Ride with Me by Chelsea Camaron, Ryan Michele Page B

fine.”
    I look over at my mother, and I swear she’s swooning at the Hellions Original. I nod my head, agreeing with him as he slaps me on the back before taking off to get himself ready to walk Caroline down the aisle to me.
    I look around the room. She has brought everyone together to share in our special day. She has given up New York dreams for a wedding on a compound because it’s what fits me. She shows me right here, right now that it’s not about the city, and it’s not about the glamour; it’s about us. And this here, together with those closest to us, is our perfect ceremony. Even considering the Hellions may not want to wear suits, she’s willing to accommodate, because in the end, she simply wants me. Lux did all this just to be my wife.
    I stand in awe that she would give up her big city dreams in order to start our life together. Right here, right now, I need to get dressed in my suit then wait to see my woman make her way down the aisle to me.
     

    With help from Sass and Doll, everything is coming together. My nerves are beginning to win over as I wonder if he’s going to go through with this. What if he doesn’t want a wedding here? What if he hates the idea of a suit? I didn’t say he had to wear it, but what if he hates me taking charge like this?
    What have I done?
    “Stop freaking out and have a drink.” Sass shoves a shot in front of me. “Fireball. Cinnamon for luck.”
    I throw it back and allow the burn to go all the way down. Immediately, I think I may puke.
    Doll stands in front of me. “We’ve gotta cover your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”
    We all crinkle our noses at the color blue. It’s just not the Hellions.
    She opens her hands, and tears fill my eyes when I see her mother’s sapphire earrings, the very ones Doll, Sass, and both their mothers wore in their weddings. Her mother married Roundman and said she needed sapphires so dark they looked black because she wouldn’t want to really wear something blue.
    “Are you sure?” I ask on a cry-filled croak.
    She smiles with tears in her eyes. “You’ve been as close as a sister to both of us since college. You’re marrying a brother today, and we will share a last name. There isn’t anyone I would want to wear these more other than a daughter of my own one day.” Her hands shake as she hands over the precious jewels.
    Sass clasps her hands together. “That’s borrowed and blue.” She goes over to a table and pulls a box out of a bag. “Remember when we first got to school and you were determined to buy your own high-heels and never be without fancy-ass shoes?”
    I laugh, remembering very well how hard I worked to have this one pair of silver, strappy heels. I wave my hands in front of my face, hoping my makeup doesn’t smear as the tears fall freely when she pulls out that very pair of shoes from the box.
    “We know you have been through a lot the last few years, and you went through hell living with the governor. In the end, though, it all brought you where you were meant to be”—she waves her hands in the air—“with the Hellions. These shoes were your first step into our lives, and today, they will be your first step into your new life as a wife to a biker.”
    With tears already in her eyes, Tessie walks over after Sass and I hug tightly. “I’ve got your something new.” She hands me a small, white box, and now my hands are the ones shaking.
    Slowly, I find a way to lift the lid. Inside is a charm of a mother and child in a circle holding hands.
    “For far too long, I was all alone. For far too long, things were a mess for Rex and me. The best thing to come out of that is our son, Axel. When I think of the future, there isn’t another person in the world better suited to be my son’s other mother than you, Caroline. You are the de lux e model.” She smiles. “Today, you don’t only become Rex’s wife, you carry my son’s last name, and today, you become