Chapter Forty-One

Leandra

One Month Later…

“I still can’t believe we’re really doing this,” Chrissie declared for the seventeenth time since we met her at the airport in Kansas and grabbed a connecting flight to Mexico.  “I mean…who does this?  For my very first ever plane ride, I’m going to my brother’s wedding in Mexico!  This is so freaking exciting!”

Sam squeezed my hand and mouthed ‘Thank you.’  I knew he was grateful that I practically moved Heaven and Earth to get everything in order for the social event of the year.  Let me tell you, it was no easy task.

As soon as we got engaged, I had to call my parents and share the good news. My mom started screaming about wedding plans, grandbabies, and demanded to see Sam live on the phone in order to welcome her new ‘son-in-law’ to the family.  Never one to sit on the sidelines, my father snatched the phone out of her hands and told my fiancé that he would personally fly back to the states and beat the living shit out of him.  I guess my dad is old-fashioned enough that he wanted Sam to ask for his blessing and get permission before proposing.  Needless to say, those two started off on the wrong foot.

My next move was to let Ian know of my engagement.  He wasn’t super thrilled because of how long it took Sam to get his shit together.  My brother only has my best interests at heart and he felt like we should have waited longer before officially tying the knot.  Once I reassured him that I was thinking with my head as well as my heart, and that I’d kick his ass if he didn’t get on board, Ian reluctantly agreed to support us.

I figured I’d just tell everyone else in person after we got back to New York.  However, we were in no hurry to return.  Sam got us a beautiful hotel room overlooking the ocean and we celebrated all night long…and then woke up the next morning and continued to celebrate.  It’s a fucking miracle I can still walk after all the ‘celebrating’ we’ve done in the past month.  I really should have bought stock in the condom company. 

But it wasn’t all sex, sex, and more sex.  Do you have any idea how much work it is to plan a wedding?  Normal brides get engaged, have a couple bridal showers, go dress shopping with their friends, do a lame as fuck bachelorette party, have cake tasting sessions with their grooms…and all that stupid shit that I wanted no part of.

So I called my mom, told her she had thirty days to plan a wedding in Mexico, and then expedited the process to get one very special guest her first ever passport.

The hardest thing has been watching my mouth when discussing the big event with Chrissie.  I couldn’t exactly tell her that I wasn’t already married to her brother.  So I had to lie my ass off and pretend like this was just a vow renewal and reception because my family was pissed they couldn’t be there the first time.  I also had to invest in a set of earplugs for the shrieking, gasping, and general hissy-fit when I asked Sam’s sister to be my maid-of-honor.

Had I not known how much she appreciated the gesture, I would currently be regretting it.

“So, who am I going to be meeting?” Chrissie asked with concern as we loaded our luggage from the airport baggage claim onto one of those little trolleys.  Although I’d had my concerns, she actually handled the flight better than I did.  Remarkably there was not one single bit of nerves after the initial take-off.  The girl was a pro.  Her entire focus remained firmly fixed on the wedding.  “I’m bad at remembering names.  What if I mess up?”

“Relax,” Sam insisted.  “I don’t know these people either.  I’ve never met Lee’s parents.  If anyone should be nervous right now, it should be me.”

He gave me an uneasy look, and I patted his arm.

“Don’t worry, tough guy.  I won’t let my grandma hurt you.  Some bodyguard you’re turning out to be!”

Even though Sam quit working for me in order to open his own business, I’m still his sole client.  Now that he fully understands all the ways my body can pleasure him, the man has gotten even more serious about guarding it.  Not that I’m complaining in the slightest.

“I’m being serious, Lee,” Chrissie stated firmly.  “I want to make a good impression on your family.  I mean…won’t they kind of be my family now too?”

She looked at me hopefully and I knew exactly what was going through her mind.  Disappointment in the family she already had.  Primarily her parents.  Although Sam paid off his father’s entire medical debt and invited them both to the wedding, Katherine and Douglas refused to attend. 

Either they still harbored resentment that their son chose to stay in New York instead of returning to farm the land, or they didn’t approve of the dirty whore he was marrying.

“You won’t be meeting too many new faces,” I explained, trying to make her realize that this wasn’t some flashy affair.  “A lot of our…uh…friends…back home couldn’t take off work to join us, so this will be a small wedding.”

I couldn’t have every single Irish mobster abandon the city and fly to Mexico.  Who would run things in my absence?  After much careful consideration, we decided to do an intimate wedding on the beach and then throw the party to end all parties after our honeymoon.  Everyone who was anyone in the criminal underworld would be invited to pay tribute to the Queen.  Me.

“Okay.  It’s just going to be really strange to go to my brother’s wedding and not know a single person there,” Chrissie grumbled, instantly brightening up when we left the main terminal and walked outside into the fresh air of Mexico.

“I think you’ll see at least one familiar face,” I offered, pointing to the tall man that would act as our chauffeur to my parent’s house.

“Grizzly!” she shouted, running over to jump into his arms.  “Are you the best man?  I’m the maid of honor!  This is awesome!”

While they hugged it out, Sam put his arm around me and nuzzled my ear.

“No matter what hell your father puts me through, or what tests I have to pass, it will all be worth it,” he admitted.  “From what you’ve told me, your family is amazing.  I need to give Chrissie the sense of belonging and acceptance that we never had growing up.  Thank you for including her in all this.  I love you.”

“Don’t go getting all sappy on me, dude.  If it weren’t for her and my parents, I wouldn’t be doing any of this.  I’m happy just flying to a Caribbean island with you, me, a preacher, and beautiful blue water as far as the eye can see.”

“Oh, really?” Sam asked as though he didn’t believe me.  “Then why did you insist that we write our own vows, Miss ‘I’m-not-sentimental’?”

“As long as I’m going to all this trouble, I might as well add in a few nice touches.”

There were a couple decent surprises up my sleeve.  I’m only getting married once, so I wanted to make it spectacular.

Since Grizzly’s plane from New York City arrived forty minutes before ours, he was kind enough to grab the rental car and meet us out front.

“You guys ready to get hitched?” the man asked with a lazy grin as he got in the driver’s seat.  The more I got to know him, the more I realized that nothing ever truly riled him up.  “No cold feet, Sam?  Just say the word and I’ll kick you out of the car so I can marry her myself!”

In response, Chrissie gasped and leaned over to give him a gentle shove.  She politely offered to ride up front in order to give us ‘lovebirds’ our space.  I’m sure the excited woman would have much rather preferred to sit in back with me.  Instead of looking out the window, she turned and filled us in on all the news from Kansas.

“Do you guys know how much town gossip you’ve missed?  Everyone is talking about how Grizzly just up and left without so much as a ‘goodbye.’  I’m relieved you told me that he moved to New York for a job, otherwise I would have been so worried.  But that’s not all.  Wait until you hear this!  Betty Jo has been back to her old tricks.  Even though Pete woke up from the coma and is slowly beginning to remember everything, she still acts like he’s terminal and might die at any second.  There was even going to be a church fundraiser in order to collect money for their hospital bills.  It all got cancelled when someone found out that Betty Jo was really planning to use the cash for a boob job after the babies were born, and the whole thing erupted into a giant controversy.”

I rolled my eyes.  Sam’s parents would rather he ended up with someone like that instead of me?  Disgusting!

Nudging him in the ribs, I quietly informed him that he dodged a major bullet by dumping that bitch.  He didn’t seem to be paying attention because his mind was on other things.

“I know you thought Chrissie could keep the secret of Grizzly coming to work in New York…since she’d be seeing him at the wedding…but are you sure about the rest of all this?” Sam whispered apprehensively.  “Once she meets your parents and sees the lavish lifestyle they lead…there’s going to be questions you can’t answer, Lee.  I’m not sure it’s wise to have her running back to Kansas with so much information on you and your business.”

“Relax, I’ve got it covered.  My parents and all the guests are well aware of our privacy issues.  We didn’t invite too many people.  Don’t worry so much.”

I have no fucking clue why Sam and his sister thought there would be huge crowds in attendance for this damn thing.  It was an intimate wedding.  Aside from my parents, grandparents, Chrissie, Ian, Grizzly, an assorted handful of aunts, uncles, cousins, and a few family friends, there would hardly be anyone there.  And maybe Angela, but I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure on that.  Things haven’t been the same between us since Hawk’s fight.  Yes, she’s still with him.  Yes, she’s still pissed at me.  But we’ve been friends for too long for her to miss this momentous occasion, so I expect her to show up.

Who am I forgetting?  Oh yes, my new friend, Vera.  She was an important part of the whole process too.  Not only did the talented woman custom design a spectacular wedding dress for my walk down the aisle, but she insisted on hand delivering it to Mexico.  While she made up some bogus story about wanting to make sure everything went off without a hitch, I knew better.  After working such long hours, it was obvious that a vacation was desperately needed.  I may have hired her as my new stylist, and also put her in charge of doing the hair and make-up for my big day.

I should also mention that Shorty and Fritz will be in attendance.  Sam was not happy with that, but it’s too damn bad.  Shorty’s parents have been best friends with my mom and dad forever.  It wouldn’t look right if he wasn’t there.

What’s the worst that could happen when some crazy Irish criminals, one disgruntled best friend, a very innocent Kansas farm girl, and my ex-boyfriend are all invited to the wedding of the year?

I guess I’m about to find out…