Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Serena

Two Months Later

My wedding day is turning out to be everything I thought it would be. We’ve hired a wedding planner who arranged to have a huge marquee and several canopies erected in front of the waterfall Smoke promised to show me, before our life erupted into chaos. Everything looks so amazing.

The caterers have set up banquet tables in the marquee, there’s a dance floor under one of the large canopies, and we’ll hold the ceremony under another. The florist created colorful tropical arrangements for every table. All the flower bouquets match. The brothers are roasting a whole pig, Hawaiian style and my wedding cake is decorated with tropical fruit and orange flowers. I’m not quite sure where the tropical theme came from. It wasn’t planned, it just kind of sprung up by virtue of the colors we liked, and the food choices available to us.

Instead of a white wedding gown, I’ve chosen one in flame orange with a full train and plunging neckline that makes me feel pretty. I’m going barefoot because at eight months pregnant I don’t want to do heels, and my fiancé insists that since this is my wedding day, I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to.

I run my hands over my gigantic belly, proud that I’m doing so well with my first pregnancy. I walk out of the marquee and smile to see every single person I know and love, milling about visiting with one another.

The view of the waterfall is magnificent. Rider and Siege are paddling with the legs of their dress pants turned up. They have a swarm of kids dancing around them kicking up water. It’s such a lovely sight that I’m glad the photographer is capturing it all, so Smoke and I can look back on this day.

Marge, as the mother of the groom, has taken it upon herself to oversee the details, since my own mom wasn’t up to the challenge. Marge made sure she felt involved though, and when my mom had good days both of them would go over stuff like the table settings, menu, and décor choice. Right now, Marge is standing near the catering van, checking off last minute changes to the menu.

Our decision to have a local wedding was the right choice for us. Destination weddings are just wildly inconvenient for guests, and my mom never would have been able to attend. Plus, at this stage of pregnancy I really didn’t like the idea of lugging myself off to some place or other, that’s even if the airline allowed me to fly, and clearly my idea of a Niagara Falls honeymoon and motorcycle road trip is out of the question.

I spy Evan standing near the edge of the water with a girl, and I wonder if it’s his girlfriend. They’ve both got virgin daiquiris with little umbrellas on the sides of the glasses and make a super cute couple. They seem to be animated in conversation. Rigs and Mattie are standing proudly nearby, Rigs is bouncing their six-month-old, who’s giggling in delight and they’re both trying hard not to look like they’re staring at Evan, but they so clearly are, because they’re proud of their boy.

This is the first time I’ve had a few minutes to myself all day, and that’s only because the hair stylist just finished creating my elegant updo.

An SUV meanders slowly down the trail, and I get excited. This is Smoke and Tank who went to pick my mom up. I resist the urge to run out and meet them. When they pull right up to the first canopy and help her out of the car, I walk over to greet her. We’ve got a comfortable wing chair for her to sit in. Her face lights up when she sees me.

“If only your father could see you now. He’d be so proud of you, sweetheart.”

Smoke drops a kiss on my cheek. “Aren’t you just the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen?”

I smile up at him and reach to straighten his bow tie. His light green suit makes his green eyes seem all the brighter.

“Marcus is right, you look absolutely gorgeous, Serena.” Marge’s words drifted from the doorway, bright and cheerful.

My mother motions Marge over. “She needs something old, new, borrowed, and blue. It’s a tradition.”

Smoke reaches into his pocket. “I’ve got this.”

He pulls out a palm-sized box. He opens it and pulls out a long necklace made of cut amber stones. In the center is a large, smooth teardrop-shaped piece of amber with what appears to be a mosquito trapped inside. “Here’s your something new.” When he drapes it around my neck, I pick up the teardrop piece and gaze at the insect inside. When my eyes lift quizzically to Smoke, he answers my unspoken question. “There is no symbolic meaning intended. I just saw it and thought you might like it.”

He’s right, I do.

Marge pulls a box out of her purse and hands it to me. “This was a gift from my mother and will serve as your something borrowed, maybe something old as well.”

When I open the box, I see a stunning tiara. My hands fly to my mouth. It has golden twigs woven into a crown and is studded with semi-precious gemstones.

“It’s so beautiful,” I gush.

I lift it onto my head and Marge helps me pin it to my hair.

I grab her hands and exclaim, “Thank you so much, Marge. I’ll see you get it back in perfect shape.”

“No worries. I’m far too old to wear it these days.”

Smoke drapes his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t be silly. You don’t look a day over thirty.”

Marge chuckles, “Always the flatterer.”

My mother comments wistfully. “I’ve always loved a low hanging necklace with the big teardrop pendant. That’s my favorite look. You look almost regal, dear.”

“I think Smoke went a little overboard. Where did you even find something this unusual?”

Before he can answer, the bakery van comes flying down the bumpy road.

“If they mess up our cake, I’m not going to be pleased,” Smoke growls. We watch as they start manhandling large cake boxes out of the van. Our wedding coordinator runs over to meet them, showing them into the marquee so they can set the cake up.

Marge looks at her watch and says, “Time to start lining up for the ceremony.”

We could hear dozens of chimes going off everywhere. I realize it’s the brothers’ group text. They are using it to keep everyone on schedule. What a clever idea.

I watch as our guests take their seats under the canopy. Smoke makes his way to the front of the covered space to stand in line. He’s chosen Tank and Evan to be his groomsmen. My maid of honor is Mel, she looks radiant in her long flame orange gown. I wanted my niece, Lousia to be my flower girl but she’s much too shy. I’d rather have her be happy than anxious on my wedding day, so decided to forgo that tradition altogether.

We’ve excluded the part about obeying and a bunch more stuff from the traditional vows. Smoke and I want something short and sweet that gets the job done so everyone can get on with enjoying the evening.

When the bridal march starts, Siege steps to my side. Mel walks down the aisle first, and Siege and I follow, slowly walking to where Rigs is waiting to perform the ceremony. I hand over my bouquet to Mel.

In this moment, standing in front of Rigs, with Smoke by my side, surrounded by all the Savage Legion brothers and their loved ones, I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

Rigs begins the ceremony. “Welcome everyone. We’ve gathered here today to join Smoke and Serena in the bonds of holy matrimony.”

I sneak a look at my husband-to-be, and he smiles at me, happiness radiating from his eyes.

“Do you, Marcus Drake, take Serena Sommers, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold until death do you part?” Rigs continues.

Smoke turns to me, “I do. I promise to cherish and protect you for all the days of my life.”

Rigs clear this throat. “Now, do you Serena Sommers, take Marcus Drake to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold until death do you part?”

I gaze up into Smoke’s green eyes and say, “Yes. Of course, I do. He’s the best brother in the club.”

Several people burst out laughing, including Smoke, because he clearly wasn’t expecting me to go off script.

I lift my hand and he slides the ring onto my finger.

Rigs’ amused voice says, “By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Everyone claps and the recessional music plays. Smoke and I head to the marquee that’s been set up for the reception. I take my place at the bridal table and wait for the other guests to be seated. Smoke and I got our wedding portraits out of the way earlier in the day, so we don’t need to worry about taking time out for that.

The toasts turn out to be my sweetest memory.

Since Siege is standing in for the father of the bride, his toast comes first. “As you all know, my father was taken from us too soon. He would have loved to be with us here today, celebrating the marriage of my sister to a member of the Savage Legion MC. My father loved two things in this world, his family and his club. Both live on in this union. Join me in congratulating them today.” He lifts his glass as do others and everyone drinks.

Smoke comes to his feet. I’m excited to hear what he has to say because he’s been secretive about his speech. “Welcome to this isolated location we chose for its beauty and closeness to our community. When I first met Serena, she was my friend’s kid sister and she probably thought of me as an annoying older brother. Needless to say, we didn’t become fast friends.”

Everyone laughs.

“What I did have then was the Savage Legion MC, where I found brotherhood and an opportunity to be part of something larger than myself. If it weren’t for that, I probably would have turned into just another rich asshole annoying everyone around me. It was the Savage Legion that made me the man I am today. It’s what made me worthy of marrying an amazing woman like Serena. I know you all see her at our club princess, but she’s so much more than that to me. Somewhere along the way, I became infatuated with her beauty and quirky personality, but I fell in love with her inner strength, loyalty, dedication, and incredible intelligence. I’m both humbled and proud to have been chosen by your club princess and will spend the rest of my days striving to be worthy of her.”

Everyone in the room went wild. Not me. I was too tearful to clap. I knew that I was supposed to give my speech next, but thankfully Smoke skipped over me.

Next, Mel speaks as the maid of honor. She teases Smoke. “Wow, that’s a tough act to follow but I’ll give it my best shot. I’ve known Serena all my life. We grew up together and went to school together. She was always the friend I could come to when I had a problem. She gave good advice and never let me down. When my mom died, my entire world imploded, because she was all I had. That’s when Serena introduced me to her father, Claw. He gave me a place to stay and helped me get back on my feet. If that wasn’t enough, he sent me to Rigs for help dealing with my grief. Rigs explained that I was no longer alone in the world because the Legion was my family now. I couldn’t be happier that Serena found love with one of the club brothers. They both deserve all the happiness life has to offer.”

Surprisingly, Tank defers his toast to Evan, who looks like he has something important to say. He stands and launches into his speech. “Most of you know my story so I don’t need to go over it. If Mattie and Rigs hadn’t found me when they did, I might not have survived. They’re the best thing that ever happened to me, they adopted me and now I have a family. Our family includes the Savage Legion. As a prospect, I’m learning lots of important life lessons. But it was meeting Serena that changed my thinking in a lot of ways. She’s like the big sister I never had and didn’t think I needed.” He pauses and looks a bit embarrassed, I guess for a fifteen-year-old getting up to speak in front of a bunch of people, even if they are your friends and family, is a bit intimidating. Wrapping up, he says, “Thank you for letting me speak. Congratulations, to Smoke and Serena.”

I finally feel calm enough to stand up and give my prepared toast, only adding some adlibbing instead of going with the speech I prepared for this occasion. I struggle to my feet, wrapping one hand around my huge belly. “I want to take a minute to thank everyone for coming out to share our special day. Having each of you here makes our wedding day that much more special. First of all, I’d like to thank my mom for always being there for me growing up. Her strength, guidance, and love, nourished and sustained us when all else went wrong in our lives.”

Shooting my mother a grateful look, I continue. “Next, I would like to thank my brother, Siege. He’s the best brother a girl could ever ask for. I only wish that my sister had understood that the core values of the Legion have always been loving and protecting others. If she had just come to Siege, maybe things could have been different.” Turning to my brother, I say, “I know you carry a lot of guilt about Nicole, but you shouldn’t. You tried everything humanly possible to save her, and even now you’re protecting and loving the two most precious things she left behind. Don’t ever think you’re not enough for the people in your life.” I watch my brother’s eyes turn glassy as he pulls Tommy and Louisa in for a hug.

“I want to give a special thank you, to my new mother-in-law for her care and concern when she found out I was pregnant, and for just being such a warm, welcoming person in my life. I feel like she’s become one of my best friends and I feel so blessed to have her in mine and Smoke’s lives.” Marge is smiling as she gazes at us.

“And last but not least, I want to thank the brotherhood for saving my life in San Francisco. There were moments when I didn’t think I was going to make it out alive. But thanks to you I’m here, safe and sound, marrying the man I love. I want to give a special thanks to Evan because if it wasn’t for his quick thinking, there’s no way the brotherhood would have gotten to me in time. There is no doubt in my mind that he will make an excellent member of the Savage Legion one day.” When I glance at Evan he is blushing and looking all bashful.

I don’t forget to thank Gordon as well, I know he keeps downplaying his role, but he’s another levelheaded kid who’s going to make a great brother. The toasts and speeches go on for almost an hour, with more and more people wanting to say a word or two. It had that sitting around the campfire feel about it, only in nicer clothing and under a shelter. It was warm, inviting, and memorable.

We only gave it up when the catering crew started serving food. My brother insisted upon providing the main dish while the caters supplied the rest. His grilling skills are legendary, so there is no dried out or burnt meat for my wedding celebration.

And so, we eat, drink, and make merry.

***

Siege’s roast pork went down a storm, as did the other mains. After feeling like I couldn’t eat another bite, the catering crew bring out the desserts and the cake, and I find that yes, I do have room.

Smoke and I feed each other cake and smile for the photographer, I look around to see all our friends and family enjoying themselves as the champagne flows. I overindulge in cake and sparkling water since I can’t drink champagne like everyone else. It’s okay. I have my whole life to drink. I won’t do anything to jeopardize the health of our unborn child.

Then it’s just me and Smoke dancing together. Dancing is one of the things we’ve not had a chance to do, so I never knew he was so good at it. He knows how to slow dance like a pro, but fast dancing not so much. When he tries to fast dance, he looks more like a man having a wild full body convulsion. I try not to laugh but at some point, I realize he’s just doing it to make me laugh. This man of mine has an odd sense of humor. Luckily, so do I.

When we leave the dance floor, I notice our mothers with their heads together. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but they look like they’re plotting. I hope it’s not a baby shower. Smoke has already loaded down our house with every conceivable baby-related gadget imaginable. I can’t imagine where I would put more baby gear.

All in all, my wedding was made of all the things we are as a couple, and I loved every minute of it. As far as happily ever afters go, I’ll take this one over any other. It suits me fine.