It needs to be. Because no matter what happens, I know that my children will be safe.
And that was the only thing that mattered.
FORTY-FOUR
CASH
Never in mylife had I been more anxious than right then. In this moment. Standing at the front of the courtroom with my crew, waiting for Daisy to come through the door.
I was dressed up in some bullshit that Raven had insisted I wear. Fitted beige pants that were entirely too fucking tight and a white button-down shirt. I had the sleeves rolled up my forearms and the first two buttons of the collar undone so something tragic didn’t happen on mywedding daylike me suffocating to death.
Daisy’s children were piled on a bench with the rest of my family’s kids, all of them dressed up, too.
Kicking their little feet off the edge as they grinned and waved and fucking scored themselves a little deeper onto my soul. Theo sat with the lot of the kids like the sappy motherfucker he’d become, dude all too eager to volunteer to watch over them while the girls helped Daisy get ready.
Minus Little Luna, who was currently cuddled up asleep in Otto’s arms.
I shifted on my feet and swiped my hand across my brow to wipe away the beads of sweat that gathered at my hairline,wondering if it was possible that Daisy was actually gonna show after the way shit went down last night.
She’d be better off staying far the fuck away. Yet there was something that curdled my insides at the thought of her doing it.
“You look like you’re about to shit your pants,” Kane mumbled out of the side of his razzing mouth, loud enough so only my crew and I could hear.
“That’s because this nincompoop just realized he’s actually getting married today,” Otto said just as low and with just as big of a shit-eating grin. “Hence, the poop.”
Was he serious?
Like any of this was funny?
“I’m just fine,” I gritted through clenched teeth.
Otto shared a look with River and Kane. A silent toss of their eyes that called bullshit.
Assholes.
“It’s not fuckin’ real,” I grunted at them.
Otto squeezed my shoulder with his big mitt, jostling me around like it might knock some sense into me while he easily held Luna in the other. “Oh, brother, the fact you’re sweating fuckin’ bullets and look like you’re about two seconds from puking your guts up all over the floor makes it plenty clear this is real.”
“Temporarily,” I forced out.
Sure. The wedding was happening. It was the rest that was fake. Standing there pretending like Daisy and I were getting ready to pledge our lives to one another. Like we were starting thatlifetogether.
As if I’d ever get a gift like that.
“You sure about that?” River’s voice was full of a challenge. “Never have seen you this spun up.”
I roughed a hand through my hair. “Why don’t you have a girl ask you to marry her for the sole purpose of you ending up withcustody of her kids since she believes her ex is gonna off her and see how you feel?”
Amusement arched his dark brow. “Sounds like another day in the life of being a member of Sovereign Sanctum.”
I didn’t have time to tell him to fuck off. To tell him what was happening here was entirely different than the rest of their circumstances.
Because the door swept open and Piper and Emery came through, each wearing pretty dresses that clearly came from Ivy Threads.
Charleigh stepped in behind them, then Raven.
Raven, who cut me a knowing glance.
