Page 104 of Rome
Sinner cleared his throat, and I turned my head to look at him. He’d gotten ordained online so that he could perform Jagger’s wedding to Molly, and he was doing the same for us today. He got a kick out of the irony of a man named Sinner being an ordained minister now.
He’d told us that he figured his father – a fire and brimstone preacher who had disowned him for his “sinful ways” as a young man – was probably spinning in his grave over the whole thing. Sinner looked pretty damned pleased by that idea, too.
He was wearing similar attire to ours, except his vest was black to match his pants. He’d trimmed his hair and his beard for the occasion and had a twinkle in his eye as he waited for the ceremony to begin. He took his duties very seriously and had prepared a short speech to begin the ceremony.
My eyes fell on the blue bowl with gold cracks that was on the small table in front of him. I’d bought it online from an artisan who created reproductions of bowls repaired using the ancient art of Kintsugi. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be perfect as Abby’s “something blue”.
I’d shown it to her last night, and she’d cried as I explained that I wanted our rings to be placed in it prior to us putting them back on. We were using the same rings; another thing Abby had insisted on. Ethan was our ring bearer and would carry the rings down the aisle, then put them in the bowl for the ceremony. He was also going to carry Everly down the aisle and fulfill her flower girl duties for her. Abby had wanted to be sure she was included, even though at eight months old, she had no clue what was going on.
I glanced out over the small crowd of our loved ones who had gathered to watch Abby and me as we exchanged our vows again. Every single club brother was here – with the exception of my uncle, Ace, who wouldn’t be missed, and the two prospects, who had stayed behind to watch over the clubhouse. Trick, Lucky, and Lincoln all gave me wide grins as I looked their way, and Viking gave me a nod of approval.
King was sitting in the front row, with a proud smile on his face, looking happier than I’d seen him look for a while. That probably had a lot to do with a certain woman who’d caught his eye a couple of weeks ago. I would never have believed my dad would be chasing after a woman, but he was, and I hoped Ella let him catch her sometime soon, before he lost his damned mind.
Abby’s mom was next to him, already crying as she smiled at me and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Abby’s dad sat on her other side, looking grumpy, but resigned. He didn’t appear on the verge of ripping my dick off and choking me with it, which was an improvement over the way he’d looked at me for months now. They were taking the kids to their house for the night, for which I was grateful. Abby didn’t want to be away from them for more than one night, since Ev was still so young, and I had agreed. We didn’t need a honeymoon. I just needed to be home, with my wife in my arms.
Her cousin Taylor, Taylor’s husband, and Amelia’s roommate Laura were sitting together, along with a man I assumed was Laura’s date. I spotted Molly sitting with her friend Brad – the hunky gym teacher, as Abby teasingly called him – and Brad’s boyfriend-turned-new fiancé, Drew. Michelle, their principal, was here with Cowboy, and my two younger cousins, Hailey and Nathan.
We’d closed the shop down today, so Diego was here, along with Dax, Lacey, and Lacey’s girlfriend. I’d spotted Saint sitting next to Joker with the rest of the MC.
I smiled as I saw a familiar redhead, with her wheelchair pulled up at the end of one of the rows. We’d had one of the chairs removed when the room was set up, in order to make room for it. I assumed the man next to her was her husband, who she’d mentioned a couple of times during our sessions. Kim beamed at me, and I shot her a wink. I wasn’t sure Abby and I would have made it here today if it weren’t for her, and I was glad she’d been able to come.
I heard the music that signaled the start of the ceremony and turned to face the open doorway. I smiled as Ethan appeared, dressed in a miniature version of the outfits that Jag and I had on. He was holding Everly, who looked adorable in a frilly, pale-green dress with a huge silver bow in her chestnut hair. E had a pouch filled with flower petals attached to his belt, so that he could reach in with one hand and fling the petals as they walked. I’d asked the florist to give us cherry blossoms instead of the more traditional rose petals, which had made Abby cry, too. She’d spent most of the night thanking me for thinking of it, until neither of us had the energy to move. It had been a great night.
He came to a halt beside me, and I reached for Ev, who lunged into my arms with a giggle. Jag helped Ethan get the rings out of his pocket and place them in the bowl, then put his hand on E’s shoulder as they turned to watch Amelia make her entrance.
My sister-in-law looked beautiful in her pale green dress, and I could see that she was blinking back tears as she approached us. She gave me a watery smile as she took her place.
Jagger reached over and took Everly from me, knowing what was coming next.
My heart skipped a beat when the music changed, and I saw the love of my life appear in the doorway. She’d told me that she was having her original wedding dress altered, as a blend of “something old and something new”. She’d had the lace train removed, as well as the lacy overlay thing the original dress had. The result was a much simpler gown, which was perfect for our ceremony. She had her hair pulled back, with a flower clipped into her hair on either side in place of a veil. I could see the pearl earrings she was wearing, which had belonged to my Grandma Frankie. Sinner had provided them to fill the requirement for “something borrowed.” He’d done the same for Molly, and Jag and I both loved having a reminder of our grandmother at our weddings.
Abby looked breathtaking.
Everyone else in the room faded away as our eyes locked on each other, and she made her way down the aisle toward me. She handed her bouquet to Amelia, then placed both of her hands in mine as we faced each other.
We kept the ceremony simple, not needing to go through the extensive exchange of vows again. There was really only one thing we wanted to say.
Sinner cleared his throat quietly, and I swore I saw a tear in his eye as he began speaking.
“We’re gathered here today to help Caleb Daniel and Abigail Jane celebrate their love and commitment to each other, as soulmates who were always destined to spend their lives together. They have prepared their own vows as a testament to their unbreakable bond.”
He nodded at Abby, and she gave me a beautiful smile as she declared,
“I am yours.”
“And I am yours,” I returned. I squeezed her hand in our prearranged signal.
“Forever,” we said in unison.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife again. You may kiss your beautiful bride.”
I didn’t wait for Sinner’s instruction, and my lips touched Abby’s before he finished his first sentence. I brought my hands up to cup her face as I deepened the kiss, and I heard several people in the crowd chuckle, followed by a few catcalls from my club brothers. I reluctantly pulled away to stare down into Abby’s beautiful green eyes, which were brimming with tears.
“Forever, baby girl,” I whispered, and she gave me a tremulous smile as she whispered, “I love you.”
There was a surprisingly loud round of applause from such a relatively small crowd as Sinner announced, “I’m happy to present Caleb and Abby Morgan, together again.”
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