Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
LAINEY
Paul sits back before he takes my hand, lacing his fingers with mine. He looks over at me, his gaze searching. He’s hiding himself from me, although that’s pretty hypocritical of me because I’m hiding all of myself from him, but it feels different when it’s him. I don’t know why.
It doesn’t make any sense, but to me, right now, I sense that he’s not hiding anything innocent from me. Not that what I’m hiding from him is innocent. The fact that I love another man can’t be innocent, but it’s also not nefarious, and I’m getting despicable vibes.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” he coos.
I want to pull my hand away, but his fingers begin to move up and down, still laced with mine, and I have to admit it feels nice, sexy even. He stares at me, unblinking, and I feel as if he’s trying to look deep into my soul.
Maybe he is.
I’m not sure what he’s going to find there, but I also don’t want to ask him what he sees. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. We’re married now, we’re starting a brand-new life, and that is all that really matters.
“Thank you,” I exhale.
“We only have to stay for an hour or so at the reception, then we can dip out.”
Dropping my chin to my chest, I look down at my lap at the thought. He wants to get the honeymoon started sooner rather than later. The taste he gave me of what he was capable of was exciting, sure, but it wasn’t Gunnar, and that’s all I can think about.
He’s the last person I should be thinking of. I should only be thinking of my husband.
Husband.
The thought of saying the word aloud makes me feel… queasy.
“Okay,” I whisper when it’s clear that he wants me to say something in response. I really don’t have anything else to add. Okay is all I can say at the moment. I’m not eager to begin the future. Not yet, at least, but it doesn’t seem to matter.
None of it does.
The car comes to a stop. Lifting my head, I turn and look over at the building. It’s a vineyard. It should be magical. There are little twinkly lights that I can see placed all over everything they can be. The sun is just beginning to set, and the dusk sky makes the lights shine a bit brighter.
I hear the driver’s door open and slam closed, then seconds later, my door opens, and the driver extends his arm, his palm facing up and waiting for me to slip my fingers inside. I place my fingers in his, and he curls his around me, gently pulling forward.
Sliding my legs over the side of the seat, I place my feet on the sidewalk and stand tall before taking a few steps forward to give Paul some room to get out of the car as well. He shifts forward, stepping up to my side.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
Tilting my head back slightly, I look up at the gorgeous building. It’s stone and glass, and I wonder if there are wooden beams inside. I’ll be able to check in a few moments, but it doesn’t stop me from wondering initially, while I stand outside here and enjoy the beauty of the building itself.
“I’m ready,” I lie, and the words come out like an afterthought.
Paul slips his arm in mine and then begins to walk. I have no choice but to follow beside him. One step in front of the other. I thought I wouldn’t care about the wedding or the reception.
I imagined it would all be just stuff, decorations, food, and cake.
But I see now that there’s more to it than that.
And I missed out on a lot of it. I’m not disappointed by it, though, more like excited to see what happy surprise is around the next corner.
Because this venue is indeed that—a happy surprise.
The door to the building opens, and I am taken aback by the sight of the reception. If I thought the outside was decorated in a lot of twinkly lights, I didn’t know what a lot was, because inside is absolutely drenched with them, and fabric. So much white, gauzy, luscious fabric and flowers.
At least they aren’t roses. Instead, there is a mixture of all different types of white flowers everywhere, mixed in with gorgeous greenery. There are candles everywhere, too. It’s like walking into a dream.
“I assume you like it?”
“It’s breathtaking,” I whisper, and I mean it.
The entire space is beyond anything I could have ever created myself or imagined. It’s like a magazine cover. This sight has me wondering what the cake looks like, because I have a feeling it’s absolutely stunning.
I start to ask if I can be taken to see the cake, but I don’t get the chance before the doors fly open, and I turn my head, watching as people begin pouring in. I don’t recognize any of them.
I know they must all be from Paul’s side, because they’re all in tuxedos and floor-length gowns, and I know my people aren’t dressed like that. I mean, they aren’t dressed like slouches, but if there was a black-tie requirement, they decided against it.
Plastering on my fake-as-hell smile, I greet a bunch of people I don’t even know as they make their way into the reception. The women all comment about how beautiful the venue is as they hug and give cheek kisses.
Paul doesn’t introduce anyone to me, and I’m okay with that, because I wouldn’t remember anyone’s name anyway. I just keep my smile plastered in place as I wait for a familiar face, and thankfully, it doesn’t take long.
Dakota and Bullet are first, and she doesn’t even look at Paul. She makes a beeline for me and wraps her arms around me. She presses her cheek against mine, her lips at my ear, on the opposite side of Paul, so he can’t see her speaking to me, or more importantly, hear her.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
My muscles flex as I hold her closer to me. “I’m okay.”
It’s a lie. I don’t think I’m okay at all, but at the same time, it doesn’t matter.
None of it does. I am here. I am married.
And that is that. This is my new life. Honestly, I didn’t think it was actually going to happen.
I told myself a million times that it was happening, but I didn’t really believe it.
A big part of me hoped that Gunnar would have stopped it. That he was going to object or something at the last second. But that didn’t happen, and this is my new world. My new life. I’m accepting it and attempting to embrace it, even if it feels really weird and a little bit wrong.
Maybe it’s just something I need to get used to, this new life, this new world. Like when you move into a new place, and you have to get used to your new surroundings.
“You can still run,” she exhales.
I know she means well, but she doesn’t realize just how much it hurts me when she says that. Because I can’t run. This is my world now. My life and my home. There’s nothing else to be done about it.
Thankfully, she doesn’t say anything else. She takes a step backward, her gaze searching mine, and then she gives me a soft smile before Bullet moves beside her and wraps his arms around me in a hug as well. He tells me congratulations, but I can see the sadness behind his eyes.
He didn’t want me to do this. I understand why, but what’s done is now done. Thankfully, the line continues, and no one else tells me I can still run. Instead, they congratulate me, hug me, and keep moving.
My brother is the last person to appear in front of me.
The final guest. I don’t pay attention to what he and Paul are saying, but I watch as they shake hands, and then Axton tugs him into his body, lifting his other hand and clapping him on the shoulder.
He leans down and murmurs something that causes Paul’s body to tense and a muscle to tic in his jaw.
Uh-oh.
When Axton releases his grip on Paul before he turns to me, he’s got his own fake smile playing on his lips as he closes the distance between us. I feel my brother’s arms wrap around my shoulders as he pulls me in for a hug.
I’m waiting for him to say something about leaving or running away, but it doesn’t happen. Instead, he just hugs me before he takes a step backward, his eyes searching mine, his fake smile on display.
I start to call him on it, but decide against it. The wedding planner appears out of thin air and guides us over to the head table, telling us that it’s time for dinner to be served. There is music playing, but I have no clue what it is.
As we walk past all the tables of guests, I feel like I’m walking through a tunnel.
I wonder when this is going to end, when I’m going to stop having these bouts of feeling…
off. The hard part is over. I said I do, we kissed, and this is supposed to be the fun part, but all I can do is think about what happens in an hour when he wants to leave.
VIKING
Pulling up to the reception place, I hiss at the sight in front of me. It’s fucking fancy. Some vineyard that no doubt cost fucking bank. If anyone deserves this type of wedding, it’s Lainey. Even though I fucking hate everything about it.
Pulling my bike around to the back, I take in the building, well, I take in the exits. There’s no way I can get out the front. I wonder where all the guards are. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t have this fucking place locked down tight for the event, but I don’t see anyone.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I look behind me as Flop rolls up behind me. He kills his engine beside me. Jerking my chin toward him, I scroll as I find Bullet’s name in my phone. I touch the call icon and hold it against my ear.
He doesn’t answer immediately, no doubt going through all the bullshit that happens at weddings. Then I hear rustling before he murmurs his greeting. I can tell he’s trying to be quiet, and I hope he’s in the hallway or something.
“We got a fuckin’ problem. A big one,” I state.
There is a moment of silence, then he clears his throat. “What the fuck is going on?”
I decide that he doesn’t need the dirty details of everything yet.
What he needs are the essentials. I can tell him the rest later, but right now he needs to know the basics.
And those basics are that Paul, for whatever fucking reason, orchestrated that run, and our guys’ bikes were stolen, and they could have died.
“Everyone’s safe now?” Bullet asks, but I can tell he’s asking through gritted teeth.
“Me and Flop are sitting outside the back of the vineyard. Girls, Shocker, and Screamer are being looked after by Scar and the clubwhores.”
There is another moment of silence, and then he bites out a fuck. “This was a test.”
“Yeah, I got that. Just don’t know why or what,” I state.
“And now he’s married to Lainey. That fucking little prick.”
I could kill him. It would be great, but that wouldn’t look favorable to a whole room of people in fucking tuxedos and ball gowns. And then there’s the fact that Lorenzo is in there. We can’t kill another one of his men, even though we don’t claim the first.
“Is she married?” I ask. “Because I don’t think the courthouse is open today, and I’m pretty sure not a goddamn thing has been filed.”
“I’m going to get Paul and Lorenzo alone in a room. I want you to get Lainey out of here.”
“Say fucking less.”