With herculean effort, Hallelujah Thomas restrained from loosening the starched collar of the expensive dress shirt. Even though he longed to relieve the pain where the stiff material chafed against the scar tissue on his neck, Hal stopped just short of tearing himself free. He had no one to blame but himself for the way that damn collar bit into his skin.
Glory had told him, had practically insisted, that he did not have to wear the formal suit and tie getup that he had chosen. Shit, even the damn groom was not as dressed up as Hal was. It did not escape Hal’s notice that while he was suited up in bespoke, Jules and his groomsmen—all MC brothers— stood waiting at the end of the aisle decked out in supple, soft, black dress leathers.
Smart sonofabitches to choose comfort and club colors over traditional monkey suits the thought crossed Hal’s mind as the collar bit into him again. But then he quickly dismissed it. Because really, when it came right down to it, Hal couldn’t have cared less if everyone else had shown up bare-ass naked. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he was surprised to find that a part of him still held on to the traditional and old-world values that his European-born mother had instilled in him. In Hal’s mind, a man who was honored with the task, did not give away a bride wearing anything less than the very best.
Especially when that bride was your sister.
So, if Glory wanted him to be the one to do the whole who gives this woman to be married to this man thing— then Hal was up for that.
And he was not going to screw it up.
At least he hoped not.
When Hal overheard an exasperated sigh ring out from behind him, he took small comfort in the fact that he wasn’t the only one worried about messing up the ceremony.
“Do I throw the flower petals now, Mommy?” The little girl with the big blue eyes posed the question to her mother for the tenth time in as many seconds.
“Not yet, honey, not until after Mommy and Auntie Claire walk down the aisle. Next will be Auntie Dolly and she will be helping your sister. After that, then it’s your turn.” Raine reached down and straightened the violet-colored sash of her daughter’s flower girl dress.
“I’m going to get to walk all by myself because I’m a big girl, and I don’t need anyone to hold my hand like Patience does.” Willow puffed out her tiny chest with pride.
“That’s right, angel.” Raine smiled down at her.
“So, it’s my turn right before Glory and Hal?” Willow turned to Hal with questioning eyes.
Hal gave the little girl a nod and what he hoped was a reassuring look. “You got it, Willow. You’re going to lead the way for me and the bride. It’s a really important job. You up for that, firefly?”
“I think I am,” Willow whispered bravely then chewed her bottom lip.
Hal gave her a thumbs-up sign.
“But Momma, can you tell me again?” The little flower girl reached for her mother’s hand.
“Tell you what again, honey?”
“Where’s Daddy gonna be?” Willow furrowed her tiny brow.
“Your daddy is already standing with Uncle Reno, sweetheart. See? Right at the end of the aisle near the archway.” Raine pointed to where her husband, Diego, had taken his place next to his MC brother.
“How come Patience isn’t here yet?” Willow looked around for her little sister.
“She’s upstairs with Aunt Dolly helping Glory to get ready, remember?” Raine rubbed her temple and winced. “Honey, Mommy is starting to get a head—”
“But where’s Grandpa and Grammy gonna be?” Willow interrupted her mother with a scowl.
As the steady stream of already asked and answered questions began rolling towards her, Raine sent a pleading glance in her sister’s direction.
“Maybe while we’re waiting for everyone to get in place, you can go help Auntie Claire with the flowers. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Willow shook her head in the negative. “I want to stay with you, Mommy.”
Rained let out a long-suffering sigh. It was obvious to Hal that after fielding what seemed to be a million non-stop questions from her daughter, the normally calm and composed Raine Montesalto was seriously about to lose her shit.
“I got this.” Hal took pity on her.
When Raine shot him a grateful look, he gave her a reassuring wink, then he lifted his chin across the entry way to where Claire was elbow deep in white roses. “Looks like you’re right, Raine, your sister could sure use some help with those flowers.”
“But Mommy…” When Willow began again, the mother bent down to her young daughter and whispered a few quick words of reassurance into her ear. Then Raine made her escape to the other end of the foyer and got busy helping Claire by straightening out the bows on the bridesmaids’ bouquets.
Willow pursed her lips in an adorable pout as she watched her mother for a minute, then she turned and looked up at Hal expectantly.
Hal considered Willow for a moment, then he spoke in low and gentle tones to the her. “Listen up, firefly. I’m going to tell you one more time how it’s all gonna go down. You ready, Willow?”
“I’m ready, Hal.” Willow’s eyes were wide and her face was serious.
“Your Grammy Pinky is already in her seat…” Hal began to explain.
Willow frowned. “But how come I don’t see her?”
Hal looked at Willow with a measure of confusion. He could see Pinky just fine. Then with sudden understanding, Hal bent on one knee and looked beyond the entrance to the room ahead. No wonder the poor little kid was so confused. The room looked totally different from the disadvantaged point of about three feet off the ground.
“Well, you’re right, firefly. You can’t see much from here, can you?” Hal picked Willow up so that she had a clear view of the aisle. “Now look straight ahead and you’ll be able to see your Grandma Pinky. Do you see her now? She has that silly red hat on and is sitting in the very first row. Her chair is right in front of that big, mean, ugly dude, Riker. He’s so fat that he’s blocking you from seeing her.” Hal looked at Willow in mock outrage.
“Gram’s hat looks pretty. And Riker is not mean—or fat.” Willow scolded him. Then she added in a whisper, “And it’s not nice to say that, Hal.”
“Hmm.” Hal pretended to give her words some thought. “I guess you’re right, Willow. That hat does look kinda fancy sitting on top of your grandma’s pretty hair. And maybe Riker ain’t too fat, and I suppose he ain’t that mean.” Then he whispered back to her, “But he sure is really ugly.”
When the look of wide-eyed nervousness left the little girl’s face and was replaced by a burst of glee and giggle, Hal felt infinitely rewarded.
“Now, if you look straight ahead, you can see your grandfather. He’s right there near the flowers.” Hal pointed. “See him? He’s standing next to Jules. If you start to get scared walking down that aisle, you just keep your eyes on your grandpa.”
“I’m not gonna get scared, Hal.” Willow reassured him solemnly. But at the mention of her grandfather, the little girl gave the president of the Hells Saints MC a wide smile and a small wave.
Prosper grinned back and winked at his granddaughter.
When Hal heard the clicking of high heels across the marble floor, he gently put Willow back down. Then he straightened up and turned to see Dolly McCabe making her way towards him. He looked behind her, fully expecting to see Glory decked out in a white wedding gown. When he saw that Dolly was alone, Hal glanced at the clock and frowned.
“We still have a few minutes before everyone is seated,” Dolly assured him. “She’ll be down soon. I think she just needs a minute.”
Hal shot Dolly a puzzled look.
He couldn’t imagine what his sister would need a minute for. Glory had been on cloud nine ever since Jules had gotten down on one knee and drew that damn diamond out of his pocket. There was about two carats worth of ice on that ring, and Hal hadn’t been the only guy in the club who raised an eyebrow when he saw it. Glory later told him that it had been Jules’s grandmother’s ring. With well-meaning interference from Glory, Jules and his estranged mother had reunited the previous summer. Ever since then, Victoria and her husband had become family to his sister and Jules in that dinner on Sunday kind of way.
So, all things considered, Hal had not only been happy when he heard that Victoria had blessed the marriage with the gift of the ring, he had also been relieved as hell to hear that Jules Bonny had not tossed an armored truck to buy it.
What put the cherry on top of this already sweet deal for Glory, was that Gianni Abruzzi had offered up his fancy as shit banquet hall for the wedding ceremony and celebration. To his credit, Jules was able to let go of any past issues he had with the Italian mob boss and graciously allow a thrilled Glory to accept the generous gesture.
Gianni Abruzzi.
Front Boss to the Bonzini crime family, friend to the Hells Saints MC, business partner and close friend of Dolly McCabe, and more importantly, as far as Hal was concerned—father of Valentina Abruzzi.
Hal’s gaze swept the room for Valentina and saw that she was standing next to her father, waiting to be seated. The pale-yellow, silk dress she wore had a high neckline, and a very low back. It hugged her in all the right places and was a perfect mix of classy and sexy—just like Valentina herself.
When Hal leaned back against the wall and treated himself to a leisurely look at the curve of Valentina’s perfectly-shaped ass, she suddenly turned and caught him staring at her. Hal boldly held her eyes for a long moment before she blushed and looked away. Hal allowed himself a small, self-satisfied smirk before he forced his focus away from the dark-haired beauty and turned his attention to the large ballroom.
Automatically Hal’s hypervigilance clicked into place, and he scanned the room again for even the smallest indication of something that could trigger a problem. But the mood among the wedding guests was just as it should be— festive and happy. It was evident that nobody wanted any trouble today, and the inner soldier in Hal began to relax.
The idea that his sister needed a minute continued to gnaw at him though. It just didn’t make sense to Hal that his sister would be hesitant in the least. As a matter of fact, he had expected her to be doing cartwheels down the aisle. Because, although it had taken Jules and Glory a while to get here, he had never seen his sister happier than in the last few months. And it was no small secret that Jules loved the hell out of Glory.
Besides all of that happily ever after shit, his sister had gone balls to the wall planning the perfect wedding. Hal and the rest of the brothers had watched on in fascinated amusement for months as Glory and the women of the Hells Saints MC spent hours at the lake house, poring over all the bridal shit that made girls drool.
There was a seemingly endless list of wedding related events checked off on the kitchen calendar: Bridal dress shopping and gown fittings, floral arrangements and music options, cake tastings and photography packages, lighting, invitations, which wine for the tables … the list went on and on and on.
For months, the kitchen table had been filled with samples of all the stuff that made life worth living for the bride-to-be, but made it hell for Hal. He also had it on good authority that whatever Glory wanted, Jules was more than happy to put up the cash for. Hal was no expert on that kind of stuff, but he knew enough to know that a lot of time and money went into planning a wedding. And this one was a goddamn extravaganza.
So, the big question in Hal’s mind naturally was—now that the moment was finally here, why the hell would Glory need a minute? When Hal reached into his suit jacket pocket to grab a smoke, sudden understanding dawned on him.
Ahhh shit.
In all the excitement, he had forgotten about the small box.