Avenging Us (Rocker Series Book 3) (28 page)

“I am. Don’t let me fall, Chance,” I said as we made our way down the enormous flight of stairs to the first floor. The whole house was decorated in arrangements of white roses with red satin bows. I glanced back at Cindy, who held up the back of my gown.

“Never.” Chance squeezed my hand in a comfortable reassurance.

I nodded and we continued our slow descent. Abel’s mother waited at the bottom of the steps. She dabbed the corner of her eyes with a white handkerchief. Taken aback by the sudden rush of emotions, I gasped at what felt like a weight tugging my heart.

“Breathe, baby-girl,” Chance whispered, trying to soothe me. “You’ve got a long aisle to walk.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” I remarked. I totally forgot about how long the aisle was. The white runner ran from the backdoor to the trellis where we’d say our vows.
Fuck, how many feet was that?
One breath in. One long breath out.

“G, you’ve got this. Almost there…” Cindy said from behind me.

At the bottom step, Abel’s mother greeted me with a kiss on both cheeks. “You make a beautiful bride, Gia. Now, go…he’s waiting.”

I thanked her and continued my way to the door that led to the yard. My hands were a sweaty mess. “I need a napkin or something. My hands are disgusting.” The thought of Abel holding them was just gross. “Feel them,” I offered them to Chance.

“I’d rather not.” He asked someone from the wait-staff for a wet towel. “Here. Just dab. No need to rub like a dock-worker.”

“Whatever.” I grabbed the towel from him and dabbed my hands as Cindy fluffed the back of my dress. I tossed it back to Chance, hitting him in the chest. “What?” I asked innocently, but he didn’t banter back, he just kept me on task.

I decided to walk down the aisle alone. The choice was simple—I didn’t need anyone to give me away, because I was the one giving myself to the love of my life. The decision was easy, I’d walk alone, straight into the arms of my rocker. And since Abel couldn’t walk me for obvious reasons…I only had myself. And, I was fine with that. I’ve been counting on myself since I could remember. But with him in my life, I didn’t have to go it alone anymore. He would be by my side for the rest of eternity, sharing some of the burden.

Chance leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Here we go. Good luck, baby girl.” His eyes held so much emotion. He drew my veil over my face and Cindy straightened my dress before her own.

“See you soon…and breathe,” she said and then took her first steps, accompanied by violins.

One of the coordinators held up a hand to send me down. “You’re up.” He squeezed my hand and stepped out of the doorway, finding his seat. Holding my bouquet in front of me, I took my first steps down the aisle. Everyone stood at once and turned toward me. The decorations at the end of each row of seats were clusters of white flowers with light blue ribbons.
Abel
. I hadn’t realized just how much of a role he played in the flower arraignments. Here I though Chance and his mother had it under control. But the broody alpha had his slippery fingers on everything, including me. Step…pause. Step…pause. I repeated the instructions under my breath, trying to focus on my movements and not my heal catching on the runner. The violins drifted off and the sound of his voice met me as I turned the corner to face him. His eyes met mine, never straying. I had to steady myself when I saw his guitar across his broad chest. I broke out into a cold sweat. My hand shook as bad as my knees once his voice met my ears.

It seems like only yesterday
since I first laid eyes on you
You’re the woman that took this shell of a man
and gave me something brand new

Nothing could take the smile off my face or dry the tears that fell freely from my eyes. I was being sung down the aisle by the man I loved. And even though I was surrounded by friends and loved ones, my eyes were only on him. He was all I saw. His voice the only one I heard. His hair was slicked neatly back, the edges skirting the collar of his shirt. He wore an all-black tux, white shirt, but left off the bow-tie. I smiled and caught the mischief in his eyes. He was dressed formally as requested, but still managed to rebel. I bit my lip, not knowing if I should laugh, as I reminded my legs to keep moving.

You took a sorry mess babe
taught me what it is to love
gave me a beautiful gift
from the two of us
that was sent from heaven above

We’ve walked a long road baby girl
it’s time we made our stand
I don’t want to wait anymore
I’m closing the door
It’s you and me forevermore…

Little dark spots started to creep into my vision.
Dear God, no,
I prayed. I closed my eyes briefly, willing every ounce of strength.
Was it possible to faint from swooning?
I had to focus on my breathing.
Keep it together
. I scanned the crowd quickly, looking for Cindy, who was a sobbing mess. No help there. So I refocused on my soon-to-be husband’s eyes. The lyrics he sang skirted along my arms, erupting fire across my body. Butterfly wings railed against my stomach. It was the push I needed to continue the last few steps to him.

Now I’ll be your forever and a day
Come what may
I’ll be there to hold you tight
Take away the tears and hold you through the night
I’ll be your lover and your friend
till the end
When I pull you close
and your lips meet mine
the look in your eyes
the desire in your thighs
I feel the heat of love
the flames of desire

My eyes wandered to the way his thick fingers plucked the strings cleverly, drawing out the perfect tune, much like he does to me.

Now I’ll be your forever and a day
come what may
I’ll be there to hold you tight
take away the tears and hold you through the night
I’ll be your lover and friend till the end

I continued the last few steps to him, feeling a warm, calm sensation cover me. I was all right. We were finally here, and nothing could take this moment away from me. He removed the strap from his neck and handed his guitar off to his dad, who passed it to Chance. I smiled at the memory of meeting him for the first time and mouthed the words
I love you.

Yes, we finally got it right,
I thought as I took his hand.

We chose an old friend of Abel’s father to officiate the ceremony. He wasn’t a minister, but held an official title as such in their kinky world. I guessed he was their version of a minister. “Abel and Gia, have you come here freely to give yourself here in marriage? Will you give yourselves as husband and wife for the rest of your lives?”

“Yes,” we both answered simultaneously.

“Abel, you may recite your vows.”

“I, Abel, take you Gia, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward. You are mine. You have taken residence in my heart, the key has been lost. You will stay there forever.” A smile spread across his face, filling me with warmth and comfort.

“Gia…” the officiant prompted.

I cleared my throat, not wanting to chance my words getting stuck. “I, Gia, promise to be your partner for life. I promise above all else to live in truth with you and to communicate fully and fearlessly. I give to you my submission, my will, and my heart. May it be a sanctuary of warmth and peace. I pledge my love, devotion, faith, and honor as I join my life to yours.”

In that moment, it was only the two of us. No one else was there as I stared into Abel’s eyes, promising to give myself to him completely for the rest of my life. In what I’d imagined would be a nervous and scary moment, I was pleasantly surprised to feel none of those things. Instead, I felt content, happy, calm, and above all else, loved.

“You will now exchange the rings as a symbol of true faith and loyalty for each other. May they remind you of your love when you are apart.”

Abel’s father held out his hand so we could grab the rings.

I held my finger out while Abel recited his pledge. “With this ring, I thee wed, and accept responsibility for you as long as we both shall live.” He slipped the diamond eternity band on my finger and sealed it with a kiss.

I took his hand in mine. “With this ring, I pledge myself to thee. With all my affections of my heart, forsaking all others, yours and only yours, for as long as we both shall live. I’ll carry your heart with me, carefully cradled in my own heart. I’m never without it, and anywhere I go, you go.” I pushed the ring onto his finger and over his knuckle where it would stay forever.

“Abel and Gia have come together as two separate souls into one new life, joining two halves to make one whole. Celebrating two hearts together in one love.” He glanced between us and nodded. “You may kiss your bride.” He smiled at us.

The moment the words were spoken, he captured my mouth with his. Our lips touched and I forgot anything and everything of who and where I was. Forever lost, I melted into his arms…the only thing that mattered was the man I loved. He kissed me with hunger and passion…driving me to the brink of wild abandon. He finally broke the kiss with a chuckle, and I blushed furiously as our guest cheered us on.

It was the perfect ceremony. Abel and I had talked about what we wanted it to consist of once we started making plans, and we both agreed that short, sweet, and to the point was all we cared about. Getting married was the only thing that mattered to us, so we both decided that we didn’t need anything long and drawn out. Plus, the boys seemed to agree.
More time for partying
, they had said.

We spent the afternoon shaking hands and thanking people for their gifts. Dinner was buffet style, which was set up along the edge of the property. Michael outdid himself with the spread he made. I was so hungry I wanted to eat everything, but being the bride—and new wife of a rock god—made that a little impossible. I nibbled on things here and there while the guests continued to approach me, giving me compliments and taking pictures with and of us.

I finally had to excuse myself to the bathroom, not because I needed to go, but because I wanted a moment to breathe. Everything was perfect, and I felt as though I had been swept up in a windstorm. I wanted to take a minute and absorb some of it, to lock it away in my memory bank to have something to tell Bella on her wedding day.

Cindy followed me in, jumping with excitement. “Hands down, the best wedding ever! You’re the most beautiful bride to ever walk down an aisle, Abel is the broodiest groom to ever say ‘I do,’ and I must say, I’m the most fabulous matron of honor to ever grace the presence of any wedding,” she said with a teasing laugh.

I couldn’t help but let my own laughter out.

“And check out these pictures Chance took. He sent them to all of us, but I they’re so good I want you to see them now.” She swiped the screen on her phone and turned the screen so that I could see.

There were only a few, most of them were of me walking down the aisle, capturing my expression as Abel sung to me. The smile on my face was genuine, no nerves present. I flipped through them all, and then flipped through once more. For some reason, in all of the pictures of me walking down the aisle, there was a flash next to me.

“What’s this light in all of these?” I asked Cindy, pointing out the blue orb that hovered to my right in all of the pictures. “It’s there until I’m standing next to Abel.”

“I don’t know. I noticed it, too, but figured it was a reflection from something in the background. Maybe light dancing off one of the decorations or something,” she said nonchalantly.

I took a closer look, noticing how no matter where I stood in the pictures, it never left my side. Warm chills graced my flesh as tears flooded my eyes. My emotions hit me hard.
The bluish hue
. My mind raced through the few memories I had of those nightmares that haunted me for the first few weeks after Bella was home. It was the same blue light. The same comforting feeling running through my body.

My father.

He had been there to protect me in my dreams…and he was there to walk me down the aisle. I may not have known him much, or had him in my life for long, but it was clear he had never left my side. A feeling of incredible fortune blanketed me as I realized I had two men protecting me, one on each side of life.

I ran out of the bathroom, Cindy trailing behind me, as I searched for my husband. I wanted to tell him about the pictures, but one look in his eyes told me he already knew. He may not have known exactly what I wanted to tell him, but he knew the look of complete content that I wore like second skin. His eyes met mine and his lips curled up into a smile that took my breath away. And my thoughts.

Before I could make my way to him, we were called for our first dance. Abel took me in his arms and led me to the dance floor, no words were needed.

Jake, Ender, and Woody took the stage for this one song. Jake sang lead vocals to Theory Of a Deadman’s
,
“Angel.” Ender was beside him on guitar with Woody in the back behind his drum set. Abel put my hand over his heart and held me tightly as he sang the words into my ear. The guests slowly joined us and the celebration continued.

Chance tapped my shoulder and whispered in my ear. It was time for the cake. I handed Bella to my mother-in-law and grabbed Abel, making a bee-line for the cake. We posed for a few quick pictures and then Michael handed me the knife. We glanced at one another and smiled
. Do I or don’t I,
I pondered. The cake was beautifully draped in white fondant with yellow Gerber daises on every other tier. His hand folded over mine and we easily sliced through the bottom tier, removing a single slice. It was red velvet with cream cheese. I pushed the fondant aside and gathered a small piece on my fork.

“Let him have it,” Woody shouted through the crowd and I smirked.

His eyes watched me carefully. “If you choose to be reckless, I cannot be held accountable. That’s a promise.” His voice was raspy and thick with warning.
Or was that need?