“Fuck off, Wasp,” Link growled. Then he seemed to remember that there was a preacher standing beside him and apologized.
“That’s quite all right,” the preacher said, gesturing toward the back of the room where Link’s father, Jake, was waving like a mad man. “Looks like the ladies are ready for you, though.”
Wasp, Eagle, and I left Link to stand alone with the preacher in the front of the room. Above his head, a giant clock ticked away the minutes left of his bachelorhood. Emily had suggested the fire station for the venue, but Link had called in a favor to surprise her with a booking of the Joni Earl Great Hall at Union Station. And as I walked under the barrel-vaulted ceilings with inset lights, past the rows of padded chairs, toward the black and white mosaic dance floor, I had to give my boy mad props for pulling this shit off. Any woman who got married here would feel like a fucking queen. Emily was good people and she deserved the best. She deserved Link.
“Can’t believe he’s tying the knot,” Wasp said as we made the trek down the aisle. Then something caught his attention. He winked, and I followed his gaze to find a cute little brunette sitting toward the back of the room.
She rolled her eyes and looked away, low-key flipping him off in the process.
Eagle chuckled. “You better leave Carly alone before Flint kicks your ass.”
“Carly?” I asked.
“Flint’s new bartender. Wasp has been trying to get into her pants for months now, but she doesn’t want anything to do with this asshole.”
“She’s just playing hard to get,” Wasp said with a shrug. “I’ll get her. You’ll see.”
“Your funeral,” Eagle replied as we came to a stop.
I cast one more glance over my shoulder to find Link fiddling with his cuff links. I’d been in the trenches with him, literally and metaphorically, but I’d never seen him so goddamn nervous in my life. Chuckling and shaking my head, I turned to face Jake. “They’re ready?”
As Link’s best man, I’d be walking down the aisle with Jayson, Emily’s man of honor. Not my first choice, but at least it’d be entertaining. With Jayson around, things usually were. Since it would probably kill Emily’s colorful assistant to do anything normal, he’d opted out of wearing a traditional black suit, and scooted around the corner in a tight-ass emerald green getup to match the bridesmaids.
“Havoc,” Jayson said, eyeing me up and down before licking his lips. “You look absolutely delicious.”
Jayson’s open appreciation of the male form was difficult for some of my brothers to stomach, but I was comfortable enough with my own masculinity that I didn’t let that shit bother me. “Thanks. You look…” What the fuck could I say? He looked the Riddler about to make his porn debut. He just needed a pimp hat and a cane.
“Dashing,” Jayson provided, saving me from coming up with an answer. “Also acceptable are dapper, stylish, debonair, and sexy as fuck.”
I chuckled, holding out my arm. Jayson took it with a shit-eating grin. “You ready to do this?” I asked.
“Watch my favorite girl start her happily ever after with a tattooed beefcake? Absolutely. I cannot wait to see Link’s face when she appears. That big bad biker is going to bawl like a baby. You might, too, you know? If you need a shoulder to cry on, you know I’ll be here for you, big boy.”
We started our walk. “Thanks, but Julia sees to my needs just fine.”
“I bet.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “She’s good for you. You smile a lot more when she’s around. Of course, I could make your fine ass smile, too.”
Still chuckling, I dropped him on Emily’s side of the preacher before taking my place beside Link.
Wasp and Naomi came down the aisle next. Naomi was Link’s sister, and the most badass broad I’d ever met. I’d seen her beat a man’s ass with a wrench once when questioned why she thought she should work in the auto shop. Even the strapless, floor length green dress she wore couldn’t soften the hard lines and angles of her body as she marched up the aisle, looking every bit the Air Force helicopter pilot she was. She’d taken leave for the wedding and the club couldn’t have been happier to have her home. It had been one big party since she arrived. Even if her presence turned Eagle into a star-crossed pussy. Those two shared a complicated history that it would take a magician to unravel. But since Naomi would ship out again soon, that would have to wait.
And we’d have to deal with Eagle pining over her like a little bitch.
Wasp settled Naomi beside Jayson, and then joined me and Link.
The next couple required my full attention, because Eagle had Julia on his arm. She was so gorgeous that the sight took my goddamn breath away. Hair up, dress clinging to her incredible curves, her bright green eyes locked on mine as she walked down the aisle. It took everything in me not to tug her fine ass away from Eagle. Eagle glanced at me, and then picked up the pace, hurrying Julia along. She gave me a knowing smirk as she took her place beside Naomi.
Naomi’s gaze fixed on Eagle, and I was hellah glad there were no wrenches in reach.
Finally, the music changed, and Emily began her walk down the aisle on the arm of Jake. Her soon-to-be father-in-law was the closest thing she had to a dad, and he’d been so goddamn over-the-moon when she’d asked him to do the honors, he hadn’t shut up about it for days. Grin stretched across his face, he patted Emily’s hand and dutifully marched her toward us.
A strangled sound came from Link. I looked up to find my friend tearing up as he stared at his bride. I couldn’t blame him. Emily was quite the sight in her long white dress, smiling at him as her own eyes flooded with emotion. Jake kissed her cheek and offered her to Link before taking a seat beside his wife.
The ceremony was quick, but the kiss Link sealed it with wasn’t. We’d packed the Great Hall with guests, and every rambunctious one of them hooted and hollered as Link dipped Emily back and attacked her mouth there in front of God and all the witnesses. The preacher cleared his throat and took a step back. When Link finally let Emily up for air, they were both disheveled and panting. The preacher, no doubt in a hurry to make it legal before they consummated, presented Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Lincoln.
The wedding party was shoved together for pictures, and then it was time to party.
Having plans for my own party, I grabbed Julia’s hand and led her away from the festivities, toward the private room the bridal party had used to get ready.
