Chapter 17 #3
Out of all the spectacular sights, it was Fuse that caught a hundred percent of my attention. He was at their makeshift altar, waiting for me. We’d decided to simplify the wedding by not having bridesmaids or groomsmen. So he was standing there, tall and proud, all by himself.
He was the most handsome brother in the club to my eyes.
Today he was wearing black leather pants and his black leather cut over a white shirt.
He was looking down the aisle towards the house and his expression changed when he caught sight of me.
The intensity of his gaze made me feel adored and that’s something I hadn’t had much of before meeting him.
The closer I got, the wider his smile got.
Meanwhile his brothers made thumping noises and shouted compliments. I guessed this was their way because I’d never been to a wedding where people shouted at the bride while she walked down the aisle. Normally the guests were quiet as little mice.
Someone from Sons of Rage shouted, “I’ll arm wrestle you for her.”
The woman sitting beside him slapped him on the back of the head like he was nothing more than a naughty little boy.
Low laughter ran through the nearest row of brothers.
I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing myself.
If these men had a party-oriented super skill it was surely knowing how to have a good time.
They sure didn’t stand on ceremony, and I liked that more than I probably should.
Celt walked me all the way to Fuse and stepped back politely.
Storm looked from me to Fuse. His expression was serious. I could see that he had a little speech handwritten on a sheet of paper. It was lying on the podium and he was pinning it down with one hand to keep it from blowing away.
“Alright,” he said, raising his voice to be heard. “I’ll keep this short because I know Fuse and his old lady didn’t sign up for a bunch of elaborate bullshit on their wedding day.”
Chuckles were heard from several brothers. And Fuse couldn’t seem to keep the smile off his face for anything.
“I want to address the brothers first. You all joined this club because you wanted to be part of something bigger than yourselves. You wanted to socialize with like-minded men with a love for ridin’ the open road and you maybe wanted the kind of safety that an MC can offer for your families.”
There were sounds of agreement from the brothers and no one contested his words.
“Your old ladies were never drawn to the club. They were drawn to you and accepted the club because it’s not only important to us but the center of most of our lives.”
This man was smart and he’d hit upon something important, I thought to myself.
Storm continued, “Marriage ain’t always easy,” Storm stated. “And neither is being the wife of a brother. Remember, if we treat them right and luck is on our side, they just might come to love the club as much as we do.”
Looking down at Fuse and me, he said, “Winter and Fuse have already been through more than most couples ever will and are here to hitch their lives together because that’s what love is. It’s sticking together through thick and thin, loving what your spouse loves and making a life together.”
Gazing sternly out at the brothers, he asked, “Does anyone here have a problem with Fuse and Winter gettin’ hitched?”
There was utter silence, which I was grateful for.
“Alright, time for the vows.”
Fuse turned to face me fully and took both my hands and looked at me for a moment before he spoke, like he was making sure he had the right words in the right order. The yard was completely still.
“Do you, Fuse, take Winter to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish her in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, for as long as you both shall live?”
“I most certainly do,” he responded. “I plan to treat her real good and not give her any reason to leave me, cause only a fool would do that and I ain’t no fool, ya know.”
My head slowly turned around to look at my very nervous husband. I reached and slid my hand into his, giving a quick squeeze. His mouth snapped shut and he froze.
Storm shifted his attention to me.
“Do you Winter, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love, honor and cherish him in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, for as long as you both shall live?”
I followed Fuse’s example, hoping everyone would think it was something we planned together.
“Of course I do. Fuse is the love of my life and the man who stepped up when I needed a hero. I’m not about to do anything to mess that up.”
People in the audience sighed and made little comments about how sweet we were to each other.
Fuse brought our joined hands up to his lips and kissed the back of my hand.
“Fuse and Winter will now exchange rings with each other as a symbol of love and commitment.”
Fuse’s hands went to the front of his vest, like he was searching his pockets for them.
Storm leaned over the podium.
“You do have the rings, right brother?”
That’s when Celt’s daughter Dusty approached with the kittens—now cats—in her arms. “Sorry,” she gasped, sounding out of breath. “The ring bearers decided now was a good time to play hide and go seek.”
I glanced at Fuse, not sure what was going on. He just smirked and whispered, “Surprise!”
When she got close, I saw that they had our rings tied to their rhinestone collars.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she said apologetically.
It only took Fuse a moment to untie the bows and retrieve our wedding bands. Slipping his into my hand, he gave me an embarrassed smile.
I tossed his ring in the air a few inches and caught it again. It was my way of matching his playful vibe with the kittens. He relaxed in place beside me as Storm spoke again.
“Fuse, as you place this ring on Winter’s finger, repeat after me.”
I quickly held out my left hand, the one with the sparkling diamond engagement ring. While he repeated after Storm, “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love and loyalty now and forever.”
“Winter, as you place this ring on Fuse’s finger, please repeat after me.”
He lifted his finger and I quickly slid the thicker wedding band onto his finger and repeated, “With this ring, I thee wed and pledge you my love and loyalty now and forever.”
Storm raised his voice. “By the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Suddenly, we were smiling at each other while still holding hands. I don’t know why but the moment seemed suspended in time.
Again, Storm spoke up, “Fuse, I believe you know what to do now.”
Fuse didn’t need to be told twice to kiss the bride. He tugged me close and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. When he pulled away, I was breathless and just wanted more. As if he knew what I was thinking, he leaned forward and gave me another quick kiss before we turned to face the guests.
A round of cheers went up. The whoops and hollers were enough to scare the neighbors two miles away. We walked back down the aisle and right into our new life together.
The party was still going strong in the back part of Fuse’s property.
It was far enough away that we felt isolated, sitting on the porch swing.
We could smell the smoke from the bonfire, hear the music and the brothers talking.
They were loud, boisterous and everything that was right with the world in my opinion.
Fuse pulled me in under his arm and I stayed there, with my head against his chest, because I loved cuddling him. Getting to share his body heat was just a bonus.
My dress was going to need cleaning and the ivory sweater I’d layered over to chase away the chill later in the night had been an excellent call.
Fuse nuzzled his lips against my head and murmured, “I have something else for you.”
I lifted my head to look at him. He reached into the inside pocket of his cut and came out with a small red velvet jewelry box. He held it out without ceremony. “It’s a wedding gift, a little something to mark our special day.”
Taking the box from him, I told him, “You didn’t have to buy me a wedding gift. Becoming your wife is a gift in and of itself.”
“I know,” he joked. “I’m a stand-up guy. All the brothers say so.”
I opened the lid to find a gold bracelet with an infinity symbol embedded in the center. It was thick and not likely to break if I wore it all day. This was exactly the kind of thing I never would have bought for myself because it’s too expensive and might even be considered frivolous.
“Fuse, it’s beautiful.” I gushed.
“I want you to have nice things. You deserve them. Every woman does.” He plucked it out of the box and slid it around my wrist. He held my hand for a second just admiring the way it looked on me.
“It’s perfect,” I said sincerely.
He didn’t answer, just pressed his lips to my temple and settled back, and I curled into his side again and listened to the party carrying on without us and thought about the thing in my sweater pocket.
I reached into my pocket and my hand closed around a slim strip of plastic. I told him in a shaky voice, “I have something for you too.”
He looked down, curious to see what I was offering in my outstretched palm. It was a small white stick with two unmistakable lines.
I watched him look at it closely. The second he realized what it was, his hand tightened at my waist. Without looking up, he asked, “Is that what I think it is?”
Since his voice was laced with excitement, I volunteered, “Yes, we’re going to have a baby. I found out this morning. Grace ran out to get me some test kits, and they all came back positive.”
“Winter,” he gasped. “This is a much better gift than the one I gave you.”
Trying not to laugh, I told him, “If you think about it, this baby is more of a gift you gave me. I just get to carry it for nine months and then it becomes a gift we share.”
He took it out of my hand and quickly tucked it into his vest pocket. Then he wrapped me up in the tightest hug ever. “Thank you for choosing me. I won’t ever let you or our kid down.”
“I know you won’t. You’ve proven yourself over and over again. I don’t have any doubts about making a family with you.”
As we sat there, wrapped in each other’s arms, I couldn’t help but reflect on the set of circumstances that brought us together.
The two of us finding each other had been a one in a million shot.
All the choices we made along the way brought us to this moment and it felt like this was where we were meant to be.
When Fuse pressed a kiss to the top of my head, I thanked my lucky stars that we crossed paths. This was my one chance at happiness, and I was going to grab it with both hands and never let go.
THE END