Epilogue

Epilogue

Hornet

Three Months Later

Alot of my club brothers got married at the clubhouse, but I wanted something a little nicer for Brook. That was why we were holding the wedding at one of the best hotels in town. The ballroom was spacious, and we had a virtual army of florists, caterers, photographers, and we’d even gotten a wedding planner to make sure everything went smoothly. Everything about this day had been carefully orchestrated to make my bride happy. I didn’t care that might tuxedo was uncomfortable or that the place was utter chaos. As long as Brook was happy, I was happy.

When I walked into the groom’s changing area, Storm shot me a disgusted look. “Where in the hell have you been? In case you forgot, you’re getting married in less than an hour. You need to fucking get ready ASAP.”

“Last time I checked, it didn’t take me a fucking hour to get dressed. So slow your roll, Storm. Everything’s gonna be okay. I know because I just checked on it all personally.”

“Ye have a wedding planner to be doin’ that,” Celt said up from behind me, I glanced back to see him standing in the doorway wearing the tux I’d picked out for him, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else—or at least dressed in anything else. He stomped into the room muttering, “Let the poor woman do her job.”

“Alright, you two, calm down. I’m getting dressed right now. You can watch if you want, but I don’t want you complaining about how shamed you are after being exposed to my magnificent junk.”

Storm rolled his eyes and headed for the door. “If you were even half as funny as you think you are, we could sell tickets for your standup comedy show.”

Celt laughed as they walked out together.

As I got dressed, I thought about my soon-to-be bride. Brook was the kind of woman most men only dreamed about having. I was lucky that she’d chosen to spend the rest of her life with me.

A knock at the door interrupted by internal musings. Thinking that it was Storm and Celt, I yelled for them to get their asses in and help me with my tie. It turned out to be my dad and Herb, who were becoming as thick as thieves these days. They both looked world’s more stressed out than I was.

“What’s going on, guys? Is anything going sideways downstairs?”

“Just one thing, but your wedding planner’s all over it.”

“Do I even want to know?” I asked.

My father shot Herb a worried look before saying, “The caterers created a special punch with edible glitter that they called golden showers. Only it looked more like piss than punch, which given the name—”

Herb snorted.

We all looked at each other before cracking up.

My dad continued. “The wedding planner suggested adding some pomegranate juice and calling it golden sunset instead.”

“Sounds like it’s all under control. What’s the problem?” I asked.

“The caterer accidentally sent the text to Brook, and she had a meltdown.

“Maybe you should pay her a visit,” Herb suggested.

That was all I needed to go running from the room, desperate to make sure the woman of my dreams didn’t get freaked out because her wedding punch looked like piss. This was a seriously stupid problem to have.

I found my blushing bride surrounded by her bridesmaids. Brook grabbed my hand and led me to the corner of the suite, where she pulled me down beside her on the sofa.

I blinked down at her. She wasn’t wearing her wedding dress. Instead, she was wearing a long, white, sleeveless slip. Although it wasn’t quite transparent, it left very little to the imagination.

“Are you okay, Brook? I heard you were anxious.”

“Just pre-wedding jitters, I suppose. How about you?”

“I’m the chilliest man in this hotel. Trust me on that.”

She ran her finger over a button on my tux and murmured, “Yeah, and you’re the handsomest too.”

“Isn’t that my line?” I teased.

“Do you ever wish we had eloped?”

I frowned down at my sweet woman. “Is this about the pee punch?”

“Everything’s been going so well, maybe I was waiting for something to go wrong. I overreacted. I’m sorry.”

When she tried to get up, I pulled her down into my lap and wrapped my arms around her. “Kitten, nothing is going to go wrong. You’ve had a life’s worth of bad stuff happen to you, now you deserve all the best that life has to give.”

She relaxed against my chest and sighed. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Since I knew my darling fiancée was one hundred percent invested in getting married to me, I knew she must be referring to the announcement we planned to make at our reception. “I think it’s the perfect time.”

She nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment. “I know the whole gender reveal thing is getting a bit old, but when it’s combined with a pregnancy announcement it’s not too over the top, is it babe?”

“Not at all, and the pink wedding theme will make so much more sense when they realize we’re having another daughter.”

“Ariel is getting to be really active now she’s crawling, it won’t be long before she tries to walk. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like with a toddler and a baby?” Brook asked with a laugh.

“I’ve been meaning to broach the idea of getting a nanny.”

She wrinkled her nose adorably. “Do we need one? Between us I think we manage okay.”

“Not getting jealous, are you? I don’t make a habit of falling in love with the nannies, only one.”

She laughed at my antics. “Why are you always so hilarious?”

“It’s because I have to be entertaining enough for you not to notice that you’re marrying down. Entertainment is part of the husband package.”

She reached up with both hands and cupped my face. “You don’t have to worry about entertaining me, babe. I like you just the way you are. I love falling asleep in your arms and your face being the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning.”

“The nanny thing was just a suggestion, your dad gave you the money for your college fund—so I just wanted you to know, if you ever wanted to go to college or take some adult education classes, whatever—you should do it, we can get a nanny to help out. I want you to be happy.”

Bringing my hand to rest against her belly, she added, “I am happy, happier than I could ever imagine. I love carrying your child and can’t wait to meet her when she comes screaming into the world. My life is so much richer and more interesting for having you in it. So, don’t ever think you need to do tricks to keep me, and our children amused. We’ll always love you for you.”

When she flung her arms around my neck, I held her tight, letting her loving declaration seep all the way down to my core. This was what I’d been missing my entire life. The love of a good woman to make me complete. Tightening my arms around her and my unborn child, I vowed to never let darkness touch her again. I was my family’s protector, and I would forever take that job seriously.

THE END

Hope you enjoyed the book!

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