Page 160 of Kings Fear No One
The others arrive in twos and threes. Some men with their old ladies. Others solo, proudly donning their club vests over slightly more formal shirts. Teysha smiles at Ozzie’s flannel he’s got on under his leather vest.
“That’s an interesting fashion choice.”
“This? Oh… yeah. Best I can do.” His tone lacks his usual humor, and his gaze grows distant, like he’s searching the attendees for someone that’s not around.
“You alright?” I ask.
“Yeah… you know, same shit. Different day.”
“Where’s Hope?” Teysha poses the question to be cheerful. To uplift his mood.
Instead, she accidentally makes it worse. Ozzie stops scouring the crowd and returns his eyes to us, like he’s just remembered we’re in front of him.
“Hope’s gone. We, uh, we broke up last night. She says she needs to get outta town and clean up her act. Apparently, all the shit that went down with the Saints was too much. She couldn’t handle the craziness. The FBI interrogated her, and she decided she wanted nothing to do with the club… and me.”
Teysha gasps, a sympathetic hand touching his arm. “I’m so sorry, Ozzie. I had no idea.”
“It’s cool. Who needs love anyway when there’s always the Titty Bar in town?”
The laugh he gives is hollow, unlike his usual one. He shrugs walking off, headed in the direction of the refreshment table that’s been set up.
“What’s this I hear about the Titty Bar and love?” Silver asks from behind us.
We turn around to find he’s walked up on the tail end of our conversation with Ozzie. Silver being Silver, looks slightly more groomed and dressed up than the rest of us—he’s got a real button down shirt on, and he’s skipped out on wearing his rocker. With his tattoos covered, he looks more silver fox bachelor than MC acting prez.
“Ozzie and Hope broke up,” I say.
He scratches his gray stubble. “So I heard. Looks like only a select few of us have luck in matters of the heart.”
“You will too again… someday,” Teysha says in hopes she’ll do for him what she couldn’t for Ozzie.
But Silver only lets a flicker of humor pass in and out on his face. “No need to sell me that fairytale ending. I gave up on that the second my ex turned into a gambling alcoholic. But I’m happy for Mace and Syd. And you two, of course.”
We’re left alone for the first time since arriving. Teysha being the optimist who’s had her sunshine and bright skies ruined by rain, frowns. I pull her toward me for a tender kiss and reassurance.
“They’ll be alright,” I say, nuzzling my face with hers. “I was them once. Moody and brooding. Now look at me. What the loving of a good woman has done to me.”
Her nose wrinkles just like I like. “You sure fought it hard enough.”
“That’s ’cuz I thought you were too good for me. I still think you’re too good for me. Which is why I’m gonna thank God every fucking day that he blessed me with you.”
“Logan Cutler, you might not realize it, but I could say the same about you,” she says, tears emerging in her eyes. “You saved not just my life… you saved my soul in the darkest moments of my life.”
“Shhh, baby. Don’t cry.” I capture her lips again, holding her heart-shaped face in my strong hands. “Which reminds me… your cross necklace. Finally had a chance to get it fixed.”
Teysha’s damn near lost her voice as I ease her around and drape the golden cross necklace along her chest where it belongs. I connect the little clasp and then press a kiss to her nape, drawing in a greedy inhale of her.
Her golden cross necklace at last right where it belongs.
Hanging from her neck as her devotion to her faith and never ending optimism.
Some that’s rubbed off on me these days…
We’re so enamored with each other that we don’t realize the wedding’s underway ’til everybody around us takes their place. We share small, secret smiles between us as we move to do the same.
An acoustic version of the traditional ceremonial music starts to play.
The wedding’s officially begun.
