I hardly knew Sophia, but it was easy to pick up on her warmth and friendliness. “You’re going to fit right in with us girls. Griff’s not going to know what hit him.”
“We might need to ease him into it. I do love him, but he’s taken a while to get his shit together with regards to introducing me to the club,” Sophia said.
Velvet arrived at that point, and threw her two cents in. “I think you’ve got the patience of a saint.”
“I’ve got all the patience in the world for that man. I’ve never known a man to be so good to me,” Sophia replied, and I loved her a little more for saying that.
“I think Griff’s an amazing man, too,” I said. “And I’m so glad he’s found a woman as good as you to love him.”
Roxie interrupted us. “Oh, God, enough of the love fest. I may gag soon. Let’s start thinking about your hair for the wedding.”
We headed out to the front of the shop and as I took a seat, Bobby said, “Layla just rang. She can’t make it today. Something about Blade, and him having the day off, and her knowing you girls would totally understand.”
Velvet took the seat next to me. “After two full days of Nash loving, I totally understand where that girl’s coming from.”
Bobby sighed. “I knew I should just have called in sick. Listening to your sexcapades with those Storm men may just kill me today.”
We all broke out into laughter, and happiness bubbled through me. This was what made life good – friends and family who loved you, and who shared the good and bad with you. Friends and family who held your hand and guided you when you couldn’t guide yourself. I knew I still had work to do on myself, and that the journey would never be clear of hardships, but with these girls by my side, the bumps would be a little easier to navigate.
20
Scott
“Where are we at with Julio’s guys?” I asked Nash during Church that morning. After King and I had dealt with Bourne the other day, we’d pulled everyone together and delivered a warning to Julio’s crew to leave town – the kind of warning that involved blood and not many men left standing.
“The few that were left standing have all headed back to Adelaide.”
I expelled the breath I hadn’t realised I was holding.
Thank fuck.
I nodded as I relaxed back into my chair. “And King has advised me that he’s promised hell to Adelaide Storm if they retaliate.” I looked around the room, taking in the serious expressions the guys all wore. Leaning forward again, I rested my elbows on the table and said, “This is all over. Finally. Now we rebuild our club and hope to fuck that we can have some peace for a long time.”
I watched as their serious expressions gave way to smiles and nods of relief. And all I could think was that it was about time.
Griff took over to discuss some pressing matters involving Trilogy and Indigo, and once they were all sorted, I spoke up again. “This Saturday, I’m getting married - ” Wolf whistles and cheers cut me off, and I gave them that for a moment before taking control again. “If you’re in town this weekend, I want you at the wedding.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the fucking world,” J said as he grinned at me. “Never actually thought I’d see the day that Scott Cole got married.”
“Smartass,” I muttered before calling an end to Church.
As everyone filed out of the room, I called Griff aside. “I want you to be my best man.”
He listened to my request, his expression not changing. However, his breathing picked up, and then he replied, “Means a lot to me, Scott. After everything we’ve been through over the past few months, it means a fucking lot.”
“I didn’t handle shit very well when you told me about your family, and I’m sorry, brother. You need to know that you are more family to me than some of my own blood family. I’d be honoured to have you by my side when I marry Harlow.” There wasn’t much I regretted in my life, but I wasn’t proud of the way I’d reacted when Griff shared his past with me.
He straightened and pushed his shoulders back as he said, “I’d be honoured to be your best man.”
I grinned. A load had been lifted off my shoulders now that we’d had that conversation. Slapping him on the back, I made a suggestion. “We need a beer.”
He returned my grin and nodded his agreement. “Or two.”
Some people didn’t understand the brotherhood of Storm. It was, however, what I believed in the most in my life. To trust and believe in something so much that you would lay down your life for it – that was what the brotherhood was to me.
It was family.
* * *
“Harlow tells me that you’re the one planning the wedding. So weird,” Cassie said to me that afternoon. I’d picked Harlow up from the hairdresser and planned a long afternoon in bed with her, but her best friend had arrived just as Harlow had run her tongue along my cock.
Worst fucking timing.
“Why is that weird?” I asked while grabbing a beer from the fridge.