Page 37 of Chef
“I promise, as long as I breathe, I’ll make her happy.”
Elio nods once, turns on his heel and rapid fires Nerf bullets with flowers sticking out of them, the DRMC hooting and hollering like it’s the best thing they’ve ever seen. It kinda is.
“Well, that’s one way to do it,” TumTum mutters.
I shift from one foot to the other. Now that the kids have shot all their bullets and are being rounded up by Mama Debs, I know the bridesmaids and Sage will be next. Joe starts the long walk down the aisle, and I don’t miss the way Justice’s eyes follow her every step. She smiles wide at me as she gets closer, and I’m pretty fucking sure she mouths “good luck” at me. If she didn’t, then Loyal definitely did as she passes by me, stopping to give Vex a quick kiss before taking her place. My breath hitches as Damian wraps up with a dramatic little tinkling of keys and brace myself for him to start playingHere Comes the Bride. Instead, Damian spins in his seat, pulls out his phone, taps at the screen and grins at me.
Music fills the air and it’s not the traditional song I expected. No, this is Sage. All Sage. The Civil Wars’ haunting vocals fill the air and my gaze meets hers at the end of the aisle. Her gaze is intense as the lyricsI’ve fallen for a man on the runhit me deep in the chest. No more running. No more. As soon as my ring is on her finger she’s mine. Til the day I fucking die.
My thoughts dissipate as soon as she takes that first step, Tav on one arm, unable to tear his eyes away from the girl he adopted as a teen. Blanche on the other arm staring daggers at me which, to be honest, I was expecting. And there, centered between her parents is Sage. The midnight blue dress fitting every curve like it was made for her. Sage’s eyes dance as she watches the brothers taking an interest in Cove and Elio’s Nerfs and all the anxiety and stress just…leaves. Floats away on the last bars ofDevil’s Backboneas she takes her place beside me.
“Look after her,” Tav murmurs, shaking my hand and slapping my back a little too hard. Blanche raises two fingers, points at her eyes, then to me before smiling sweetly and kissing Sage on the cheek.
“Well, what an entrance.” Nancy begins and our family all snort a little. “Now, marriage ain’t always soft, cher. Sometimes it’s survival,” she gives Sage a soft smile, “sometimes it is forgiveness,” she turns to look at me, nodding like she knows all the secrets of the universe, “and sometimes, it’s two stubborn fools deciding to face the world together rather than bleed apart.”
I stare at Sage who blinks from Nancy to me, before taking my hand and linking our fingers. My head rolls back on my shoulders at how right it feels and I can only hope it feels the same for Sage.
“Now. Before one of y’all changes your mind and starts a shootout, let us proceed.”
Sage
This feels right. Standing here, Chef’s big fingers entwined with mine. Nancy’s soft voice washing over me and my family at my back. It all helps settle the feeling I’ve had in my gut since I turned up here begging for a safe space to kill a man who thinks he owns me. He never could. Not when the man that does is standing next to me.
“Sage, it’s time for your vows, honey,” Nancy says, smiling ever so gently at me.
Fuck. Vows. I had Damian, Loyal and Joe bully me into writing some, but standing here now? They don’t seem quite enough. They don’t feel like me, at this moment, as I stare into Chef’s eyes. His ever present cap is nowhere to be seen, the sun hitting his face in such a way his eyes look like liquid amber.
“Speak what's in your heart, cher,” Damian murmurs from behind me and I nod nervously.
“Chef -”
“Takoda.” His voice comes out hoarse. “Please, call me Takoda.”
My smile is a little wobbly and I have to blink fast to clear the moisture from my eyes. He’s been Chef since he broke my heart. Chef was easier, less dangerous. This should scare me more than it does. Instead it makes my heart skip.
“Takoda.” His eyes roll closed at the sound of his name on my lips and holy shit the rumble of pleasure he makes is hot. I blow out a breath and fight the urge to fan myself. “Takoda,” I repeat. “Hi.” I smile at him and ignore the soft laughter behind me as I recalibrate. “I think everyone here knows our past. It’s the MC. They’re worse than old women when it comes to gossip.” Offended sounds get thrown at me from the cheap seats. “You all just proved my point.” I throw over my shoulder, Pops’ booming laugh sounds out. It all helps to ease the tension in my chest. “Nobody knows our present, or our future. Nobody sees the little things you do to make me happy. The things you do when I’m not looking. The way you remember things I forgot I ever said. Nobody knows what those things mean because nobody knowsmethe way you do.”
Chef’s fingers tighten around mine, giving me a gentle squeeze.
“I didn’t want this marriage,” I laugh quietly. “Actually, I didn’t wantyoufor a while there.”
That earns a loud “DAMN” from TumTum but I can’t let it distract me.
“You’ve surprised me. Because somewhere along the way, you stopped feeling like a mistake I was trying to survive and started feeling like the safest place I’ve ever been.” I blink a little, to try and get rid of the moisture in my eyes as Chef, no, Takoda, starts to get a little blurry. His warm palm cups my cheek and his thumb brushes away the one tear that escaped. Sniffing, I clearmy throat, searching his gaze. “No matter what happened in our past, I’m standing here choosing you today. I need you to know that.”
“Fuck baby, you slay me,” he says in a rough voice, using his free hand he scrubs his hand down his face.
“Well now, you gotta follow that, sweetheart,” Nancy says, brow raised in Takoda’s direction.
Takoda’s gaze hits mine with an intensity that scares the shit out of me. Not because I think he’ll hurt me. No, this look? This look says this is no longer a fake wedding to get away from the ghost of my past. This is real.
His chest rises and falls as he takes a step toward me, one hand settling on my hip, fingers tightening as if he’s scared I’m going to run. How could I do that when at the shittiest time of my life I chose to run toward him and not away?
“Sage,” he breathes, cupping my cheek and tipping his head forward, his forehead brushing mine before coming to a rest on my temple. “I give you my body, for protection.” A kiss ghosts the side of my cheek, close to my ear lobe. “I give you my heart, Lord knows you’ve had it since the beginning.” Another kiss, this time below my ear, drawing a shudder out of me before his stubble scrapes my skin as he presses his cheek against mine. “I give you my soul, for everythin’ else.” My breath hitches and I can’t hold back the tear that trickles down my face. He pulls back, cupping both my cheeks as he hunches down slightly, so I can see the conviction in his gaze. “There ain’t a damn thing left of me that doesn’t belong to you.” My heart is beating out of my chest at his words and it hurts so good.
“What did he say? Oh wait, is he being all romantic or something?”
“Babe,” Rhodie’s exasperated voice fills the air.
