Chapter Forty-Seven
DREW
Ikissed her goodbye somewhere around 5:00 p.m. that afternoon, with Autumn ushering her away from me, peeling us apart with threats of superstitions and a lifetime of bad luck if Ayda didn’t get out of there quickly. Somewhere along the way, with the help of Sloane, Libby, and a few of the other women in The Hut, a bridal party had been formed to help things run smoothly.
All day, Ayda and I had seen our brothers walking around carrying logs, boxes of candles, flowers, before looking at me with a roll of their eyes to let me know they weren’t all too happy with being ordered around by a bunch of testy women.
Once Autumn had done all she needed to do around the yard and The Hut, she’d packed Ayda into a car and driven her away from the night. I stood there on the porch, my hands tucked in my pockets, and I watched her disappear down the road.
That was the last time I’d ever spend quality time with Ayda Hanagan.
Tomorrow, she’d become Ayda Tucker, and the thought made me silently giddy.
I’d been staring at the road she’d disappeared down whenJedd, Slater, Kenny, and Deeks came charging out from The Hut, their arms flying around my neck, hands roughing up my hair, and the cries of The Hounds of Babylon filling the air. I was fought, tackled, mocked, and teased until they managed to drag me back inside with a promise of whiskey all night long—enough that would make sure I slept the night away without waking up, pining for my woman.
Eric stood behind the bar, taking the position Harry once owned with a cloth thrown over his shoulder as he slid tumblers of liquor up and down the bar, laughing freely, without the shadows around his eyes I’d come to expect.
Rubin and Tate amused themselves among the enthusiastic young women, even though I believed Libby was still very much a part of Tate’s life. He was entering that stage where the boy was dying, and the reckless man was coming to life, and as I glanced over to keep checking on him, I vowed to try steer him onto better paths once the wedding was over.
“Refill?” Eric asked, dragging my attention back to him.
“One more,” I told him.
“Right.” He laughed to himself. “Because these lot are going to let you sleep tonight.”
“They’d better.” I studied the happiness on my father’s face as he went about his business. “It suits you, you know.”
“What does?”
“Happiness.”
Eric’s face fell, his eyes finding mine.
“If that’s what you are,” I added. “Maybe I’m just seeing you differently than I ever did before, but I like seeing you without the cloud over your head. The secrets, the regret… they all seem to have faded away. You’re not bad to be around when you’re like this.”
“Save your declarations and vows for tomorrow.” He smirked, but I could see the effect my words had had on him. The happiness shone a little more every time he realized ourbond was growing tighter.
“Roger that.” I tipped my glass toward him before taking a sip and looking back over at my men.
As far as nights before your wedding day go, it was tamer than I expected.
Maybe they realized how important this was for me now. Ayda wasn’t just some chick riding through my life to satisfy a craving. She had become my life, and the build-up to this moment had been a rollercoaster of loving, losing, fighting, and trying to survive. Tomorrow marked the start of a new forever. The old one now dead and buried.
Tame or not, though, I still rolled into bed with a heavy thud, with Jedd laughing over me as he slapped my cheek and tucked me in for the night.
“Love you, brother,” I slurred, enjoying the warm buzz that flowed through my body.
“Get some sleep, shithead.”
I raised my middle finger, smiled dopily, and closed my eyes.
When I woke, it was morning, and the light poured through the open blinds. The haze of a new day meant I needed a second to catch up, and I threw my arm over my face, groaning as I rolled over and tried to open my eyes.
The minute I did, water was thrown on me, forcing me to gasp and sit bolt upright, my hands digging into the mattress as I breathed through the shock.
“Wakey, wakey, rise and shine. It’s lose your freedom for the rest of your life time,” Slater sang.
I flicked water from my eyes, shaking my hair as I looked up at him.
