AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She nods, her eyes glittering with emotion I so rarely get to see. Then she comes to a stop when I tug her to do so. Turning to look up at me, she holds my hands and releases a nervous snigger when Captain Alexander steps forward to do his job.
“This isn’t how weddings traditionally go,” he announces. Like we don’t already know that shit. But as the line of soldiers my father bred turns to a circle, surrounding us with love instead, I exhale the final dregs of nervousness from my body and simply exist within this moment. “And I know Archer and Minka have already spoken their vows once. But that’s what makes today more special. We have a beautiful couple,” he looks at Minka, then at me, “a union who’ve already made this choice to love each other unconditionally. Now they reaffirm those promises. And to me, that’s a vow worth hearing. Archer?”
I release Minka’s hand and dip mine deep into my pocket, stroking the clip I’ve held on to for what feels like a lifetime. “I, uh…” I brush my fingers over the jewels. The flowing lines. The soft gold. “So, I kinda figure we know a lot about each other already. We’ve lived together for a few months. We’ve fought.”
At that, she chokes out a nervous, tear-filled laugh. “Yeah. We fight a lot.”
“We’ve spoken our boundaries. And often, we test them. We’ve discussed our beliefs. And our values. We’ve touched on our futures. And I know you don’t want a house with grass because you’re terrified we’ll both be resentful about having to mow it.”
Shakily, she brings her hand up and swipes a knuckle beneath her eye. “I could adapt, I suppose. For you. If you want to live at the house.”
“Plus,” I snicker, “we have Cato, and he’d love to mow our lawn for free for the rest of his life.”
“Hey!” Cato grumbles. “Don’t include me in your vows unless you intend to include me in your bedroom.”
Christabelle swings out and slams the side of her fist against the boy’s chest until he heaves.
“We’ve talked about a lot, Minnnka. And we’ve bickered about more. We’ve said a lot in the time we’ve known each other. But,” I drag my hand from my pocket and turn it over to show her the charm in my palm. The emerald, set in a golden claw frame with beveled edging and a little discoloration from age. “But there’s something I haven’t told you. A piece of my history I’ve never even considered bringing up until this trip.”
Curious, she stares down at the bauble I bought for her forever ago.
“My father didn’t love the women he bedded,” I explain. “And his father didn’t love the women he bedded, either. You married me,knowingmy origins, anyway. Completely and totally aware of the Malone history I carry. You had faith that I could, and that I would, break the cycle. You trusted me to overcome bad breeding. And not once in all the time I’ve known you, have you looked at me in a way that might imply I’ve failed.”
“I know your heart.” Her voice crackles with emotion. “I know your love. That’s all the faith I need.”
“You trusted, even when you had no reason to. But since it’s our wedding day, I want to tell you about Ronan Malone.”
With that, her eyes flicker up to meet mine. “Ronan?”
“He was my great, great,” I look down at my hand and literally count fingers, “great grandfather. I’m not sure if you know,” I tease, “But Malone is an Irish name. And the Irish have a long history of being poor as dirt. You give me grief because I want to share my family’s wealth with you. But if you trace my family back to the Irish Poor, you’d find Ronan Malone. He wasa farmer way back when he had just enough cows to feed himself and his bride.”
“He was broke,” Felix inserts. “Like, dude was hangry, Doctor Cutie.”
“Excuse me? Hi.” I look at my brother and sneer. “Shut up. These are my vows. My moment.”
“So get to the damn point! She doesn’t need a history lesson to know you have a pretty bauble to give her.”
I drag my eyes back, then I shift, taking a step to the right, giving Felix my back, and bringing Minka around with me. “Ronan was broke,” I repeat his words. “But he loved his wife the way a man is supposed to love a woman. He existed long before our family came to New York, and before that, Copeland, and instead of turning to crime to make money, the way our father and grandfather did, Ronan kept walking his cows and milking them to make his bride something to eat.”
Swallowing, Minka glances down to the charm in my palm. “What does that have to do with this?” Then her eyes flare wide and swing back up. “Was this hers? Because I can’t wear that. I can’t be trusted with an heirloom so valuable, and not freak out about losing it.”
“No.” I fold my neck and come down to meet her eyes before she spins completely out of control. “Ronan didn’t give her anything like this. He couldn’t afford it. But he made sure they had enough to eat. And he had these green eyes, just like every other Malone we know. Like emeralds.” I take her hand and gently pry it open. “There’s a story that comes down through the family. It skipped two of three of the Tims. But the general gist goes that, a poor Malone will buy his bride a cow. To make sure they never go hungry. And a wealthy Malone will buy his bride something that glitters green. To match our eyes.” I place the bauble in the center of her palm and close her fingers around to keep it safe. “The rules were that we couldn’t buy brand-newbecause there’s no history there. And we couldn’t spend more than a few dollars because that wouldn’t honor Ronan and his bride. It had to be something that found us, not something we went searching for. And so…” I release her hand and reach up to pinch her chin between my fingers. “On my wedding day, I gift to you the pendant I found in a homeless man’s flop last year.”
“You found…” Stunned, her eyes fling wide. “You stole from a homeless man? Archer!”
“No.” Chuckling, I press my lips to hers and swallow her breathy exhale. “I saw it. And I figured, it ticks all the boxes, right? It’s not brand new, so it comes with a history. It didn’t cost me much, just a hot meal and a fifty slipped into the guy’s palm,and, I didn’t go searching for it. It turned up at exactly the moment it was supposed to.”
“Wait…” Pushing forward, Fletch leans over my shoulder, infringing on my wedding like a fat kid looking for a snack. “You got that from the flop down at the bay?”
“Um… yeah?” I turn my head and give my best friendthe eyes. “Wanna back up, please? Still kinda speaking my vows here.”
“You paid for that man’s meal in December, Arch! During the Contera case.”
“Yes. I know.” I sweeten my voice and grit out, “Now back the fuck up.”
“You met me in December.” Minka’s voice breaks, drawing my eyes back around. “The Ronan Malone history thing popped back up in December… when we met?”
“And now you know how I could be so sure from day one.” I wrap my hand around her closed fist and bring it up to press my lips to her knuckles. “Maybe there were a couple of generations there of badly bred Malones. Perhaps we could even blame their behavior on hunger. But before them was another Malone. He was hungry too, but he chose love over greed. He choseheroverall else. So now my brothers and I honor him by buying a pretty, green bauble once in our lives, and when the time is right, we give it to the woman we choose above all else.”
“Shit.” Pouting, she looks down at her hand and breathes through the tears that fight against her eyes. “I was expecting to come out here and sayI do, Archer. I didn’t prepare something like this.” Bringing her focus up, she searches my eyes and works to firm her quivering jaw. “I’m not romantic. I don’t have all the pretty words. And I definitely don’t have a story about love to gift you on your wedding day. Mostly, my plan was to wear that new lingerie tonight and consider it good and done.”
I laugh and drag her to her toes. To bring her closer. “That works for me. And before you get down on yourself, you should know the woman who would eventually become Maeve Malone was also a stubborn pain in her husband’s ass. She was out working those cows, too. She refused to sit on her backside and stay home while he was out. And word has it, she had a mean right hook.” I squeeze her jaw in my fingers and press my lips to hers. “Now sayI do. Choose me above all else.”
“I do.” Finally, the war against her tears is lost and a single drop plops to her cheek. “I choose you above everything else, Archer. Forever.”
Join us for more Mayet Justice in Sinful Sorrow.
And if you’re following the Mayet/Malone world timeline, which includes the Underbelly Enchanted series, head on over toDiamond In The Roughfor Micah’s story. He’s up next.
