Ride with Me Page 5

  Is this what being married is? Shopping for spices? Women have purse parties, Tupperware parties; surely, they have a spice party. Do I really need to bring home little jars of magic salt for Lux to know she’s got me by the balls?

  This shit seems a little extreme. Then again, what the fuck do I know about relationships?

  I turn around and go back to the shelf, picking up two jars for myself.

  Tripp turns around as he hits the exit door.

  I raise the jar up in the air. “Tangible.” I laugh. “I’m spicin’ shit up.”

  I smile over at Doll as I pack my bag. “Am I really doing this?”

  “Fuck yeah, you are!” She laughs as BW starts pulling my clothes out just as fast as I’m putting them in. He picks up a pair of my silk and lace panties and holds them high. “Sorry, Lux, he’s a Crews man.”

  We both laugh as I put the garments back and continue packing.

  “Shit!” I freak out. “Doll, I don’t have a dress. I don’t know when he’s coming in. Hell, I don’t know if he’ll really go down to the courthouse with me.”

  “Breathe, Caroline. This is Rex. He’s going to go to the courthouse if that’s what you want.”

  I smile at my friend as I zip up the suitcase. “You’re right. Okay, Kenna is covering me at work, and Sass is going to let me crash with her so I don’t freak out every second of every day while I wait for him to pull in.” I throw my hands up in the air. “I’m crazy! This is crazy!”

  She laughs, and BW throws his hands up, mocking me.

  “I have a surprise,” she says with mischief in her eyes.

  “Well, spill it. I don’t like surprises.”

  She picks her son up and rests him on her hip. “We’re coming with you!”

  Tears fill my eyes. “Really?” I ask as they begin to stream down my face.

  She nods. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  My two best friends and our Hellions family will be with us as we commit our lives to each other.

  Doll steps over to me and puts her arm around my shoulders, whispering, “And Jolene, too.”

  I gasp and finally feel like maybe this idea isn’t so bad.

  Before I can take in all of my emotions, she squeezes me tightly. “And Shooter, Tessie, and Axel will be down tomorrow.”

  I let out a happy sob. Everyone who matters will be with us. I just have to hope the groom will be happy enough to go through with it.

  Rex always tells me: if I want something, take it. Well, I want his last name, and I’m damn sure going to take it.

  ***

  The ride to the coast is filled with excitement and nervous jitters. I wonder when Rex will pull into town. My mind races with things I need to get in order now that we will, indeed, have our family and friends with us.

  We arrive at Sass and Tank’s to say a quick hello before Doll decides we need to crash at one of the duplexes where we will have more space. This surprises me since the three of us are closer than sisters and typically stay with one another when in town.

  Settling in, I can’t help smiling constantly as the happiness consumes me. Then my phone rings, and I sigh as I look at the caller ID.

  “Rex,” I greet.

  “Lux, your voice is getting me hard.”

  I laugh. “Rex, everything,” I add dramatically, “makes you hard.”

  “Everything about you,” he comes back with quickly, making me laugh. “Good day at work?”

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “You sound extra happy tonight.”

  Shit! I can’t hide anything from him.

  “Good day overall and hearing your voice makes me happy, Rex.”

  “I know what else makes you happy,” he starts to tease when BW squeals in the background. “You at Doll’s, or is Doll at our place?”

  “Umm,” I hesitate. “I’m with Doll.”

  He doesn’t seem to catch my slip. “Okay, I’ll let you have girl time. Love you, Lux.”

  “Love you, Rex.”

  We end the call, and I breathe out a sigh that I didn’t give it all away so quickly.

  Turning, I see Doll with a smile on her face just before there is a knock at the door. Rather than wonder what my best friend is up to, I answer the front door. The duplexes aren’t overly large, but they are a comfortable place to stay with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen with an eat-in area, and a large living space with a couch and big-ass TV.

  Opening the door, I’m greeted by Jolene, Shooter, Tessie, and Axel. Happily, they all enter the space with quick hugs.

  Doll grabs a bag of BW’s things and tosses it to Shooter, making me wonder what’s going on.

  “Have fun, ladies,” Shooter says before wrapping his arm around Tessie’s waist and pulling her in for a deep kiss.

  “Come on, guys! Enough already. It’s one night. We gotta share Mom with her friends, Shooter. Let’s go; it’s man time,” Axel says dramatically as he uses his hand to cover BW’s eyes. “There are kids here, you know.”

  Shooter ends their kiss with a peck to her forehead before stepping away to scoop up BW. “Have fun tonight, but not too much fun.” He winks then makes his way out the door with the kids.

  I look around at the women in front of me, and Jolene steps into the bedroom with a bag in her hand.

  “Someone want to tell me what’s going on tonight?”

  “Bachelorette party!” Doll squeals delightfully, and I cough out a choke.

  “Umm, Doll, like, I love the idea, but I”—I turn around and look to see Jolene distracted and whisper to my best friend—“I sleep with Rex. Strippers just don’t compare. Plus, if I see another man’s beast, D-Rex might kill me.”

  She busts out laughing.

  “I don’t think this is funny. This is not a good idea. I repeat: not good, Doll!” I panic more as she smiles bigger. “Shooter, Tripp, Tank, they’ll all have, like, macho cavemen Olympics to crush the strippers. We can’t do this. No, no, no.”

  Tessie laughs and puts her hand on my shoulder. “Bachelorette party isn’t the right word.” She taps her finger on her chin. “Let’s call it a spice party.”

  Doll nods her head in agreement. “Oh … That’s a good one. Totally the perfect name.”

  “What the hell have you guys planned?”

  “Calm down, sweetie,” Jolene pipes in. “Ladies’ night is supposed to be fun.” She winks at me then goes into the bathroom, carrying an outfit from her bag.

  I drop down onto the couch. I’m surprising my man with a wedding, and now my friends have planned a “Spice Party.” I don’t know if this is a good idea anymore. What is Rex going to say? What the hell is a spice party? I’m scared to find out.

  It doesn’t take long before we are all dressed up. I am in a red, halter top dress that has a back that dips down into a low V where the point stops just at my ass crack. Rex loves this dress because he can slip his hand in the back and draw circles on my hip when we go out.

  I miss him. I crave his touch.

  The skirt portion stops mid-thigh, dancing the line between sexy and trashy. I finish off with a pair of four-inch, peep toe gray heels. My hair is in loose curls, and my makeup is smoky yet not overdone as if we were going out to the night clubs.

  Doll is in a three-quarter length sleeve, black boat-neck dress that stops just under her ass. I have to laugh, thinking she may be playing panty peek-a-boo when getting in and out of the car. Her hair is done in a messy up-do like some high-end fashion model. She ends it with a pair of red, platform heels.

  Tessie, as always, is understated elegance. Her gray sweater dress goes midway down her legs with a sexy slit up each thigh. The V-neck with her favorite push up bra, as she says, teases cleavage, and she wears a thick belt across the waist, making her small frame even tinier. She ends it with bright pink heels, making the entire outfit pop with color.

  Jolene, being Rex’s mom, still fits right in, wearing a spaghetti strapped, little black dress of her own with an empire waist and s
ilver accents. Her silver shoes add to the ensemble.

  We are all ready to spice things up … at least for the night.

  Pulling up to Sass and Tank’s house, I now understand why we didn’t stay here. She needed prep time.

  Walking in, I laugh as Tank gathers his bag with Red, their son, and gives a quick good-bye, saying he’s running late for his escape.

  I smile as I look at the red and black streamers hanging in the living room. There is a table set up, covered in a red drape so I can’t see what’s underneath. I think about house parties of married women and laugh.

  “A kitchen party is nice, but I don’t get to cook very often with work guys.”

  All of my friends bust out laughing.

  “This is a spice party. We’re going to spice things up,” Doll adds, making her way to the couch.

  I look at the cake table in the corner and gasp. It’s a tiered cake done in black and red fondant. At the top of the cake is a dildo, and it is adorned with an “accessory” like Rex’s. I look over at Sass who is smiling as she figures out what I have just seen.

  “You bejeweled a plastic cock?”

  “Well, I hear that’s how you like it,” she jokes.

  Jolene takes a seat and puts her fingers in her ears. “Lalalala … I love my son, and I know he has sex, but I do not want to think about the wing-wing I had to clean when he was a baby being accessorized.”

  We all laugh and take our seats. When a short, dark, curly-haired woman enters the room, Sass introduces her.

  “This is Felicia. She’s our ‘spice’ consultant.” Sass laughs at saying spice, and I still feel lost.

  The woman lifts the drape covering the long table in front of us, and I can’t hide the surprise on my face.

  “Guys, Rex has rules,” I warn.

  “They all do. They want your pleasure to come from them, blah, blah, blah,” Tessie, who is normally quiet and reserved, says as Doll and Sass nod their heads in agreement.

  “Fingers, face, or cock—that’s how I get my Os.”

  “Yup, us too, but we can still have some fun teasing them,” Sass adds.

  “Imagine him coming home from a run and you playing with one of these.” Doll holds up a giant, plastic cock.

  “He would pinken my ass,” I answer honestly, and Jolene simply laughs.

  “Precisely!” Doll and Sass say in unison.

  Well, I guess this is going to be a spice party with lots of surprises.

  I try to call Lux twice and get no answer. Tripp keeps walking away every time Doll calls, and if we are in the truck, he gets off the phone abruptly when she calls.

  “Got something you wanna tell me, brother?” I finally ask as my frustration builds.

  “Nah, why?” he barks back.

  “Down, boy. You’re the one acting like you’ve got something on your mind.”

  He shakes his head. “It’s been a long ride, Rex. We’ve got shit going down and shit to face when we get home. All this Fury mess has to be sorted.”

  “Truth.”

  Picking up my phone, I text Lux, knowing we are hours from the coast. Once we report to Roundman and have a sermon concerning Fury, I should be on my way to my woman in a matter of twenty-four hours. I can be balls deep in less than thirty-six.

  Fingers, face, and cock. I can’t wait to hear you screaming my name.

  Her reply has me ready to get the fuck out of this truck.

  I can’t wait to be screaming your name.

  I adjust myself and settle in for the homestretch. At the same time, the drive feels like it takes forever, it happens so quickly.

  We pull into the compound about an hour to sunset, the Hellions flag flying in the wind alongside the American flag and POW/MIA. We pull into the parking lot, and I see cars and bikes around, making me wonder why there’s so much activity at the clubhouse tonight.

  Tripp parks our rig to the side, and I grab my duffle bag and hop down. As I make my way around the front, I look up to see my son Axel running full force at me. I roll my sunglasses up onto the top of my head as I try to figure out why he’s here. My mind races because he should be home in Catawba, not here at the coast.

  Shooter follows at a steady pace behind him. Axel hits me full force, and I step back to take his weight, hugging him tightly.

  “It’s gonna be awesome! She said we didn’t have to wear suits,” Axel rambles breathlessly. “Well, unless you want to. Lux said, if you wanted to wear the suit, she certainly wouldn’t complain.”

  I look down at my boy. “Son, what the fuck are you spoutin’?”

  “Lux, she’s got your whole wedding planned. Tonight’s the night we get to be a family like Momma and Shooter.”

  My heart skips a beat then pounds rapidly in my chest. My palms sweat, and I’m sure my face has paled. Lux is here. My wedding is planned—our wedding is planned.

  We get to be a family.

  Shooter joins us and ruffles Axel’s hair. “The card. You’re supposed to give him the card.”

  Axel smiles at my Hellions’ brother who happens to also be his stepfather. “Oh, yeah.”

  I look at Shooter who shrugs his shoulders. “You know these women when they get their minds set on something.” He laughs. “Surprise.”

  Looking over at Tripp, I realize he’s not shocked by any of this. How long has he known?

  When I raise an eyebrow at him, he simply looks down as Axel shoves a card in my hand. Slowly, as if it may explode, I open the red envelope and pull out the stationary inside.

  Drexel Devon Crews,

  You are cordially invited to stand beside your ol’ lady, in front of family and friends today as we share in our vows and commit our lives to one another. The glitz of the Big Apple has its appeal, but I realized it’s not who “we” are. We’re about family. We’re about the right here, right now.

  I know this may be a shock to you, but you’ve always told me, if I want something, all I gotta do is ask …

  Rex, I want nothing more in this world than to be your wife. I hope, as the sun sets, you will take your son by the hand and wait for me under the arbor. With Tripp and Axel at your side, all of the Hellions here with us, and your mom in the front row chair, it is my wish that I can make my way down the aisle to you. By the time the sun completely hides in the sky, I want nothing more than to be Mrs. Drexel Crews.

  I want it, Rex. Will you be there when I get there?

  All my love,

  Your Lux

  Tripp comes over and slaps me on the back. “Are we wearing suits, or are we wearing jeans and cuts?”

  I smile at him. “You fuckin’ knew?”

  “Apparently, you have a woman who’s very determined to make sure she’s a Crews, and she’s decided she didn’t need New York after all. I still don’t know why she wants your ugly mug, but Lux is good for our family, so we gonna do this, brother?”

  I nod my head as I look at my son. “Damn straight we’re gonna do this.”

  Shooter points to the duplexes around back. “Got a place set up for you to clean up.”

  “Damn, y’all thought of everything.”

  Shooter laughs as Axel pipes in, “No, Momma and all the girls did. We’ve had to listen to them giggle and mess over this stuff for days. Then they had a ‘spice party’ and ‘it was so much fun.’ They keep going on and on. I’m a little worried Lux is gonna burn your stomach up with all the spices she got.”

  I shake my head, unsure I even want to know.

  Following Shooter, I make my way inside the room to find Roundman, Frisco, Ruby, and my mom hanging out.

  My mom is the first to greet me with a huge hug. She rolls up on her tip toes and whispers in my ear, “I’ve never been happier for you than I am today. She loves you, Drexel. She loves your son. She loves my son and my grandson with all her heart. I couldn’t ask for more for either of you.” She pulls away, and I can see the tears in her eyes.

  Roundman greets me next with our usual half-hug, back slap man thing.
Frisco and Ruby follow in the same manner.

  “So what’s it gonna be, brother?” Roundman asks. “We wearing suits or cuts?”

  I am taken aback by his response.

  “You’d wear a suit for me?”

  He meets my eyes. “Caroline didn’t have a father. After losing Claudia, Doll’s all I had. Caroline is the next closest thing to another daughter I’ll ever have. If she wants us in suits, I’ll wear my version of one.” He smirks. “Question is, you gonna give Fancy Nancy that side of you?”

  “You gonna walk her down the aisle to me?”

  “If she wants me to.”

  “Then looks like I’m wearing a suit, and you’re wearing your version of one so that we can give Lux the deluxe wedding day of her dreams.” I look at the man who has stood by Tripp and me since we were teens. “She’s giving up New York just to be mine. The least I can do is clean up for her.”

  “Rex, learn something, son.” Roundman looks me in the eyes again. “She’s not giving up anything. She’s getting everything she wants: family, your name, and she’s already got love. Hold tight; it’s gonna be a bumpy ride, but you hold on to her and her to you, and you’ll be just fine.”

  I look over at my mother, and I swear she’s swooning at the Hellions Original. I nod my head, agreeing with him as he slaps me on the back before taking off to get himself ready to walk Caroline down the aisle to me.

  I look around the room. She has brought everyone together to share in our special day. She has given up New York dreams for a wedding on a compound because it’s what fits me. She shows me right here, right now that it’s not about the city, and it’s not about the glamour; it’s about us. And this here, together with those closest to us, is our perfect ceremony. Even considering the Hellions may not want to wear suits, she’s willing to accommodate, because in the end, she simply wants me. Lux did all this just to be my wife.