The minister steps forward and smiles at us. “Do you have the rings?”
Lincoln digs them out of his pocket and hands them over as thunder cracks right above our heads. I duck and glance up at the sky, hoping we get a few more minutes before the heavens decide to open up on us. The minister hands the rings to us and we slip them on each other’s fingers at the same time, grinning like little kids.
“By the power vested in me by God and the state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride,” he calls as the wind picks up and our guests cheer and yell as Lincoln pulls me into his arms and claims my lips in a kiss that screams ownership.
Another crack of thunder sounds over our heads and the skies open up, pelting us with rain as everyone starts running back to the cars. I pull away from Lincoln and meet his gaze as I start laughing. I pull away from him and lean my head back as I spread my arms out and let the rain wash over me.
“You’re crazy!” he yells over the rain and I meet his eyes again as I shrug.
“Get used to it, husband.”
Growling, he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder as he marches across the beach back toward our room.
“What are you doing?” I yell and he smacks my ass.
“I made you a promise, Mrs. Archer.”
“And what promise is that?”
He steps into our room and closes the sliding glass door before he slides me down his body. “Have you forgotten already? Eighty years starts tonight.”
“Oh, that promise,” I whisper, grinning up at him as he wraps his arms around me. I shove the straps of my dress off my shoulders and it pools at my feet. “Get to it, then.”
Flashing me a wolfish grin, he runs his hand down my side and leans in, his lips hovering over mine. “Yes, Ma’am.”
It Ends Tonight
Bayou Devils MC
Book Four
Chapter One
Quinn
“No!”
The scream rips through the silence, yanking me from a restless sleep and I jerk forward in bed as a deep, painful sob racks my body, taking me by surprise. My gaze flies wildly around the four walls of my bedroom before I realize that the monster chasing me only exists in my mind.
Shit.
It was just another dream.
Drawing in a stuttered breath, I press my hand against my clammy skin as tears well up in my eyes and my heart thunders in my chest. I focus on that – the feeling of my pulse beating relentlessly against my palm and the feeling of my skin under my fingertips to pull myself back to the present as the memories get pushed further from my mind. They are so strong but I won’t let them win. I can’t.
With a sigh, I run my fingers through my hair and fall back into the mattress. It cocoons me in its comfort and I let out another sigh, more stress seeping out of my system with each breath I draw in. Sunlight dances across the ceiling and birds chirp sweetly outside the window. It’s so idyllic that you would never guess that we’re in the heart of Baton Rouge right now but I suppose that’s why Gram chose this house.
My phone rings on the bedside table next to my head and I turn to look at it before sitting up and scooping it off the table. Scrolling through my notifications, I smile when I see the text from Willa, my assistant.
Willa:
Don’t forget.
Staff meeting at nine.
As I type out my reply, another message comes in and I laugh out loud.
Willa:
Don’t be late.
Me:
You know I can’t promise anything.
Grinning, I open my Spotify app and click on my country playlist while I wait for her reply. It comes as Born to Fly by Sara Evans begins playing.
Willa:
Well, you’re awake, at least.
That’s something.
My smile is wide as I shake my head and text her back, letting her know I’ll be in on time for our “staff meeting”. Staff meeting is a fancy way to describe our weekly rundown since it’s only Willa and I working at EQA Events these days but she likes to call them something official so I let her. Maybe it makes her feel better to give it a title since we spend an hour each week just drinking coffee, binging on donuts, and gossiping. Whatever the reason, I’ll let her call it anything she wants since she’s saved my ass more times than I can count in the past year.
Resolving myself to the fact that I can’t procrastinate anymore, I shove the comforter off my legs and stand up as the song changes to Give It Away by George Strait. I grin as I pull my tank top over my head and toss it toward the hamper on the other side of the room. There’s nothing quite like the king of country to lift my spirits in the morning. Singing along, I shimmy out of my panties and grab my phone off the bed as I walk across the room to the attached bathroom. The sight of the old claw foot tub Gram installed in here catches my attention and I frown.
Too bad I don’t have time for a soak this morning.
I imagine Willa’s freak-out if she knew I was even thinking about taking a long bubble bath and I grin as I set my phone down on the counter and turn toward the shower. It rings again as I turn the water on and I just shake my head. No doubt it’s one of the usual “you’re going to be late” texts she sends me every morning. Willa is the perfect assistant for me because my weaknesses are her strengths - like showing up on time. My internal clock is always running about five minutes slower than Willa’s but I just can’t help it. No matter how much I try to be on time, I always seem to be just a little late. She even tried to set the clocks in my house fast once and I still showed up to work a couple minutes late. Watching her throw her hands up and scream, “That’s it! I give up!” was one of the highlights of the week.
The song changes to Guys Do It All The Time by Mindy McCready and I grab my phone, turning it up before setting it back down and stepping into the shower. I hum along as I work the shampoo into my hair and dance in a little circle, careful not to fall on the wet tile. Once the conditioner is in my hair, I grab the loofa off of the hook under the shower head and start scrubbing my skin, my mood lifting more and more with each song that plays.
Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde by Travis Tritt echoes through the bathroom as my phone rings again and I whisper a curse. That’ll be Willa with my thirty-minute text and I need to be out of the shower already if I have any hope of making it on time. Hurrying, I finish scrubbing my body and wash my face before rinsing everything and turning the water off. I grab my towel and wrap it around my chest as I step out and snatch my phone off the counter. Sure enough, I have two texts from Willa.
I set my phone down and duck out of the bathroom before stopping in front of the closet and thumbing through the rack. When I finally find something I like, I toss it onto the bed and rush back into the bathroom to do my hair and makeup. As I dry my hair, I turn the volume on my phone up again, singing along to each new song that plays and by the time I’m done, I’m excited to tackle a new day - my rough start this morning forgotten.
Dr. Jeffers would be proud.
Tossing the towel in the hamper, I slip into a pair of panties and the matching bra before going back to the counter and curling my hair with big, bouncy curls. Satisfied, I return to the bedroom and grab the white tulle skirt and denim button up shirt I picked out earlier. My gaze flicks to the clock on the wall and I wrinkle my nose.