Texas Tornado (Freebirds Book 5) (37 page)

“That big shit.” I said, shaking my head.

Cheyenne, Blaine, Winter, Ember and Payton all laughed, knowing exactly what it was like to have a man like James to deal with. Each and every one of them had been in my shoes at some point or another. They knew how the alpha male mind worked, just as well as I did.

It was their way, or their way. No excuses.

“Okay, so we have about an hour to get your hair washed and styled, your makeup on, and your dress cinched up. Are you ready?” Blaine asked, clapping her hands in glee.

I smiled at her, nodded my head, and started walking towards them.

“Alright, if you ladies don’t need my assistance anymore, I’ll be in the garage with everyone else. Okay?” Sebastian asked, clearly uncomfortable seeing all the girl stuff going on.

I waved him out with a dismissive hand, and he exhaled in relief before practically gunning it out the door.

Which promptly reopened when Janie came barreling inside wearing skinny jeans, biker boots, and a hoodie that said, ‘Got wind?’ Her hair was up in a ponytail high up on top of her head, and she had a single black ribbon tied around the ponytail so it hung equally on both sides.

Those were my doing. She’d finally consented to having a ribbon in her hair, but that’s where she drew the line. She did
not
do bows. Period. James only laughed when I’d tried to get her to wear a bow one day, which was why he’d won the present contest in the first place.

He knew his kid. Which was why he got her a small mini bike. She fucking adored it. She’s on that thing at least once a day for an hour. The bike I got her sat in the garage gathering dust, sad to say.

“’Loh! Daddy said to give this to you.” Janie squealed and handed me a letter just as I’d taken a seat at the kitchen table.

Blaine and Ember immediately went to work on my hair while I sat there and let it happen.

“You should read that now. When we start on your makeup, there will be no more crying.” Blaine told me before yanking my hair out of its ponytail.

The first sheet that was folded up was a bunch of numbers, percentages, and really a bunch of gibberish. If I was reading the sheet correctly, the number was nearly 110 million.

What the hell?

Then I got to the letter.

Shiloh “Speedy” June Mackenzie, fixing to be Allen,

So I assume you opened up the other letter first. Let me tell you what it means, since I’m sure you’re asking yourself....what the fuck?

Stop shaking your head. I know you were.

Two days before I was shot, I had my vasectomy reversed. I know, I know, you’re wondering why I didn’t tell you. Well it’s simple. I didn’t want to. I wanted to make sure it was successful before I told you. I wanted to be able to tell you that it worked, and that we could start trying before I got your hopes up. Since I’m telling you now, you know that it was successful. That number says my boy’s count is fucking perfect. Boom!

Well, then the kidnapping, followed by our recovery happened, which actually worked out in my favor since I was supposed to withhold from sex for four weeks.

Which would’ve worked out perfectly because I’d asked Cheyenne to start planning your dream wedding. Your brother helped there, describing a scrapbook you’d made your senior year in high school that held all your hopes and dreams for the future.

Let me tell you, I plan on making every one of those things, and then some, come true. I want you to be the mother of my children. I want you to grow old with me. I want you on the back of my bike when we’re sixty years old, having the time of your life with me.

But first, I want to make your first dream come true. Your wedding.

Which is where we’re at right now. I hope I’ve made it all perfect for you. I want this to be everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Even if I have to wear a tux.

I love you.

See you at the alter.

J.

I wiped tears from my eyes as I finished the letter.

“Good news?” Cheyenne asked in her chair across from me.

My eyes snapped up from the letter to Cheyenne’s face. “The best.”

When we’d discussed this in the hospital five weeks ago, I’d been optimistic. Now, though, I wasn’t so sure that this was a good thing.

We’d been following Teal’s progress since her attack, and it was overly apparent that Teal was never going to recover. Teal’s ex-husband was indeed more connected than we’d ever thought possible, but sadly, wasn’t something the men of Free had even thought to check for before. One tiny little tracking device, implanted without her knowledge, was enough to find her halfway across the world.

Although the situation in and of itself was truly horrible, it was good for the rest of the Freebirds. It meant that their identities hadn’t been compromised. They were safe to go about living their lives. Though a new plan of scanning for tracking devices was a protocol on the men’s to-do list as soon as the women were picked up to be sent on to their new lives.

Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and it was horrible that a woman had to die for that new protocol to be put into effect.

“Any news on Teal’s baby?” Winter asked with a small smile on her face.

“She’s very close to being full term. They think it’ll be another week and a half or so. We plan to go up there within the next week to stay. Teal’s ex was identified by not only the traffic light cameras, but also by fifteen motorists and seven pedestrians. He won’t be able to challenge the child’s paternity. He’ll be in prison for well over thirty years.” I explained.

“That’s so sad. How are y’all going to explain this?” Cheyenne ventured into shark territory.

James had been adamant about making sure the baby would be accepted. He shouldn’t have been worried though, everyone was one hundred percent supportive, and couldn’t wait for the new arrival, even if the circumstances were horrid.

“The baby’s ours. What is there to explain?” Janie asked, breaking into the conversation.

Sometimes, a child’s perspective was all that it would take to humble anyone. Possibly, that was all that anyone every needed to hear.

“That’s right, sweetie. Is that what you’re wearing to watch us get married in?” I asked.

“Yes.” She scowled.

I nodded. “Okay.

I wasn’t about to tell her what she should wear. I’d seen that battle when James tried to get her to change her jeans because they had too many holes in them. It’d gone so well that I’d promised myself to never question here dressing choices. Plus, I didn’t want to have to spank her like James had that day. She was exactly like him, and how could I punish her for being just like the father I loved so much?

She looked at me skeptically, but only until Ember interrupted me by telling me to close my eyes. Which is how I spent my next thirty minutes.

“Alright. That’s done. Now, this is something we’re going to go do in the back room. You’ll want to get it done. I promise you you’ll love it. After the hard part’s done, that is.” Cheyenne said cryptically.

I went with her, leaving everyone behind as they wore shit eating grins that I didn’t like at all. “Alright, what exactly are we doing?”

“We’re waxing your girly bits.” She exclaimed. “Take your panties off.”

My shoulders straightened, and I looked at her cautiously. “You’ve got to be kidding...right?”

“Absolutely not. Now, take those bad boys off, hop up here, and we’ll start on the festivities.” She said with a bright light in her eyes.

“I don’t know that I’m comfortable taking my clothes off and spreading my legs for you.” I finally replied after we sat there staring at each other for a few short moments.

“Listen,” she said, placing her hand on her hip. “I’ve seen so many vaginas that I could describe them to you in such minute detail that you’d beg me to stop. Trust me. You ain’t got nothing that I haven’t seen before. Promise.”

Reluctantly I slipped out of my underwear, and blocked the next thirty minutes out of my mind completely. All I had to say was that James better love this, or I’d be doing the same to his pubic hair while he slept. That was even more painful than breaking my leg. All those things from Forty Year Old Virgin were true, only the words that came out of my mouth were much worse than
Kelly Clarkson
.

“I’m telling you, he’s going to love it.” Cheyenne enthused as she opened the door that led back out into the down room.

“Oh, he’s going to love it. He came running in here ready to go all Hulk on us when we explained that she was just getting her taco waxed.” Ember explained. “He left here with a dreamy look on his face.”

My face flamed. “I wasn’t being that loud!”

They laughed. In fact, they laughed so hard that Payton and Blaine were in tears. “Oh, really? My hoo haa burns. Make it stop. Blow on it. Get it off. Oh my God! Don’t you go near my asshole. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. He doesn’t even look at my asshole. It’s fine. Oh my God! Make it stop. You get that wand near my ass one more time and I’m going to shove it up your nose.” Blaine managed to squeeze out in between laughs.

My face burned even more. “Okay, well it hurt!” I said to the gremlin twins.

“Oh, we know. Don’t worry. We’ve all let Cheyenne talk us into this before. Now I just let the beast grow. God wouldn’t make women grow bushes if they weren’t meant to be there.” Ember said as she licked her fingers free of the salt from the potato chips.

“Okay, here’s your something borrowed. Your something new. Your something old, and your something blue. Go put all this on, and come back out here so we can get you into your dress.” Winter insisted, while placing packages into my hands and ushering me back into the torture chamber.

I did as instructed. Dropping the boxes on the padded bench I’d just been mauled on.

The first box I opened held my something new (I hoped), a simple white pair of silk panties and a strapless bra. They’d done well, because the fit was excellent, cupping my breasts and ass perfectly.

The note I found warmed my heart, as well as other unmentionables.

To keep those places covered until I’m ready for them.-- J

The second box I opened held my something blue. Blue fuzzy socks that were so super soft that I wanted to wrap myself up in them. When I pulled them free, a note tumbled to the floor, which I promptly read.

To keep your feet warm when I’m away.—J.

Slipping the fuzzy beauties onto my feet, I sighed in ecstasy, and went for the third box.

It was my something borrowed. Which made me laugh. I had to read the note first.

These are only for tonight. I’m going to need them back. –J

They were his department issued handcuffs, and his police badge. Oh dear, the possibilities were endless.

The fourth and final box made my heart nearly stop. James had told me about them only twice, each time bringing them up because I’d asked about them. His father’s dog tags. I’d noticed the extra dog tag the day we’d first made love. He hadn’t told me about it though, changing the subject with an ease and swiftness that spoke of skill at evading that particular question.

They’d been the only thing they’d found the day he was killed. That was all I knew though, because he didn’t like talking about it. I knew it was important regardless of whether he spoke about it or not.

I’d learned more from Daina than I had from James and Cheyenne combined.

Apparently, James had been at an impressionable age, just six years old, when his father had died. He still remembered him, but since he was so young, he’d turned his father into a superhero of sorts. A man who was bigger than the world itself. Who was selfless and kind. Who was the king among kings, and I was happy that he had that.

Daina liked to tell stories of how he’d sit for hours staring at his father’s portrait or when he’d tell Cheyenne all the wonderful things about his dad. Although those stories have slowed considerably, his father was still his idol. Someone so important to him that I was honored and blessed that he’d let me wear the dog tags, even for today. There wasn’t a need for a note. I didn’t need him to explain, I already knew the significance of the act.

Slipping the necklace on over my neck, I tucked the tags down in between my cleavage so only the chain was exposed, then exited the room with my something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.

“Holy crap! Your boobs look amazing in that!” Payton declared.

Luckily, Janie had joined the boys, because that would just be incredibly awkward to have to explain what Payton meant when she said my boobs looked amazing.

I rolled my eyes at Payton, and walked towards the women who were now holding the dress up over their heads so they could slip it on over my own.

The dress reminded me more of a princess’s dress. High empire waist that went from very fitted in the bodice to poofy and full in the bottom. The train, just as I’d described it to James, was well over eight feet in length.

Finally, they fit the veil over my head, situating it so I could see. I didn’t want it impeding my eyesight. Not only did I want to see the man I was marrying clearly, but I also didn’t want to fall flat on my face in front of everyone and their brother. Which reminded me.

“Who all is here?” I asked curiously.

Ember answered as she fixed a flyaway hair that had come free from the clip that held it away from my face. She’d gathered it into a clip that resembled a snowflake at the side of my head, and then used bobby pins to keep it in place. In the back, she’d curled my long hair into large loops, and then sprayed so much fucking hair spray on it that a quarter would bounce off it.

Ember laughed. “Well, pretty much everyone. Sebastian, your father, their MC, your ladies from work, all of us, and a few others. So about ninety people or so.”

“Holy crap! They aren’t all going to fit into the shop, are they?” I asked as they started to hook the million and one tiny hooks at my back.

“Suck in, you’ve got about ten hooks back here that I can’t get,” Cheyenne instructed.

A few more minutes of effort on Cheyenne’s part, she finally bowed out in defeat.

“I can’t get it. Someone else try it.” Cheyenne panted.