Society Weddings (Corrigan & Co. Book 11) (2 page)

“In life, no. We all see how much you love
her just the way she is. She’s never been happier,” Reina tells me.
“As far as the wedding, well, yes. You were trying to give her a
dream wedding that’s not her dream.”

“She also thinks you’d hate to get married
on the field,” Stella says.

I shake my head. “I wouldn’t. I only said
that to let her off the hook. Which apparently, she was never on.
She really wants this?”

“Yes, you idiot,” Stella tells me.

I nod. I
am
an idiot. I should’ve
known that Ainsley didn’t want a banquet room, or a fancy dinner.
My girl’s happiest when she’s eating stadium food in her jeans and
my jersey. I mean, she can rock a gown like nobody’s business, but
she prefers casual. Now I just need to give it to her.

“Can we do this?”

“We’re the Society,” Reina says with a
smirk.

That’s all she really needs to say. “I have
something I’d like to do. I didn’t think it would work well in a
ballroom, but on the field, yeah.”

“I’ll take care of the stadium, and all
that’s needed. Faith and Gavin will make sure the food is insane.
The cake will come from Drago Sisters, like planned,” Stella tells
me.

“And the guests?”

“Not a problem.”

“Thanks. For coming here and looking out for
Ains.”

“We did this for you, too, Zack. You have a
wonderful family, but you’re also part of our chosen one. Don’t
forget that,” Reina reminds me.

“I won’t.”

I walk them out, and then pull up the number
I need on my phone. He answers on the second ring. “Hey, Scott. I
need your help. Again.”

* * *

Ainsley

“Where are we going?” I ask, panicking a
little. It’s my wedding day, but we’re not heading in the right
direction. The casino is the other way.

“Plans have changed,” Sierra tells me with a
smile. She’s Zack’s sister and one of my ten bridesmaids.

“What do you mean? How could things have
changed?”

“I think it’s time to give her the letter,”
Isa says to my mom.

She nods, and then hands me an envelope. It
has my name on it in Zack’s handwriting. I look around to see all
of my friends smiling at me. Jade hands me some tissues, and I know
that if she’s offering them, I’m definitely going to need them. I
open the envelope, and pull out the page inside.

Hi Ains,

I’m not a formal guy, so this isn’t going to
be a formal letter, and we’re not going to have a formal wedding.
I’m sorry I made you think that’s what I wanted. It’s not. I was
just being stupid, and forgot that you’re not some fairytale
princess who would want something fancy for us. I pretended that I
didn’t absolutely love the idea of marrying you on the field. Now
that I’ve pulled my head out of my ass, I realize you really do
want that, too. So that’s what we’re doing, baby. I’ll see you in
the End Zone as we begin the rest of our lives together.

I love you,
Zack

“We’re going to the stadium?” I ask, smiling
so wide I think I think my lips might crack.

“We are indeed,” Tegan tells me.

I look over at my mom, who did so much work
for my casino wedding. “You’re okay with this?”

“I’m more than okay with
this. I’ve always known that you wouldn’t want the princess
treatment. I had fun planning everything with you, but I was also
worried. Today should be perfect for you.
This
is going to be perfect for you,
and I had a big hand in it as well.”

“Thank you. All of you.”

And yeah, I’m using those damn tissues now.
It only gets worse when we pull up to the stadium, and I see the
parking lot turned into a giant tailgate party. It’s like nothing
I’ve ever seen, or could imagine.

There’s a sea of trucks with their tires
removed. All of them are painted purple, and round banquet tables
are sitting in their beds. As I walk around, I see the centerpieces
are like mini works of art. There are both candid and casual
pictures of us, taken by Candi Griffin. Mixed in are computer
parts, and roses made out of pigskin, complete with laces, all
flowing out of overturned helmets in custom holders so they don’t
roll.

Food stations are being set up all over, and
I can already tell that Faith and Gavin have outdone themselves.
Trust the two of them to give me all of my favorite junk foods with
just enough of a twist to please everyone else. There are vegan
options, but not a salad in sight. I can’t wait to try all of
it.

“Come on, you can drool over the food later.
Stella will kill us if we don’t get you inside,” Ellie tells me,
pulling on my arm.

I follow her into the building, and up to
one of the Skyboxes. The curtains are drawn, and the inside looks
like a beauty salon. Stella waves everyone but me over to one side
of the room, and then pulls me into a big hug.

“Surprise.”

“You did this.”

“Me and Rei might have paid a visit to the
groom.”

“He really wants this? You didn’t make him
say it?”

“No. I was ready to use some force, but it
wasn’t necessary.”

“She’s not kidding,” Reina says, coming up
behind me to hug me as well.

“Thanks. I mean it.”

“You’re welcome. Now let’s get you
ready.”

* * *

Zack

I’m standing on the field,
waiting for Ains. There’s no countdown clock, and this is
definitely not a baseball diamond, but I still feel like Drew
Barrymore in
Never Been
Kissed
. Despite knowing it’s irrational, I
can’t help worrying that she won’t come out onto the field. I may
be cocky to everyone else, but I know I’m the lucky one in this
relationship. I also know I messed up when we were first getting
together. A. Lot.

“Knock it off, Zack,” my dad says from where
he’s standing next to me as my best man.

“What?”

“Stop psyching yourself out. Ainsley is
here, and she’s going to be walking out onto this field in just a
few minutes. That’s going to happen.”

“You’re sure.”

“1000%. That girl loves you.”

“I love her, too.”

“I know. She’s perfect for you.”

She is. Before I can agree with him, the
music starts. My sister Sierra comes out of the tunnel first,
followed by the Society women. They’re all in short, strapless
dresses made of different colored swirls of purple fabric. Instead
or flowers, they’re holding bouquets of “football roses” which are
pieces of pigskin shaped to look like roses. When Stella showed
them to me, I was mad that I hadn’t bought any for Ains before. She
convinced me that the wedding was the perfect place to present them
to her, so I calmed down.

I’m not at all calm once the Wedding March
begins, and Ainsley and her dad appear at the mouth of the tunnel.
She’s in a cool pink dress. Yeah, I said pink. Never fucking
expected that, but damn does it look perfect on her. She’s carrying
the deep purple Calla Lilies I picked for her, and I can barely
breathe. She’s here. She’s mine, and she’s here.

I see the excitement and joy on her face
when the surprise Scott helped me with materializes in front of us.
There are all of the living actors from the Star Wars movies, good
and bad, male and female, old and new. They’re in costume, holding
light sabers over the aisle for her. She covers her mouth, and I
see her crying. I paid all of my endorsement money for the year to
get them here, but it’s totally worth it.

I barely register her dad placing her hand
in mine as I feel tears prickling in my eyes. “You look
gorgeous.”

“So do you. Thank you for this. All of
this.”

I shake my head. “This is
for
us
. Both of
us.”

“The Star Wars was for you?”

“Okay. Most of it is for both of us,” I tell
her with a laugh, which she returns.

We face my coach, who got ordained just so
he could do this for me. Our wedding may not be traditional, but
our vows are. We make our promises, and then I kiss her, soft and
sweet. “I love you, Mrs. Taylor.”

“I love you, Mr. Taylor.”

We take all of the pictures we need to, and
then I lead her to the locker room for her next surprise. I had
custom jerseys made for us to wear, along with jeans. Our wedding
party will be wearing them, too, because I want us all to be
comfortable at the reception.

“Oh my God, they’re perfect.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I also had Stella get us a huge plate, so
we can share without getting seconds.”

“Everything is perfect, Zack. Really
perfect.”

“It is when we’re together.”

“Good thing we’ll be together forever, then,
isn’t it?”

“Yes. It really is.”

Gavin

“You look like you’re going to throw up,” my
friend Jake Mason tells me, as I look at the text on my phone.

“What? Oh, um, no. Just wedding stuff.”

“It can’t be that bad, man,” one of my other
friends, Caleb Hall says. “Faith is a cool chick.”

“She is. It’s just not easy to mix her
grandparent’s customs with the modern wedding she wants.”

“Does she want a traditional wedding?” Jake
asks.

“Yes, and no,” I tell him honestly.

We’re hanging out, drinking beers, and
catching up while our women are out planning weddings. Well,
Tegan’s not planning a wedding since she’s already married to
Caleb, but she’s there for support. The women of the Society have
more connections and resources than anyone on this planet, but
planning eight weddings, all within a few months is still a lot for
them to pull together. Especially since they can’t just abandon
their regular work to focus on everything else. All of the guys
have offered to help, but for the most part, they’ve told us
they’ve got it taken care of. My number just got called, though,
and I need to step up, and step in.

“I need to call Faith’s grandfather. Can you
guys excuse me for a few?”

“Go on. And good luck,” Caleb tells me.

I’m afraid that I’m going to need that luck,
and more. Faith’s grandparents love me, but they also love the idea
of a completely traditional Chinese wedding and reception. Faith
wants some tradition, but she wants to do it her way. My brave
warrior woman is afraid to disappoint the people she loves more
than anyone but me, so she just told me she’s going along with
them. I’ve never been one to shy away from a conflict, and I won’t
start now. I press the name in my contacts, and hold takes some
deep breaths.

“Hello sir,” I say when he answers the
phone.

“Gavin, we just got off the phone with
Faith. It’s wonderful to hear that you are happy to go along with
our plans for the wedding and reception.”

“We’re not, sir. I’m sorry to be so blunt,
but Faith’s happiness is more important to me than anything. Having
a completely traditional wedding will not make her happy.”

He sighs before answering. “We know.”

Excuse me? I hold my temper in check, and
keep my voice calm. Years of training as a Senator’s son has
prepared me for almost anything. “You do?”

“Yes, Gavin.”

“Then why have you been pushing her?”

“We keep hoping she’ll push back. Before
we…went away…she would stand up to us if she didn’t agree with what
we said or did. Now, she just goes along with us. I know she feels
guilt, but that is not hers to carry.”

No, it is not. The guilt belongs to her
stepfather, and a sadistic bitch. Both of whom are no longer
breathing. Her mother holds some well-deserved guilt as well, but
she’s truly sorry, and they’re working on their relationship. Her
maternal grandmother is still alive, but if we never see her in
person again, it will be too soon for Faith. Yeah, her family’s
fucked up, but so is mine. My mother killed my father, and then
went after Faith. The Society and I bought her off so she’d leave
Faith alone, and while I could care less about the money, I would
put a bullet in her head myself if she ever messed with my woman
again. No question.

“She’s not going to give you even an inch of
pushback.”

“We could tell her we hate you, and want her
to break up with you,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his
voice.

“Let’s not. I’m not 100% sure that she’d
choose to fight for me again.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. Faith’s love for
you is strong and true. Just like yours for her is.”

“I
do
love her, and we need to do
something. We have to give her the wedding she wants.”

“We will fly out to Las Vegas tomorrow and
talk to her.”

“Thank you,” I say, sighing in relief.
“There’s something I’d like to do for Faith, and I need your
help.”

“Anything you need, Gavin. I’ll see you
soon.”

* * *

Faith

“Stop telling me everything will work out.
Gav,” I yell out in frustration. “It won’t. Not with this.”

“If you’re not happy with having a
traditional wedding and reception, why don’t you speak up?”

“You know why.”

“You are not responsible for what happened
to your grandparents.”

I am, though. If I had just kept my mouth
shut, those bastards wouldn’t have gone after them. I thank God
every day for the Society saving them, but it doesn’t change the
facts. If I had just taken my punishment quietly, saving them
wouldn’t have been necessary.

“Don’t. Just don’t.”

“Don’t what? Try to talk some fucking sense
into you? Don’t love you? What exactly is it that you don’t want?
Me? Us?”

Is that what he thinks? I can’t let him
think that. I reach out and run my fingers over his cheek. “I know
I’ve been crazier than usual lately, but don’t give up on me.
Please, don’t give up on me.”