Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 94076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Bear ignites the engine, and we head back to the clubhouse where we update Beast and show him the photos.
“Tomorrow we strike,” he says, handing the camera back to Bear. “But today we get Sticky and Dani married. Go have some fun. It might be the last we have for a while.”
In my room, I quickly shower and dress, then wait at the bottom of the grand staircase for Ella like Belle told me to.
Dressed in a black button-up shirt under my cut and black dress pants, I damn near wear tread marks across the cobblestones as I wait for her to appear at the top of the stairs.
Christ, why is my heart beating so fast?
I pace the floor and let out a rough exhale.
I don’t know what’s happening to me right now. But my pulse is pounding in my throat like a war drum, and a bright excitement and thrilling anticipation light up my insides like it’s the goddamn Fourth of July.
Where is she?
I’ve never been on a date before.
And this is definitely a date.
I run a hand across the nape of my neck.
Swipe my thumb across my lip.
Try to swallow around the lump of eagerness and expectation lodged in my throat.
I’m so lost in my thoughts, I don’t see her until she is at the top of the staircase.
I look up and my pacing comes to a sudden halt.
Goddamn.
She’s so damn beautiful, I don’t know what to say.
In seconds, I rapidly recall the last couple of weeks and how it’s been between us. The banter, the chemistry, the back and forth between us, the afternoons in my bed— I had plenty to say then.
But now?
Fuck, I don’t have any words.
My mouth open, I watch her descend the staircase, looking like a queen as the beautiful sleeveless gown trails behind her.
Her hair is pulled off her face into a messy bun, but strands of dark cinnamon curls fall down to her polished shoulders.
She stops on the bottom step so we are eye level.
“Say something,” she says nervously.
I swallow, hard.
I’m looking into the face of an angel, and I can’t form words.
God, she’s perfect.
“You’re the most beautiful thing in the world.”
She smiles, and I lift her into my arms and kiss her, and as my mouth moves over hers, my heart cracks open and years of darkness drain into my chest and slowly disappear.
Because of her.
Because of this.
Because of us.
CHAPTER 48
Ella
It’s the most romantic wedding I’ve ever seen.
A bride in a designer gown and expensive Louboutin shoes, gazing up at her biker boyfriend who doesn’t look like he’s trimmed his beard in decades. They look like a complete mismatch. But they’re absolutely perfect for each other.
They look like they can’t wait for the priest to hurry up and marry them so they can tear each other’s clothes off.
We’re outside in the garden with the late afternoon sun glinting through the maple trees, and the scent of magnolia and jasmine perfuming the air. Rows of chairs are filled with bikers and their old ladies, families, and club girls. Cuts are worn over Sunday bests. Dresses are tight. Fingers are entwined. And love blooms in the golden light.
We sit in the front row next to Beast and Belle. Dani’s little girl, Aurora, sits on Belle’s knee after performing her duties as flower girl. Apparently, Belle used to be her nanny before she became Beast’s wife. And because Belle has Aurora, Beast is holding his baby daughter, and she looks tiny in his giant arms. When she starts to fuss, he lifts her to his giant shoulder and gently pats her bottom until she settles into a contented sleep in her daddy’s embrace.
Since we sat down, Lars hasn’t let go of my hand, and as the bride and groom exchange vows, I glance at him and feel the rush of happiness that comes when the most beautiful man is holding your hand.
And dear God, I’m in love with him.
Not just a little. Not in a way that passes.
No, this love is deep.
Bone deep.
The kind that makes its home in your heart and ensures you are never the same again.
He turns and catches me looking at him, and I can see on his face that he feels the same way. It’s in his eyes. In his expression. In the way he squeezes my hand.
I don’t know what any of this means for me. Because in my reality we don’t have a future. But we have today, and I am going to enjoy every second of it.
He smiles then leans forward and brushes his lips over mine, and they are soft and tender and full of promise.
In front of us, Rev brings the vows to an end, but Sticky and Dani don’t wait for him to announce them husband and wife before they start kissing wildly.