Page 51 of Striker

Chapter 30

Striker

One month later

The day was finally here. The day I got to marry my Little Lark and finally call her my wife. It was a cool October day and the mountains surrounding us were bursting with color. Fall was at its peak, blessing us with the most beautiful sight you could imagine. Deep shades of red, bright oranges and brilliant yellows were everywhere you looked. The crisp air had that scent of fall, putting a smile on everybody’s faces.

Sitting in the middle of the field was a wooden arch my Pop built, covered in deep red and white flowers. A small rug was underneath where Lilah and I would stand. Handmade benches were lined on either side with all our guests, just waiting for the wedding to start. And just behind those, were all my brothers bikes lined up on either side, creating a makeshift aisle for my beautiful bride to walk down.

I was dressed in black dress pants, my black boots, deep red suspenders and a white dress shirt. My leather club vest was layered on top of my shirt with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. Goose and Maverick were dressed the same, but in black dress shirts per Lilah’s request.

The music started to play and everybody took their seats. I headed up to the arch where Doc stood to officiate the wedding. “Congratulations, boy. We are all so happy for you.” He patted my back as we both turned toward the barn where soft music was starting to play.

Bambi came out wearing a burgundy velvet floor length dress. The dress had long sleeves and flared out at the bottom. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled into a bun with small black flowers surrounding it. She smiled as she walked down the aisle with Mama Crawford and helped her into her seat. She then walked up to the arch and took her place.

Ellie Jo came down the aisle next in a matching dress, her red hair was curled and pinned at the top like a 1950’s pinup girl. She smiled at everybody as she made her way down the aisle and took her place next to Bambi.

Moose’s children entered next. His son stood as our ring bearer; dressed like all my brothers in black pants and a black dress shirt, red suspenders and bow tie to complete the outfit. His daughter, just ahead of his son, was our flower girl; wearing a burgundy and white dress that puffed out around her like a little ballerina. They walked down the aisle as she threw autumn colored leaves all around her. They got to the end and ran to sit next to their dad, I gave them a big thumbs up then turned to the barn as ‘Canon in D’ started to play.

Everybody stood up waiting for the arrival of Lilah. The song started off as the classical version then I could hear the sound of an electric guitar. The song picked up into a rock and roll mix and at that very moment, everybody gasped.

My sweet Little Lark was standing in the entrance of the barn doors looking like she just fell from heaven. Lilah wore a fitted, long sleeved lace dress that fanned at her feet. Her long blonde hair was in loose curls down her back. A small veil lined with black lace flowers covered her face. I could see her cowboy boots peeking out from underneath her dress and I smiled. She held a small bouquet of wildflowers in her hand. To top it all off, she wore a leather jacket over her dress, The Devil’s Highwaymen patch was on the front and I knew a ‘Property of Striker’ patch was on the back of the jacket.

Her brothers were on either side of her as they slowly walked her down the aisle of motorcycles and past the benches. Tears started to form in my eyes as I watched her get closer. I was such an incredibly lucky man to call this woman my Old Lady. I looked around and knew I wasn’t the only one crying, there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd.

As Lilah got to the end, the music stopped and Doc stepped forward, “And who is here to present the bride on her wedding day?”

Goose and Maverick stepped up and cleared their throats, “We are, sir.” Doc nodded and stepped back. They both turned to Lilah and lifted her veil together. Kissing her on the cheek, they then turned to me, “Take good care of her, brother.”

I nodded and reached out to my beautiful bride. Taking her hand in mine, I walked under the arch with her. I leaned over and quickly kissed her on the cheek before whispering, “You look absolutely breathtaking, Little Lark.”

She blushed and gazed up at me, “You look pretty hot yourself, cowboy.” We both smiled as Doc cleared his throat and started the ceremony.

“We are gathered here today for the blessed wedding of Lilah Rose Crawford and Levi Daniel Walker. This has been a long time coming and we all are so happy to finally see you two married. Are you two ready to proceed?”

We both nodded.

“Can we have the rings?” Moose’s little boy came running up and gave Doc the wooden box with our rings. “Thank you, boy.”

He turned to the crowd, “These two have written their own vows, so I will go ahead and let them share. Lilah, why don’t you go ahead first.” He handed her my wedding band as she took out a small piece of paper from her jacket.

“Levi Daniel Walker. I am absolutely head over boots for you. You are my best friend, my protector, my soul mate. Fate has brought us together because it knew we were meant for each other. With this ring, I give you my heart for the rest of my life. I promise from this day forward, I will comfort you in hard times, always be open and honest, love and encourage you, and stand by your side as long as we live. You will never walk alone again, my heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your home. I promise to be the best Old Lady that I possibly can be. Striker, I choose you until the end of time.” She slowly slipped the ring onto my finger and she sniffed back tears. I cleared my throat and wiped my own tears away before taking out the paper with my vows on it as Doc handed me her wedding band.

“Lilah Rose Crawford. My beautiful, Little Lark. I am so lucky to have you back in my life so my promise to you is simple. I promise to be by your side until the very end. I will always listen and nurture, fight and be true. I promise to always do my equal share and never give up. I will do my very best to make sure you are happy every single day that I’m breathing. I promise to help you succeed and give you room to grow. I will be by your side through every struggle. I promise to always treat you as an equal. I will still grab your butt when we’re old and wrinkly and I promise to always treat you as good as my Harley and ride you just as much.”

The crowd laughed as Lilah wiped her tears between her giggles. I slipped the ring onto her finger and brought her knuckles to my lips. “I love you, Lilah.”

She choked back tears and whispered, “I love you, Striker.”

Doc took out his handkerchief and wiped his own tears before clearing his throat again. “Well, now that we’ve got everybody crying, let’s finish this thing.” Everybody laughed before he went on.

“Lilah, do you take Striker to be your husband now and forever until the end of time?”

Lilah gazed into my eyes and she softly spoke, “I do.”

Doc turned to me next, “Striker, do you take Lilah to be your wife now and forever until the end of time?”

I looked down at my beautiful bride and nodded my head. “I do.”

---