Chapter 22
Ali
JUNE
My sister getting married and announcing she was pregnant wasn’t nearly as surprising as Hayat bringing not just one date to the wedding, but two.
Only for Maddie’s date to the reception to cut in while Hayat was dancing with one of her new rock star boyfriends and promptly decide he was going to be partner number three.
With how crazy our lives had been in recent weeks, I shouldn’t have been too stunned by all the new developments.
Pregnant, married big sister. Pseudo-sister suddenly being in a poly relationship.
Or was it a why choose? Reverse harem? I wasn’t sure what to label it.
What I did know was that I’d never seen either Abi or Hayat so happy.
And I was going to be an auntie!
Both my parents and godparents were grumpy about it all, which was one hundred percent understandable.
Hayat’s new situationship was interesting, but not as much as the fact that Abi was now a Vitucci.
She went and got herself knocked up by a much older man, who just happened to be the eldest son of the most powerful crime family in the country.
At least Sammy was part of the deal. I loved that she was my new sister.
Generic wedding reception music played, giving the guests something to sway to on the dance floor.
I watched Sixx twirl Aubree before swinging her back to him.
Her laughter caused me to smile as she steadied herself with one hand on his shoulder, her blond hair falling down her back like a pale waterfall.
He smacked a kiss to her cheek then looked straight at me, his brown eyes softening.
There was something less strained about him this past week.
Although I hadn’t seen him except for our video calls, I’d heard it in his voice when he talked.
Or perhaps it was that I wasn’t feeling the strain.
Either way, he’d been different in the best kind of ways.
Laughing more. Letting other people a little closer.
Like his aunts and his mom. From the moment Sixx and his family had arrived for the reception, I’d witnessed how much more open he was with them.
Those who didn’t know Sixx well wouldn’t have caught the subtle changes, but I’d noticed as soon as I saw him.
His body was usually coiled tight, already prepared to not react the moment someone brushed against him.
Those dark eyes, so much like his father’s, weren’t nearly as shuttered, giving the world a peek into the beautiful soul that normally only I got a taste of.
At one point during dinner, he’d caught Roanna’s hand and given it a tender squeeze that paused the conversation at our table.
The quiet only lasted a few heartbeats before everyone rushed to fill the silence for fear that it would break whatever spell they thought Sixx was under.
After the song ended, London waited eagerly off to the side, her hand extended to allow him to decide whether he was up to dancing with her too.
Already, he’d endured more physical contact in a single afternoon than he normally would allow in a full month.
With a smile that took my breath away, he grasped London’s hand and twirled her away.
Roanna and Aubree watched them for a bit before they dropped down into chairs on either side of me at our table.
They hadn’t done any assigned seating for the reception.
My parents and godparents opted to sit with Poppy and Gammy.
Vaughn’s parents sat with his brother, Ryan, and his wife, Nova.
Emmie and Nik chose to sit with them, which was a bit terrifying.
Not just for me but everyone in the ballroom.
Emmie was the embodiment of big dick energy, and although I’d only met Vaughn’s mom for a short time the night before, Anya Vitucci had an aura about her that was…
lethal was the only adjective that fit, and even that felt inadequate.
Abi and Hayat were at the bridal party table with Sammy and their men.
I wasn’t a bridesmaid, and that wasn’t because Abi and I weren’t close enough for her to include me.
She didn’t have to make me a part of her wedding for me to understand that she loved me.
We were secure enough in our relationship that we didn’t take offense over that kind of crap.
Unlike some sisters, we had never had a period in our lives we’d been jealous of each other.
I hadn’t ever compared myself to Abi, and I doubted she’d done that with me either.
We were separate people, with entirely different life goals.
I cheered for her as loudly as she cheered for me.
Since I had my pick of sitting anywhere I was comfortable, I’d chosen Sixx’s table with his parents, all three of his aunts, Derrick, and Sam.
They’d all treated me like family my entire life.
Roanna and I did as many mother-daughter things as I did with my own mom.
When I bought Mother’s Day presents, I always had one to give her as well as Mom and Aunt Lucy.
“I’m not complaining, but what the fuck is up with my son?” Roanna asked, ducking her head close so no one would eavesdrop on our conversation while still watching Sixx dancing with London.
He dipped her back playfully, which caused London to giggle so happily that it caught more than one person’s attention. Sixx wore an indulgent smile, his face not locked in concentration as it normally was when he was in a crowd. He wasn’t in safe mode to keep his walls up.
“I don’t have an answer, Ro,” I told her honestly.
Other than Sixx spending a little time with Sammy the previous Sunday after he’d left my house, as far as I was aware, the rest of his week had been normal.
I wasn’t sure what he and Sammy had done.
Sixx called me later that night to tell me he didn’t remember the majority of what had happened after they arrived at the same warehouse from Friday night.
It couldn’t have been too bad, and even if it were, I trusted Sammy to keep my boyfriend out of jail.
If being friends with my new sister helped Sixx in any way, I wasn’t going to discourage them from spending time together.
“Should we expect more little surprises like this?” Aubree wondered. “It hasn’t just been today. All week, he’s been more talkative. Definitely less stoic.”
“Mestre called me after Sixx’s class earlier in the week.
One of their newer students was having a bad day, and Sixx hugged the boy.
” Roanna picked up her water glass and took a thirsty drink.
“Not a quick pat on the back either. Mestre said it lasted at least twenty seconds, and the boy was the one to pull back first. Later in the week, the boy’s mother called me too.
Said that she didn’t know my son well, but she wanted to thank me for raising such a good kid.
She and her husband are going through a contentious divorce, and her boy has been struggling.
Whatever happened during class, it helped him in more ways than one. ”
“You have raised a good son,” I told her. “He’s the best guy I’ve ever known, Ro.”
“You’re biased,” she teased, bumping her shoulder lightly with mine.
“Of course I’m biased. You’re in my top three favorite moms in the world. Biased doesn’t mean I’m lying.”
“Well, I haven’t done it without help. Sin is an amazing dad, and my soul sisters have made it a hell of a lot easier.”
“Stop it, Ro,” Aubree gently admonished.
“You’re an excellent mom. Not every parent would handle his mental health struggles with the kind of grace and patience that you’ve shown.
Sixx is going to turn into a great man, and you are the majority of the reason why.
London, Gen, and I are just honored we get to share such a huge part of his life. ”
“Do not make me cry today!” Ro sniffled at her best friend.
When the song ended, Gen was ready to push London out of the way before another began. Sixx didn’t pause before falling into step with his aunt. Out of breath, London joined us at our table, gulping down the beer that Derrick brought her once she was seated.
“That was so much fun,” she gushed, brushing a few locks of hair from her face. “Oh my god, Ro. He cracked a joke. A real, not-dry-humor joke. It was the best moment of my life. He’s such a little cutie.”
“He’s over six feet tall,” Aubree deadpanned.
“He’s always going to be that adorable little boy with a missing front tooth in his first gi.” She pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes going a little dreamy.
The song was only halfway through when I noticed that Sixx was getting wired.
All the physical contact was starting to become too much for him.
Tension filled his shoulders, and his eyes were taking on that empty quality he got when he was fighting to keep his wall from dropping down.
Excusing myself, I weaved through the tables and then the other dancers.
Sixx spotted me coming his way, and I could almost feel the strain begin to ease. Gen kissed me on the cheek as she stepped away, letting me take her place.
“Finally,” he said with a relieved sigh. “I’ve needed this, daisy girl.”
“Me too,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Touching a kiss to my forehead, he let his hands settle low on my back. “You look beautiful. That dress is…dangerous.”
“Sammy chose it.”
“Remind me to thank her.” He skimmed his nose over my cheek. My breath hissed out of me, loving the feel of his body pressing into mine, the way he held me like he owned me. His touch was always full of possessiveness and confidence, knowing without a doubt that I belonged to him. Now and always.
“I missed you,” I whispered, scratching my nails lightly up and down the back of his neck. He moaned quietly, losing a little more of the tension that had been gathering from the overstimulation of the day.
“I miss you every minute of every day we’re not together.
” Kissing my cheek, he shifted so my head was tucked under his chin.
Making sure Dad was busy and not paying us any attention, I pressed my ear to his chest and closed my eyes, listening to the tempo of his heart beating rather than the music.
“When we get married, do you want something like this?”
“Hell no,” I said sleepily. “We’re eloping. No one is invited but Bentley. Maybe Charlotte, if he wants to bring her.”
“No parents or Abi and Hayat?” I shook my head. “Okay.”
“But we can have a small party for our first wedding anniversary,” I said after thinking about it for a few moments. “Our moms will like that. The wedding part is just for us. The party is for them.”
“That sounds perfect, Ali.”
I got two and a half songs with him before the music stopped and the DJ announced it was time for cake.
Abi and Vaughn stood in front of the five-tier beauty and did the traditional cutting of the first slice together.
My new brother-in-law fed Abi a small bite from his fingers, brushing a smear of icing over her bottom lip before kissing it away to have his own taste.
Definitely classier than those asshole grooms who shoved cake into their bride’s face.
Vaughn got points for how sweet the action was.
After the cake was cut, the music started again.
That was when Sixx surprised his mom. He’d walked up behind her as she was talking to Santana and Amara and just picked her up while she was mid-sentence.
Roanna squealed at the suddenness of it then gasped when she realized it was her son.
He carried her out to the middle of the dance floor, and Ro glowed from how happy she was.
That alone had made this a great day, hands down one of my favorite Saturdays ever.
Sipping my glass of sparkling white grape juice, which was flowing more freely than champagne to be mindful of all the younger kids present, I hummed along to the melody of the song while my boyfriend continued to dance with his mom.
Most of the other guests were either dancing or eating, the conversations around the huge ballroom full of warmth and laughter.
I was exhausted. Thankfully, school was over for the term, and I could relax knowing I’d passed all my classes with exactly enough points so my parents wouldn’t be alerted that I’d struggled to get through the semester.
It finally felt like I could breathe again.
It was getting late, and hopefully people would be leaving soon. Abi was delaying her honeymoon until after Hayat had her inaugural show at First Bass with Autumn’s Slumber. My parents and I were leaving for Australia the next day, which meant we were going to miss seeing her big debut in person.
“Give me that,” Sammy said as she appeared beside me. Taking my glass of white grape juice, she tossed it back in one gulp, only to hiss when she realized it wasn’t champagne. “Here I was thinking I was saving you from your mother by getting rid of the evidence, and you were actually being good.”
“I’m always good.”
“Mmkay,” she said dryly. “Abi’s about to throw the bouquet. Go over there and stand. Don’t try to catch it, though. As much as I adore Sixx and look forward to the day he officially joins the family, there will be no child bride on my watch.”
“I don’t need a bunch of supposedly magical flowers to tell me I’m going to marry the boy I love one day. Sixx and I have no plans for marriage until after he has won the adult world championship in BJJ and I have figured out the whole college thing.”
“That’s my smart baby sister!” she cooed, making me roll my eyes. “Run along. You’re going to pretend to play along for the photographer. The pictures will be fabulous. Now, scoot.” When I just stood there, she grasped my hand. “You St. Charles girls are so fucking stubborn.”
“But I don’t wanna,” I whined, dragging my feet.
“Oh look, Caprice is already waiting for her chance.”
Seeing my cousin standing there, I reluctantly moved into the growing group of unmarried girls.
Caprice had gone with full-glam makeup and a dress that hugged her ridiculously perfectly proportioned body and killer heels.
Her blond hair was styled in loose waves that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back.
She was beautiful, just like my aunt. Too bad that beauty was mostly skin-deep.
If someone were to Google “spoiled, entitled, rich white girl,” a picture of my cousin would pop up.
At least, it would after I convinced Vaughn to make it happen. He was supposedly a dark-web king, and I was going to dare him to prove it.
Guiding me where she wanted me, Sammy finally released my hand and patted my arm. “Stay and be good,” she warned.
“I’m always good,” I told her again.