“You don't fucking say,” Eagle-eye grumbles, but from the way Miriam holds his arm and pats it encouragingly, I'll bet it’ll be them standing here eventually.
Alessa is fucking gorgeous, in a fancy blue dress that sets off her long dark hair and doe brown eyes, tight over the tits, which are swelling again, even tighter over her bulging stomach, and then loose as it flows around her legs. Sometimes the slit lines up just right and we get a sexy glimpse of her leg, but it's a dress made to show off that she's pregnant and it does an amazing fucking job of it.
I've never seen her so fucking beautiful.
“Hot, right?” Snark nudges me in the side. “And ours.”
That's right, fucking ours, and carrying our goddamn baby. “Fuck, it makes me want to lock her up until I'm sure no one else is going to come for her. To make sure that she'll always be ours.”
“Dial back the Dario vibes.” Snark laughs.
“I'm not going to fucking do it, you ass. Just saying, I understand the urge. I don't ever want to see her get hurt again.”
Hawk grunts his agreement, coming up next to me.
Fuck, I think he might be the closest to her now. And to think I thought they would tear the rest of us apart. Co-parenting with two people who can’t be around each other was sure to throw some goddamn sparks. But those sparks forged us into something stronger. Both us, the family, and us, the Cleanup Crew. Closer than fucking ever.
Bear comes up behind us, resting his elbows on my and Hawk's shoulders as he looks past us. “Fucking Jesus on a motorcycle, what the hell are we doing?” He's not worried. I know him too well for that, but this is pretty fucking surreal.
“You can back out if you want.”
“Fuck off. I'm in for life. I'm no goddamn quitter.”
“That's what I thought.”
I'd told Alessa that she didn't need to dress up for this, but I'm glad she did. She's like a fucking angel, and while we're a bunch of beasts, we're her fucking beasts.
Me, I'm here as I always am. My cut, my jeans, my leather boots. Fuck, so I polished them. I couldn't let myself look too much like a fucking slob, either.
“Hey guys.” She comes over to us, looking up at each of us, and if the guys get the same kind of look that I just did, it's no wonder we're all ready to fucking die for her if we have to. “What are you talking about?”
“You,” says Hawk.
“Oh God.” She checks herself, looking down, then over her shoulder. She's jittery about today. “Is something wrong? Am I—”
I step forward and pull her in before her nervousness gets to her. She melts into my arms. “Nothing's wrong. You're fucking perfect.”
“You fucks ready, or what?” Eagle-Eye roars.
“Yeah. Fine. We're good to go.”
We place Alessa in front, facing Eagle-eye, while the four of us stand in a half circle around her. The rest of the club watches, packing the common room. No sluts today, just the members and old ladies. Chef's dishing out beers with both hands, and while there's still rock n' roll on the sound system, the volume's down so we can hear each other.
My eyes are briefly drawn to Beatrice, who's standing by the side, holding Izzy. I haven’t forgiven her yet, but Alessa wants her here today, and I have to fucking respect that. They had a long, drawn out talk of their own last night, and they both came out all splotched and teary, but they settled something. And now that Alessa's father has ensured that Beatrice's family's debts are settled, she has no reason to misbehave. And if there's anything I don't doubt, it's how much she loves Izzy and being Izzy's auntie.
Well, I'm a fucking Viking, right? Throwing myself bravely into the unknown is my fucking legacy. Why should this be any different? For fucking Valhalla.
42
ALESSA
Well, this isn't exactly how I imagined getting married. Claimed by four big bikers as their old lady, made official by a one-eyed club president and watched by Bea holding my baby. And with another one on the way. I rest my hand on the bulge that seems to be getting bigger by the minute. Did it really go this fast last time?
Even Dad showed up, risking his reputation at the Family to be here. But with the truce in place and the Fabbris demoted from any leading position in the Family, it's not nearly as big of a risk as it once was. Dario dishonored his family, rebelled against Papa himself and kidnapped one member of the Giordanos while nearly murdering another. Once he went fully unhinged, it was hard for the Fabbris to come up with any kind of excuse. They're not gone, and they're still dangerous, but at least they're no longer close to being in power. And I've got the guys to keep me safe.