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“Once all this bullshit is behind us, Sloane and I are doing this again, but back home.”
I drained my beer and crushed it. “Okay?” Their wedding today seemed pretty fucking perfect to me. I didn’t know why he wanted to do it again.
Aero and I were on the back deck of the cottage, leaning against the railing with the sun setting in front of us. “Don’t get me wrong, man, today was perfect, but it would have been even better to have my brothers and family surrounding us.”
“You weren’t a fan of Mercury being the officiant and Ice in the back consoling Hannah while she cried?” I chuckled. “I’ve never seen a chick cry so much when she’s happy.” Hannah had said she was going to invite the whole club but decided it probably wasn’t the best to have a room full of people we didn’t know watch Aero and Sloane marry.
“Yeah,” Aero sighed. “Thank god Dove and Sloane aren’t criers.”
“Why not have a big ass party to celebrate?” I suggested. “People do that, don’t they? When I was in high school, I had a friend whose sister ran off to Hawaii or some shit to get married, and when they got back, they had a big ol’ party. It was a fucking amazing party, too.”
Aero nodded and tipped his head to the side. “That would work. And you and I both know the Iron Fiends know how to throw a party.”
That we did. “But you might want to discuss this with Sloane, seeing as you married her,” I advised.
“Shut up,” Aero chuckled. “And I plan on running it by her.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see Head Dick on the screen.
“You know Yarder is going to kick your ass if he ever sees what you have him saved as in your phone,” Aero chuckled.
I shrugged and connected the call to speaker. “Hello?”
“Did she actually say yes, or is Aero crying in his beer?” Yarder asked.
“Fuck you,” Aero called. “She said yes.”
“Good, good,” Yarder laughed. “She must not be as smart as I thought if she actually went through with it.”
“You got a reason for calling other than giving me shit on my wedding day?” Aero grunted.
“Got a wedding present for you. Actually, a present for both of you.”
I tipped my head to the side. “I didn’t get married, Yarder.”
“Yeah, yeah, not yet. I give it a month before you’re headed down the aisle just like Aero.” Yarder chuckled. “Cue Ball might beat you to it first.”
“Uh, what?” I asked.
“Don’t play stupid, Throttle. I do talk to Aero when you aren’t around.”
“You bastard,” I growled at Aero. I was going to tell Yarder about me and Dove, but I hadn’t had the time yet. It’s not like it was going to matter what Yarder thought about it.
Aero shrugged. “It wasn’t like you guys were hiding it. The whole cottage could hear you two in the shower this morning.” Aero tipped his head to the side. “The camera crew, too. Yarder needed a heads-up about what was going on. It’s probably for the best anyway, so now you and Dove can be the ones distracting the camera crew.”
“Dove’s dad being the state attorney general is probably going to help with that,” Yarder growled. “I don’t know how the hell that one is going to play out on TV, but there isn’t much we can do about it now.”
“He told you about that, too, huh?” I cringed.
“Yeah, I should have known the show would do a deep dive on everyone, Dove included.” Yarder cleared his throat. “But that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Spit it out, Yarder. I’ve only got about two minutes before Sloane comes out here looking for me. We got dinner reservations at a place in town.”
“We know who blew up the gym.”
Aero and I were both speechless.
“Faye’s ex. The douche was pissed she was moving on from him and decided he would blow her up,” Yarder explained.
“Her ex who cheated on her all the time and also hit her?” Aero asked. “What a fucking whack job.”
“Yeah, well, he managed to stay off our radar for this long, so he’s not stupid. We’re assuming he didn’t know Olive had switched shifts with Faye the night he blew up the gym, and he also didn’t consider that he was fucking with the Iron Fiends by blowing up one of our sources of income.”
“So you guys grab him?” I asked.
“Working on it,” Yarder grunted. “Compass has a lead on him and took Fade and Dice to grab him.”
“Let us know when they get him,” I called.
“Will do. Congrats on getting Sloane to marry you before she realized you’re a tool,” Yarder laughed. “Make sure you play it up for the cameras so they keep off my ass back here.”
“Happy to take one for the club,” Aero smiled.
“Have fun, but stay safe. We may have figured out who blew up the gym, but Boone and Gibbs are still on our asses.”
“Haven’t figured out any more about that?” I asked. Part of me wished the gym and car driving into the clubhouse were connected just so we didn’t have two targets on our backs.
“Nothing. We’re just watching our backs and laying low. No one in the clubhouse, and even in the garage, we’re being extra careful. You guys do the same. Trust no one.” Yarder ended the call, and I shoved my phone into my pocket.
“Good news for a good day,” Aero sighed.
I nodded. “That it is.”
“Aero,” Sloane called. “Are you ready to go?” She appeared at the screened-in back door and leaned against the doorframe. “The camera crew is ready. Our reservation is for seven, but they need some time to set up and get the lighting right.”
“How the hell did our lives get to having to worry about the camera crew having good lighting?” Aero chuckled. He pumped his fist against mine and headed into the house. “Later, brother.”
“Be careful and have fun,” I called.
Dove walked out of the cottage and moved next to me. “And then there were two.”
I smirked and put my arm around her shoulders. “You hungry? I saw a bar in town claiming they served the best burger in Golden.”
She quirked her eyebrow. “I am hungry, but not for food.”
“Doll,” I groaned. “At least let me feed you before you jump my bones.” I turned and rested my hip on the rail. I grabbed Dove around the waist and pulled her into my arms.
“If you want to feed me, then this might not be the best move,” she giggled.
I pressed a kiss to her lips and palmed her ass. “Maybe we can see if they deliver.”
*
