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Andrea
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER...
My father shook his head for what had to be the fifty-fifth time that day. I was doing my best to ignore it, but that was one head shake too many.
“Would you please stop being so disapproving, Dad?” I asked while Janie tightened up the lacing on the back of my wedding dress.
“I didn’t say anything,” my father grumbled while he ran his finger around his collar.
“Stan, you’re gonna mess up your tie,” my step-mother said from the other side of the hotel room.
My mother was standing next to Janie, behind me, and mumbled, “His tie will be the least of his worries if he doesn’t cool it.”
My father missed what my mother said, but he knew she said something derogatory and he gave her a dirty look. “I suppose it was your idea for our pregnant daughter to get married on the hottest damn day of the year and on the river instead of the beach, no damn less.”
“Dad,” I started but was interrupted by the joyful shriek of little Simone. Jackie was using a flower petal to tickle her little girl’s neck.
My mother moved around me and leaned into my father. “She isn’t even showing yet, so keep that to yourself, Stanley.”
The look Jackie gave me said she was more than willing to get her husband to intervene, but I shook my head at her.
“Are we ready to roll, Janie?” I asked.
“Yep, and not a moment too soon,” she said.
My mother kissed my cheek with tears in her eyes. “I’ll see you down there, baby girl.”
I smiled and willed myself not to cry. “Okay, Momma.”
She left the room, and my father turned to me. “I’m gonna walk your step-mother down and be back.”
I nodded and watched them go. Jackie turned her big brown eyes to me. “You were not kidding about your father being a staunch conservative. As hippie as your mother is, I cannot imagine those two together.”
I chuckled. “You don’t know the half of it, but sometimes opposites really do attract. Just not for very long. Did you remember the baby oil?”
Jackie arched an eyebrow at me. “Yes. I foolishly remarked to Volt that I couldn’t imagine why you needed this much baby oil or why that would be an appropriate wedding gift to your new husband. If you don’t know by now, the brothers talk, and they’re worse than us girls. Andrea, I can’t believe—”
Janie had moved to the mirror to touch up her lip gloss, but at Jackie’s words, she gasped. “Andi! That’s almost kinky or something. But tell me, was it good?”
I smiled like the cat who got its cream. “No. It wasn’t good. As Liar puts it, it’s fuckin’ phenomenal.”
The three of us erupted into peals of laughter just as my father came back to the room using his key, and his arrival only made us laugh harder.
***
I WASN’T OVERLY SUPERSTITIOUS, but over the past eighteen months, I had learned that Liar definitely was. So, when our plans to leave our wedding through a tunnel of our friends and family blowing bubbles on us were derailed by a late evening thunderstorm, Liar was relieved. I wasn’t relieved. I was still holding my bouquet and didn’t know why we hadn’t done the toss with the single ladies, and all that jazz. It seemed time had gotten away from us, or more specifically the DJ who was supposed to be keeping everything running smoothly during the reception.
“Nothin’ better than rain on your wedding day, Andi,” he said in my ear as Janie told the DJ to cue up the song we were going to depart to but would now dance one last dance to instead.
We semi-swayed to “Stolen Dance” by Milky Chance, and I did my damnedest not to slip on the bubble and soap slicked floor. I had changed out of my wedding dress as soon as we were done with pictures, but my ballet flats were no match to the slippery dance floor. Liar was tuned to my difficulty because his arms and hands were gripping me tight.
“What was your favorite part of today, Andi?”
I smirked. “It isn’t over yet.”
A knowing glint entered his eyes. “I know, but so far?”
I chuckled. “This doesn’t say much about me, but your dad and your uncle bein’ drunk enough to sing that Cajun music and Beast pitchin’ in.”
“Why doesn’t that say much about you? The Balfa brothers are great Zydeco singers. Besides, it was one of my highlights too.”
I grinned. “I like it because it made my father cringe so damn bad and my stepmother wasn’t too far behind. They have to learn not to be so damn judgmental!”
Liar’s head tilted, and he looked at a point over my shoulder for a moment. When his gaze returned to mine, he grinned. “I think Beast was showin’ off for someone.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I think you’re right. That made it even cuter.”
He brushed his lips lightly over mine. “You ready to get the fuck outta here, Mrs. Huntley?”
“Yeah,” I breathed.
He jerked his head to the right, and I gazed in that direction. All of the single women were gathered there. “Then, toss those flowers quick, babe and let’s ride.”
I tossed the flowers behind my back at the women, and Liar dragged me out to his bike. Jackie was running after us, yelling my name. I knew the rain would mess some things up, and sure enough, the plan had been for Jackie to get the baby oil to me while we ran out.
“Liar, wait!” I stopped, and he lost his grip on my hand.
Jackie caught me and handed me the bag.
“Let’s go, Andi,” Liar called.
I made it to the bike. “Open the saddlebag, please.”
Liar squinted at me. “Whatever that is, we don’t need it, babe.”
“Yes, we do, babe,” I growled.
Liar begrudgingly opened the saddlebag, but my hands were wet from the rain, and I dropped the bag, and both huge bottles of baby oil tumbled out.
“We don’t need—”
I growled my frustration, then gave Liar my biggest eyes. “My wedding gift to you is a necklace you get to give me. So, we do need—”
He grabbed my chin and tipped my face up. “Say no more, baby. This day is already a fuckin’ dream come true. Thank you for putting the cherry on top of it.”
The Riot continues with Foolish Riot, Trixie and Roll’s story. Turn the page for a sneak peek!
