyone could eat and drink at their leisure while still mingling and talking. Brick and Alaska stayed together, holding hands, as they made the rounds throughout the room.
The day was perfect. Everything Ry could have wanted for her friends. A day to remember, made even better because they didn’t need to worry about guests or anyone complaining about the loud party.
Ry’s gaze met Tiny’s across the room. He was standing with Wolf and Owl. As soon as their eyes met, he mouthed, You good?
Warmth filled her. It felt nice that he was concerned about her. She nodded and gave him a smile.
She was still looking at him when a loud BOOM sounded from outside.
Whatever it was shook the entire lodge. One of the huge lobby windows broke into thousands of pieces as it shattered.
Jason immediately cut the music as everyone froze in place. One of the babies started crying, which seemed to break everyone out of the weird collective trance.
Tiny’s eyes widened in his face, and Ry saw him start across the room toward her.
He didn’t make it before another loud explosion blasted from outside. This one even louder and more powerful than the last.
Instead of getting down, like all the men were yelling for everyone to do, Ry headed for four-year-old Max. He was standing in the middle of the dance floor, crying as everyone dashed around him. The first thought in her head was to protect the kids…
The second was that somehow, someway, her father was responsible for whatever was happening. And it would be up to her to stop him.