An Outlaw Wedding (7 page)

Her dad pulled the vehicle beside Odin’s, and they
climbed out. Before she could grab her bag Brick grabbed her suitcase and then
wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re home, baby girl.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled.
“Me, too, Dad.”

The front door was already opened when they walked
up the porch steps, and her mother stood there with a huge smile on her face.
Even in her forties her mom was beautiful, with a killer body, curves that
Alexis was proud to say she’d inherited, and long blonde hair that Brick refused
to let her cut.

“Hey,” her mom said and hugged her tight. It was
freezing outside, but there wasn’t any snow on the ground, despite Christmas
being only two weeks away.

Alexis stepped inside, and turned her head to look
at Odin, who sat in the oversized leather recliner. His feet were up, his Beats
headphones over his head, and his attention on a medical journal. How he
focused on more than one thing like that was beyond her. She moved over to him,
but he was so engrossed in the magazine and his music that he didn’t even
realized that she was in the house. His dark hair was the same shade as hers
and their father’s, but he had their mom’s blue eyes. Odin was smart, going to
college to be a doctor, and wanting to stay away from the club life. It might
not be for him, especially because he wanted to be a physician and all, but he
also loved the MC and the guys in it. It was hard walking away from a “family
business” like the club, but she was thankful they had parents that supported
whatever they decided to do.

“So, lots to do today,” her mom yelled from the
kitchen. The music that was playing was totally old school, but Alexis had
listened to her mom play it repeatedly while growing up. Alexis ruffled Odin’s
hair and smiled down at him when he tipped his head back.

“Hey,” Odin said, pulled his headphones off, and
grinned. He was her “little” brother, and only a year younger, but already as
big as their father.

“You two come in here and help with the prep work.”
Their mom called out again.

“Come on, kid.” Alexis grinned, knowing he hated it when
she referred to him in any context that made it out like she was older.

When they made their way into the kitchen it was to
see her dad having her mom pressed up against the fridge. Their dad’s hand was
doing something totally disgusting between their bodies, but at least Alexis
was spared from actually seeing what that was. Brick whispered something in her
mom’s ear, and that had
Darra
sighing.

“God, come on,” Alexis said and turned away.

“Should I get the hose?” Odin said in the same
disgusted tone as Alexis had used. Her mother laughed, her father made the
standard grunt he did when he was indifferent about something, but at least
they parted ways. That was the thing about their parents, well, all The
Grizzlies actually. The passion that the couples had was still so alive, even
after over twenty years of being with each other. She hoped she had that kind
of relationship one day.

On the heels of that thought the image of
Nico
slammed into her head, and she knew she was smiling
like a damn schoolgirl. She thought about the last time she saw him, how he had
gotten his bike out of storage because it was a rare day in a Colorado winter
morning where the sun was out and shining, and the temperature wouldn’t freeze
her tits off too badly. She had asked him to take her on a ride. It might have
been stupid and illogical, but she had wanted that ride so damn badly. He had
looked at her like she was crazy, but in the end he had taken her down the back
roads. The wind had been frigid, but she had pressed her cheek to his back,
inhaled the leather scent of his cut, and just basked in the freedom of feeling
the only thing keeping her grounded was her arms around his waist.

“Honey, if you’re going to do the daydreaming thing
about
Nico
, can you make sure you don’t do it around
your father and brother,” her mom said with amusement in her voice.

Alexis looked at her mom, but she was at the sink,
her focus on the dishes she washed and a smile on her face. She then looked at
her dad and saw him glowering. Brick grunted and turned away, and Odin rolled
his eyes. Her dad might give her a hard time about being with
Nico
, but if he didn’t approve or want her dating a bad boy
like Jagger’s son, Brick would have made sure
Nico
wasn’t in the picture.

“Okay, we have a lot of prep work to do since we
will have a houseful tomorrow, so chop-chop, people.” Her mother turned toward
them, now in general mode, and handed Odin a potato peeler, Brick a sponge, and
Alexis a rolling pin. “Odin, we need enough potatoes to feed an army, Brick,
wash as we go, and Alexis, we need an apple and pumpkin pie.”

They all stood there for a moment, no one saying
anything, but all of them glancing at each other. And when her mom gave them “the
look” they all snapped into action. If there was one thing that could make even
the toughest Grizzly do something they normally would turn their back on, it as
an old lady with a goal in mind.

****
 

The house was insane with all the activity the
following day, and it was only going to get even more hectic as everyone
continued to come over. Jagger and his family had arrived first, but
Nico
hadn’t been with them, much to Alexis’s
disappointment. Then the rest of The Grizzlies and their families were there,
and a few of The Brothers of Menace had come by. Lucien, Kink and Malice showed
up, but they were waiting for the rest of The Brothers, who should be there any
minute.

Alexis went into the dining room and checked out the
table. They had spent all day and stayed up late last night preparing
everything. The table was set, food was in the center, and the sound of the
front door opening and closing told her that the rest of the guys had shown up.

“Let’s eat before everything gets cold,” her dad
said, and everyone
came
piling into the large rustic
dining room. Her childhood home was massive, and built from the ground up by
her dad and the rest of The Grizzlies.

She moved away from everyone and went to the window
in the living room, and pulled the curtain aside.

“He’ll be here, honey,” Sonya said from behind her.

Alexis turned and stared at
Nico’s
mom.

“I know you’re anxious to see him, but he was
handling some club business for his dad, and is running just a little behind.”
Sonya smiled again. And then the sound of gravel crunching under tires had Alexis’s
heart racing.

Nico’s
small truck came to a stop behind all the other vehicles, and then her guy was
climbing out. There was a light flurry of snow that had started to come down
about an hour ago, and the blanket of whiteness that covered him had her
smiling. All he wore in terms of winter wear was a jacket that was unzipped,
his signature distressed jeans, and his too thin shirt, which she could see
between the lapels of his coat. He also wore a beanie type hat with The Grizzly
patch embodied on the front. He hurried up the steps, but glanced up, and when
their gazes locked he smiled. God, she had missed him. She was over by the
front door as soon as
Nico
opened it, and without
wasting any time they were in each other’s arms and kissing passionately. She
didn’t care that anyone of his or her family members could walk in and see what
they were doing.

Nico
pressed her back up against the now closed front door, slanted his mouth on
hers, and kissed her deep and hard. He tasted good, minty and sweet, and she
moaned softly against his mouth.

“I missed you, baby,”
Nico
said, and then slipped his hands behind her, down her back, and gripped her
ass. She was wearing a dress, not a really short one, but short enough that the
tips of his fingers brushed along her bare flesh.

“I missed you, too,” she responded, and held on
tighter to his thick biceps. He was a patched in member with the club, had been
for several years now, and he was just as a badass as any original member.

“You two better knock that shit off,” Lucas said
from behind
Nico
. “If Brick sees you’re all but
molesting his little girl in the foyer he’ll bust your ass.” Lucas started
laughing now, and popped what looked like a piece of turkey in his mouth.

Nico
didn’t turn around, but did flip off his twin.

Lucas
tsked
. “Is that anyway to act toward your brother on Thanksgiving,
especially one trying to help your horny ass out?” Lucas said with amusement in
his voice. “I was told to come get you two, because they are slicing into the
turkey.” Lucas turned and left them alone without waiting for a response, or to
see if they would follow him.

Nico
pulled back and looked at her in the eyes. “All right, we can finish this
later, for sure.” He flashed
her a
smile with
straight, white teeth, and leaned down to kiss her once more.

They made their way into the dining room, and the
noise was enough to have her ears ringing. But it was the good kind of noise,
the happy and family kind. Brick stood at the head of massive raw cut wooden
table cutting the turkey, and her mom and brother were sitting side-by-side
next to her dad. Jagger and his family were then next down the line. Diesel,
Dallas, Stinger, and even their horde of old ladies and kids were passing
around the side dishes. Lucien, Kink, Malice, and several of the other guys
from The Brothers of Menace were on the other side of the table. And then there
was
Drevin
. Poor
Drevin
that had never settled down and taken an old lady, and didn’t have any
children. She could still see him finding the right woman, but he kept to
himself, and did a lot of the more violent dealings for the club. She had a
feeling that because he wasn’t settled down, he didn’t have anything to look
forward to anymore.

“Come on, kids,” Molly said and gestured for them to
sit on the other side of the table.

They sat side-by-side, and
Nico
reached under the table to take her hand in his. He leaned in close and
whispered low enough that only she could hear, “I love you.” And then he leaned
back and started talking to his brother, who sat across from him.

The noise escalated, the brothers were bullshitting
with each other, and even busting one another’s balls, but it was all in good
fun. She had this goofy look on her face, she knew that, and when she looked at
her dad, and saw Brick glowering at
Nico
, she
couldn’t help but smile wider. It took one hell of a guy to handle being in her
family. But hell, it took one hell of a male to be in The Grizzlies, but she
knew
Nico
was the right man to her in her life for
the rest of it.

Chapter
Five

Alexis and
Nico
, twenty-two years old

Alexis
pulled her Honda up to the gates of The Grizzly clubhouse. She waited until the
two prospects that were stationed right on the other side of the gate pulled it
open, and then she drove her car up the driveway. She glanced at her rearview
mirror and saw the two prospects closing the gate.
 
They had to be brand new because she didn’t
remember seeing them the last time she was home. She was back a few days
earlier than what she had told her mom, dad, and even
Nico
.
But she had wanted to surprise them. After her graduation, and upon completion
of her associate’s, she had planned on coming back to Steel Corner and working
with the club, but she ended up staying for another two years and completing
her bachelor’s. To say her parents were pleased was an understatement, and
although
Nico
had been less than thrilled, seeing as
he had stayed back in town and they had only been able to see each other
occasionally on the weekends, he was supportive of every decision she made. But
it wasn’t just about her staying in school, but also about trying to find out
if working for the club was really what she wanted to do. She lived the MC life
and knew what it meant to live life on the edge. Her dad may have tried to
shelter her, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t seen the life that surrounded
them. It wasn’t always helping a charity—which she knew the club had done on
more than one occasion. It also had to do with drugs, guns, violence, and, God
forbid, but a total reality … death.

She
cut the engine and for a minute just stared at the front doors of the clubhouse
she called a second home. Her brother Odin was finishing up his last year at
CSU for his bachelor’s, and although she was proud he had decided to go into
the medical field, at first she had been surprised to find out he didn’t want
to join the club like so many of the male offspring of The Grizzlies had.
Nico
and Lucas had even decided the biker life was for
them, and even if she supported
Nico’s
decision of a
dangerous life, she knew once his mind had been set all those years ago there
was no changing it. Exhaling harshly she reached across her seat and grabbed
her purse. She’d leave her bags in the trunk, because she was staying at her
parents’, even if she wasn’t thrilled by the idea. Shouldn’t she have her own
place? Hell, she’d settle for a job right away, but she needed to learn the
ropes of the business. The summers while in high school and helping her mother
with the books weren’t nearly enough time to prepare her for what she actually
had to do. While her mother,
Darra
, had been doing
the payable and receivable account ledgers for longer than Alexis had even been
alive, her mother needed to retire, as did her dad, but he was stubborn and
would probably still be part of the club as long as he could ride. Hell, he’d
probably be pulling his oxygen tank around with him and have his cane strapped
to the back of his motorcycle, too.