Oh, thank fuck.
I swept Avril into my arms, pulling her close as I pressed my lips to hers, claiming her with a kiss.
I wrapped my arms around her back, pulling her closer to me, as the rest of the world disappeared—nothing existed but the woman in my arms. My beautiful Avril—my wife.
I ignored the ruckus around us—one of Avril’s brothers was hollering “get it, girl.” Another yelled, “Do it lady,” whatever that meant, while the rest of her siblings cat-called her and cheered.
None of it mattered. I ignored all of them, completely wrapped up in bliss, as Avril stroked her little hand against my jaw, staring into my eyes…
That was until I heard a woman scream in shock.
I pulled away from Avril, heart pounding for a different reason, ready to face whatever the danger was…
To see Avril’s very pregnant mother standing over a puddle.
Did she…
That wasn’t pee was it?
She was right in the front row, and her silky floral dress was very clearly soiled as she stared down at the ground in shock. Avril’s less pregnant mother called out, “Ragnar, Genesis, get the bag. Her water broke.”
Oh.
That meant that…
Ohhh.
Yeah, that wasn’t pee.
Then utter chaos broke out.
Ragnar Stryker gathered the other men close, giving out rapid fire directions, then Avril’s fathers were running in all different directions. Then Ragnar approached us, concern etched across his face, as he approached Avril like he was about to defuse a bomb. His massive palm dwarfed hers as he held her little hand. “Peanut, are you going to be alright? Should we leave Pa Nix, or Papa Diesel behind?”
But Avril shook her head, unbothered by the latest drama. “You saw me get married, you walked me down the aisle. It’s fine. Go take care of Momma Rain before she has my sibling in the parking lot.”
Then Ragnar Stryker’s gaze darted over to me.
“Don’t worry, I got her.” I put my arm around her. “If the ex comes back, I won’t let him bother Avril.”
Maybe this meant I’d finally get a chance to smack some shit into the little cheating bastard; it seemed like every single other man invited to the wedding got a turn, anyway.
Ragnar raised a single eyebrow. “No, we called an ambulance for him already. Dylan shouldn’t be a problem.” He reached for my shoulder, gripping me. It kind of felt like getting patted by a friendly boulder. “You’re a good man. Take care of my baby-girl.”
With that, he turned and sprinted, moving much faster than what looked physically possible for a man of his size.
“Well, there goes the rest of the photos with all the family. Here, I had almost started thinking that I was paranoid about having the bridal party photo shoot before the ceremony.” Avril had her hand on her hip as she watched the last of her parents running out of the door.
“You aren’t upset?” I scrutinized her expression, looking for signs of tension—she was, after all, abruptly abandoned by every single one of her parents, on what should be the happiest day ofher life. Either she masked it well, or Avril really wasn’t letting this phase her.
“Why would I be upset?”
I snapped my mouth shut. Avril’s tone wasn’t sarcastic at all. She was genuinely curious—like it wasn’t even a thought that all of the interruptions to her wedding should ruin her mood.Okay, if this craziness wasn’t bothering her, I would not be the one to say anything about it.
Avril smiled again, tugging my arm toward the reception hall.
“Come on, husband, let’s go get some wedding cake.”
Husband…
