Brenna

It was so easy to lose myself in Gunn and that’s what scared me. He was nothing like my father. But I’d watched my mother lose herself in him little by little, year after year. Now she couldn’t see the truth. She couldn’t see herself.

For two weeks, I’d tried to call her. Nothing went through. My father either had control of her phone or she’d blocked my number on her own. It hurt. It gutted me. But there was nothing I could do for now.

I’d been staying at the clubhouse. It wasn’t ideal, but Gunn and I decided it was the best solution for the time being. Mo gave me a job waiting tables. It took some haggling. I said I’d do it just for room and board. Sly wanted to put me on the payroll. In the end, we agreed I’d work for tips. It ended up being a more than fair arrangement as the patrons of the Wolf Den tipped generously.

Gunn hated it. He didn’t say so, but he watched me like a hawk when I was working the floor.

“Get used to it,” Scarlett said one evening after one drunk customer got a little too close to me. Gunn appeared seemingly out of nowhere and showed him to the door. “It’ll die down in a little while, once word gets out your Gunn’s old lady.”

I laughed. “Am I? That seems like such a strange thing to call it.”

Scarlett sat at the end of the bar. Ford helped me stack a drink tray for one of my tables. “Honey.” Scarlett leaned over. “I haven’t known Gunn as long as you have. But I’ve known him since he patched into this club. You are it for him. I know it when I see it.”

A warm glow spread through me. I wanted to tell her Gunn was it for me too. He was. But it was overwhelming. This was overwhelming. Since I met him, my life had flipped on its side.

“You’re doing great,” Scarlett said.

“Oh, thanks. It took me a couple of nights to get the hang of it but Rita was really awesome letting me shadow her.”

Scarlett rested her chin on her palms. “I don’t mean the bar, Brenna. Though you’re a natural at that too. I mean all this.” She gestured around the room. “Trust me. I remember what it was like to let the club into your life. It was the same way for me and I had just as many reasons to want to run from it. I lost my brother too.”

A faraway expression came over her face. My heart did a little flip-flop. I’d heard rumors about Scarlett. Her brother had been killed by a rival club. Gunn told me the members hadn’t wanted to trust Scarlett when she first started dating Sly, but he wouldn’t elaborate. Whatever happened, they fully embraced her now. But I had no idea we shared the same pain. Now she and Sly were ready to take the next step. Their wedding was three days away.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said.

“It took me a long time to separate my feelings about it from the club. But it’s worth it. Sly is worth it. These men are all worth it. It’s just ... you have to be sure, Brenna. You take on one, you take it all. You know what I mean?”

The noise in the bar seemed to dim as I considered her words. I knew what she meant. She was watching me. They were all watching me. As much as Gunn would fight to protect me, they would all fight to protect him. She was saying I was the one with the most power to hurt him if I wasn’t sure what I wanted.

“Thanks,” I said, lifting my drink tray off the bar. “I mean, for all of it. You’ve all been so great.” I wanted to say more, but voices raised in the back. I knew my table wouldn’t stay patient for long.

Scarlett tipped the neck of her beer bottle at me and gave me a wink. Ford had been watching the whole thing from behind the bar. The two of them passed a knowing glance as I turned and headed out to the main floor.

Three days later, the Wolf Den shut down in preparation for the weekend festivities of Sly and Scarlett. I knew Scarlett wanted simple, but Mo and Ava took over. It was like a royal wedding, of sorts. The club president didn’t get married every day.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked Gunn. I stood in front of the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. Mo had set me up in Gunn’s apartment over the bar, though she’d changed a few things to make the place more feminine. She put fresh flowers on the bedside table. All traces of Gunn’s crash pad “accessories” vanished the first night I slept here.

“You look amazing,” he said. Ava and I went dress shopping last weekend. I wore a simple, black silk sheath with thin straps. Among her many other talents, Ava had a flair for hair. She’d managed to organize my wild, dark locks into a chic French twist with delicate tendril curls near my ears.

“You don’t look half bad yourself.” I watched in the mirror as Gunn came closer. He slid his arms around my waist and I leaned into him, loving his strong, solid wall of muscle. He kissed my neck, sending a shock of pleasure straight down my spine.

“Not sure I’m going to let you leave this room looking as hot as you do, Brenna.”

“I was thinking the same about you.” I turned into Gunn’s arms. In them, I felt safe and warm. His hands cupped my ass and he gave me a little squeeze that had me revving for him. But it was time to head downstairs. Sly had spared no expense. Some of the club members would form a motorcycle escort, but the groomsmen and their dates would ride in two stretch limos.

“Stand back, let me get a good look at you.”

Gunn was sexy as hell in and out of his denim and his leather cut. Today though was something special. Sly had mandated all three of his groomsmen match him in traditional highlander wear. Gunn wore a green-and-black tartan kilt. I couldn’t resist. I reached for him.

“Gunn, are you serious!” A heated blush flamed my cheeks as my fingers found nothing but Gunn’s manhood beneath the plaid.

He gave me a devilish wink and shrugged. “Come on. We’re going to be late.” He led me by the hand.

“You’re lucky he’s letting you ride in the limo. I can’t imagine your Harley over bumpy roads would be too comfortable in that.”

Gunn turned, making a wolfish snap at me with his teeth. I squealed as we headed downstairs. The rest of the wedding party was down there. Sly with Dex as his best man stood tall and straight in their matching kilts. The twinkle in Ava’s eyes by the bar told me Dex had chosen the same undergarments. Angel held the door open. He wore a kilt too. I shook my head.

“Wow,” Angel said. “You look incredible, Brenna. You too, Ava.”

Angel was the only groomsman without a date to the wedding. I had a feeling he was holding out for one of Scarlett’s bridesmaids. Ava was serving as her matron of honor. Scarlett had two cousins from the east coast she’d flown in to stand up with her. I knew Angel had his eye on one of them.

“Better hope there’s no strong wind up on the bluff today, boys,” I teased as we headed out to the limos. Dex and Sly erupted in deep laughter. Ava shook her head and swatted Dex’s behind.

A thrill of excitement ran through me as we slid into the cars and headed away from the Wolf Den. We’d be back later tonight. Sly was holding a private reception that would probably run to all hours of the night. He and Scarlett were planning to slip out early and catch a flight to Belize. Gunn told me he’d rented a private island for them for the week. It sounded like heaven.

“Come here, beautiful,” Gunn said as I took my seat beside him. I leaned against his shoulder, finding the space where I fit.

Ava and Dex only had eyes for each other the whole way. I knew their own love story had been fraught with heartache and separation over the years. But she’d waited for him and believed in him while he spent over a decade in prison. I knew she was thinking about her own wedding day too.

The whole day felt like a dream. The sun shone bright but there should be enough shade near the bluff to keep us all cool. As the limo started a slow climb up to the highest point, I leaned down to see better out of the window.

“Ava, it’s amazing!”

It was. She’d arranged for the construction of a little gazebo overlooking the Great Wolf River. Twinkling white lights decorated it. There were two rows of gilded gold chairs with a white carpet rolled between them.

The limos parked and we stepped out. Gunn caught my hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ll see you right after,” he said. “Mo wants you to sit beside her.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Gunn took his place on one side of the gazebo. Mo was already seated in the front row. She gave me a wide smile and a wave. I hugged her before I sat down, feeling so honored that she wanted me there.

This was a happy day. A perfect day. Filled with love and hope. Tears filled my eyes as the string quartet began to play. Dex and Ava’s four-year-old son Declan served as ring bearer. He was a mini version of his father with a shock of black hair and a mischievous smile.

Ava and Scarlett’s cousins wore simple, yellow, strapless dresses. As the quartet picked up the wedding march, Scarlett came into view.

Mo was sobbing by the time she got down the aisle. Scarlett chose a stunning, off-the-shoulder white gown with a jeweled belt. Sly teared up when he saw her. He could barely contain himself as she got to him and they said their vows.

Gunn caught my eye through it all. My heart tripped. He stood so tall and handsome. They all did. A part of me felt a little pang of sadness. Scotty should have been there too. I felt him though. This was the place Gunn told me he thought he’d end up. I knew Gunn must have thought it too. I smiled back at him and my heart filled with love.

Their vows were perfect. The day was glorious as the president of the Great Wolves M.C., Green Bluff took his bride.