“You think?” I couldn’t help it. My voice was rising along with my blood pressure. Damn, now I almost wished he had cheated. I could fix that a lot faster and more efficiently than this. I could have just cut his balls off, presented them to Harper, and been done. “I’ve already got security tight, and they know not to let anyone in without an invitation. But now she has one! I could have kept her out without that, damn it. Gods, this is such a clusterfuck.”
“Help me fix this, Emmie,” Shane pleaded. “Help me…”
“You don’t know how to make anything easy, do you?” I was nearly screaming at him, but I turned away before I started throwing shit. “The guests are already arriving. If she’s here it’s going to cause a huge scene and Harper is going to be even more upset.”
“I know.” His voice broke and he dropped down onto the short sofa against the wall beside him. “I know.”
“Okay.” Nik stepped forward, his hands going to my shoulders to try and rub away some of my stress. I shivered at the feel of his hands on me, but it did nothing for the tension in my body. “We can fix this.”
I blew out a frustrated sigh. “Yeah. I can fix this.”
It was my job to fix all of their problems… Fuck, I hated my job sometimes!
Chapter 7
Harper
I thought I was going to be one of those brides who freaked out at the drop of a hat on her wedding day. Sure, Emmie had been my saving grace, making sure that I only had to say yes or no to this and that. The hardest thing I had to do was pick out my wedding dress, which had been easy once I had seen the dress. Still, I had thought I would have woken up this morning feeling anxious and ready to run for the border at the drop of a hat.
Instead I was calm, ready to walk down the aisle and change my last name.
Now, as I stood in front of the floor-length mirror in my wedding dress, I couldn’t help smiling. It had taken a lifetime, but now I could see exactly what Shane saw every day. The beautiful woman staring out of that mirror was me. My hair was curled to perfection hanging around my shoulders; my makeup minimum with just a little foundation, some light eye makeup, and clear gloss. The wedding dress was figure hugging, pushing my breasts up while showing off the sexy curve of my hips. On my feet I wore simple ballet slippers, giving me no extra height, no added sex appeal. But I was definitely sexy.
Behind me my friends were speechless. I shifted my gaze to find Dallas blinking rapidly, trying to keep from crying. “You are so beautiful, Harp.”
I opened my mouth to thank her, but the door opened and in walked my stepdad along with Linc. Both men stopped in their tracks when they saw me. “Holy fuck!” Linc exclaimed. “You’re enough to turn a gay man, Harper.”
I laughed, stepping forward to let him brush a kiss over my cheek. “Thanks.”
When I glanced at Cecil he had tears in his eyes and wasn’t trying to keep them at bay. “There are no words to describe how beautiful you are, Harper,” he said before pulling me into a warm, loving hug.
I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “Thanks for being here for me, Cecil.”
“There’s no other place I would rather be, sweetheart.”
“Where’s Emmie?” Layla demanded. “She hasn’t gotten dressed yet.”
I hadn’t noticed her!
“I’ll go find her. She’s probably just going over everything again before the ceremony.” Natalie smiled at me in the mirror before leaving.
“You look so beautiful, Harper,” Jenna, Shane and Drake’s little sister told me from where she and Mia were sitting on the sofa. “It’s so cool that you’re going to be my sister.”
I crossed to her and pulled her into a one-armed hug, not wanting to mess the teenager’s hair or dress up. The wedding party wasn’t the largest I had ever seen, but it wasn’t small by a long shot. Jenna and Lucy were my bridesmaids along with Lana, Layla, Emmie, and Natalie. Dallas was my maid-of-honor, but I would have given the title to Linc just as quickly. Fortunately he was one of Shane’s groomsmen, because Shane had wanted him up there with us just as much as I did.
“Thanks, Jen. I’m so glad you could be here.”
“Daddy said he wasn’t going to miss Shane’s wedding for the world. Mom didn’t throw as big of a fit as I thought she would.” Jenna rolled her eyes. Stella wasn’t my favorite person in the world, but she had calmed down a lot since the nightmare that Jenna had put her through, running away to New York in search of her brothers. As for Shane’s dad, that was still really strained. Not that I could blame him or Drake. Their father had basically turned his back on them when they had needed him the most.
“Is my dress pretty, Aunt Harper?”
I turned my gaze to Mia who was sitting beside Jenna. In her little white dress she was not just pretty, but a beautiful little doll. “It sure is, flower princess. And your hair is so adorable. You were such a good girl sitting still while Aunt Layla curled it for you.”
The door opened so suddenly that it nearly banged against the wall. Emmie looked a little wild, with her eyes standing out in her pale face. I felt guilty that she had been running around making my wedding day so special while I had just been sitting around having everyone pamper me. “Emmie…”
Her eyes landed on me and I was startled when tears started spilling down her cheeks. “Oh my gods! You’re breathtaking.”
I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to thank her for making this all so special. I wanted to hug her, and tell her I was sorry for being such a pain in the ass. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Seeming to understand all that I was feeling, Emmie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my waist. “It was my pleasure, Harper,” she whispered close to my ear. “Welcome to the family, sweetheart.”
Twenty minutes later I stood outside waiting for the cue to walk down the aisle. My heart was racing, my hands getting sweaty. Dallas stood in front of me, waiting for the others to walk down the aisle so that she could take her turn. I took a moment to take her in. Her hair was pulled into a side knot, showing off the tattoo I had only seen pictures of until recently. The silk dress that all my bridesmaids were wearing was a soft lavender. It wasn’t tight, but it seemed to hug every curve that my friend had. Even with both of us wearing ballet slippers, she still stood several inches taller than me.
Finally Dallas stepped forward, moving out of sight as she started down the aisle. I sucked in a deep breath, ready to take the first step to becoming Shane’s wife. Cecil stood beside me, looking pale and teary-eyed. Even if I had invited my father to my wedding, it still would have been this man who walked me down the aisle. Cecil was the man that had raised me, the first man to love me unconditionally.
Suddenly the music changed, turning into “Wedding March,” and Cecil turned to me with a wobbly smile. “Ready?”
“Ready.” It came out a whisper, because I was suddenly having trouble speaking through the emotion clogging my throat.
Cecil offered me his arm and I wrapped my hand around it as we stepped around the little wall that was hiding me from everyone. My eyes went immediately to the front of the aisle. I didn’t see any of the thirty or so guests that we had invited. No one standing by the arbor registered in my brain but the man that owned me completely.
Shane’s short hair was a little messy, but I wasn’t sure if that was intentional or not. His blue-gray eyes were glassy and bloodshot. The tux he was wearing fit him perfectly, the lavender-dyed boutonniere bringing a smile to my lips. He had been the one to pick our colors, wanting everything to match my eyes.
As Cecil and I grew closer, I watched Shane swallow hard, his throat working with emotion. I blinked back tears, so happy that my heart felt like it was going to explode. It felt like I was walking too slow, that I was never going to make it to his side. Cecil had to grasp my hand and hold on to keep me from walking away without him. Biting my lip I tried to stay patient, but it was hard to do so when all I wanted was to be in Shane’s arms.
Finally—finall
y—I was only a few feet away. Shane stepped forward, taking my hand from Cecil and pulling me against him. “I love you,” he breathed as his lips captured mine.
My mind went completely blank while my body seemed to go up in flames of white hot desire. My bouquet of white and lavender roses fell from my hand as I wrapped myself around Shane, trying to press as close as humanly possible.
I heard a deep voice behind me and I turned my head to see Cecil grinning through his tears. “I’d like to keep some things out of my imagination where you two are concerned, sweetheart.” He winked, and Shane chuckled when I felt my face fill with heat. Cecil stepped forward, pulling me out of Shane’s hold so he could kiss my cheek before handing me over to my groom. “Take care of her, boy.”
“I will, sir,” Shane told him in a rougher than usual voice. “I swear I will.”
The minister cleared his throat and Shane turned us both to face the man, his arm still tight around my waist. The little man with the salt-and-pepper hair gave us both a kind smile before starting the ceremony. I tried not to cry, but when Shane repeated his vows, I was a lost cause.
“…I will love and cherish you for all the days of my life…” I heard the words, but couldn’t see him through my tears. His voice cracked and I knew that he was having just as hard a time as I was fighting the tears. When he placed the ring that matched my engagement ring on my finger, my fingers were shaking so badly he had to hold my hand a little tighter so he could slip it on. A small sob escaped me as he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my finger that now held our pledge of love.
I repeated the same vows—promising to be his friend, lover, and soul mate for eternity. Dallas handed me the ring and I dabbed at my tears so I could see what I was doing before taking it and placing it on his finger.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Shane, you may kiss your bride.” The minister hadn’t even finished speaking before Shane pulled me tenderly against him. He lifted me a few inches off the ground as his head lowered. When our lips met, for the first time as husband and wife, the magic—the chemistry that had always been so strong between us—sparked higher. I clung to him, kissing him deeper, forgetting about the group of friends and family watching us as he devoured my mouth in a kiss that sealed our pledge deeper than any ring ever could.
--
“Ladies and gentlemen. I give you Mr. and Mrs. Shane Stevenson!”
It sounded like the reception hall was full of hundreds of people instead of less than fifty as Shane and I walked into the room hand in hand. Our friends, family, a few of my co-workers, and some of the road crew that had been with Demon’s Wings for years were in attendance. It was small, intimate, and absolutely perfect in my eyes.
“To kick off the festivities the bride and groom will have their first dance.” The wedding planner had a sultry, very sexy voice—something I hadn’t noticed until just now. But that thought completely evaporated from my brain as Shane pulled me into his arms and the lights were dimmed.
I had no clue what music was going to play. Shane and I didn’t really have a specific song and I had asked him to deal with it all. I knew that he had been working with Nik on a playlist and I was excited to hear what they had come up with. My man wasn’t a music snob. I knew there was going to be a variety of genres on his playlist. Thank all of Emmie’s freaking gods, because as much as I loved rock-n-roll I didn’t want to spend our entire wedding reception with my hands in the air.
The piano startled me, and then I was melting against my husband as John Legend’s “All of Me” filled the room. A spotlight was put on us as Shane danced me around the small section of the reception room used for a dance floor. His lips pressed against my ear and I shivered as he sang to me. “Because all of me, loves all of you… You’re my End and my Beginning…”
Tears were flooding down my cheeks and I buried my face in his chest, clutching at him as he serenaded me in front of all the people we loved. As the song slowly came to an end I was nearly sobbing, literally so happy that I had to cry or implode. Shane kissed my tears away, whispering how much he loved me in my ear over and over again until at last the music ended and I was a weak mess using him to hold me up.
Around us everyone was applauding again, but I barely paid them any attention as the strings of the next song started playing and my happy sobs turned into giggles. America Authors’ “Best Day of My Life” flooded the room and I wrapped my arms around Shane’s neck, kissing him long and deep as the words echoed everything I was feeling.
This really was the best day of my life.
I spent the next hour being passed from dance partner to dance partner. My dad, Nik, Axton, Jesse and then Drake. Then my boss, Rex who was the executive editor and CEO of American Rocker. I also danced one with Mia, because she said we looked like twins and twins had to dance to at least one song. Wroth and Zander were sweet when they danced with me, while Devlin was a flirt the whole time. When my new father-in-law offered me his hand I was a little reluctant to take it, but didn’t want to cause a scene. I let him lead me to the middle of the room, my smile on the forced side as I stepped onto the dance floor with him.
It was hard to look at him and not see the family resemblance to Shane and Drake, who could easily be confused for twins at a distance. Clyde Stevenson was still a very good-looking man even, and I knew from just looking at him that both his sons—and yes, his daughters too—would age gracefully. He seemed nice enough, but I held back from letting myself really like him because neither Shane nor Drake had truly forgiven him for abandoning them when they had desperately needed him the most. And because I couldn’t forgive him, I definitely could not forgive his wife. Stella Stevenson was the reason Clyde had turned his back on his sons, and no woman should ever demand that of a man.
“Thanks for including Natalie and Jenna in the wedding party,” Clyde said.
“No thanks is needed. I love them both. Jenna is very special to both Shane and me. I wish we could see more of her.” Since the move to California, Jenna wasn’t able to visit us as often as she had when we lived in New York.
“I’m sure we can work something out so that she can come visit a little more often,” Clyde assured me. “She’s been complaining non-stop about not seeing you and Shane, but at least she still gets to visit Natalie, and Drake during the months he’s on the East Coast.”
We danced a little longer in silence and I was starting to wish the song was over already when he spoke again. “I want to thank you, Harper.”
I blinked. “Thank me? What for?”
He blew out a long sigh, full of emotions I wasn’t sure I wanted to name because that would mean I felt sympathy for this man. “For loving my son. For making him the happiest I have ever seen him. You’re the reason he has a smile on his face more often than not. Look, I realize my opinion doesn’t count for beans to you or anyone else in this room. Lana especially.” He grimaced. I could just imagine what Lana had said to him about his opinion and whatever else. “But, I just had to say it. So, thank you.”
The song drew to an end and I found myself hugging him, if a little awkwardly. “Like I said, no thanks is needed, Clyde.”
Dinner was just as delicious as I had been expecting. I sat at our long table with our wedding party, tasting a little of everything from my plate as well as Shane’s when he wasn’t looking. I was sipping on my champagne, half listening to someone giving a speech, when my entire day went from amazing to complete shit.
No way. No. No. NO. FUCKING. WAY!
The words must have actually came out instead of echoing in my head because a few of the closer-sitting guests gasped. I stood up so fast that my chair toppled over and I just stood there, staring at the only two people I would have paid money to have pushed into the bowels of hell.
My mother was sitting at a table just off to my left. My beautiful stepsister taking her seat as if she belonged here, when she was just tainting everything that I thought was achingly perfect only seconds ago. When she notic
ed my eyes on them my mother actually smiled. Not her catty smile that she always used to put me down and make me feel lacking, but the sweet I’m-such-a-good-person smile.
Beside me Shane muttered a violent curse and I felt Emmie moving behind me, already on her phone talking softly—deadly—to security. I turned to Shane. “How did they get in here?” I whispered.
I saw the guilt in his eyes even as his throat worked with emotion. Damn it! I had seen that same look in his eyes the night he had blindsided me with a surprise dinner with those same bitches years ago. I sucked in a deep breath, my hands clenching into fists as I tried to reign in my growing anger at him. “You?”
“I made a mistake. She called me last night, crying about how she wanted to be a better mother. I felt like shit and I finally just emailed her an invitation. But I realized it was a mistake as soon as I woke up this morning. Emmie tightened security, told them not to let her in. When she didn’t show up for the ceremony we thought she wasn’t going to come… I guess she decided to wait until our guard was down.” He caught hold of my fists, bringing them to his lips. “I’m sorry, beautiful. So sorry I let them ruin our day.”
I closed my eyes, blocking out the sight of his wet eyes and the crowd behind him.
It had been years since I had seen either my mother or stepsister. I hadn’t taken their phone calls. Had tossed out every Christmas card and even the one birthday card my mom had actually remembered to send. Shane had made me realize that I didn’t need them in my life and I wasn’t going to let them guilt me like they once had when I was growing up…
I didn’t need them! And I sure as fuck wasn’t going to let them mess this day up for Shane and me.
I opened my eyes and wrapped my arms around Shane’s neck. “I’m not mad at you,” I told him, kissing his cheek. “Let’s just ignore them. If we pretend they aren’t here… Well that will really piss Mother off.”
Blue-gray eyes widened in surprise. “Really? You aren’t upset with me?”