31. Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Jokester
I chew my bottom lip as I watch Essy smile at Mama, handing her a cheese pastry and coffee while refusing payment.
Mama is the twelfth club member that she has declined payment from.
“Your girl is going to end up bankrupt if she keeps giving freebies to the club,” Acid mumbles from next to me, sipping his free coffee.
Bullet chuckles, “No, she won’t. Dad agreed to transfer eight thousand a month into her business accounts, not that she knows that yet. Every time she goes back and allows Abigail to take over the register, a couple of hundreds is placed inside.”
Acid nods but chuckles when I chime in, “She knows. She overheard Adam and me talking and said she’d change her bank information if they did that. I plan on getting her to change her mind later.”
Bullet shakes his head, and Slick asks, “How is she settling in at the house?”
Hmm, yes, the house with extra photos hung on the wall of Essy, Aiden, me, and Essy’s parents before we moved in to make her feel more at home. We’ve been on club property for about four days. The brothers wasted no time moving us in, and it is a little weird not walking downstairs to get to work, instead having to ride or drive if Essy doesn’t feel like driving herself, but it also feels like home, I guess, a feeling I haven’t had since I was sixteen.
“She’s doing okay,” I answer, not taking my eyes off my girl, “She’s adjusting but misses Aiden.”
“That’s understandable, she was basically a mother to the boy, wasn’t she?” Slick says, and I nod.
“Night feeds, changing him, watching him most of the week,” I admit, “She took her mother’s place, which was amazing on her side considering she lost her best friend. It helps that I’ve given her free reign to make one of the rooms up for him. I think she chose the room connected to Levi’s while the room next to ours will be the nursery.”
The men nod and look at my girl, and I swallow hard.
Today, I’m making her mine fully.
She has my baby in her belly growing nicely, which we have just found out is a girl yesterday and my cut is on her back. Now I just need my ring on her finger, so I’m changing that today, not by waiting months for her to plan a wedding I know she won’t want.
Her mother is no longer here, a wedding without her wouldn’t be a wedding for my girl.
“You sure this is the right way to go?” Bullet asks lowly, and I nod.
“I spoke to Adam and Cody about it a while ago. Essy won’t want a wedding her mother isn’t apart of. She doesn’t see herself wearing the big white dress or a horse and carriage because she can’t share it with her best friend. Marrying in her mother’s bakery while getting the ownership deed for the place is perfect.” I look around the space, “And every brother is here. Cody, Aiden, and Adam will be here in five minutes and your dad,” I look at Bullet, “got himself ordained after having a judge sign the marriage license for us without both our signatures. I’m ready, and I know she will love this. Besides, it helps that Bethany was sent to Europe for a little while, so timing is perfect.”
Bullet nods, sadness and disappointment in his sister shining back at me. Two days ago, Bethany arrived at my house and lost it seeing Essy wearing my cut. She physically tried to attack my girl, and I had no choice but to intervene, not willing for anything to happen to her or our unborn child.
I grabbed Bethany by the throat while she thrashed against my grip and screamed that she was going to kill Essy, and it took everything in me not to squeeze hard enough to crush her windpipe.
Butcher decided enough was enough after she passed out from the lack of air and saw how distressed Essy was from the whole thing. My girl even fucking mentioned going back to her dad's, which in turn made me lose it. A sister club agreed to take Bethany in, and she can clean for her stay.
All brothers have been banned from touching her in any way, but hopefully, she’ll see the error in her ways like Victoria did, though I don’t see that happening.
Acid chimes in, “Essy’s not one for a big fuss, even for a wedding.”
“Though making her make her wedding cake was a little harsh,” Cannon adds, and I grin.
“Nah, she’s a perfectionist,” Cody says, and I look his way and raise a brow at the gray suit and pink tie.
Fuck’s sake.
He shrugs, “I can’t watch my best friend get married without a suit, and besides, she thinks that we had court.”
I chuckle as Aiden jumps on my lap, and Adam sits and states, “It’s not really a lie. We were at the courthouse because my lawyer was there.” He holds up the folder, “All signed and ready for her.”
I nod as Slick mutters, “Fuck, it's weird Essy is best friends with her ex,” and I laugh as Cody mock glares his way.
“Once Essy is in your life, she’s always in your life,” Adam says, “She sucks you in and makes you regret treating her badly.”
“Amen to that,” Cody sighs as the men nod in agreement, knowing it’s true now that they are getting to know her and Bullet mutters, “If her sweet nature doesn’t suck you in, her baked goods fucking do,” and I smile as the men again all nod.
Sighing, I eye my oblivious girl as to why everyone is here today, though honestly, they’d still all be here at some point. The brothers love her, and not just because she brought me back home again.
She’s a kind, sweet, honorable woman with a heart of gold, and I am one very lucky fucker.
“Are you ready?” Adam asks, and Aiden looks at me with a grin. I swallow but nod.
“Aiden, you know what to do, right?” I confirm, and the cute kid nods. I take a deep breath, causing Bullet to chuckle and add, “Damian Clark nervous? Never thought I’d see the day.”
I give him a mock glare as I pass Adam his son, and stand, trying to ignore how sweaty my hands have gotten.
“Fuck, what if she does want a big wedding?” I ask, suddenly rethinking my whole plan, and Adam chuckles.
“She doesn’t, not without her mom, and that, unfortunately for all of us, cannot be changed. Go make my daughter happy,” he says, and I nod once and walk over to the counter, trying to control my racing pulse.
“Angel, you got a minute?” I ask when close, and the brothers around quieten.
She gives me a blinding smile and replies, “Always.”
Her brown hair is up in a messy bun. She’s wearing her usual jeans, sneakers, and my T-shirt tucked a little in the front of her jeans, showing our daughter safely nestled in her stomach. She grows every day, and she has never looked so beautiful.
Essy rounds the counter, and when close, she goes to wrap her arms around my waist like normal. However, she furrows her brows in confusion when I quickly grab her hands in mine, stopping her in her tracks. I then rub my thumbs against her smooth skin.
“I love you, you know that, right?” I begin, the room is so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
I can’t believe I agreed to have the brothers here for this.
“I know, I love you too,” she replies with a soft smile, but concern etches in her gorgeous brown eyes as she asks, “Is everything okay, Damian? You’re acting weird.”
I half smile, “When you are around, my world, it makes sense, angel.” I swallow hard and squeeze her hands, “You make me a better man, make me want to try and live life for me, for you.”
“Damian…” Essy whispers.
I swallow the lump in my throat and admit, “I can’t see life without you, angel. You charged into my world, setting me straight, and I’ve never looked back, never wanted to,” I let go of one of her hands and cup her face, “I have been waiting for you my entire life, and I just never knew it until that day six months ago in this bakery. You lit a fire deep inside me, brought me back from the darkness, you brought me back to my family.” I lick my bottom lip and kneel as Essy’s tears fall, realizing what is happening while Aiden walks over and hands me a white gold band with a large square diamond that belonged to her mother.
A sob escapes her pouty lips recognizing the ring, and I ask, no, I plead, “Marry me, angel, make me the happiest man in this room and become my wife.”
She sniffles as she looks at the ring and whispers, “If I say yes,” my heart stops at the if, “Would you be okay with a quick court wedding? No fuss?” I soften as she looks at me and admits, “I can’t have a big wedding when my mother can’t be here.”
I grin and stand as I take the ring off Aiden and slowly push it onto her finger. “No, Essy, we won’t be having a court wedding,” disappointment etches off her before her tears fall as I continue, “Instead, Butcher is going to marry us right here, right now with the brothers, their women, your father, brother and Cody present in your mothers legacy so you can have a part of her with you. And after, we’ll be eating that amazing yellow frosted three tier cake you made this morning not realizing it was for our day.”
“Damian,” she sobs before throwing herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I catch her, pressing my lips against hers, and I mumble against her lips, “So, is that a yes?”
She giggles as she pulls back and admits, “That is a hell yes!”
The room cheers as the women sniffle, and instead of letting my girl go, I keep my arms around her waist, pull my upper body back a bit, and grin.
“Dearly beloved,” Butcher announces, who has gone behind the counter to begin the ceremony. Cody has moved to stand behind Essy with Aiden and Adam, and Bullet has come to stand behind me as my best man.
Essy’s tears fall as Butcher says, “Today, we have all come together to bring Esmerelda and Jokester in holy matrimony.” I side-eye Butcher as his wife tries to hold in her laughter beside him.
Where in the fuck did he get this material?
He clears his throat and continues, “I have known Jokester since he was born, I have never seen him this happy and this much in love,” I swallow the emotion wanting to come out at his words. Butcher looks at Essy, “This amazing young woman loved him instantly for who he was, his character, his heart, and brought our brother back home. Today I am extremely grateful that I get the honor to marry you both, not in your mother's bakery,” Adam passes Butcher the deed to the bakery. He holds it up with the new ownership in bold and states, “but your bakery, the legacy your mother left for you and your brother.”
Essy sobs, seeing the paperwork, and I squeeze her tighter around the waist, causing her to look at me.
“You deserve this, Esmerelda,” Butcher says, “You deserve happiness and laughter, which is something this place and this man gives you.”
Essy nods, not breaking eye contact with me but also not denying his words because they are so fucking true.
“A teenager losing her mother but gaining a baby brother decided to, instead of going down a dark path, take care of her family and the business. Then took on this guy who was going through so much pain and sorrow for what I put him through to keep my blood family together,” Butcher says, “You brought him back, gave him a purpose, and I cannot thank you enough for the happiness that you give him, the love that shines every time you look at him and right now, marrying you two here today will forever be one of the best memories I’ll always remember….”
I sniff hard, trying not to cry like a little bitch in front of my brothers as Essy smiles, not caring that we’re not dressed up but knowing this way is just us all over.
“I’m not going to say anything more because I know how much you two want to be married, and I don’t want you both to wait any longer, so, Damian Clark, do you take Esmerelda Jacobs to be–”
I cut him off and say, “I do,” making everyone chuckle and Essy giggle.
Butcher chuckles, “So impatient. Esmerelda Jacobs, do you–”
“I do,” Essy says quickly, and I grin wide.
“Jeez, you two are perfect for each other,” Butcher mumbles, then announces, “By the power vested in me by Pennsylvania ordained limited, I now pronounce you man and wife you may–”
I cup Essy’s face, keeping one arm around her waist, and kiss her before Butcher can finish. Everyone cheers, and I melt into my girl, my tongue tangling with hers.
She’s mine, she’s all fucking mine.
Essy giggles against my lips, and I grin before pulling back and muttering, “My wife.”
Her tears fall, and she replies, “My husband, my everything.”
I nod and kiss her again, holding her close to me, and finally, fucking, everything inside me feels whole.
The past, Bethany, the club, this right now is a fresh start, and I’m so fucking glad I came into this café all those months ago meeting this perfect woman in my arms wearing my ring, her mother’s ring…
I’m one lucky fucker, and never, fucking never will I take her love for granted.