When she eased up on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss, Rafe fussed, “Hey, none of that shit until you say ‘I do.’”
“Shut it, brother.”
I leaned down and kissed her long and hard, and I didn’t stop until the minister appeared before us. I forced myself to take a step back and gave the man my not-so-sincere apology for getting ahead of myself. Then, with Rafe standing as my best man and Marlowe as Aubrey’s maid of honor, we exchanged our vows, and Aubrey and I became man and wife. It was a simple ceremony, just the five of us in that small chapel on the hill, but it was something neither of us would soon forget.
When it was over, Aubrey and I headed out to my Harley. In true Aubrey fashion, she didn’t skip a beat as she hiked up her already short dress and got on behind me. Once she had on her helmet, we followed Rafe and Marlowe out of the parking lot and started towards the clubhouse. We hadn’t gotten far when I reached back and placed my hand on Aubrey’s thigh. As I ran my hand across her bare skin, I was tempted to bypass the clubhouse and carry her home so I could begin the process of consummating our wedding vows. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. All the brothers and their ol’ ladies were there waiting on us to celebrate our big day, so I had to put those thoughts on the back burner—at least for a little while.
When we finally pulled through the gate, they all greeted us and tossed rice into the air as we got off my bike and raced inside. It meant a lot to me that they’d gone to so much trouble to show us both how happy they were for us. There was food and an enormous wedding cake with all the extras one would expect at a wedding reception. Aubrey was practically beaming as she said, “I can’t believe you did all this without me knowing.”
“Like I said,” I glanced over at Marlowe and smiled, “I had a little help.”
“Well, this is incredible.” She wrapped her arms around me. “I couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I gave her a kiss, then a quick slap on the ass. “Now, let’s get this party started.”
I went over and grabbed us a couple of drinks, and we spent the next couple of hours celebrating. After Aubrey and I cut the cake, Viper came over and gave me a huge hug. From the start, Viper had been more of a father to me than Dad ever was, so it meant a great deal to me when he said, “Congratulations, brother.”
“Thanks, Prez.” I chuckled as I said, “I’m sure you’re thinking I moved pretty fast with all this?”
“No, son. I knew the minute you walked in and asked for our help with Aubrey that she’d gotten to you. Just took you some time to catch up to the fact.” He gave me one of his brotherly pats on the shoulder then said, “I gotta say, the girl was smart. She claimed a good one.”
It was usually the brothers who claimed their women, but Viper was right. Aubrey had claimed my heart long before I even realized it had happened. I gave him a nod as I turned and looked around the room. It was a hell of a party. Not because of the booze or the food, but because we were celebrating with the people we cared about most. My brothers and their ol’ ladies were our family. They were always there to have my back, and I had theirs. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing better than that. While both Aubrey and I were having a great time, I was ready to take our celebration home, so I went over to her and asked, “You ready to call it a night?”
“That depends on what you have planned for when we get home.”
“I think you know exactly what I have planned.”
“Then, yes.” A mischievous smile crossed her face. “I’m definitely ready to call it a night.”
“What?” Marlowe fussed. “Y’all are leaving so soon?”
“You’re gonna have to continue on without us.” I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for everything, Marlowe. I owe you one.”
“Glad I could help.” Marlowe gave Aubrey a wink as she said, “You two have fun!”
“Oh, we will.”
When we pulled up to the house, Aubrey got off my Harley and started up to the front door. Before she headed inside, I shouted, “Hey, hold up!”
“What?”
“There are traditions to be upheld here.”
I leaned down and lifted her into my arms, then opened the door and carried her inside the house. I kicked the door closed and continued carrying her as I headed up the stairs and to our bedroom. When I lowered her to the floor, she smiled and said, “Aren’t you the romantic?”