Chapter 21: Jessica
It had been a long week. I’d been on pins and needles waiting for Melody, May or those two guys to be sighted again or to call. I tried to not let Ajax know I was worrying, but he could tell. He tried his hardest to keep my mind off of it. We spent time online looking at furniture for the new house. Plus, he had me working with the ladies on planning a wedding.
I thought we should wait until after I had the baby, but he was adamant he couldn’t wait that long to make me his wife. He insisted we do it within the next two months, which didn’t leave a lot of time to plan. Luckily, I wasn’t one who wanted a big overdone affair. The other three ladies were happy to help even though they had just helped to pull off Madisen’s wedding barely over a month ago.
Today was the day the guys had been looking forward to all week. The Ruthless Marauders were coming for a party. They had decided not to invite any of the club’s friends from the community or hang arounds. I was happy to not have the hang arounds. They were all just a bunch of women looking to hook up with a biker. The bunnies were bad enough.
I’d seen Daisy earlier in the week and she just glared at me. I also saw April. I knew from talking to Zara that Demon had tried to talk to her, and she’d shut him down. She told me she had no interest in starting anything with a man. That they were always more trouble than they were worth. I hoped she’d change her mind because I could see Demon was gone on her. I was almost certain he wanted her like Ajax wanted me. I kept my counsel to myself, though all four of us had begged her to come today. She’d finally said she might stop in for a little bit. I really hoped she did. I loved spending time with her. She was hilarious and so unlike what you would expect a doctor to be like.
All the food had been ordered and the prospects would be picking it up later. The guys were in church. I was meeting with the ladies in the common room. We were going over wedding stuff while we waited for them to get done. Madisen pulled my attention back to what we were doing.
“Jess, we need to find your dress. It’s the thing most likely to take the longest time to find and if it needs to be altered, that makes it even more urgent. We need to go to the bridal stores in Nashville, which I know the guys aren’t going to like. But you can’t order it off the internet.” Devyn and Jocelyn were both nodding in agreement. I sighed.
“I know. Ajax is going to lose his mind when I tell him I need to leave the compound. He’s worried to death I’ll be taken or hurt. I agree you can’t do this one over the internet.” We’d been ordering decorations and stuff that way. Bear, I found out, was the one who officiated almost all the Warrior weddings while Bull acted as the father of the bride, which I found out when he’d walked Madisen down the aisle at her wedding.
“We’ll talk to him when they get out of church,” Jocelyn reassured me. She was always so calm, and she juggled not only newborn twins but going to school. She had stopped working as a paralegal after she met Bull and went back to taking classes to get her law degree. She wanted to be a lawyer. I thought she was a superstar for doing it, though Devyn was like her mom too. She had a new baby and is still working on her pharmacy degree remotely. Thank goodness for online schooling.
I patted Corinne on the back. I was holding her while Jocelyn held Caeden. Devyn had Hayden in her arms. All three had been fed and were snoozing. I inhaled the sweet baby scent. There was no scent like it. I looked at the photo we were looking at on the laptop.
For my wedding theme, I’d decide on one I felt suited me the best. Ajax didn’t seem to care as long as he ended up married to me. He’d told me to do anything I wanted, and he’d said not to let money be an issue. I wanted to pay for it. My birthday was in a week. He’d adamantly shot down that idea. He said he’d pay for his woman. I argued but it had ended in him making love to me until I couldn’t think or talk. I’d let him win that one, but he wouldn’t be the one to win every one of the battles I could see coming over whose money we’d spend. I had more than I could ever spend in several lifetimes.
For some reason, I really liked the whole getting married in a beautiful barn. Not sure why, but all the wood and relaxed décor really spoke to me. Maybe that’s why I liked the farmhouse design as well. Not far from us in Sparta, we had found a place which offered a gorgeous barn for weddings. We’d jumped on the chance to book it since we didn’t want the dates to be taken.
We’d gotten it for May seventh which was a month before I was due to have the baby. I knew we were cutting it close, but that was still only two months to prepare. I tried to convince Ajax to wait, but he was adamant that when our daughter was born, we’d be married. It was something I hadn’t expected from him—to be traditional like that.
The bridesmaids and groomsmen clothes would be more informal and while I was going to do a formal gown, it wasn’t going to be too stuffy. My colors were going to be champagne and lilac. We’d found the stuff for the tables and the ideas for décor. A lot we could make ourselves. Madisen insisted she was doing the cake without my help. Food would be casual but delicious.
Jocelyn had pulled up two bridal shops they thought we should go to in Nashville to look for my dress. I geared myself up for the argument I knew would be coming from Ajax. We’d finished deciding on the food when the guys came in from church. I watched as Ajax sauntered over to us. God, he was so damn sexy and handsome. He made my heart skip a beat and my panties got damp every time I looked at him. I sometimes had to pinch myself to believe he was really mine.
He took in me and Corinne. His face softened and he kissed me gently though thoroughly. When he pulled away, he whispered, “It’s so fucking beautiful to see you holding a baby. I can’t wait until it’s our daughter. Then our son and the others we have.” I felt my eyes get wide.
“How many kids do you think we’re going to have, honey?”
“At least three, but as sexy as you are pregnant, I might have to keep you that way for a long time,” he teased. Or at least I hoped he was teasing. I wanted several children, just not enough for a ball team.
“If you want more than four, then you’re going to have to carry them. No way can I do enough for a football team, Ajax.” He gave me a taunting grin. I smacked his arm. “Don’t even think about it. I mean it! Four is the limit,” I told him sternly. He just shrugged, the asshole. We’d be having another conversation about this. I was stopped from arguing with him by Outlaw. He came over holding something in his hand. He smiled at me.
“I got something for you, Jess. It won’t hurt I promise. Ask the other ladies, they did fine.” He held up something that kind of looked like a syringe. I knew what it was. It was the tracker Ajax had talked to me about. He’d told Outlaw to get one for me. I looked at the ladies. They all smiled.
“Where do you have to put it?” I asked him. I was hoping it was my arm and not my ass. Outlaw’s grin widened. I knew what he was going to say before he said it.
“It needs to go in that fine ass, Jess. You want to come with me, and we can do it in my room,” he teased as he flicked a look at Ajax out of the corner of his eye. The guys loved to give him a hard time and flirt with me.
Ajax growled, “You’re not looking at my woman’s ass, Outlaw. I’d have to kill you if you did. You know damn well it can go in her arm or hip. That ass is for my eyes only.” Outlaw cracked up laughing. I shook my head at the two of them.
“Fine. Then let me know which arm you want it in, since Ajax is being a bitch about it.” I rolled up the sleeve on my left arm. He cleaned it with an alcohol pad and then injected the tracker. It stung like Ajax had warned me, but it wasn’t that painful at all. When he was done, he pulled out his phone and checked something. He nodded.
“Okay, you’re up and live. Your tracker is showing in the system.”
“Thank you, Outlaw,” I told him. He waved it off with a smile and wandered off after blowing me a kiss. Ajax’s swearing followed him. I smacked his arm.
“Stop it. You know he only does it since you respond. You’re the only man for me.”
“I know I am, but I want to be sure none of them get any ideas. I’d hate to have to kill a brother.” I rolled my eyes. He was crazy to think men were all chasing after me. The others broke in on our conversation.
“Hey, Ajax, we need to talk to you about something. We need to take Jess to Nashville to look for her dress,” Madisen said with a smile. His face got hard.
“No. She can’t leave the compound for anything other than her doctor appointments. You know that.”