and checked her reflection in the mirror. “It's not always easy being an old lady is it?”
“I'm not his old lady.... We're just...”
“ Yes, you are. It's just neither of you know it yet. C'mon, put the dress on and let’s get this show on the road.”
~ oOo ~
Samson had known that suggesting that Emma should go up and get ready with Beth was a high risk strategy, and judging by his raised eyebrow, Tiny agreed. But he knew that Beth was itching to get her alone for a while, and he wasn't going to let Emma's death glare put him off. And truthfully, he wasn't worried. They would get along just fine.
He buttoned up his shirt and turned to where Tiny was trying to persuade Abi that she really wanted to wear the nice dress Mommy had bought. “Smoke?”
“Yeah.” Tiny unbuttoned his collar and followed him out outside. “I don't remember agreeing to wear this. No cuts, she said. Not trussed up like a fucking turkey.”
“ You any closer to finding your witness?” Samson passed the joint to his brother.
“ Got a name. We're working on the address.” He shrugged. “It's as good as done.”
“ You want me to talk to him when you find him?”
“ Nah. I got it covered.” He looked up at the sound of laughter through the open bedroom window. “You need some distance. If it all goes belly up, she's gonna need you around.”
“ Won’t come to that, brother. She pissed?”
“ She was. Mostly cuz I tried to keep it from her.” He chuckled. “Shoulda known better.”
They finished the joint in companionable silence, until it was broken by the sound of a Harley pulling up out front. Tiny pushed himself away from the wall. “Sounds like Spike's here. Guess it's time go get me married.”
~ oOo ~
“ You ready for this, baby girl?”
Beth slipped her arm through his. “Feels like I've been ready my whole life. C'mon, let’s get down that aisle before he escapes through the window.”
The room in the small hotel they were using was a little dingy. The paint was peeling in places, and the chairs set out for the handful of guests didn't match. And most flower girls don't get carried down the aisle, wearing purple leggings and an orange top with some freaky unicorn on the front. But no one could have looked happier than the woman on his arm as they walked down the aisle to The Pretenders' 'I'll Stand By You.'
Despite all the shit they'd gone through, all the crap he'd thrown in her direction, Beth loved that man waiting for her and would never walk away from him.
As she moved to leave his side and go to her man, she stopped and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Samson. For everything.”
“ Anytime, baby girl. You know that.” He turned to the little girl on his hip. “Let’s go sit down, Princess, and watch your mom and dad get hitched.”
As he sat down, Abi snuggled into his chest with her thumb in her mouth, and Emma slipped her hand into his. He smiled and whispered, low into her ear. “You are looking so hot, I'm not going to be able to get through the day without jumping you.”
“You're not looking too shabby either, big guy.” She leaned a little closer to him. “Maybe we'll be able to sneak away for a while.”
~ oOo ~
She wasn't quite sure how she'd envisioned a biker wedding to be, but Emma was sure it wasn't this. The only guests were herself and Deke, the best man - who she had decided to steer clear of - Tiny's mom, another elderly lady who'd introduced herself as Betty, and a pompous-looking couple with a surly teenager, who'd disappeared as soon as the short ceremony was over. Everyone else had climbed back into the van and driven back to Sophia's little house.
Surely that couldn't be it. She'd juggled shifts, arranged for the animals to be looked after and spent money she couldn't afford on a flight for a five-minute ceremony in a shitty little hotel. She wasn't pissed, exactly, but it seemed she'd gone to a lot of trouble for nothing. Deke
Eric J. Guignard (Editor)