Page 9 of Pit's Salvation

“We were hanging out in Texas, and I was mentioning I was worried about you. Brew told me to quit being such a worrier because you could take on anything that came your way. I nodded like I was agreeing, but secretly, I was calling bullshit. I guess in my mind, you’re still the little sister I left when I went to the military. But he’s obviously right—you’ve grown up. Pit was like the heroine in one of Remi’s novels needing rescuing and you rescued him. What are they called, Remi?” War asked.

“A damsel in distress?” Remi questioned.

“Yeah, that’s it, but you don’t call a guy a damsel. What would you call it?”

“Let me check because this is hilarious and definitely fuel for teasing our future brother-in-law. Okay, it’s saying the male version of damsel in distress is dude in distress. That doesn’t seem right. Dude doesn’t really fit Pit.”

Ariel rolled her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she was happy they weren’t bugging her or irritated that they were trying to figure out some name to call Pit.

“Oh, I got it. So I putDudeinto my online thesaurus and I came up with the perfect thing for Pit.”

The glee on Brew’s face made her want to punch him in the mouth. He was supposed to be her buddy, not Roam and War’s. They were twins. They already had a built-in buddy.

“Okay, are you ready? Stud in distress. Get it? Because Mom and Dad will want grandkids, and Pit will need to do his duty. Hey, maybe if Ariel still wants to work, then Pit could be a stay-at-home dad?”

“Brew, how some woman hasn’t shot you yet is a miracle,” Beth commented.

“Amen, sister,” Sarah echoed.

There wasn’t anything saying Pit might not want to be a stay-at-home dad, but Ariel wasn’t having any of her brothers make Pit feel bad, especially not on their wedding day.

“If any of you neanderthals tell my husband-to-be or husband tomorrow about the dude in distress, stud in distress, or any variation thereof, I will get you back. You won’t know when. You won’t know how, and you definitely won’t see it coming. Got it?”

Her brothers all nodded, but Brew had that look in his eyes that didn’t bode well for her wedding day.

“Daddy, would you walk me down the aisle tomorrow?” Ariel asked.

“Do I have to dress up? You know I want to walk you, sweetie, but I only brought jeans.”

“It’s a biker wedding. Wear jeans and a nice, clean shirt.” Ariel paused and stared at Brew.”

“Oh, come on. One time I wore a shirt that smelled. Once. I’d spilled beer on my other stuff.”

“I told Pit that I wanted us all together with him, my family, and good food,” Ariel said.

Her mom smiled and so did her dad.

“Well, why don’t you make a list of anything you need us to do for tomorrow? And then everyone should get some sleep. We’ve got a wedding to attend tomorrow,” Regina said.

Ariel did what her mom asked, and it was great letting go of some of the items. She motioned Beth over when her brothers went back to their cabin.

“How much did they freak when the trackers started going every which way?”

Beth chuckled. “Let me show you. Sarah tapped into the camera where the guys were.”

Beth started the video, and Ariel couldn’t help but laugh. Watching her big, badass president brother run into the room carrying his little floofy dog, then rant and rave about his little sister being taken. Ariel felt a little guilty because trafficking wasn’t anything to joke about, but she’d been so angry at them. She should have one of the girls mention some of the items she had on her wish list. Maybe they were feeling guilty enough she could milk them for a really nice present.

Chapter Six

Arielstoodbyherdad, waiting to start. Ariel told Pit all she needed was her man, but he wanted to get her something special. In the grassy area behind the clubhouse, he’d had a large white tent erected, half of it full of tables and chairs for eating and the other half having a dance floor. Crux and Cash, two of the officers of the club, were also handy with tools. They’d made a wooden arch, which had garlands of flowers on it. Pit stood under it in dark black jeans, his motorcycle boots, a white dress shirt, and his cut. The only thing missing that she usually saw on him was his sunglasses. She was excited she’d be able to look into his blue-grey eyes. She’d always heard the phraseeyes are the window to the soul. With Pit, she finally understood. Everything he was feeling for her was in his eyes.

She’d chuckled when she’d recognized who was officiating. Tack, the Sergeant at Arms for the club, was also on the SWAT team. One of his teammates’ wives was a minister. Pit had come through, and Ariel was ready to marry her man.

Her dad held her arm and leaned down. “I want to share something with you. This today? This is the easy part. Pledging your love on a gorgeous day to the man you love. Other days will be hard. You might fight, or you might be dealing with money issues or health issues. Those are the days where you dig in and love. You love even when you’re mad because true love, like what your mom and I have, doesn’t come free. You’ve got to pay the price every day to keep your happily ever after.”

Ariel leaned up to kiss her daddy’s cheek. “Thank you. I’ve got good role models. I love Gavin, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it work.”

Pit nodded at the DJ.Highway to Hellstarted playing.

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