Page 43 of Sinful Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #9)

Chapter Forty-One

Brody

“ T hanks for getting me in last minute,” I tell Dan, watching him work his magic.

“No worries, man.”

I glance around. “Jesse isn’t working today?”

He shakes his head. “Naw. She’s busy planning a party.”

“Maybe that’s why she had me build her a fucking arch yesterday. That woman has more energy than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Dan laughs. “You should have seen her when she was just a punk kid. I never knew what she was up to. She keeps us all on our toes.”

“All the women do.”

I glance at the clock. Big Dan must be slowing down. This seems to be taking him forever. It will be dark by the time he’s finished. I send Daisy a text, letting her know I’m running late again . That’s two nights in a row I’ve been late getting home. I’ll make it up to her later.

As he’s finishing up, Jackson comes through the door. I whistle. “Damn, brother, you’re looking good. You and your old lady going out on the town tonight?”

“Yeah. We’re double-dating. I’m on strict orders to take your ass home and get you in the fucking shower. We’re meeting the ladies at the warehouse.”

“Cool. Cool,” I say, pulling out my wallet. I’m happy Daisy and Willow are becoming friends.

“Put that shit away. This one’s on me. Consider it a wedding gift.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.” Dan pats me on the back. “I’ll see you guys soon.”

“Well, thanks, man. I appreciate that,” I tell him as I grab my cut and head out the door.

Jackson waits for me as I take a quick shower and shave. He’s looking his best; I can’t have him outdoing me. By the time we pull up to the warehouse, it’s almost dusk.

“Daisy and I won’t be able to stay out very late. I’m surprising her with a last-minute trip to Paris tonight.”

“What? That’s some romance novel shit right there.”

“Yep. She left early this morning to help Elizabeth, so I had plenty of time to book flights and pack our bags.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “This is something else.”

“Do you think she’ll be surprised?”

“Yep. I think tonight is definitely going to be a surprise,” he says as he opens his door.

“Fuck, it’s dead around here,” I say as we head inside.

Raffe and Rachel are all dressed up and sitting on the couch when we step through the door.

“Fuck yeah, are you guys going out with us?” I ask, looking around for Daisy and Willow.

Rachel stands and walks over to me. “Brody, you clean up real good.” She pats my vest, then she pulls out the wedding ring I asked her to hold on to for me after I bought it. “You better give this to Jackson.”

I take the box, looking at him. “Um, no offense, but I don’t trust him not to lose it. Do you remember how many dental retainers he lost when he was a teenager?”

“That’s true,” she says, grabbing the box from me. “I’ll keep it until we get there.”

Again, I glance at the other two people in the room. Neither seem to be very concerned about her strange behavior. She grabs her purse and heads toward the door. Raffe and Jackson turn and follow her.

What the fuck is going on?

“We’re taking my car,” she says over her shoulder before getting in the driver’s seat.

I smack Jackson on the arm. “What the fuck, dude?” I ask quietly.

“Just get in.” He shrugs like he doesn’t know what’s going on either.

Everyone’s quiet as we drive. “Where are the girls?” I finally ask.

“They’re already there,” Rachel says, turning onto a country road.

“Are we going to JD’s?” I lean over and ask Jackson.

He shakes his head and looks at Rachel in the rearview mirror. “How long are you going to torture him, Ma?”

Torture me?

They all laugh.

“Okay, what’s going on?” I ask, looking at the fireflies outside the window. “Do you want some of those little fuckers for your room?” I laugh at my own joke, and Jackson joins me.

She pulls over on the side of the road and turns in her seat. I duck knowing what’s coming, because it’s not the first backhanded swat I’ve earned in my day.

“You’re getting married, and I’m going to walk you down the aisle,” she deadpans.

“I’ll see you up front, brother,” Jackson says, giving my shoulder a squeeze before getting out of the car.

Raffe turns and holds out his hand. “I’m real proud of you, son.” He shakes my hand and then he steps out too, leaving Rachel and me alone in the car.

“What in the fuck is going on?” I ask, half chuckling, half shitting my pants.

“Do you need to wash out your ears? You’re getting married.”

Just then, little twinkling lights appear in the field, joining the lightening bugs. “What the fuck is that?” I ask under my breath. My gaze goes back to Rachel.

“That’s your wedding. Your bride is out there waiting for you. How long do you want to make her wait?”

“And you’re walking me down the aisle?” I laugh lightly, shaking my head. “You know I’m a simple man, Rachel. My brain is having a hard time figuring all this out.”

Her eyes soften, and she reaches back to cup my cheek. “I wanted to see my boy get married.”

“And Daisy agreed?”

She nods and laughs. “She planned most of it. Including this.” She waves a hand between the two of us.

“Are her parents here?”

“They are. They’re the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

“You spoke to them?”

“Yes.” She pats my cheek. “They’re very happy to be getting a new son. My heart is at peace with the thought you’ll have them when I’m gone.”

My gaze bounces over her face. “This is the nicest thing you’ve ever done for me, and you’ve done some pretty awesome shit.”

She laughs. “Come on. Let’s get you hitched.”

I nod, swallowing back tears. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

She meets me at the back of the car, and then together we walk toward the lights. Fuck, everyone is here. “That’s why she had me build an arch,” I chuckle quietly as we approach.

“Jesse wanted you to feel apart of it.” She sighs. “Are you surprised?”

“I’ll admit this might top all of my pranks.”

The way she leans on me for support as we walk breaks my heart, but I’m not going to let it ruin this moment for either of us. This is everything.

When we get to the end of the aisle, the music begins and Daisy steps into view, her parents standing by her side.

“This is real,” I say, stupefied by how beautiful she is.

“It is, baby.” She pats my hand and urges me forward.

Everything around me disappears the closer I get to her. Her gown is painted with black dahlias and daisies. I rub my hand over my chest.

“Breathe, sweetie,” Rachel says quietly.

When we reach her, Raffe stands, and together with Daisy’s parents they intertwine our hands.

Daisy smiles at me as they fade into the background. The minister is saying a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but all I can hear is the beating of my heart. “I love you,” I say, interrupting him and everyone laughs.

“I love you too.” She giggles.

The minister starts to yap again, but I ignore him. I’m not done talking to her. “This is the craziest wedding I’ve ever been to.”

The club is roaring behind me.

“You did say you hated societal norms.”

The dude with the Bible sighs but doesn’t speak.

“I did. I did,” I agree. We both laugh, remembering the night I stayed at her apartment.

I release one of her hands and force her to do a little spin for me. When I let out a low whistle, she blushes. “That sure is a pretty dress.” I let go of her and begin to roll up my sleeves. “And this location … also perfect.”

Her gaze goes to my forearm, and she grabs my hand, pulling it toward her. “Brody.”

“A sign?” I ask, pointing to her dress.

Her bottom lip trembles as she stares at the daisies Dan added to my tattoo. When her gaze meets mine, her eyes are full of tears. I pull out the tissue Rachel stuffed in my pocket on the way down here and wipe her eyes, careful not to mess up her makeup.

“Forever and beyond,” I whisper into her ear.

She presses her mouth to my cheek in a kiss before I pull away.

I look at the minister. “The floor is all yours,” I tell him, and the crowd laughs.