Page 154 of Beast: Part Two

Dominique kept his word. He made the call and withdrew his signature on the order. We still have not heard anything from the Church. Although the attacks on us have died down tremendously, they have not made an official announcement about the order. They also still have yet to assign a new Pope.

“How do I look, Hulk?” Gabe asks, looking up at me with a smile on his face.

I look down at my son in his little tuxedo that is the exact replica of mine. “You look good, son.”

“Yeah, Preacher,” Lucien says. “You look like the best ring bearer I’ve ever seen.”

Gabe’s chest pokes out. Nothing makes him prouder than being called his nickname. After everything was settled, I decided to continue Gabe’s lessons. I’ll never let him sign his life over to the Church like we did, but I will train him to be just as good as a member of the Church.

“Charlie put that down,” Many says.

We took our promise to Albany to heart. There isn’t a day that one of us doesn’t have Charlie with us. We are all still at the ghost house. At this point, we’re staying just because it helps with the healing.

Priest’s absence is still felt. We’ve had to rely on each other to get past it.

I grab little Charlie and lift him up. The kid has been all over the place since he learned to walk. He’s one-year-old now and I know Priest would be so proud of him.

Charlie giggles as I toss him in the air and catch him. I plant him back on his feet in front of Gabe.

“Take your uncle to Ms. Reese so he can get a snack before the wedding.”

Today, I was marrying the woman of my dreams. I made a promise to Summer that I planned to keep. Today, we were making that promise in front of our family.

Gabe grabs Charlie’s hand. “Come on, Charlie. Maybe we can get granny Reese to get us a cookie.”

I watch him lead Charlie out of the room.

“How are you feeling, Beast?” Hawk asks. He’s sitting on the bed, his back against the headboard as little Nathaniel sleeps on his chest.

I turn back to the mirror, looking at my reflection. I tug at my tie.

“Nervous,” I admit. My weekly meetings with Alicia have taught me to not only recognize my emotions but also get comfortable with speaking about them out loud.

“You’re nervous because this is wrong,”Mother’s voice says in my head.“You don’t deserve to marry the whore.”

The voices in my head are still there. Alicia explained that the voices may never go away. I’ve had them for years. She has taught me how to understand them.

“She chose to marry me,”I answer to her voice.“Which means I deserve her.”

“Don’t be nervous,” Lucien explains. “Marriage is beautiful.”

Zel laughs. “You’ve been married three months and now you’re the marriage expert.”

Lucien waves Zel away. “I can’t wait until you find your other half. I hope she takes you through the ringer.”

Although we all laugh, Zel does not. He cuts his gaze away. I wonder does the look have anything to do with his weekend disappearances? We have yet to find out where he’s going.

Maksim claps me on the back. “There is no need for you to be nervous. Plus, it doesn’t matter. Nervous or not, I’m getting your ass down that aisle. It is my job as best man.”

The others in the room scoff. Since I announced that Maksim would be my best man, he has not let my other brothers live it down. It was not an easy decision. I in fact was more inclined to have Seth as my best man. But he is the one that pointed out how happy it would make Maksim. He said he didn’t need me to prove to the others he was my favorite. I think they all knew that if Priest was alive, he would be the one standing beside me.

“I swear, when I renew my vows to Brooklyn, I’m making your ass an usher.”

I laugh at Hawk’s annoyance.

“We should be heading out,” Zel looks down at his watch and announces.

I turn away from the mirror once more. My heart beating rapidly in my chest. I’ve been dying to see Summer in her dress.

---