Page 15 of Property of Baffle
“What about my things?”
“I’ll come out and grab them later.We’re cutting it close,” he said as he glanced down at the watch he wore on his left wrist.I’d almost forgotten that we would be walking straight into a biker wedding.
8Coming Home
Baffle
When we camein through a side door, I immediately regretted it when I heard Tilly say, “Roxy is hoping your wedding will make Baffle realize it’s time to finally think about getting hitched.”
“Where the hell is Baffle?”Bigfoot asked from somewhere further down the hall.He was probably in the common area whereas his mom had been talking to someone in a room we passed.I ignored Tilly’s bullshit and hoped like hell Nell hadn’t been paying attention since she normally called me Rick rather than using my road name.Instead, I focused on my club president and called out to him as we made our way through the hallway and into the common area that was set up for a wedding.
“I’m here fucker, can you pipe down before you raise the dead?”
“That’s not funny!”My best friend let out a huge breath as his shoulders relaxed.Then he noticed I had a woman with me.His eyes zeroed in on the fact that her hand was clasped in mine - something I didn’t do with women.It gave them a little too much hope that whatever was shared between us would go further.“Who is this?”
“Funny story,” I mentioned and then shook my head and chuckled because no one was going to believe this shit.We’d been planning for Bigfoot’s wedding and I beat the bastard to the altar.I glanced down at the woman beside me and smiled as I answered, “This is Nell, my wife.”
“Your what?”It was probably the first time in our lives I managed to shock the man.
“Your what?”That parroted question was shrieked from somewhere over my shoulder, probably back from the same room where I’d heard Tilly speaking.“You had better be fucking joking, Patrick-fucking-Mendoza!”Roxy shouted as her voice drew closer.“You were supposed to be marrying me!”
“You were engaged?”Nell asked as she looked up at me with wide, horror-stricken eyes.We had talked about Roxy before and I knew my wife probably felt like I had left something out when I talked about her.That wasn’t the case and I hoped like hell she hung in there long enough to see I never lied to her.
“No.I have never been engaged.I wasn’t even dating anyone before I left.”
“You know good and damn well we were always supposed to end up together!”I turned to see Roxy headed straight for me and closing in fast, but then her eyes shifted to the woman at my side and our clasped hands and something shook loose.My life-long friend launched herself at Nell as she shouted, “You conniving little whore!”
Luckily, Bigfoot caught Roxy before she could make contact.“Punchy, you better get over here and get your daughter!I am not putting my wedding off because she can’t handle reality when it hits her.”
I had to hand it to my brother, he managed to sum up the crazy pretty damn quickly.Then again, he was the only person, other than Roxy and me, who knew what went down three years ago.Everyone else assumed Rox was a fuck buddy of mine for some reason.I was beginning to think the woman had planted those ideas with everyone herself.
I tucked Nell into my side and a little behind me and spun as Roxy did when her father finally made his way over to us.Punchy was an old-timer.He was a bit older than even mine and Bigfoot’s fathers.He got a late start in life with both the club and settling down with a woman and child.Truth be told, I’d always wondered if he was Roxy’s biological father or if he’d allowed himself to be tricked into believing it.
I glanced around to see if Lila was in sight anywhere so she could wrangle her daughter.When I didn’t see her, I moved my wife to the far right side of the common area and sat her in the last chair of the front row, so she’d be close to where I had to stand up as best man for Bigfoot.Once she was seated and Roxy was taken somewhere else by Punchy, I took my place as best man at my brother’s side.I stood just behind him, in front of the makeshift altar someone had put together for the wedding.The other women - minus the bride - all made their way to their respective places, and I watched as Crutch, our former president, moved to the back of the room along with Sammy’s Uncle Brady.The three of them had a quick discussion before Crutch came to sit next to his wife, Tilly.Brady held his arm out for Sammy who took it and then beamed a giant smile down the makeshift aisle as she made her way toward us to marry my best friend.
Our road captain, Smooth, officiated the nuptials since he was an ordained minister for some fucking reason.I glanced over my shoulder a couple times to find Nell watching with a wistful smile on her face.She deserved to have a wedding like this, too.One day, I would make that happen for her because our Vegas quickie wedding felt like a desperate move rather than the real deal, even to me.I wanted to give her the whole fucking experience even if I didn’t understand why.
The minute the vows were over and Bigfoot planted a giant kiss on his woman’s lips, his son, Hawk ran up and hugged them both.Sammy’s little brother, Ryan, stood back a bit until Sammy waved him over to join their huddle.Fuck if they weren’t the picture-perfect ready-made biker family.
I glanced back over at Nell and grinned as I turned and made my way to her.“I need to help get all these chairs out of the way, so the newlyweds can share their first dance,” I said to her.
“Oh, I can help with that,” Nell stood and immediately folded her chair up and set it up against the wall.
“Wasn’t trying to get you to help, sweetheart.”
She bounced her shoulders and shot that sweet-as-fuck smile at me.“Doesn’t mean I’m not going to pitch in.”
That right there was one of the things that stood out about Nell from the moment I’d first encountered her.She wasn’t afraid to stand up for her people, whether it was telling harsh truths or silently doing what was necessary in the background so someone else could shine.She was also the reliable one, making sure her friend didn’t falter.Now, she was helping out in my clubhouse without being asked.And that, after another woman tried to attack her just for being here with me.My wife never got a first dance with me, but she was willing to make sure everything was perfect for my club president and his new bride.It said a lot about who she was and how fucking right I was about her.
We cleared the way and someone queued up the music Sammy had picked for their song.It wasn’t something that registered as familiar to me and I ignored it as I pulled Nell’s back to my front and we swayed on the periphery.The song was halfway through when something shifted in the air and tension built.I scanned the common room, searching for what might have changed, and just before my eyes landed on the fucking bull that was charging me, I saw Punchy with his arm extended my way.
“Fuck,” I growled as I tucked Nell safely behind me.
“You son of a bitch!You think you can use my daughter, toss her aside, and disrespect her by bringing some whore home who you picked up in Vegas?”
“You’re so far out of line, you don’t realize you just fucked up,” I quietly answered back.
“Fuck you, Mendoza.You’re just like your good-for-nothing father.Can’t keep your dick in your pants.Can’t even be bothered to explain why you’re fucking with my daughter’s head.”
