Three weeks later
Linden handed me a vibrant flower bouquet made up of orange ranunculus, yellow craspedia, wildflowers and pale pink roses. “You look beautiful.”
My happiness filled every dark corner of my heart and my smile stretched across my face. My belly had begun to pop, and instead of an empire-waisted gown to hide my condition, I’d opted for a form-fitting dress that enunciated my curves.
I wanted the world to know.
Tears of joy gathered in my eyes.
“Please don’t cry,” Mia said. “If you cry, my milk will let down, and I’ll walk down the aisle with wet blobs on my dress.”
A bubble of laughter escaped my lips, and Mia grinned. “Crisis averted.”
Jazz briefly hugged me to her. She smelled like lavender and vanilla. “I’m so happy for you.”
“I don’t know what I’d have done without you,” I said into her shoulder. “Without you…”
“You would’ve found a way.” Jazz pulled back and looked at me. “But I’m glad it worked out this way.”
I reached for Brielle’s hand, and the three of us had a soul-sister circle moment.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I—”
“Pull it together, woman,” Brielle said with a laugh. “Think of Mia’s breasts.”
The band—the same one that played at Horace and Angie’s anniversary party—struck up a chord.
“Okay, let’s get you married,” Mia said.
Mia went down the aisle first, followed by Linden. Brielle was third, and Jazz, who acted as my maid of honor, was last.
I took a deep breath and whispered, “Love you, Dad. Wish you were here.”
Something made me pause before stepping up to walk down the aisle. Not a hesitation, but a moment. I closed my eyes and it felt like my father was suddenly next to me, taking my arm, ready to guide me toward my future.
And then I began to walk to Slash. He stood underneath a white tent on the back lawn of the house he’d bought me not even two weeks ago.
There was nothing but him. I didn’t see the guests or hear the music. Only the beating of my own heart.
By the time I made it to him, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. The look he gave me was one of complete adoration. His eyes made all the promises, and his spoken vows would be public proof of his commitment.
But we’d committed to one another long ago without even realizing it.
The night we’d spent together had changed the course of both our lives forever. It was funny; sometimes a wrong turn put you on the right path.
Slash slid a gold band onto my finger and then brought it to his lips for a kiss.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the Justice of the Peace announced.
Cheers erupted from our guests. Slash gathered me close and pressed his lips to mine, and when he pulled back, I saw no sadness from the past in his eyes. Only hope for our future.
“Best wedding ever,” Lily said as she stuck a fried chicken drumstick into her mouth.
Joni ruffled Lily’s curls. “You say that at all the weddings.”
Lily shrugged. “I mean it this time. I’m eating fried chicken, and Brooklyn made a cake just for me.”
“I let you wear fairy wings down the aisle as my flower girl,” Joni reminded her. “Have you forgotten that?”
“My. Own. Cake.” Lily grinned up at me. “Thanks, Brooklyn.”
“Man, I’ve got to learn to bake,” Joni muttered, splaying a hand across her expansive belly. “It’s the only way to account for any loyalty around here.”
“You’re going to share your cake, right?” Waverly asked Lily.
“Maybe,” she said to the older girl, looking at her with hero worship. “If you paint my nails.”
“You’re good at milking this,” Waverly said. “Ask your mom.”
Lily looked at Darcy, and before she could even open her mouth, Darcy said, “Anything goes except for black.”
“I’ve got red in my purse,” Waverly said.
Lily’s dress was pastel blue and she looked like a doll come to life, complete with angelic curls, pink cheeks, and a bright smile.
“I like red,” she said.
Waverly held out her hand to Lily and the two of them disappeared into the house.
“I’m digging your sister’s wardrobe choice,” Jazz said to Willa.
Willa sighed. “Yeah, it’s like emo meets biker chick, meets angry teenager.”
Waverly had worn a pink dress with a tulle ballet skirt, but she’d paired it with black sheer tights, motorcycle boots, and a black leather jacket Willa had bought her at Leather and Ink with her employee discount. “She wanted to wear fishnets, but I put my foot down.”
“Has she discovered black eyeliner yet?” Brielle asked.
“No. But it’s only a matter of time,” Willa said.
“I’ll see your teenage girl and raise you an almost-teenage boy,” Mia quipped.
“I can’t believe Silas brought a date,” Linden said with a laugh.
“It’s your fiancé’s fault.” Mia mock glared. “The poetry Silas recited to Lizzie was poetry he learned from Boxer.”
Linden looked confused. “Boxer doesn’t know any poetry.”
“I’m going to love you until the heavens stop the rain. And I’m going to love you, until the stars fall from the sky,” Mia recounted.
Linden blinked. “The Doors? Boxer taught Silas lyrics from The Doors?”
“Yep.” Mia raised her brows.
“I hereby dub thee, Silas Casanova,” Darcy said. “Thank God Cam still prefers a soccer ball to the opposite sex.”
“Silas also mentioned wanting to learn how to play the drums. He’s going to join a band, and we all know how that goes. I’m doomed,” Mia moaned.
“Drums are fine. It’s the guitarist you want to worry about,” Willa said.
Allison bounced baby Tank in her arms. “I’m glad mine is still in the spitting up all over women phase. I have a few more years yet before I’m where you are.”
Linden held out her arms. “Gimme that chunk.”
Allison handed over the baby to Linden who looked down at him with a soft smile on her lips.
No one said anything, but Mia and I exchanged a look.
Baby fever.
“Woman!” Slash called from across the lawn where he was standing with the Blue Angels. “When are we cutting that cake?”
“Now!” I hollered back.
The last three weeks had been a blur. Not only had Slash and I bought a house and moved in and gotten settled, but the bakery was under construction. We’d bought the building next door and were now expanding the place to become a combination café, bakery, and catering hub. While that was going on, Slash had been on the city’s ass to get the street fixed, and with Kurt no longer in the picture, things had started moving again.
Because life hadn’t been insane enough, we’d decided to plan our wedding. With the help of Brielle, Jazz, Willa, and the Old Ladies, we’d been able to make it happen in a short amount of time. Having other people to rely on made everything so much easier.
In the midst of all that, we’d had our second sonogram appointment. The baby was healthy and growing.
I met Slash at the dessert table. The cake was a true masterpiece if I did say so myself. It was a three-tier tilted cake, and Brielle had painted it with gold metallic accents.
“Wicked cake!” Silas called out.
Mia looked at Boxer. “Wicked? Really?”
“I didn’t teach him that,” Boxer said.
“That was me,” Slash stated. “Now how the hell does one cut this kind of cake?”
“I’ll do it,” I said.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was happily eating their cake—and Slash was on his second piece.
“I’ve got a surprise for you,” I said to Slash. He tried to feed me a bite of cake, but I shook my head.
“You already had a surprise for me this morning,” he said, his gaze dragging down my body.
I grinned, remembering Slash finding me in the bathroom doing my makeup while I was wearing nothing but stockings and a garter belt. That had been a fun quickie. Or Slash’s version of a quickie, which lasted much longer.
“What are you grinning about?” he demanded.
“Just thinking about how you don’t know how to have a quickie.”
“We can practice.” His voice had gotten husky and he stepped closer.
“Later,” I promised. I placed a hand on his chest. “I want to give you a present.” I looked around him and called out, “Cam!”
Darcy and Gray’s oldest stopped playing with his soccer ball and looked at me.
“Bat time!”
Cam grinned and ran to the house.
“Bat time?” Slash asked in confusion. “Are we playing baseball?”
“Nope.” I smiled. “Duke!”
The biker was standing with Willa, but he looked at me. “Now?”
“Now.”
Duke put his fingers into his mouth and whistled. “Hey! Everyone! It’s piñata time!”
The wedding guests—which were only the Blue Angels and Brielle’s family—headed in the direction of the large oak tree on the far side of the property where a unicorn piñata hung from a branch.
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” Slash said in confusion.
Cam handed him the bat. “You hit the piñata and fun stuff comes out.”
“I know what a piñata is,” Slash muttered. “But don’t you have these things at birthday parties?”
“Slash, just hit the damn thing,” I said with a laugh.
“Yeah, Slash,” Lily said. “Just hit the damn thing.”
“Your wish is my command, Lily Burger.” Slash took the bat from Cam. We all backed up to give him room. Slash swung and the head of the unicorn almost came off entirely. A few good swings later, the unicorn was completely devastated and pink confetti rained down.
“No candy?” Lily asked, her expression falling.
“I’m with Lily,” Slash said. “That was fun, but I don’t really get the point.”
I placed a hand on my belly. “We wanted to find out the sex of the baby, remember?”
Slash frowned. “Yeah, so?”
My hand went to the remains of the pink confetti on the ground, and I held a piece up to him. “We’re having a girl.”
“A girl?” he asked, his voice sounding hoarse.
“We’re having a girl!” I yelled.
People clambered to hug and congratulate us. We were swarmed by friends and family, but somehow, in the sea of people, Slash and I managed to make eye contact. His smile was so wide he looked ready to burst.
“I still wish there was candy,” Lily said.
“Lily, sometimes life isn’t about you,” Darcy said, clearly trying to corral her daughter.
Lily put her hands on her hips. “But I’m a biker princess. And princesses always get what they want. Don’t they, Uncle Boxer?”
Boxer swept Lily up into his arms. “Right-o, Lily Burger.”
Linden sighed. “There went my ovaries.”
I looked at Slash. “Today’s a really good day.”
“There’s still some shading I have to do,” Virgil said, taking a sip of his beer. “But his ink is almost done. What do you think about it?”
“I think you did a fantastic job—and I can’t wait to get my own,” I said.
Virgil grinned. “I call dibs. It’s always so cool to do someone’s first piece.”
“Nah, bro, this one’s mine,” Roman said.
“Rock, Paper, Scissors?” Virgil suggested.
“We’re back to this discussion? I thought this was my decision?” I drawled.
“Okay, you pick,” Roman said, slinging his arm around his younger brother’s shoulders.
“I choose Homer.”
“He’s not even here to make a case for why he’s the best,” Roman noted. “Where the hell did he go, anyway?”
“You know Homer,” Virgil said. “I’m surprised he even came to your wedding. No offense.”
“None taken.”
I discreetly looked around, noting that Jazz was missing, too.
What was it with the two of them disappearing at weddings?
It was early evening, and the torches had been lit and fairy twinkle lights had been plugged in. A few couples, including Angie and Horace, were swaying on the dance floor, but most people were happy to talk. Silas was dancing with the girl he’d brought, and she was looking at him with complete infatuation.
“Cute, aren’t they?” Virgil commented, noting where my attention was drawn.
“The cutest,” I agreed.
“Wish I could find a woman,” Virgil grumbled.
“You don’t have that problem,” Roman teased. “You have plenty of women.”
“A woman. One good one,” Virgil said. “It’s harder to find than I thought.”
“Stop looking,” I suggested. “That’s usually when we sneak up on you guys.”
“I’ve heard that. Too bad I’m probably not going to take your advice.” He grinned. “Ah, there’s our baby sister. I’m gonna go bother her for a bit. Check you later. Awesome cake by the way.”
When Virgil left, Roman looked at me and said, “Seriously, no pressure on choosing who you want to do your ink.”
I liked Virgil. His work on Slash was gorgeous. I didn’t know Homer at all, and he was so grumpy, I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy being in his chair.
“Don’t tell Virgil yet, but when the time comes, I’m choosing you.”
“Why?” he asked. “Not that I’m not appreciative, but why me?”
“You’ve done several of the Old Ladies’ tattoos, and you just… I don’t know. You have an ease about you. I think I’d be comfortable in your chair.”
“I appreciate that,” he said, his tone sincere.
“Appreciate what?” Slash asked as he came up behind me and wrapped me in his arms.
“Roman’s going to do my ink when the time is right,” I said.
Slash cradled my belly with his big hands.
I looked up at him.
“Congrats, you two. You look happy,” Roman said.
“Thanks,” Slash said. “Glad you could come to the wedding.”
Roman tipped his beer at us and then wandered off, leaving us alone.
His gaze softened. “God, woman.”
Slash brushed his lips across mine. I wanted more, but we still had guests and the party didn’t seem to be dissipating anytime soon.
“Don’t say that in that tone,” I warned. “Or we might have to sneak away for a few minutes—and as we learned, you can’t do quickies.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Do I sound like I’m complaining?” I teased.
“We haven’t danced yet,” he said.
I raised my brows. “You dance?”
“No. But I can sway.”
He took my hand and led me to the dance floor. Slash pulled me into his arms, and I rested my head against his chest. With my eyes closed, and the smell of his skin in my nose, my heart swelled and I was complete.
“You’re the only person I know who would gladly give away their wedding cake,” Jazz said as she and Brielle helped slice up the cake and put it into containers for the guests to take with them.
The band was breaking down, and the reception was starting to dissipate. Those with children had to get them home and into bed, and those free to enjoy their night wanted to move the party to a bar. It had been Acid’s idea, and when he hugged me, he said, “Now you can have your way with your husband.”
I glanced at the gold band on my hand. I had a husband. But he was so much more than that.
Willa came up to the table and slid her finger through a goop of frosting. “Darcy is a fucking angel. She’s cool with having Waverly spend the night and Waverly is all about it. Which means, I can go out with you guys.”
“Yes!” Brielle crowed.
“Oh, you kids. Have fun. And a word of advice; use protection,” I said dryly.
“Yeah, God forbid we end up like you,” Willa teased. “Happily married to a gorgeous man, pregnant with his baby and with a business that’s booming. Oh, the horror. The horror.”
“Hey, Brooklyn,” Duke said as he sauntered up to the dessert table. “Can I talk to you a quick second?”
“Sure.” I handed off the knife to Jazz so she could keep cutting the cake.
Duke and I headed away from people to have a measure of privacy. “They were delivered about half an hour ago. I’m going to have South Paw come in the morning to take care of it. I’ll text you when it’s done.”
I gripped the lapels of Duke’s cut and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “You, sir, are a class act.”
He hugged me to him and then released me.
One by one, the guests disappeared until there was no one left but Slash and me.
“Whew, it’s done,” I said. “What a whirlwind.”
“Yeah, now we just get to be boring married people.” He winked at me.
“Boring? Boring, you say? I’ll show you boring.” I tugged on his shirt and brought my mouth to his. When I pulled back, I grinned wickedly up at him. “I made butter cream frosting and it’s in the fridge.”
He raised his brows. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“Yup. It’s better than whipped cream.”
“Woman, get naked. Now.”
The next morning, I was enjoying a cup of tea on the back patio, wearing Slash’s T-shirt and a thong. Nothing else. The tables and chairs, along with the tent would be taken down and removed by the rental company later in the day.
“Woman,” Slash growled.
I turned and grinned. He was shirtless, wearing a pair of sweats that hung low on his hips. “You’re not supposed to leave my bed the night after our wedding.”
He sauntered toward me. I lifted my chin to receive his kiss and then I pulled my head back to study the new art that Virgil had inked on Slash’s skin. Slash didn’t tattoo names on his body, he had symbols in the form of images. The heart clock that symbolized Hazel and Daisy’s death looked different now. Virgil had cracked it open and out spilled water and a slew of acorns.
My name in German meant water. The acorn was for our own little one.
“Come back to bed,” he said, tugging on my hand.
“Hold on. I want to show you something first,” I said.
Duke had texted an hour ago, saying that South Paw was finished.
“Unless it’s your ass, then I’m not really interested.”
“We’ve got the rest of our lives for you to enjoy my ass,” I quipped. “This is important.”
I stood up and set my tea mug down on the patio table. I slid into a pair of Crocs that rested just outside the sliding glass door and then took Slash’s hand in mine and led him across the lawn.
“Another piñata?” Slash teased. “This one better have candy.”
“No piñata,” I said, but I didn’t say more.
We walked to one corner of our property. We had a few acres in the other direction, but this spot was still close to the house, which was why I’d chosen it. The earth had been newly churned, and a sapling had been planted, along with tiny white flowers.
Slash didn’t say anything for a long moment as he stared at the seedling. When he did finally speak, his voice sounded like a croak. “You planted a hazel tree and daisies.”
My hand tightened on his. “I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to choose between your past or your future. You can have both. You can have us both, Slash.”
He dragged me into his arms and then his fingers plowed into my tangled hair. I tilted my face up to meet his gaze and he skimmed his thumb along my jaw.
“Woman,” he said.
I curled into him, breathing him in, breathing in the morning air, the promise of a new day. The promise of a beautiful life together.
And when his hand settled on my belly, I knew I was finally home.
Thank you so much for reading Slash and Brooklyn’s story! This isn’t the end for the Blue Angels! Pre-Order Willa’s story, Thrust & Throttle!
While you’re waiting for more Blue Angels, have you read my Scottish mafia series? Morally gray heroes, strong female characters, and an eight book series to sink your teeth into!