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Instantly, I shake my head. “No, no, no. I couldn’t do that! There’s no way I’m taking Levi’s day away from her.”
Levi stands and holds out a hand for me. “Hear me out?”
I gnaw my lip as my gaze goes from woman to woman. Friend to friend. Family member to family member. They’re all nodding and giving me encouraging smiles. Do they know something I don’t? My gaze returns to Levi’s and I hesitantly put my hand in hers as I stand.
She pulls me into Thor’s office, shuts the door, and sits on the couch, patting the spot beside her. I sit down, facing her and my worries and nerves come back full force. Did they find something out when they were in Church?
“Mae, I want you to know that I am in no way pressuring you into this, but I ask if you’ll hear me out?”
Hesitantly, I nod again and she smiles.
“Personally, I think it would be a good idea to marry Timber sooner rather than later. For one, if those assholes manage to get their hands on you, you’d have even more backing in the club because not only are you his Old Lady, you’re also his wife. Being his wife also brings in support from outside the club as well. They don’t understand that in the biker world, the guys see Old Ladies as even higher than a wife. Though these guys seem pretty intent on tying us to them in every way,” she says with a giggle as she caresses her stomach.
I giggle in return when I remember how adamant Liam was about getting me pregnant.
“You love Timber, right?”
“With all my heart,” I whisper as I fight not to cry.
“And you’re going to get married eventually, so why not consider marrying him tomorrow?”
I hesitate as my head spins. This is all happening so fast.
“There’s also another way you could go about this. Smoke could legally marry you on paper, and you could have your ceremony at a later date.”
My jaw drops in surprise. “He can do that?”
She laughs. “That man can hack into anything. Even the government comes to him for jobs sometimes.”
I’m not sure it’s possible, but it feels like my jaw drops even more at that. I had no idea Dad was that skilled with what he does. Then again, I’m not sure everything that they do with their security company, though, that’s probably for the best.
Shaking off those thoughts, my mind whirls as I contemplate what Levi’s saying.
“The question of the hour is, what is it that you want? Not Timber. Not your dad. Not your mom. Not anyone else. You. What doyouwant?”
Closing my eyes, I swallow hard as I think about Mom. Wondering where she is and if she’s been hurt again. God, I wish we could just find her so that I know she’s safe. Taking a deep breath, I will myself not to cry and refocus back on Levi’s question.
Gnawing at my lip, I fight back tears as the memories wash over me. “In all honesty, I never thought I’d even be at this stage of my life. I had it drilled into me that no one would want me for me. That I was worthless. That I was lower than the gum on someone’s shoe.
“When I was a little girl, Mom would read me a bunch of books and I would dream about my white knight. But then Preston came into our lives and not only did those stories stop, he shattered any dream I ever had. As I got older, the only ones he wasn’t able to take from me were getting Mom out and owning and running my own daycare.”
Taking another deep breath, I close my eyes, and dare to let myself dream.
About my life with Liam.
Opening them, I see Levi smiling at me, and I return her smile. “I want a white dress. Nothing too fancy, as that isn’t my style, but I want it to hug my torso and hips before becoming a little looser so that it’s easier to walk. Timber doesn’t need to wear a tux. That’s never mattered to me, but I definitely want a nice dress. For Dad to walk me down the aisle.” My breath hitches as my chest tightens. “I’d love for Mom to be there, but I have no idea where she even is right now or if she’s even alive.”
A tear escapes and I hastily wipe it away. I’m so mad at Preston, Phillip, Bruce, and X for what they’ve done to us over the years and what they’re doing to Mom right now.
Surprisingly, dark thoughts start to creep in at what I’d do to them as punishment, however, I push those thoughts aside for right now.
Levi gives me a sad, small smile. “I completely understand wanting your mom there. I just ask that you at least think about my suggestions. I know your mom would understand that what we’re proposing is to add another layer of protection around you, but only you can make the decision about what you want. No matter what you decide, you’ll have the club’s backing.”
I think over her words when my brain skitters. “What do you mean, ‘what we’re proposing’? Who’s we?”
She grins. “My men and I would love to share our day with you, so if that’s one of your worries, you can put it to bed right now. We wouldn’t have offered if we weren’t okay with it. It would be an honor to share my day and future anniversaries with my niece.”
“But... Don’t you have to have a marriage license like three or four days in advance?”
