Tainted Forever (Tainted Knights 5)

Setting her on her feet, he straightened, and I was surprised to see not a single ounce of nerves on his handsome face. “You look nice,” he commented, adjusting his tie so it was perfect once again. “Everything okay with my bride?”

I shook my head. “She’s screaming she changed her mind and is about to run out on you any second. But she said you can keep the kid.”

His skin paled, and I realized he’d just been putting on a brave face. I hugged him quickly. “I’m kidding. Amara is practically dancing with excitement. She’s so ready to marry you, she’s yelling at the clock to hurry up so she can do it already.”

He clutched at his chest. “You scared the crap out of me, Kin.”

Laughing, I stepped back, offering my hand to Charlotte. “Give Daddy one more kiss, and tell him you’ll see him at the altar.”

She threw her arms around Cash’s leg, then waved up at Caleb. “See you soon, Daddy!”

Back in the bridal room, Angie and Carolina had joined the party, making the room crowded, with Santana and Roanna already sitting with Kassa on one of the long couches.

“Mommy, Daddy looks so, so, so handsome,” Charlotte told her mother as she started dancing around again, showing the two newcomers just how pretty her dress was. “Can we go marry him now?”

“Soon, baby girl. Soon.”

A knock on the door was the only warning before Aunt Emmie stuck her head in. “Are you ready? It’s about that time.”

Amara’s hands shook as she took her bouquet in one hand and Charlotte’s hand in the other. “Is he already out there?” she whispered.

Aunt Emmie nodded, her smile full of motherly affection as she skimmed her eyes over Amara in her wedding dress. “And he’s shaking like a leaf. But he looks good.”

Riley and I stayed behind while the others rushed to take their seats with everyone else. This wedding was considerably smaller than my own had been, but almost every pew was overflowing in this tiny chapel.

Jace had pulled out all the stops with ours, and I was glad Aunt Emmie hadn’t pulled any of the crap she’d done while planning Lucy’s wedding, because I’d needed her help with the entire thing. A girl needed a mother figure the day she said “I do,” and I’d missed mine so badly that day. But Aunt Emmie, Alicia, and even Shannon had stepped up to the plate to make the grief of not having Abby with me that day bearable.

It had been a magical day, with both Carter and Scott walking me down the aisle. There hadn’t been an empty seat in the entire church that held two thousand. Of course, I’d had a baby bump at the time, but that didn’t seem to matter to anyone, least of all Jace, who’d looked at me like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever set eyes on.

Charlotte held my hand as we both walked down the aisle together, while behind me, Riley walked in front of the bride.

As we walked, and the toddler threw flowers along the path while we passed rock legends Charlotte only knew as her uncles, my gaze caught Jace’s halfway up the aisle. His eyes scanned hungrily over me before winking, and I had to refrain from fanning my hot face at the hunger I’d seen in his blue eyes.

Beside him, Kassa was holding her newborn baby girl, while Gray kept their

toddler son on his shoulders. But my gaze skipped over the family of four to land on Alicia. Her hair was only just now starting to get long again. She’d lost all of it during her yearlong battle and the powerful chemo treatments. But she hadn’t had to go through any of it alone.

After the winter tour, Alicia finally confessed everything to Kassa and Gray, and they bought a house just a few blocks away from her. Jace and I had moved out there until her treatment was over too, living in her house and giving her all the support she would allow us to give her while she fought and won against the brain tumor that tried to steal her from us.

In Alicia’s arms was my sleeping daughter. Abigail was a heavy sleeper, just like her father, but that was the only thing she got from Jace. Everything else, from her red hair and the shade of her blue eyes, all the way to her personality, was one hundred percent me. And Jace was just as much a slave to her as he was to me.

Abi adored Alicia, and even though we lived in California again since Alicia had been in remission, the two were still close.

As I passed them, my eyes landed on the other members of Tainted Knights. Kale stood with Santana, Angie and Jenna right behind them in the pew. The ring on Santana’s hand was so big, it nearly blinded me as it caught the light, and I hid my grin.

Santana had said over and over again she never wanted to get married, but after my wedding, she’d proposed to Kale. She even had a ring, but he’d surprised her by producing one of his own and sliding it onto her finger even before she’d finished asking him to marry her.

They hadn’t done the whole church wedding but had flown out to Hawaii and gotten married on the beach alone. We’d all been surprised when they came back with glowing tans and wedding rings on their fingers.

On the other side the aisle, Sin stood with Roanna and the other Blondes. I joked that he was their daddy now, and he always rolled his eyes, but he never told me to fuck off, so he probably considered himself their father figure. He’d sure acted like a papa bear when London had been dating Derrick and then when Genesis started dating the guitarist in my band. And God forbid Aubree ever found someone to have a relationship with, because he was the most protective of her.

Roanna shifted, her hands rubbing over her barely there baby bump, making the normally stoic rocker’s eyes flash with a happiness I’d only ever seen in his dark eyes when he looked at his wife.

“Daddy! Look at me,” Charlotte yelled at her father, pulling my attention back to the little girl at my side.

This was why it had been decided I would walk up the aisle with her. Charlotte was a total ham for attention, especially her father’s. If I weren’t holding her hand right then, she already would have been throwing herself into his arms, and then the ceremony would have to be put on hold until she was ready for her parents to say their vows.

Cash lifted his finger to his lips, grinning but motioning for her to hush. Thankfully, she clamped her lips shut, nodding.