Chapter 25

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

Three months later…

I watched Remington in his little boy tux weave through the crush of people on the dance floor until he made it out of the crowd and over to the remains of the decimated cake.

“Ten bucks says he just sticks his hand in and…”

Letty didn’t finish.

Remy scooped up a fist full of his mom and dad’s wedding cake and shoved it into his mouth.

“Your parents are never going to get that boy to sleep tonight after all the sugar he’s eaten.”

Mia wasn’t wrong. Letty’s parents were going to have one hell of a time getting that boy to sleep tonight when they took him home so Brooklyn and Rhode could spend the night alone up in their cabin.

“Awe, he deserves all the cake he can eat,” Sloane put in. “He stood next to his dad through the whole ceremony and didn’t make a peep.”

This was true. Remy stood tall and proud next to his parents while they exchanged their vows. Now, Maverick on the other hand fussed at the end so I reached over to the pew in front of me. I took him from Tally and went outside so she didn’t have to miss the service.

By the end of the twenty minutes I held him, my arms were burning. That boy had some heft to him and he squirmed around a lot.

“I’m getting a drink, anyone want anything?” Sadie asked the table.

“Girl, how are you going to carry all our drinks back by yourself?” Sloane asked and stood with Sadie.

“I’ll go with and help,” Mia announced. “Lets? Jane?”

“Water,” Letty pouted.

She was still breastfeeding and had already had a glass of wine with dinner.

“Water, too, please.”

Letty’s head whipped to the side so quickly I almost jumped out of my chair.

“Are you pregnant?” she whisper-shouted.

“Jeez, calm down.”

She comically widened her eyes and leaned closer.

“Well, are you?”

“No. I’m just thirsty.”

She looked disappointed. I glanced at Sadie who shrugged. Next, I looked at Sloane who was smiling. Then to Mia.

“Now that she has one she wants everyone to have one,” Mia explained.

“I do not.”

“Yeah, you do. Last week you told me not to worry that vaginas shrink back,” Sloane contradicted.

“You know, it’s kinda strange this vagina kick you’re on.”

“Sloane brought up vaginas, not me.”

Asher sauntered up. “Is Letty trying to talk you into getting knocked up again?”

I’d been around these men for months and there were times I was still taken back by how good-looking they were.

Letty rolled her eyes before they came back to me.

“Are you really sure you’re good to stay on full-time?” she asked.

“For the fifth time tonight, yes. I love Smutties. I never want to work anywhere else.”

My sweet friend was killing me.

“Lets, it’s been three months. I’ve told you I’m fine. I didn’t need the week off you gave me but I appreciate it. Everything’s good.”

“The nightmares are gone?”

I glanced around the room and spotted Davis, Wilson, Rhode, and Brooklyn talking with Michael.

Tally was sitting at a table with Mrs. Simpson and a few older women I didn’t know.

Remy was still running around dodging guests. I had no idea who a lot of them were, but Letty had said they were family friends. River was holding Mav, standing by the bar talking to his partner Brasco.

Cole, Jack, and Reese were sitting at a table laughing.

I was surrounded by good, clean people who had welcomed me into the crew and made me family.

It was no secret I’d had nightmares after Trevor died. I didn’t hide it from Davis nor our friends. Each of the men had offered to listen if I needed to let the heavy stuff from that day go. The woman had all circled around me like mama bears.

Mrs. Simpson had been right that day I was taken.

Davis and I were breaking the cycle.

We didn’t need kids to do that.

We loved openly and honestly.

My husband had taught me how to do that.

When I was done taking in the room, I went back to Letty to answer.

“No. Not for two weeks.”

“Good. And you’re still talking to Dr. Shasta?”

Dr. Shasta was a sweet older woman who I’d spoken to twice a week for the first month. Then we moved to once a week. Now I was talking to her every two weeks and I’d probably do that for a while.

Something else this group taught me. Vulnerability doesn’t mean you’re weak. When it’s given to the right person or people it strengthens your soul.

I am me.

Unapologetically me.

Jane Wright.

“Yep. It might take a while to work out my daddy issues.”

“Daddy issues?” Davis asked from behind me.

“Yeah, honey. When your daddy’s the king of the underworld you grow up with issues.”

I heard Davis grunt before he kissed my head.

“Dance with me, wife.”

It wasn’t an invitation, it was a demand.

“Boss,” I mumbled under my breath.

Letty’s lips twitched before she gave me a full-on beautiful smile.

“I’ll bring her back when I’m done with her.”

“Take your time. I need to go find Mav. My boobs—”

“Nope. I keep telling you I don’t want to hear about your boobs,” Davis interrupted.

“Since when is everyone so touchy about boobs?” she pushed.

“Woman—”

“They’re boobs. I feed my boy with them. Well, and sometimes River takes—”

“Make her stop,” Davis whirled me around and demanded, like I could make Letty do anything when she was razzing one of the guys.

“Honey, you know if she wants to tell you about River sampling her—”

The rest of my statement was cut off.

Not by words but by deed.

Davis’s lips pressed hard against mine. When he was confident I wasn’t going to talk about Letty’s boobs he pulled back and moved his lips to my ear.

“That shit just earned payback,” he growled, and I shivered. “I see you like the idea. We’ll see how much you like it when I keep you on edge all night and don’t let you come.”

Davis would totally do that.

“I promise I’ll be good the rest of the night.”

He slipped his arm around my shoulders and led me to the dance floor, turned me, wrapped me close, and started to sway.

“Do you want to get married?”

“Um, we are married.”

“But do you want this?” He jerked his head to indicate the room.

I looked around again at all the smiling, happy faces, eating, drinking, dancing, communing, and having a great time celebrating Rhode and Brook.

“No. Do you?”

“Are you sure?”

“Honey, what’s this about? Do you want this?”

That was the first I’d ever seen Davis look unsure.

“Dav—”

“I don’t want this. But I’m not a woman and women tend to like this kind of thing. So if you want a real wedding—”

“A real wedding?” I cut him off. “Honey, I don’t regret how we did it. It’s us. It’s ours. Every promise I made to you was real and I know damn well the vows you said to me were real. Everything might have started out backwards but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t very right. So no, I don’t want to remarry you.”

“Yeah, baby it is very, very right.”

Surprisingly, my husband didn’t kiss me, which was his way when I said something he liked. Instead, he held me close and swayed with me to a song I didn’t hear a single word of.

I was too busy thanking my lucky stars, staring into my very real husband’s beautiful eyes.