Saving Dallas Forever (27 page)

Saving Dallas Forever

Epilogue

Luke was just as anxious to make me his wife as I was to become it. He had proposed four months ago, and we had agreed that the first Saturday in April would be
the
day. The venue was perfect. We would be getting married at the Abbey, a bed and breakfast I owned in Tupelo. The historical mansion was such a beautiful place that the only decorations required were the fresh flowers that I placed sparingly around the grand room, where the ceremony would be held. A huge staircase centered the room, and the nuptials would take place at the top. Jackie, Gladean, and Pearl, three of the employees at the Abbey, were working feverishly in the kitchen, preparing the food for the reception. Stacy (the man who I considered an uncle, but had also accused of trying to kill me) and I had shared a drink together the night before. Ironic I know, and I was glad to see he held no ill will toward me, not that he should, because there was no way in hell I would ever give him a reason to. Some things were just better left unsaid. He, like Jackie, Gladean, and Pearl, had been working his ass off to ensure everything was ready for this evening.

The ceremony would be dedicated to, and in honor and memory of, War, a fallen brother who had lost his life on the night I was attacked. His service not only to me, but to the club, would forever be remembered and a shadow box filled with a replica of his cut and a single precious item, would be hung in the clubhouse as a reminder of his sacrifices. The body of War had never been recovered and Luke refused to hold a funeral, in the hope that he was still alive. But Jeff (my ex-boyfriend, who dumped me for a one-night stand with a chick who worked at Arby’s, compliments of Regg, and was a key factor in the takedown of Charlie) was not the useless piece of shit I remembered, and had informed Luke that Crazy and Dennis had confirmed War’s life was taken from him the same night he went
missing. Jeff did not partake in the killing nor was he informed of it at the time. Luke still wasn’t convinced that he was gone, but Ronnie was going to talk to him, or so he said. Jeff was told to disappear, and he did just that. He was last seen driving a Honda.

I finally got my trip to the beach. Luke and I left the morning after ‘operation take down Charlie’, after the news confirmed his death. Two eye witnesses claimed to have seen two men who had been staying at the hotel drag Charlie from an SUV and force him into their room. Less than ten minutes later, they heard gunshots and called the police, who ruled it as a fatal shootout between three men, resulting in all of their deaths. Charlie had a whole twenty seconds of fame before a cute kitten dancing for a treat stole his spotlight. Fiji was beautiful. We were there a total of two days before I got stomach flu. It took Luke a whole day to convince me that no one was trying to kill me. He said everyone who had any issues with me, or with anyone I was close to, was dead. This brought up the subject of what had really happened in that hotel room after he left. Our silence seemed to tell one another that we didn’t want to talk about it, but he finally asked, so I told him. I never uttered the words “I killed Charlie”, because that would make him an accessory; he had taught me that. So, instead of actually telling him, I simply said ‘Plan B.’
After my forty-eight hour stomach flu, I actually got to enjoy myself. We walked on the beach, snorkeled, rode jet skis, swam, fucked, and ate, and Luke bought me a ridiculous solitaire, princess-cut diamond. All of this happened in one day. After I received my ring, I suddenly felt homesick. I asked Luke if he would be mad if we went home early. Of course he wasn’t and we left the next morning. We flew into New Orleans, and when we stepped off the plane, I was miraculously cured of my homesickness, so we spent the remainder of the week in Lake Charles. I thought I’d played it really well, but Luke was on to me. When I burst through the door of the clubhouse, I did not greet my sisters nor did they greet me. The first words spoken were “let me see.” Yeah, I probably should have thought that one through. Luke wasn’t mad, though; I made it up to him.

The Red Strip is now a successful strip mall located on highway ninety-eight and it was named after my favorite stripper. I’d meant it as a joke, but the way Red’s face lit up when I informed her of the name I planned to use forced me to make it official. The mayor signed a deal regarding the pipeline, and it is now being laid a mile south of Hattiesburg, instead of through the heart of it; the result of an idea from my brilliant assistant, who I plan to let replace me as CEO in the very near future. The mayor was rolling in the money, but the big picture was that many businesses were saved from sacrifice, and now Red could see her name every time she went home, which wouldn’t be often considering she still spent the majority of her time at Luke’s; which would soon be known as Luke and Dallas’.

I looked around the extravagant room, closing my eyes as I inhaled the scent of the flowers that reminded me spring was here. The only thing I would miss about the cold weather was the sight of Luke in leather chaps. We had a long weekend ahead of us. The ceremony was formal, and the reception, consisting of hors d’oeuvres, champagne, and dancing would take place here, immediately following ‘I do.’ Tomorrow would be the biker reception, where attire was optional and catering would consist of grilled food, liquor, and beer, as well as strip poles covered with Lindas’, or so I hoped. Then after that, it was off to spend a week in the city of love, unless of course I got homesick.

I walked up the stairs, pausing at the top to look down at the empty room that would soon be filled with the faces I loved. I made my way down the hall to join Red, who waited in my room to help me prepare for the first day of the rest of my life.

“Would you hold the fuck still?” Red murmured, the safety pin she held between her teeth impairing her speech.

“Would you put that fucking cigarette out?” I asked, eyeing the cigarette that was wedged between her fingers and dangerously close to the back of my arm. I stood with my arm extended over my head
, while Red attempted to pin my dress, which was missing the hook and eye, because her impatience had got the better of her when she had tried to latch it the first time.

“Shut up. I need it to concentrate.” Red said, pausing to take a drag, gracious enough to blow the smoke out of the side of her mouth, other than onto my
gown. I had decided to wear my mother’s wedding dress. I wanted to feel as if a part of her was with me as I walked down the aisle. The dress fit perfectly, but I wanted to add my own touch of splendor, so it had been in the hands of Luke’s mother, who I had found was a wonderful seamstress. She removed the long lace sleeves, so that the dress lay perfectly across my chest, using some of the leftover material to make a garter, and the rest she promised to keep-in the event my daughter would like to one day use it on her own wedding gown.

My daughter.

I like how that rolled off my tongue. Luke’s mother and father were happy to see me, welcoming me with open arms the moment I stepped into their home. I could imagine my children running across the hardwood floors of their home, and opening Christmas presents as we celebrated the holidays with their grandparents.

As a family.

Soon, I would be Mrs. Carmical, and I couldn’t fucking wait.

Maddie joined Red and I, her smile bright as she ignored an annoyed Red, and handed me a small box.

“I have something for you.”

“Red?” I asked, anxious to put my arm down and receive Maddie’s gift.

“I’m done.” I watched as she gave Maddie a reassuring squeeze on her arm and a warm smile, before leaving us alone. I took the box from Maddie’s shaking hands, a look of sadness claiming her face, although she tried to shield it with a smile that didn’t reach her tear-filled eyes. I opened the box to reveal a pair of simple, pearl earrings.

“They were my mother’s. I thought you might like something borrowed.” I was speechless, as Maddie pulled them from the box and placed them in my ears. I turned around and immediately became teary eyed, as I found the ghost of my young mother in the mirror. The gown I wore was covered in lace that fit tightly to my curves and covered my feet. The back of the dress swooped in the middle of my back, and curved perfectly over my backside, before spreading out to form a three-foot train. My hair was pinned up, held in place by two beautifully crafted hair combs covered in pearls, a gift from my MC sisters, and now my I wore two perfectly matching pearl earrings; a gift from my blood sister.

“Maddie, they are perfect,” I managed to choke out, overwhelmed by her gift.

“And now, so are you.” I pulled Maddie to me, hugging her tightly, before we were interrupted by something that sounded much like a herd of cattle barreling down the hall.

“Hey!” My infamous group of sisters greeted, as they herded into the room.

“You look beautiful, baby,” Brooklyn said, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she kissed the air around me to avoid staining me with her bright, red lipstick.

“Okay, we gotta see the shoes, sista,” Mary said, looking down at my feet, as I lifted my dress to reveal my bright orange Jimmy Choo stilettos.

“They are so hot!” Katina said, fanning herself with her hand.

“And look extremely uncomfortable,” Katelyn added, with a worried look.

“Girl, hot and comfortable are two of those things you can only have one at a time,” Chi Chi added, giving me a wink.

“You gonna bust your ass and we gonna have to call the paramedics,” Punkin said, the ashes from her cigarette threatening to fall to the floor just any minute. When Katelyn offered her an ashtray, she waved it away, and I laughed.

“Shit! I need something blue!” I said in a panic, causing everyone’s eyes to search the room in the hope of finding something. A knock sounded at the door, and Red pulled it wide open, greeting a grinning Regg with a smile.

“You know what would make that dress better?” Regg asked, motioning with his finger up and down my dress.

“What?” I asked, looking over it in a panic. Was something wrong? When I didn’t find anything, I looked up to find him smiling wide.

“If you just pulled the top down just a little-“

“You’re a fuckin’ perv Regg,” Red snapped, but I could hear the smile in her tone. “What do you want?”

“I was hopin’ to find y’all naked.”

“Get out.”

“Babe.”

The sound of voices was tuned out, as I focused all my attention on the man emerging from the room across the hall. Luke looked stunning in an ivory tux that matched the color of my dress perfectly. My eyes traveled up his body, excitement filling me as they zoned in on the bulge between his thighs, knowing that in only a matter of hours, I would be seeing him, tasting him, and feeling him as he pulsated inside me. I dragged my eyes over the lapels of his tux, which hid what I knew were rock hard muscles, begging to be caressed with my touch and teased with the biting sting of my nails as they dug into him; a result of the pleasure he gave me. The silk necktie he wore was orange in color, matching my shoes, and reminding us to stay true to the double life we both lived. His hair was a dark blonde mess, styled unintentionally by his hands, which he ran through it whenever he was anxious or mad. His lips were parted, and showed the slightest hint of the two perfect rows of white teeth that sat behind them. Those lips would be on me soon, sealing the lifetime promise we would make to each other with a kiss. I found his eyes, filled with fondness and pride as he took me, his soon-to-be bride, in all of my dressed grandeur. He gave me a wink and butterflies fluttered in my stomach, causing my heart to skip a beat, before it continued hammering against my chest. His eyes shone brightly, and reminded me that I already had something blue, and they would be with me at the altar.

The door was slammed shut and Luke’s face disappeared. My ears tuned into the chatter in the room as everyone offered up something blue, from an Aleve that Brooklyn pulled from her purse, to the panties Katina was willing to remove and allow me to wear. I declined all their gifts, with a laugh, letting them know that I had forgotten I already had something. 

I had a host of sisters from both Hattiesburg and Lake Charles, but it was the eight that surrounded me that I wanted to stand next to me as I said my vows, making Luke roll his eyes at the thought of having to convince eight brothers to wear a tuxedo. After much consideration,
we decided that we would not choose who stood with us, but would ask them all to stand behind us, as we began our journey together as husband and wife. It would be only Luke and I who stood at the altar and only our family and closest friends would be present. I thought of how each one of the women in the room held a special place in my heart.

My beautiful sister Maddie; looking at her now, I realized that the days of my past were dull compared to the ones I now shared with her. She was my sister in more ways than one, and I now that I had her in my life, I couldn’t imagine living without her.

The foul-mouthed, hard-headed, big-hearted Red, whose tough exterior was only half the reason I loved her. It was the passion she had for life and the ability to love fiercely that filled the void in my heart, which I didn’t even know was there until she came along.

Mother to us all and leader of our pack, Brooklyn, who paved the road that we all traveled to be a part of the MC life. My heart had been stolen by Luke. There was never a time when I felt like I couldn’t love him, but it was Brooklyn who had shown me how to love LLC. She had taught me how to be an ol’ lady, and how to love a biker, and the life that went with it.