Page 24 of Ace (Riptide MC #1)

Six Months Later

The Wedding

Ace and I held our wedding in the back yard of the clubhouse.

With a huge lawn, and lots of room for dancing and entertainment, there was also the added attraction of lots of bedrooms for people to sleep off a little too much partying.

Or retire to for more private pursuits. Bikers aren’t known for their restraint when it comes to party activities.

Since we didn’t have a minister, Preacher, the newest patched member, scrambled to get registered to officiate the ceremony.

He’d been a topnotch sniper in the SEALs but spent his spare time studying the bible.

He said killing on command and trying to live by Christian values just didn’t jive together, so he’d mustered out.

Organized religion didn’t hold much appeal for him either, more politics than good deeds, or so he said.

And rules. He didn’t like blindly following rules any more than the rest of them. He asked too many questions.

Then he’d found Riptide, and fit right in. It didn’t take much to sweet talk him into officiating at our wedding.

The twins took care of decorating the yard. They had the guys haul enough chairs out for everyone to sit on, and they coaxed Beast into making an arch for them to decorate with fluffy white flowers. I swear they were more excited than Ace and me.

Rattler surprised us by announcing he knew a caterer who could take care of the food, and a couple of the prospects found a canopy to set up for shade. Georgia can be a tad warm in the middle of the summer.

Finding a dress suitable for a biker wedding had me stressed out, though. Since I didn’t have a best friend to talk to, I decided to consult the twins.

“White.” Jasmine pursed her lips. “But not the flouncy kind of dress you see in magazines. That would just look silly.”

“White leather,” Jewell stated firmly. “With white leather fuck-me boots.”

“What are fuck-me boots?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

“You’ll see.” Jasmine giggled and looked over at her sister. “Sassi Elegance?”

“Definitely! My favorite store!” Jewell grabbed my hand. “Let’s go shopping.”

Their enthusiasm was contagious. After all, what could go wrong?

Two hours later I stared at the stranger reflected back to me in the mirror. The skintight white leather sheath had a plunging neckline studded with shiny rhinestones. The side was split clear up to my hip, showing off the fuck-me boots and a lot of skin with every step I took.

I loved those boots!

The groom wasn’t supposed to see the bride before the wedding, and Ace surprised me by holding to that quaint tradition. It felt strange, waking up without him. Lonely. Almost panicky. I’d become addicted to the feel of his warm bulk against my back, protecting me from the big bad world.

Once I’d had my coffee and a luxurious hot shower, the twins helped me do my hair and get dressed. Giggling and grinning, they made me feel like a princess getting ready for her coronation.

They’d agreed to be my bridesmaids, and I’d asked Mom to be my maid of honor.

Since I didn’t have a father to give me away, Jake stepped up to walk me down the aisle.

I may not have any blood relatives to share my big day with, but I had a family.

A family made up of people who cared about me and for each other as much as any biological family, maybe more because they’d chosen to be family.

Now here I was, getting ready to hitch myself to one of them, a man who would love and cherish me for the rest of my life.

I stepped outside and linked my arm through Jake’s. Someone started the music, and I held my head high as we walked between the rows of chairs.

Ace stood waiting for me at the end of the aisle. Dressed in his best black jeans and shirt with his leather cut polished to perfection, he took my breath away. His eyes tracked my progress, his love shining for all to see.

We reached the archway. “Welcome to the family, Emma.” Jake gave me a quick hug before handing me off to the love of my life.

Ace took my hand in his, our fingers twining together as we turned to face Preacher.

Clearing his throat, Preacher intoned the opening of the classic wedding ceremony before addressing Ace and I directly.

“Do you, Ace, take Emma to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you promise to love, honor and be faithful to her so long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Ace squeezed my hand.

Preacher turned to me. “Do you, Emma, take Ace to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honor and be faithful to so long as you both shall live?”

My heart melted. “I do.”

Preacher grinned at us. “Prez, you may kiss your bride.”

Ace lifted the veil, and captured my lips, devouring them with a kiss that was both achingly tender and blazingly passionate. Ignoring the cheers and whistles of his brother bikers, he made sure I knew just how much I meant to him.

The ceremony was beautiful, with the sun shining brilliantly on the outdoor venue.

Birds sang in the branches of the surrounding trees, and wildflowers lent their fragrance to the festivities.

Food and drink were served under a big white tent, and Ace and I had the first dance on a carpet of newly mowed grass.

The sun was starting to set when I saw Jasmine approaching with my wedding bouquet in her arms. “Are you going to throw the bouquet before Dad banishes Jewel and I to the games room?” she asked.

“Of course!” I took the flowers from her.

“Can you get everyone’s attention?” I asked Ace.

“Quiet down, you animals!” Ace had the kind of voice that commanded attention. “Emma is gonna throw the bouquet, so get ready.”

I laughed up at him as I turned my back on the crowd of bikers and their dates and tossed the bundle of flowers over my head.

Turning to see who’d caught it, I locked eyes with a stranger standing in the shadow of the club’s treasurer, Deuce.

A petite brunette. I wasn’t sure she looked old enough to be at a party like this.

Her mouth formed a shocked “oh” as she stared at the flowers in her hand.

“I don’t think I’ve seen her before. Do you know who she is?” I raised my brows and looked up at Ace. Not much got past him.

“Deuce has been chasing her for a few months now. She’s not making it easy for him.” He grinned. “Name’s Sophia. By the way he’s looking at her, this might not be the last wedding out back of the clubhouse.”

Jasmine and Jewel distracted me from asking any more questions, sweeping Ace and I up into a group hug.

“Congrats, you two. We knew you’d tie the knot the first time we saw you together!” Jasmine tossed her head, showing off the blue streak she’d dyed into her hair.

Jewel nodded. “Yup. Ace never looked at anyone the way he looked at you.”

“Bet you get anything you want just by smiling at him.” Jasmine giggled.

“Don’t you two have to go now?” Ace lifted one brow pointedly.

“Yeah. Dad wants us out of the way before things get wild.”

“Things are going to get wild?” I looked up at Ace.

“Yes, but you won’t be seeing any of that either.”

“I won’t?”

He shook his head. “Definitely not.”

“How come?”

“Because we have our own wild party to go to.” He swept me up in his arms and stalked toward the clubhouse amid the hoots and catcalls of his brothers. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hung on as we headed into our future.

Together.

Forever .