Chasing Claire (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club) (34 page)

“Honey, the word’s out. No one in the tri-state area is gonna book you,” she said in between puffs.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I whispered tearfully. “I had my heart set on a big white wedding.”

“Aw, doll, take some advice. Your club’s got some nice pieces of property and a few bars, so I’ve heard. If you don’t want to have it at one of your own establishments, then do it yourself. Rent a few of those pretty white tents, the nice ones, the ones with the sides and the plastic windows that look like cathedrals. Then you get yourself some of those put-together wooden dance floors and some pretty tables and chairs. You can even get those portable potties. Not the nasty ones, I’m talking about the nice ones that come in a trailer with air conditioning and real flushable toilets. As far as the food goes, just get it catered in. You can have carving stations, a buffet, or a sit-down dinner, whatever your little heart desires. Don’t fret, honey. You can have yourself a real nice wedding. Flowers on the table and all the rest. All the movie stars are doing it that way. Hell, you can even cross state lines and get a bunch of fireworks.”

Then she lowered her voice. “My daughter has a side business—she’s a wedding consultant-slash-event planner. I can give you her number, honey, would you like that?

I sighed into the phone, “I would like that very much.”

“All righty, then. You got a church lined up?” She wheezed.

“Yes, we have a church,” I answered. “Father Andrew at the nondenominational church in Pierpoint said that he would marry us.”

“That church is a beauty. My girl will help you do it up right pretty, sugar. Flowers for the church, white Cinderella dress, fifty bridesmaids if you want them, then you can go on home and have yourself a party.”

I took her suggestion and wrote down her daughter’s number. I may have given up on the venues but not on the dream.

CHAPTER 56

O
h no.” I looked at the storm tracker on my laptop and felt my heart sink.

I stood and scanned the lake house property from the living room and sighed. The chairs, tables, and the portable dance floors had all been delivered earlier in the day. The large event tents were erected and staked in place, their white walls were pulled back and danced gently in the breeze. Several beautifully decorated cocktail bars were set on and around the dock area, just waiting to be stocked with top-shelf liquor. Thousands of intricately strung, tiny white lights hung daintily from carefully chosen tree branches.

The lake house was all dressed in white and ready for a wedding.

I sighed heavily and turned away from the window.

“What’s the matter, Babe?” Reno asked. His voice called out to me, but his eyes were glued to the television screen in front of him.

Exasperation leaked out of my voice.

“I am not going to let anything stop me from becoming Mrs. Reno McCabe tomorrow. I am going to walk down that aisle in my perfect white wedding dress and into your arms. Even if I have to wade across a stream of mud, run between streaks of lightning, and jump over fallen trees to do it.”

Reno tore his eyes away from the game and looked at me. “You expecting a string of disasters, Claire?”

I pouted and pulled back the curtain to frown at the deceptively clear sky.

“I have been monitoring the weather forecast and it looks like a low pressure system is moving in tonight, just in time for tomorrow. There’s a good chance that it is going to rain on our perfect day, Reno. After all the planning, and the expense, and the hoping, and the dreaming. There’s going to be wind and rain and thunder. It’s going to ruin everything,” I fretted.

Tears gathered in my eyes and crept into my voice.

With a click, Reno turned off the television, came up behind me, and pressed his chest against my back. Then he wrapped his arms around me, and we both looked out into the large yard.

“It looks pretty, baby. You did a great job,” he said against my hair. “Everything is going to be beautiful.”

“I wish that Glory was going to be here,” I sniffled.

“Is that what’s bothering you, honey? The boys said they were all ready to go with the Internet streaming. She’ll be able to see the whole thing.”

I nodded and settled against him. “It won’t be the same,” I whispered.

“She’s where she needs to be, honey,” Reno said softly.

“I know. I know that,” I sighed.

Then I turned to him. “What if it does rain, Reno? What if it pours and ruins everything?”

Reno held on to my waist. His fingers gripped me softly.

“What if it does?”

I frowned at him.

“Look, Babe, the ceremony is in the church, right? It’s been a while since I’ve stepped into a house of God, but I think they have doors and walls like other buildings to keep out the rain, right?”

“You know they do, Reno. And I do not appreciate you taking this lightly,” I scolded him.

“Me?” he asked with mock outrage. “I am not taking this lightly at all. Nope. Not at all. Actually, Claire, we might have a bigger problem than the weather,” he said with a teasing tone.

“Stop it,” I said. But I couldn’t keep the smile out of my voice.

“No. I mean it, Claire,” he insisted. “I haven’t talked to you about it yet, but now that we are doing the whole
I’m worried
thing, I actually have some fears of my own.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “And what would those be?”

“It’s the holy water at the church. I am worried that it is going to start boiling up when the brothers walk in. Just like in one of those horror movies.” He smirked.

“Cut it out, Reno.” I twisted in his arms, but I couldn’t keep in the small laugh that escaped me.

“That’s better, Babe.” He grinned at me. Then he drew me in and pressed his mouth lightly to my own.

“Claire, you have been fretting over one thing or another for weeks now. It’s all going to be okay, honey.”

My lips returned the kiss, but my thoughts were still racing.

“But what if it rains all over our wedding?” I persisted.

Reno looked at me for a minute and sighed. His tone was gentle when he spoke.

“And what if it does, honey? By this time tomorrow, you’re going to belong to me. You and me, baby,
husband and wife
. In the eyes of God and in the eyes of the law, you are going to be mine.
My wife.
By this time tomorrow you’re going to have my name.”

“Mrs. Claire McCabe,” I whispered. “It sounds good.”

“It sounds fucking great,” he whispered back.

He paused then and looked hard at me.

“That’s all that’s important, Claire. The rest, shit, it’s just a party. And we can party anytime, anywhere. God knows, over the years the brothers have proven that. So, let it rain. Let the heavens open and pour down with all they got. Because none of that matters. What
matters is me and you. Tomorrow you are going to walk down that aisle in a white wedding dress, with flowers in your hair and a promise on those beautiful lips of yours. And I’m going to be waiting for you. We are going to vow to love each other ’til the day that we die. And even beyond that. Then I am going to kiss you. We are going to have our first goddamn kiss as man and wife. And that kiss is going to be so fucking sweet that we are going to think back and remember it for as long as we live. After that we are going to eat and drink and celebrate with the people that we love and who love us, yeah?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“I know that you have this dream of a perfect wedding in your head. But the dream is me and you. And baby, we are already there.”

At his words, I felt all the tension leave my body. I reached up and put my arms around his neck. Then I ran my fingers gently through his freshly cut hair, and I pressed my body against his.

“I love you, Reno,” I said against his lips.

“I love you too, baby. Now what do you say you stop worrying for a few goddamn minutes and come upstairs and help me celebrate my last night as a single man?”

I smiled, nodded, and let him lead the way.

Much, much later as I lay next to Reno and listened to the steady rhythmic sound of his breathing, a deep well of happiness surged and swelled inside of me. I loved this man more than I had ever thought possible. I loved him more than I ever thought I was capable of loving.

And we had been through so much together.

The path that had led us to this place had proven to be littered with land mines filled with dangerous emotion. Its banks had been built on matters of life and death. On every step of this steep climb, our love had had to fight to survive.

And now, here we stood with our hands clasped and our hearts bound. Together and triumphant at the journey’s end.

Reno and I had finally,
finally
gotten to this wondrous place full of promise. A place that was full of light and love and the happily ever after. And the best part of all was that tomorrow would not be the end of that journey. It would be another even better beginning, another chance to start again. I sighed deeply as that first big splatter of rain hit the bedroom window and the wind picked up and beat the shutter rhythmically against the clapboard.

I settled myself deep into the bed, and I thought about the flowers and the tents and the twinkling lights. I thought about the delicate lace of my gown and the soft butter of the dress leathers that hung waiting in the closet next to it.

But it was all good. Because I realized more than ever before that what Reno said was true. The important stuff wasn’t out in that yard. It wasn’t in the tent or in the flowers or in that perfect white dress. It was in the love that had brought us here.

I knew that at times, life could be just like the weather—unpredictable, unyielding, and almost impossible to control. I knew that one moment it could be filled with calm winds, and the next moment it could be filled with stormy seas.

But I also knew that with my man by my side, I could weather any storm.

So feeling that and knowing it to be true, I closed my eyes and snuggled in deep beside my man. My heart was filled with the promise and excitement of all the coming days.

And if I woke up in the morning and found a gale storm had hit the coast and shattered the wedding preparations to bits, it wouldn’t matter.

Because I had found my safe harbor.

Reno was right.

Let the rain fall.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I
would like to thank Helen Cattaneo at Montlake Publishing, whose professionalism, warmth, encouragement, and sound advice have made becoming a member of the Amazon family such a pleasure. I got lucky when you found me, Helen.

A special shout-out goes to my developmental editor, Kristen Stroever. I have learned so much from you. Thanks for sharing your talent, vision, and enthusiasm with me and helping to make Claire and Reno’s story all that it deserves to be.

I would like to thank all the readers of my debut novel,
Raine Falling
. Without your letters, encouragement, reviews, and fearlessness in taking a chance on a new author, I would not have had the courage to put Claire’s story out there. Thank you!

Finally I would like to thank Amazon, which has changed the face of publishing as we know it. What a gift you have given novice writers who have the talent, determination, and dedication to succeed but found the waters of mainstream publishing too difficult to navigate. Both as a reader and a writer, I have benefited from your visionary endeavor. Hats off to you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2014 Dawn Brundige

P
aula Marinaro was born and raised on the North Shore of Boston. She currently lives with her husband in a cozy little house on a lake in Western Massachusetts. She holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, and a Masters Degree in Education. She considers herself to be a lifelong learner and enjoys international travel. She is extremely proud to be the mother of two children, Jake and Leah. Her debut novel,
Raine Falling
, was published in 2014.