Page 108 of Cinder
Ella
It’sthe most romantic wedding I’ve ever seen.
A bride in a designer gown and expensive Louboutin shoes, gazing up at her biker boyfriend who doesn’t look like he’s trimmed his beard in decades. They look like a complete mismatch. But they’re absolutely perfect for each other.
They look like they can’t wait for the priest to hurry up and marry them so they can tear each other’s clothes off.
We’re outside in the garden with the late afternoon sun glinting through the maple trees, and the scent of magnolia and jasmine perfuming the air. Rows of chairs are filled with bikers and their old ladies, families, and club girls. Cuts are worn over Sunday bests. Dresses are tight. Fingers are entwined. And love blooms in the golden light.
We sit in the front row next to Beast and Belle. Dani’s little girl, Aurora, sits on Belle’s knee after performing her duties as flower girl. Apparently, Belle used to be her nanny before she became Beast’s wife. And because Belle has Aurora, Beast is holding his baby daughter, and she looks tiny in his giant arms. When she starts to fuss, he lifts her to his giant shoulder and gently pats her bottom until she settles into a contented sleep in her daddy’s embrace.
Since we sat down, Lars hasn’t let go of my hand, and as the bride and groom exchange vows, I glance at him and feel the rush of happiness that comes when the most beautiful man is holding your hand.
And dear God, I’m in love with him.
Not just a little. Not in a way that passes.
No, this love is deep.
Bone deep.
The kind that makes its home in your heart and ensures you are never the same again.
He turns and catches me looking at him, and I can see on his face that he feels the same way. It’s in his eyes. In his expression. In the way he squeezes my hand.
I don’t know what any of this means for me. Because in my reality we don’t have a future. But we have today, and I am going to enjoy every second of it.
He smiles then leans forward and brushes his lips over mine, and they are soft and tender and full of promise.
In front of us, Rev brings the vows to an end, but Sticky and Dani don’t wait for him to announce them husband and wife before they start kissing wildly.
An eruption of cheering, clapping, and wolf whistles breaks into the golden afternoon, and I lean into Lars and feel his heart beating wildly.
Mine is beating just as fast.
And just as wild.
If the ceremonywas beautifully romantic, then the celebration is drunken chaos. Music blares. Shots are lined up along the bar. And good behavior disappears like smoke as the afternoon turns into the evening.
While I’m grabbing some food from the table, Annika approaches me, and I prepare myself for some frost from the ice maiden.
“You look hot in that dress,” she says, her icy blue eyes actually showing me some warmth. She turns her attention to the spread of food on the table. “You also look good together.”
Thinking I misheard her, I seek some kind of confirmation that I heard right.
“Me and Lars?” I ask.
“Yes, you and Lars.” She brings her gaze back to me and lets out a deep sigh. “Look, I know I can be a little?—”
“Abrupt? Harsh? Scary as fuck?”
“I was going with protective.” She smiles, and wow, it’s gorgeous. “But I like your adjectives better.”
I can’t help but smile because I’m taking this as some kind of truce.
“When you’ve been here as long I have, and you love this club as much as I do, then you’ll probably become scary as fuck to the newcomers too.”
“I only hope I can do it as well as you.”
