Page 45 of Brother to Brother

“I can’t believe you packed so much meaning into these rings,” I murmured, and she had. Archer’s wedding band was plain silver by all outside appearances, but inside? Inside the band, she had etched tiny musical notes, to remind him of me and my name, Melody. She’d explained that she knew Archer was a private man, which is why she’d etched the inside rather than the outside of the band.

“Of course,” she murmured, and squeezed me back.

We ate a catered dinner, the bare electric lightbulbs coming on closer to dusk to illuminate the inside of the tent. At one point, Archer presented me with his rag, a vest crafted in my size, declaring me his property. I got emotional again then, the vest, more than any ring or ceremony, tAelling me how deeply his commitment ran where I was concerned. Not Noah, but me...

Finally, Dragon got up and announced our first dance and Archer surprised me once again, taking me into his arms as if I truly belonged there, no question, no hesitation. He danced with me, our first song as a couple‘Strangers in the Night’by Frank Sinatra and I thought to myself someone had a sense of humor.

He kept his eyes on mine, his face unreadable, and I searched his, wondering, and not for the first time either, what he had going on behind that inscrutable gaze. I was surprised to find that I was disappointed when the song ended. That I wouldn’t have minded staying right where I was.

Dragon cut in, and danced the next song with me. The one traditionally reserved for the father of the bride but considering I had no father, just a stepfather who loathed me, and I him right back, this was a fair substitute; and Dragon was a gentleman. All of the brothers were, and the more time I spent with this chapter, the morewrongthe Arizona chapter seemed to me.

My last dance of the evening was with my son, Noah. The photographer expertly capturing images I knew I was likely to cherish forever. It was growing on towards full night when Archer took me gently aside.

“We need to get going if we’re gonna make it while it’s still night,” he murmured.

“Oh,” I said. Noah was asleep against my shoulder, and Nox was just suddenly there, standing by ready to take him. I didn’t want to let him go. I didn’t want to leave my baby for a whole three days, it just didn’t seem right. I hadn’t left him for more than eight hours since he’d been conceived… I worried he would be afraid, I didn’t want him to be scared, and I certainly didn’t want him to feel as if I’d abandoned him.

“Melody, he’ll be just fine, let Nox have ‘im,” Archer said and his tone was as gentle as I’d ever heard it. I reluctantly passed my son into his uncle’s arms.

“You call me foranything, Nox. Promise me,” I demanded, my eyes brimming with tears.

“I will, Mamma, I promise. He’s gonna be fine… he’ll have a total blast I promise. We’ll facetime you tomorrow and you’ll see.”

I nodded and Nox took my sleeping child over to another group of the brothers and their ol’ ladies.

“Come on, Baby, “Archer murmured and with a final fleeting look in my son’s direction I let him lead me to his room in the club’s outbuilding that was full of them. He ushered me through the door.

“Get changed so we can ride,” he said and I nodded staring at the leathers and my ‘property of’ cut lying on the bed waiting for me. My riding boots were even there, lined neatly with one another on the floor. The door shushed shut behind me and I swiftly changed. I was scared of what experiences lay beyond the ride I was about to take, but thankfully, the ride was supposed to be a long one, about four hours or so. I always felt cleansed after a long ride and I hadn’t gotten to ride since the short one I’d taken with Dragon to see Grinder.

When I stepped out into the hallway it was to find Archer changed and ready to go, his saddlebags packed and over his shoulder. I hadn’t had to do a thing. The other ol’ladies had done literally everything for me. Archer looked a touch put out and I asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Feels weird not packing my own bags,” he said.

“I guess that’s one of my jobs now,” I murmured.

“Yeah, at least you’ll listen to me,” he griped.

I frowned, “What didn’t they listen to you about?”

“Packed some of the wedding gifts, I said they could wait.”

“Some of themweremeant for our honeymoon,” I said gently.

“Don’t need nothin’ for our honeymoon but me and you,” he countered and I softened a bit.

“I would really like to go for a ride with my husband,” I murmured and Archer cracked a small smile at that.

“Yeah, well I’d really like to take my ol’ lady for a ride,” he said. I arched an eyebrow at him and his smile grew.

“Did you mean for that to sound as dirty as it came out?” I asked.

“You know it, Honey.”

Oh boy,I didn’t quite know what to do with a version of Archer who joked. It was a totally new concept for me.

I followed him out to where his bike was parked by the tent full of guests, the music from the DJ’s stand stopped and everyone gathered around while Archer put his saddle bags back on his bike. He got on and patted the seat behind him after starting up his bike. I got on to a round of rowdy cheering and whistling that was quickly left behind us and whipped away by the wind.

I loved to ride,and the ride to wherever we were going was definitely on my list of top ten rides I had ever taken. The wind was a living being that cleansed me of many of my misgivings. The road rushing beneath the tires my priest, as I silently dropped and confessed my sins, leaving them behind me. Archer was a solid warmth, my arms around his solid, rock hard waist as we moved through the warm night taking swoops and curves that made me feel alive again and not like I was simply going through the motions.

---