Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

H ope checked on Benji. Last night was the sleepover at Faith and Slice’s house. Tonight, Roam and Sprite were having all the kids at their house. Then, War, Remi, Sarah, and Scoop were taking all the kids Saturday night to give the parents a break. Since Remi and Sarah were pregnant, they weren’t riding in the Poker Run and were coordinating a lot.

Benji had barely kissed Hope, high-fived Locks, and then run off with the other kids. Ellie walked over.

“I consider it a fantastic day when the boys are so excited they don’t have time to talk,” Ellie said. She had her daughter, Sutton, in jeans, a pink Nelson’s T-shirt, and a jean biker vest with the Nelson’s logo on it. Her hair was up in pigtails with pink scrunchies.

“Good morning, Sutton, what are you doing today?” Locks asked.

“Playing with Georgia,” she whispered.

“Is Mommy riding in the Poker Run?” Locks asked.

Ellie shook her head. “No, it’s a man thing this time. Morgan and Elijah are riding the bikes they helped build with Hennessy, Whiskey, and Ezra. My job is to drive to the halfway point, and then once they pass that, I’ll drive to the bar. Basically, I’m there to pick them up if there are any problems. The boys are so excited. I asked Hennessy if there was any way to make their motorcycles only go up to forty miles an hour because Morgan is a speed demon.”

Locks laughed along with Hope.

“With the huge amount of people participating, they won’t be able to go fast. Even with the staggered start, it will be a cruise to the next stop, not a race,” Locks said, patting Ellie’s arm.

“Oh, thank goodness. I was picturing Morgan doing crap that ticked off half the bikers today. I know our guys would understand, but there are some other MCs that I don’t know enough about to be sure.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Locks mentioned, then kissed Hope’s cheek. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Are you heading over to the wedding area?” Ellie asked.

“Yes, I dropped off the items I was in charge of getting here. Then I’m riding with Locks today. I’m helping run the silent and live auctions tomorrow,” Hope said.

“We’ll walk over there with you. That’s where I’m going.”

Hope walked with Ellie and marveled at all the people stopping to talk to her. She knew some of the people, but even though she was outgoing, she’d kept to herself some. With Locks and her beginning this next chapter, she’d need to get to know all the people, their names, and how they fit into her new life.

She and Ellie paused at the entrance to the small white tent with sides that was bustling with all the women supporting Maureen today.

“Mom, quit messing with my hair while I’m trying to do yours,” Lexi, Booker’s wife, said, pushing Maureen’s hand away from her face.

“Lexi, I am your mother and—”

“Oh my, deepen that voice, Mom, and you’ll sound like Vader. ‘Lexi, I am your mother,’’’ Lexi cackled, making Hope laugh along with everyone else. Hope walked over to Maureen.

“You look gorgeous, Maureen,” Hope said, smiling at the woman she’d met recently but had liked immediately.

Maureen nodded but pursed her lips as tears filled her eyes.

“It will be okay,” Hope said, grasping Maureen’s hand.

“I know. I’m just ready to get this part over with and get on with the rest of our lives. And seriously, the anxiety of having a first time with the man tonight is making me shake,” Maureen muttered.

Ellie stepped forward. “Well, I can help with that if you’d like to make a little longer stop in Dodge City. This is the code and the key to our room, though we rarely lock it. I put clean sheets on it and a little basket of items you might want. Hennessy and I, and the rest of the family, are staying here for the weekend, so don’t even worry about what happens in the room.”

Hope giggled along with everyone else at the calculating look Maureen had.

“Oooh, I could sweep the man away upstairs, have my way with him, and then we could be back during the afternoon. I’m not in charge of any event until three.”

Maureen stood up and threw her arms around Ellie. “Thank you so much!”

Ellie grinned. “No problem.”

Ellie leaned close to Maureen and whispered something in her ear. Maureen blushed and grinned from ear to ear. Hope friggin’ loved this family she’d found. Maureen wasn’t nervous now; she was anticipating the ride with her man.

Compass listened to the men around him chatting and checked his cut and shirt one more time in the mirror. He wasn’t sure why. It’s not like he’d miraculously get rid of the gray hair or the lines around his eyes. And no matter what he did, he still had that pooch near his belt, where his abs would never go back to how they were in his thirties and forties.

He normally didn’t give a fuck about how he looked but it was Maureen. They hadn’t gotten older together; they’d found each other later. Hell, she was getting a man that creaked when he got out of bed and sometimes rubbed on that smelly liniment just to make his leg quit hurting so he could sleep. The wreck a couple months ago hadn’t helped him either.

But Maureen didn’t see the old guy he was. She saw the man she loved, just like he didn’t care about the gray in her hair or the extra wrinkles she had.

He was actually thankful for the wreck he had because it had brought her into his life. When he’d lost Lucille, he’d never dreamed he’d be standing in the park in Bluff Creek today, getting ready to marry a woman he couldn’t imagine life without.

Their life on the ranch had become something Compass adored. Waking up beside her and having coffee on the wraparound porch while watching the sun rise was one of his favorite things.

“I’m happy for you, brother,” Baron said, wrapping him in a hug. Compass was thankful every day that he and Baron had met in the service. He’d found brothers who became the family he loved.

“Thanks,” Compass muttered. Sharing feelings was hard for him, given the family he’d grown up in, but being with the brotherhood for years had helped him. When they’d teamed with the bail bonds to help rescue women, children, and even men in dangerous situations, he’d gotten a new sense of purpose.

“It’s time,” War called.

Compass turned and followed his brothers and their extended friends to the area set up for the wedding. Maureen had wanted a comfortable biker wedding. Motorcycles lined the aisle she’d walk down, with bikers sitting on them. Family and friends had grabbed the available chairs. The large number of bikers who’d come were standing around.

Jesse sat down at the keyboard they’d brought to the park. The opening notes of Up Where We Belong echoed through the wind, and then her voice started singing. One of the Nelson cousins joined her, but Compass didn’t even notice who it was because there she was—his woman.

She’d wanted to walk between the bikes but hadn’t wanted them revving as she walked because she wanted the music. She looked beautiful, and the smile on her face reassured him that she wanted this marriage as much as he did.

Seeing her halfway down the aisle had him realizing he couldn’t wait. He walked toward her and held out his hand. She grasped it, and he pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her hair, which had been curled. He turned and offered her his arm. He friggin’ loved her jeans, biker boots, T-shirt, and cut. Knowing she was his meant everything to him.

“Let’s do this, darlin’,” he whispered.

He walked them down the aisle and held her hand while she walked up the two steps to the stage. Joining her there, he couldn’t wait. He knew the kiss was at the end, but his love was here with him, and they were starting fresh.

He leaned down and claimed her lips. Maureen didn’t tell him not to fuck up her lipstick or that it wasn’t time yet. She dropped her flowers and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Yelling and clapping had him reluctantly pulling away from her.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“For what?” she whispered back.

“For taking a second chance at love with me. You’ve made me happier than I thought possible,” he said.

She nodded, breathed deeply, and swallowed.

“Quit being so hero-like. I don’t want my makeup smudged for pictures afterward.”

He chuckled and turned toward the minister, nodding for him to continue.

Compass answered when he was supposed to and listened to Maureen do the same. In a short amount of time, the minister announced them to the crowd, and the motorcycles revved. He’d thought when he’d lost Lucille that life was over, but he’d been given a second chance at love, and he wasn’t going to fuck this up. He’d give Maureen the fairy tale because they both deserved it.

“Now’s the time you’re supposed to kiss her,” the minister said.

Compass chuckled and slid his hands under Maureen’s arms, lifting her up to his mouth. Capturing her lips, he dove in to devour his wife’s mouth, not caring that he’d probably have the hard-on from hell in front of everyone. Today, he was ravaging his woman’s mouth until she was breathless. She was his. For as long as they both lived.