Chapter 17 #2
“But the ones we’ve been part of were so much fun that they made the trip worthwhile.”
“Jersey’s right,” Rocco said. “I’ve had more fun on this trip than any of the ones I’ve been on with you guys before.”
“Hell, this trip was more fun than some of our Vegas adventures,” Salvatore admitted.
The elevator door opened, and I could hear my brother talking to one of his guards. When we walked around the corner, I was surprised to find my dad and a few of his club brothers along with some of their hosts, who belonged to the Knights and the Kings MC, waiting for us.
“I thought you guys would already be there.”
“Blue forgot her charger, so we used that as an excuse to ride around for a while before we picked it up and went back,” Preacher explained.
“We’re going over there now,” I told them.
“Good,” Preacher said as he thrust his hand out toward me. I took the charger from him and looked at it as he said, “Now you can give it to her, and we can take the long way back.”
“This town is the size of a postage stamp. How is there a long way?”
“There’s a lake south of town. We’re going to ride around it on the way to the clubhouse,” Tiny explained.
“And leave us to deal with your women while they impatiently wait for you to get back?” Luca asked.
“Use some of that wit and charm that rubbed off of our buddy Stamp,” Chef suggested. “They probably won’t even notice that we’re gone.”
“Sure they won’t,” I muttered as I walked toward the front door.
The ride to the Texas Kings MC clubhouse didn’t take long, and when we walked in, I was surprised to see how busy the place was. I’d thought it would just be my dad’s friends’ wives hanging out while their men ditched them to go for an evening ride, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
A few of the Nomads were sitting around talking to some of the local bikers - men of all ages, from my father’s age to younger than me, most of whom I’d met during visits to Rojo with Bella or on this trip for our wedding.
We were greeted cordially, with some people calling out our names and others just waving as we walked to the bar for a drink. I was happy to see a familiar face standing behind it, talking to Rico and Ziggy, who looked like they’d already been here for a while.
“Good evening, gentlemen. What can I get you to drink?”
“Mr. Forrester, I didn’t know you were a bartender.”
“I’m not, son, and I’ve told you before to call me Smokey.”
“I’m not gonna have too much to drink tonight. My liver is still complaining about that moonshine from the first night,” I told him as I sat down on the barstool.
“Landry has a way with that stuff. I’ve had my share of it. While it may taste good, the morning after just isn’t worth it,” Smokey said with an exaggerated wince.
My brother and I asked for a beer. When I turned around to see what Zach wanted to drink, I found that he’d wandered away to talk to some other people, along with Jersey, Salvatore, and Rocco.
Smokey slid a few beers our way and took a sip of his own as I took the first drink of mine. Someone called Luca’s name, and he walked off, followed shortly by Rico, leaving me and Ziggy alone at the bar.
“Are you ready for your nuptials?” Smokey asked.
“I’ve been ready for months, so I’m glad the day is finally here.”
“No cold feet?” Ziggy asked. When I shook my head, he said, “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
“Why should I be nervous about marrying Bella?”
“It’s not so much that you should be nervous about the who as much as the what, but if you’ve got everything covered and feel alright about it, then I suppose that’s a good thing.”
“I don’t follow.”
Smokey thought about it for a second before he said, “You love Bella, which isn’t hard to do, but you love her in a way that means forever, and that’s usually where the uncertainty comes into play.
The future is unknown, so it’s up to you to prepare for it the best you can and make sure Bella will always be safe and taken care of. ”
“I’ve already talked to our attorney and put a plan in place to secure her future if something happens to me, and I know that the rest of the guys in my organization will take care of her if it comes down to that.”
“And she’ll always have her family here in Rojo, and not just the one she was born into.”
“She’s very lucky to have grown up with so many people around that love her and want what’s best for her.”
“She is,” I agreed with Ziggy. “Someday we’ll have kids, and I hope they are just as lucky.”
“Those children will have that same love and protection,” Smokey assured me.
“I knew Bella’s grandparents and have watched from the sidelines as their sons flourished after their death and created lives and families they would be proud of.
Through her friendship with my granddaughters, she’s become a big part of our family. ”
“At first, I was irritated that she wanted a big wedding, but we really couldn’t have anything else. There are too many people who love her and want to watch her find her happiness to have something small and selective.”
“Martha and I got married in a bar full of our family and friends, and even though I worried at the time that she might have wanted something more, with a big dress and all that goes with it, I know now that all she wanted was to be surrounded by the people she loves.”
“Bella’s going to have that, but she’ll get the big dress and everything else too.”