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“Just us.”
Grinning triumphantly, I capture her lips with mine. Just us, forever? I can live with that.
Epilogue
VIPER
Naomi looks spectacular. She’s in some floaty navy blue dress, her hair piled on top of her head, dangling sparkly earrings, and unusually, she’s wearing contact lenses instead of her glasses. I could look at her all day.
Unfortunately, that’s frowned upon at a wedding that isn’t yours. Taking her hand, I draw it into my lap, tracing circles on her palm as we watch Palmer and Merch joking at the altar. The priest who married Strafe and Nan Parson stands near them, studiously avoiding listening to their conversation.
It’s a nice church here in Downtown, but the pastor is a bit stuffy. I haven’t had much to do with pastors before, but I didn’t mind Pastor Nick, who did Joey’s funeral.
He was a young guy, maybe thirty or so. A good-looking guy who could have gotten a posting anywhere but picked a church in the middle of the South Side. That shows conviction. I liked that about him. Maybe I should suggest the Hawks approach him for shit that needs a pastor in the future.
Soft, classical music pipes out of somewhere, and everyone ignores it. What use have a bunch of bikers got with classical piano music? And Lisa can’t even hear, so I have no idea who the music is for.
Vicky slides into the room, flashing me a thumbs up. Ah, excellent. I take it that means everything is ready at home. Vicky slides into the pew beside Rooster, waggling her eyebrows at him as he winks at her tits and the music changes. Everyone turns to watch Shelley glide into the room, a bunch of flowers bigger than her head in front of her.
I have to smirk at her bridesmaid’s dress. It’s the same color and fabric as Vicky’s dress. How sneaky. I glance at Palmer, but he doesn’t seem to have noticed. He probably didn’t see Vicky slip in – I only did because I was looking out for her.
The music changes as Shelley reaches the altar, turning with a huge smile to watch Lisa glide in. She looks beautiful, and Palmer looks like all his Christmases have come at once. I don’t need to see Naomi in a white lacy dress to feel like that. I felt like that seeing her in her blue dress today.
Lisa is halfway down the aisle when the music abruptly changes. The lilting classical music cuts out, andBroke Ass Bitchesstarts to play. I catch my chuckles, but Naomi can’t contain her giggles, hiding her mouth behind a handkerchief.
Lisa is still smiling serenely, gliding down the aisle while Shelley shoots a death glare at Palmer and Merch, who somehow manage to keep straight faces. There is a rumbling of chuckling through the congregation, but Lisa doesn’t notice anything. The song cuts out when she reaches Palmer.
She says something to him, and Palmer smirks at her. I don’t think she guessed about the song. Given how stubborn she was about the music, she would kick up much more of a fuss.
“Dearly beloved,” the pastor intones. Oh god, the marriage part. Hopefully, it will be a quick one. I have plans.
Naomi hugs Lisa and kisses Palmer’s cheek as I hug Lisa and shake Palmer’s hand.
“We’ll see you both at the reception?” Palmer asks, but I shake my head, dropping my arm around Naomi’s shoulder.
“Nah. We’ve got places to be.”
Palmer nods like it makes sense, and Lisa has already turned to smile at Lena Shaw. Naomi’s eyes are wide, but she doesn’t argue as I hustle her into the new sedan I bought her. I know enough about women to know that certain hairstyles don’t gel well with riding a motorbike. Besides, the car will be helpful when Mom comes to visit.
“Are you sure about leaving early? It’s going to be a full Wild Hawks party,” Naomi asks as I pull out of the church parking lot. Grinning, I take her hand, turning the car for home.
“I’m sure.”
She doesn’t say anything as I drive home. Parking in the garage, I lead her into the dining room. Naomi frowns at the flickering light inside, pushing her way through the door.
“What’s going on?” she murmurs, but I stay silent, smirking as I trail her inside.
Naomi follows the little tea light and petal path until she gets to the back porch, her breath sucking in as she steps onto the small back porch.
Naomi’s eyes flicker around, and she seems stunned into silence, staring, standing in a sea of flowers. With a grin, I tug her into my arms.
“I love you, Peaches,” I murmur against her lips.
“You got me flowers.”
I grin down at her. “I wanted to catch you off guard.”
“You did.”
