Reign of Brayshaw (Brayshaw High 3)

“What, worried Raven might start to like me, gain a new friend and leave you behind?”

“Bitch—”

“Okay!” I shout, turning to Chloe with a glare. “Will you just... go outside with the boys or something?”

Chloe throws her hands up, tossing the hairbrush to the couch as she exits the room.

I wait until the door slams closed behind her to drop onto the sofa. “Why did we have to do this? Why not the same shit me and Cap did – small ass room with nobody around but the two of us – only with a real reverend, or minister or what the fuck ever you call them.”

“Everything you just said is exactly why you have to do this.” Victoria looks at me like I’m crazy.

I glare at her.

“Dude, you married his brother.”

“Obviously not, asshole,” I snap, dropping my head back on the cushion as panic stirs in my gut. “I can’t do this.”

“You want out?”

“Fuckin’ funny, Vee,” I rasp.

“Look.” Victoria scoots to the edge of the couch. “The only people here are the people you care about – and Chloe.” She glares making me laugh.

“I don’t really care about Mac either,” I try and joke.

“Well, other than them.” She chuckles. “Who I’m pretty sure invited themselves so they could party with us tonight. It’s us, the boys, and that’s it. Maddoc is already making this easy. No dresses, no suits, just us. Chill the fuck out and look out the window at the guy you almost lost. All you’re doing today is making sure you never do. That’s it.”

“We’re eighteen-year-olds who will have to go to summer school just to graduate now, and we’re having a fucking kid and getting married? Vee, I haven’t even got to talk to him yet. I thought I was married to his brother less than a day ago, now here we are.”

She eyes me, shaking her head. “Does any of that matter?”

“Shouldn’t it?”

“No. You said yourself, you don’t care about the word. It means nothing to you, but he means everything to you. This whole husband and wife thing that might be for the sake of some stupid contract today, but in the morning, when you wake up beside him it could mean something more.” She jumps to her feet, holding a hand out, so I slap mine into it. She yanks me up, our eyes meeting. “Tonight, he’ll officially be yours, Raven.”

“He already is,” I say, squeezing my eyes closed.

“So what’s the issue? Why are we standing here when we could be making s’mores by the fire already?”

I scoff and shove her away with a smirk. “You’re trippin’ if you think you’ll be seeing me tonight, Vee.” I take the stairs down two at a time, turning to look up at her smiling from the top. “Straight trippin’.”

She jogs down, following me into the room. “Should I tease you for wearing a dress even though he said you didn’t have to?”

“If you wanna get punched, go for it.”

She laughs, nudging me out the door.

Maddoc

“Fuck’s she taking so long for?” Royce looks at his watch then back at me.

I frown. “You good, man?”

“Are you?” His eyes widen as his brows lift. “I mean, fuck, bro. You’re about to get married and your punk ass is standing there all fuckin’ calm and shit.”

Cap chuckles beside him and the corner of my mouth lifts.

“Why you laughin’?” Royce shoves at Cap playfully. “Now you can’t run around here pretending you don’t have a Victoria-sized stick up your ass.”

Cap’s eyes narrow, but when I lift a brow at him, his features smooth and he pops a shoulder. I don’t miss the subtle tip of his lips either.

“Man, we look too good to be standing in the woods right now.” Royce runs a hand down his suit jacket. Grinning at himself.

“Won’t she be pissed when she sees you guys in suits when you told her she could wear her jeans?” Mac teases. “Every girl I know would flip if she showed up anywhere underdressed.”

The three of us grin, and Mac looks at us confused.

Royce grips his shoulders, shaking him lightly. “That’s right, my man. Any other girl would flip. Raven ain’t any other girl. She speaks Brayshaw.” Royce looks to me. “She speaks Maddoc.” He grins lightly. “She knows what he really wants.”

Chloe only shakes her head, pouting in the seat she took when she came storming from the cabin.

The reverend makes his way toward us, so Cap slips the flask we were passing around in his inside jacket pocket.

“Gentlemen.” He nods his head with a smile. “Are we ready?”

“Is she?” Royce asks, making us laugh.

The man turns to him. “She is, son.” He looks between Captain and Royce. “And she’s asking for you both.”

My brows snap together and look up the small incline, finding Victoria making her way down, her eyes on the ground.