I leave them alone to go down to the clubhouse and find most of the seats filled and Kingston standing at the front by Slim who will be performing the ceremony. Jinx is standing next to Kingston and I know Zoey, Brynn’s sister, will be standing next to Brynn. That’s all they want with them because it’s just too hard to choose so none of the clubs feel left out or anything. I get pictures of everyone and everything as I move around the space as discreetly as possible. The only time I go to the front is when the wedding party starts to come out. Henrik, Jinx and Hope’s little boy, and Torrin, Vault and Annabell’s little girl will be the ring bear and flower girl. They’re so adorable in their little outfits. Henrik is wearing a pair of blue jeans with a button-up shirt on in a deep, dark purple. He’s got the smallest boots on his feet and the largest smile on his face. Torrin is wearing a light purple dress with bare feet as she walks next to Henrik, throwing flowers out when her mom tells her to. Annabell is following behind them so they don’t race off on their own like they did last night during the rehearsal.
As Zoey makes her way down the aisle, I get in position to take pictures of Kingston and Brynn. I need to have a picture for them of the very first second he lays eyes on his bride. That’s a moment in time that always needs to be captured and I always do my very best to immortalize it forever. Kingston doesn’t disappoint. The second Brynn comes into his line of sight, his eyes tear up and the smile on his face gets even bigger and brighter than I’ve ever seen from him. Jinx has to hold him back from going to his woman before it’s time. Turning my lens to the bride, I get some of the best pictures of her and her dad. Scathe is smiling down at his daughter, his face full of emotion as his eyes glisten with unshed tears. Brynn is looking up at him and doesn’t stop a few tears from sliding down her face. She’s looking at him as if he’s her hero and with all the love she has for him.
Brynn’s family is extremely close now and I hope to capture more moments of it for her. I don’t stop taking pictures throughout the ceremony, moving around to get different angles and viewpoints of the bride and groom and the guests in attendance. This is what I love to do and how I want to spend the rest of my life—capturing the memories people make on the best and sometimes worst days of their lives.
After the ceremony is over, I get the wedding party and family members through the photos. I do all of the traditional and a few others Brynn wanted to get. When we’re done, I’m ready to get off my feet for a few minutes and grab a bite to eat before it’s time to get back to work. This time, I’m not able to escape Colton as he grabs my hand and pulls me to a table that’s out of the way where Kaden is already sitting and a plate of food waits for me.
“You didn’t join us last night,” Kaden says, resting his hand on the table next to my plate of food.
“I know. I’m sorry,” I say, not bothering to make up an excuse as to why I didn’t sit with them.
“You scared of us, Alana?” Colton asks me as I take a bite of food.
“I’m not scared,” I answer after swallowing my food. “I just got out of a horrible relationship and I’m not looking for a hook-up. You two are sexy as fuck and can have any woman you want. I can’t be a notch on your bedpost.”
“Not gonna be a notch on anyone’s fuckin’ bedpost,” Kaden growls out, his voice deep and low as he stares at me. “The fucker put his hands on you, Alana?”
I turn to face Kaden, shocked he’d ask me that question until I see where his eyes are. He’s staring at a large bruise I have on my side from my ex. He was very abusive and hid that side of him for a very long time. My dads and other family members did nothing to scare him away. He’s too arrogant and narcissistic to believe they’ll get their hands on him and beat the fuck out of him before burying his body so no one will find him ever again.
“Yeah, Kaden. It took me a while to get away from him, but I finally did. Now, I have a lot of choices to make and can’t let anyone get close because I have no clue where the hell I’m gonna end up,” I state honestly as I look between the men on either side of me.
“Move here, Alana. If he’s never been around the club, he won’t know there’s a tie to our club here. We’ll protect you and make sure he doesn’t get close to you,” Colton says, looking at me with anger filling his features as he looks for other evidence of the abuse on my body.
“I’ll think about it. Thank you for the food,” I tell them, digging in so I can get back to work.
“Save a dance for me, Alana,” Kaden says, getting out of his seat and making his way over to sit with my family a few tables away.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they’re talking about what I’ve been through. My dads are angry and Kaden is talking with his hands gesturing wildly as his dad, Stryker, makes his way over to them. Great! I’m gonna be the topic of conversation on Kingston’s wedding day. That’s the last thing I wanted to happen.
After eating my food, I get back up and move around to take candid pictures of everyone. This is my favorite part because I don’t look at the screen of my camera as I take each picture. I want to give the bride and groom a range of pictures to genuinely capture every moment of their special day. Sometimes, the couples like the candid photos more than anything else. I do this until it’s announced that the dancing will start.
I move around and get all the pictures of the bride and groom during their first dance. Of Kim dancing with her son as tears slide down my face with the gentle way Kingston helps his mom move on the dance floor to take the pressure off of her back and legs. Scathe and Brynn dance and I watch a grown man cry as he holds his daughter in his arms like the last thing he wants to do is let her go even though she’s grown up now. In this moment, Brynn is that little girl who only loved her dad and the other men in her family. He’s envisioning her with pigtails in her hair, dirt smudged on her face, and no taller than his knee. Maddox, Ace, Tucker, Damien, and Blood also dance with Brynn before she’s given back to her husband. Though, Kingston also dances with his sisters, Zoey, his aunt Gwen, Faith, and Hope.
We all laugh our asses off when Kingston and Brynn shove cake in one another’s faces. They’re covered from their hairline down to their chin with frosting and cake. Kingston presses a cake-filled kiss against his wife’s lips and I make sure to catch that moment because it’s so damn funny. The longer I spend taking pictures of the reception, the more I long to have what Brynn and Kingston have found in one another. The only time I stop is when Kaden walks up to me and pulls me in his arms after handing over my camera to Colton as he dances with me to a slow song. I rest my head on his hard chest as we move to the music and for the first time in a very long time I feel completely safe with a man who isn’t my family. Colton dances with me after Kaden and then I get back to work.
The day is long and I’m ready for bed by the time Kingston carries Brynn back to their home. They’re not taking a honeymoon right now because of her pregnancy and the scare they just had that put her on bed rest. Instead of heading back to the hotel, Kaden finds me and leads me up to his room. I have no clue where this night is about to take me, but I’m here for it. I’m too exhausted to fight my attraction to them and what it could mean moving forward if I move to Pine View. That’s something to figure out another day.