31. Chapter 30
Knuckles
My phone rings for the hundredth time, and Benny chuckles while Marshall winces, knowing the club is pissed.
He threatened to arrest anyone who follows him, and I haven’t answered my phone, so going back to the club later will be interesting that's for sure. I called Mathews, the club's lawyer, earlier and told him to withhold all calls from the club, so that should go over nicely…not.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Kodi whispers before me as I hold her hands tightly, afraid she’ll run, even though I know she won’t.
I’m in jeans, a t-shirt and my cut, while she’s in a pretty summer dress, and it is fucking perfect.
“Why?” I ask, “You know I love you, you know I can’t see my life without you, so why wouldn’t I marry you?”
She grins widely and tears shine in her beautiful hazel eyes that I love so much, and I bring our joined hands up and kiss her knuckles just as the judge stands before us.
“Alright, are we ready?” he asks with a wrinkly grin, and I nod as Kodi grins even wider. “Okay,” he says, “today, before your witnesses, we are gathered to join Liam Lee Wilson and Kodi Amber Marshalls in holy matrimony…” and everything inside me settles as the man before us ties us as one.
***
I chuckle as I carry my bride out of the courthouse half an hour later, her white gold wedding band with the date we met engraved on top, feeling fucking amazing against my skin as she cups my jaw.
Her smile is just as wide as it was when she walked into that courthouse with her dad and brother behind us laughing.
It was fucking perfect. The moment she slid that ring onto my finger, I felt whole and fuck, I can’t wait to spend forever with this girl. I know it sounds cliché, but I fucking can’t.
She completes me in every way, she saved me.
Kodi leans forward and kisses me gently before whispering, “I love you, husband,” and I grin before replying, “I love you too, wife,” and go to kiss her back, but pause when I hear, “Did I miss it? Did I miss it?” and I turn my head to see Clark sprinting our way and my eyes widen seeing her frazzled state.
Kodi shakes her head and says, “I told you to be here forty-five minutes ago!”
Clark winces as she stops before us, breathing hard, before I notice every club brother running our way, and I raise a brow.
Holy shit.
“The assholes stopped me when I tried to sneak out of the clubhouse,” Clark breathes, “Please tell me they didn’t make me miss the ceremony when they barricaded the door to demand where I was going?”
Shit, she looks pissed, and even I have to admit a pissed-off Clark is a scary Clark.
I clear my throat and admit, “You missed it, just…”
“You fucking got married without us?!” Cage shouts, “I thought you were locked up, you dickhead!”
I bite my bottom lip to stop my laughter while my wife, my wife, leans her head against my shoulder.
I make eye contact with my dad as Clark spins round and every brother takes a step back with a little bit of fear as she growls, “This is all your fault! I missed my best friend's wedding!”
“I recorded it, Clark,” Kodi’s dad admits hesitantly, and she growls at the brothers, a recording clearly not good enough. I don’t take my eyes off my dad, who nods, a little bit of sadness etching his eyes, but also pride.
Fuck, I don’t think, not since I patched into the club, has he ever looked at me like this.
I clear my throat and state, “Look, we just wanted it to be intimate. If you all want to throw a wedding reception, then you can this weekend.”
Cage glares at me while Trick winces at his old lady's loud growl, and my eyes widen.
Crap, she’s really pissed.
“Clark,” my girl says softly, and the woman spins, her face red with anger, tears shining in her eyes that make me soften slightly.
Kodi whispers, “I love you, thank you for being my friend,” and Clark’s tears fall as she nods. Trick wraps an arm around his woman's waist and whispers, “I’m sorry, buttercup,” and she sniffles, causing all the brothers to flinch, hating her tears more than her anger.
They fucked up.
I smile slightly, seeing her giving Trick her weight and I murmur, “Let's go back to the club for one drink before I take my girl home, yeah?”
A lot of grumbles echo, but the brothers listen, one by one, turning and walking away, but not without glaring at me, and I have to hold in my laughter.
Who knew missing a wedding would piss them off?
I guess maybe they do care, huh?
***
“How are you doing, son?” my dad asks as he slides up next to me at the club's bar while I watch my girl laugh with Clark, her eyes bright.
“I’m doing good, despite everything. Kodi, she, fuck, she’s brought me back to life,” I admit and Dad hums.
“And your mom?” he asks, and I swallow hard.
“She wanted forgiveness, but I never got the chance to see if it was genuine or if she was using me, and I think that's what I’ve struggled with,” I confess, and he sighs.
“I can’t speak for your mom,” he says, “She trapped me, there is no doubt about it and yeah I fucked up a lot over the years and there is no excuse for my behavior, there is no excuse for me neglecting you and missing the signs of you being abused. What I can tell you, is that if you want to forgive her, if it helps put you at peace, then you can, son, it’s okay to mourn because despite everything, she was still your mother. ”
I swallow but nod, and he asks, “Can you ever forgive me? Forgive the club?”
I look at my girl as she grabs her phone, and I murmur, “I’m trying, Dad, just give me some time,” and he sniffles, but I don’t look away from Kodi as she answers her phone with a gasp, “Alexiana?”
The music stops, and everyone looks at my wife, Crusher, standing instantly from near the other end of the bar and fuck. I’m so glad Cage ordered all the bunnies out, so the bitch who always tries to hang off his arm isn’t going to find out about this call.
“I hear you’re a wife,” I hear Alexiana say, and Crusher slowly stalks towards my girl, but I don’t move because she, the amazing woman that she is, proves that she’s willing to try with the club for me and puts her phone on speaker.
I’m a lucky fucker.
“I am, but who would have thought it, huh?” Kodi replies, and I push off the bar as my dad pats my back, and I walk over to her, but not to grab Crusher.
She stands as I get near, and I wrap my arm around her waist just as Alexiana whispers, “I thought it, even when you closed yourself off, I knew you deserved all the happiness in the world, and I’m so proud of you for overcoming your fears, Kodi, for allowing someone, even if he is in the MC, to make you happy. ”
The brothers wince while Crusher grits his teeth, Alexiana’s disdain in her voice for the MC clear as day.
“I miss you, friend,” Kodi says softly, and Alexiana sighs, “I miss you too, and Clark, but I just needed to leave Kodes.”
“Are you happy? Do you have someone to make you happy?” Kodi asks, eyeing Crusher, who is staring hard at the phone, clearly wanting to take it but knowing he can’t, otherwise his girl will hang up. That and I’ll pounce before he can ruin the call.
“I’m trying to be happy, but it’s hard, life is hard, and no, I’m not seeing anyone. There is one guy who keeps asking me out, but how do I say yes when my heart belongs to another?” she replies, and Crusher drops his head in relief, making me smile sadly for my friend, my club brother.
“Come home, Alexiana,” Kodi says softly, and the woman on the other end of the phone sniffles.
“I can’t, and besides, aren’t you leaving town?” she replies, and the whole club freezes, waiting for my girl’s reply.
Hang on, how does she know everything about the club?
Where is she getting her information from?
“No,” Kodi says softly, “I’m buying an art gallery, the building three doors down from the gym, we’re staying, and Liam is going to try and see if he can make things work with the club. They are his family…”
The men all try their hardest not to shout in relief while Crusher looks fucking devastated that his girl won’t come home.
“I’m proud of you, Kodi, so goddamn proud, and I love you,” Alexiana whispers, “I’ll try and keep in touch, but I uh, I have to go, tell Knuckles that I’ll kick his ass if he ever hurts you.”
That said, she hangs up, and I look at my club brother and murmur, “Hayes?” he shakes his head and looks at my girl, who doesn’t even hesitate. She holds her phone out to him, and he looks ready to fucking break.
“Thank you, darling,” he chokes, and Kodi nods before ordering, “Don’t hurt her again.”
“Never,” he replies as he copies the number Alexiana called my girl on, then hands her the phone back. With a pat on the back to me, he turns and walks away, everyone's concerned eyes on his back before they turn back to me, collectively and might I add creepily, and I groan.
“Can we do this tomorrow? I want to go spend the evening with my wife,” I state, and Kodi leans against me as Cage steps forward and confirms, “You’re staying?”
“For now,” I reply, and he nods before Trick walks over and states, “Forever,” making me half smile as he holds up an old lady patch.
“Fuck, I never thought I’d see the day my daughter gets given a property patch,” I hear Marshalls grunt as I take the cut from Trick and slowly move my girl forward before placing it on her. I’m hard instantly, seeing the ‘Property of Knuckles’ on the back.
Fuck me, she is gorgeous.
“Alright, brothers, I’m taking my girl home,” I state, and I spin Kodi, causing her to gasp, but she soon chokes, “Liam, your gunshot wound,” as I bend and throw her over my shoulder, the club cheering and laughing surrounding us.
I slap her ass, stopping her from struggling, and I salute her father and brother, who both are shaking their heads. I storm towards the back door, adamant to spend at least the next twenty-four hours inside my girl.
The brothers know I still have one foot out of the door, but they also know I’ll try and I will.
I’ll be showing them my love for the club while they’ll ensure to always have my back, helping me grow as a brother and officer brother.
My girl is my rock and day in and day fucking out she never regrets giving into my suggestion of fucking because in the end, we were always meant to be.
Life with Kodi is one life worth fucking living.