Train's Clash
Page 92
“You told him this morning when you were getting ready to leave for the church,” Lily reminded her.
“You already cancelled it twice. Look at it as third time’s the charm.” Fat Louise’s chipper voice had her wanting to take off her garter and strangle her.
“I look at it this way … I said I’d marry him. I didn’t say when.” She clenched her jaw. “He suckered me into doing it. Kept telling me how beautiful I was every time I held one of you bitches babies.”
The door opened, tempting her to take off on a run. They couldn’t have all the doors covered. Most of the people should be sitting in the pews by now.
“It’s time for us to take our places.”
Her mother’s watery eyes had her sighing. She was going to have to go through with it.
Her mother took her hand, giving her a tearful glance. “I’ve never been prouder of you, Rae. You look beautiful. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mama.”
Her pumping heart started racing as her friends filed out of the room.
As she went through the doorway, she took a sidelong look at the door Shade was standing in front of. He waved at her.
Turning the corner, she flipped him off before stopping where the wedding planner had directed her to.
When Hammer and Jonas each took one of her arms, she blinked back the tears that were brimming in her eyes.
Hammer didn’t look at her as the planner gave last minute instructions, telling her, “If I could have picked any man in this world for you, Jonas and I both would have picked Train. I served two tours with him and worked with him on countless missions. Train doesn’t know when to quit, and even if he thought it would cost him his life, he wouldn’t leave anyone behind. He’s not your father. Train is the hero you’ve always needed in your life.”
She squeezed their arms tightly, hearing the wedding march begin to play. “I’ve always had two heroes in my corner.” Reaching up, she kissed Hammer on his cheek. “I love you, Hammer.” Then, turning to Jonas, she kissed him on his cheek, too. “I love you, Jonas.”
She smiled when they reached into their pockets for their handkerchiefs.
“Come on; quit be sissies. It’s our turn.”
Train fidgeted with his tie as he waited for Killyama to come through the church entrance. His fears wouldn’t be at rest until he saw her. Getting her here had taken patience … a lot of patience, and determination, humor, empathy, and love. Not only from him, but from all of The Last Riders. They were his family and had helped convince the woman he loved that he was worthy of risking her heart for.
When he finally saw her, he watched as Killyama’s hesitation left her face with every step she took to him. Then she stopped at the end of the aisle with Hammer and Jonas by her side.
“Who gives this woman in matrimony?” Lucky’s clear voice could be heard throughout the packed church.
“We do,” Hammer and Jonas both answered. Then Hammer turned toward Killyama and lifted her veil before kissing her cheek. Turning, she then let Jonas kiss her other cheek.
Train held his hand out for them to place her hand in his. Then he shook their hands before turning to Killyama.
She mumbled something he couldn’t hear as they moved to face Lucky.
“What did you say?” Train’s heart had stopped beating, panicked that she was going to tell him she couldn’t go through with the wedding.
“I said,” she whispered slightly louder, “I love you.”
Epilogue 1
Killyama swam naked through the water, her focus on the man sitting naked on the boulder near the shore.
Treading water, she flipped her wet hair back over her shoulders. “Why aren’t you coming back in?”
“I was just sitting here thinking.”
“You can’t swim and think at the same time?” she teased.
Train stared down at her. “Not when I’m thinking about you. You take a man’s whole attention when he’s trying to figure you out.”
“Tell me. Maybe I can help you.” She leaned her head back in the water to keep her hair from getting frizzy.
“I was wondering two things.”
“Damn, don’t you think you should have done this thinking before you married me?” She frowned when she saw his serious face, her heart beating hard. Then she relaxed, knowing Train wasn’t regretting marrying her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place.
“Why did you want to stay in Treepoint for our honeymoon? It was nice of Rachel and Cash to let us stay in their cabin for a week, but I offered to take you anywhere you wanted to go, even France.”
“I didn’t need to go anywhere. Everything I want is here.”
She saw her answer had made him happy when his frown lightened.
“I thought it was because you didn’t want me to fly us so far.”
“You thought I was afraid of flying to France with you? I have flown with you before.”
“Not far, and not where I thought you would want to go.”
“See what thinking gets you? Come back in the water,” she coaxed.
“Why didn’t you go in the military? And don’t say your father talked you out of it. I know you wouldn’t let anyone talk you out of what you really want to do.”
She treaded water closer to the boulder. “Come swim—”
“Tell me.”
Her playful attitude dropped. “You’re not coming in until you find out, are you?”
“No.”
“My mother tell you about the trip I took to D.C.?”
“Yes.”
“I never told her that I saw my father that day. He saw me and pretended he didn’t know me. When we went back to the hotel, he called me and told me to never come near him in public again. He made me promise to stay away from him … and my brother and sister. They were there with them, and so was his wife.
“I believed that Timothy, Mama, and I were going to be a family. When I realized that wasn’t ever going to come true, I made the promise. I was afraid that, if I went into the military, I would see them. My sister joined the Army, and my brother joined the Navy. I would break that promise if I went in, too.”
“You could have joined the Marines.”
She shook her head at Train’s fury for her father’s callousness. “Hammer and Jonas would have had heart attacks if I had. It was all good, anyway. I’m happy right where I am. Ultimately, I didn’t join because I didn’t want to leave Mama and the bitches.”
Train dived into the water, swimming toward her. “So you weren’t afraid of flying over an ocean with me?”
“No.” She wound her arms around his neck.
“Don’t forget your promise to me that you would quit bounty hunting when we got married.”
She brushed the side of his jaw with her lips. “Not until I get pregnant, and that’s not going to be anytime soon.”
Train slipped his hand around her waist and down to the tattoo on her lower back. She had tattooed Train, with an arrow underneath and one single word that had given him hope when he had kept asking her to marry him. One word that also gave him hope that one day they would have a family.
“You already cancelled it twice. Look at it as third time’s the charm.” Fat Louise’s chipper voice had her wanting to take off her garter and strangle her.
“I look at it this way … I said I’d marry him. I didn’t say when.” She clenched her jaw. “He suckered me into doing it. Kept telling me how beautiful I was every time I held one of you bitches babies.”
The door opened, tempting her to take off on a run. They couldn’t have all the doors covered. Most of the people should be sitting in the pews by now.
“It’s time for us to take our places.”
Her mother’s watery eyes had her sighing. She was going to have to go through with it.
Her mother took her hand, giving her a tearful glance. “I’ve never been prouder of you, Rae. You look beautiful. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mama.”
Her pumping heart started racing as her friends filed out of the room.
As she went through the doorway, she took a sidelong look at the door Shade was standing in front of. He waved at her.
Turning the corner, she flipped him off before stopping where the wedding planner had directed her to.
When Hammer and Jonas each took one of her arms, she blinked back the tears that were brimming in her eyes.
Hammer didn’t look at her as the planner gave last minute instructions, telling her, “If I could have picked any man in this world for you, Jonas and I both would have picked Train. I served two tours with him and worked with him on countless missions. Train doesn’t know when to quit, and even if he thought it would cost him his life, he wouldn’t leave anyone behind. He’s not your father. Train is the hero you’ve always needed in your life.”
She squeezed their arms tightly, hearing the wedding march begin to play. “I’ve always had two heroes in my corner.” Reaching up, she kissed Hammer on his cheek. “I love you, Hammer.” Then, turning to Jonas, she kissed him on his cheek, too. “I love you, Jonas.”
She smiled when they reached into their pockets for their handkerchiefs.
“Come on; quit be sissies. It’s our turn.”
Train fidgeted with his tie as he waited for Killyama to come through the church entrance. His fears wouldn’t be at rest until he saw her. Getting her here had taken patience … a lot of patience, and determination, humor, empathy, and love. Not only from him, but from all of The Last Riders. They were his family and had helped convince the woman he loved that he was worthy of risking her heart for.
When he finally saw her, he watched as Killyama’s hesitation left her face with every step she took to him. Then she stopped at the end of the aisle with Hammer and Jonas by her side.
“Who gives this woman in matrimony?” Lucky’s clear voice could be heard throughout the packed church.
“We do,” Hammer and Jonas both answered. Then Hammer turned toward Killyama and lifted her veil before kissing her cheek. Turning, she then let Jonas kiss her other cheek.
Train held his hand out for them to place her hand in his. Then he shook their hands before turning to Killyama.
She mumbled something he couldn’t hear as they moved to face Lucky.
“What did you say?” Train’s heart had stopped beating, panicked that she was going to tell him she couldn’t go through with the wedding.
“I said,” she whispered slightly louder, “I love you.”
Epilogue 1
Killyama swam naked through the water, her focus on the man sitting naked on the boulder near the shore.
Treading water, she flipped her wet hair back over her shoulders. “Why aren’t you coming back in?”
“I was just sitting here thinking.”
“You can’t swim and think at the same time?” she teased.
Train stared down at her. “Not when I’m thinking about you. You take a man’s whole attention when he’s trying to figure you out.”
“Tell me. Maybe I can help you.” She leaned her head back in the water to keep her hair from getting frizzy.
“I was wondering two things.”
“Damn, don’t you think you should have done this thinking before you married me?” She frowned when she saw his serious face, her heart beating hard. Then she relaxed, knowing Train wasn’t regretting marrying her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place.
“Why did you want to stay in Treepoint for our honeymoon? It was nice of Rachel and Cash to let us stay in their cabin for a week, but I offered to take you anywhere you wanted to go, even France.”
“I didn’t need to go anywhere. Everything I want is here.”
She saw her answer had made him happy when his frown lightened.
“I thought it was because you didn’t want me to fly us so far.”
“You thought I was afraid of flying to France with you? I have flown with you before.”
“Not far, and not where I thought you would want to go.”
“See what thinking gets you? Come back in the water,” she coaxed.
“Why didn’t you go in the military? And don’t say your father talked you out of it. I know you wouldn’t let anyone talk you out of what you really want to do.”
She treaded water closer to the boulder. “Come swim—”
“Tell me.”
Her playful attitude dropped. “You’re not coming in until you find out, are you?”
“No.”
“My mother tell you about the trip I took to D.C.?”
“Yes.”
“I never told her that I saw my father that day. He saw me and pretended he didn’t know me. When we went back to the hotel, he called me and told me to never come near him in public again. He made me promise to stay away from him … and my brother and sister. They were there with them, and so was his wife.
“I believed that Timothy, Mama, and I were going to be a family. When I realized that wasn’t ever going to come true, I made the promise. I was afraid that, if I went into the military, I would see them. My sister joined the Army, and my brother joined the Navy. I would break that promise if I went in, too.”
“You could have joined the Marines.”
She shook her head at Train’s fury for her father’s callousness. “Hammer and Jonas would have had heart attacks if I had. It was all good, anyway. I’m happy right where I am. Ultimately, I didn’t join because I didn’t want to leave Mama and the bitches.”
Train dived into the water, swimming toward her. “So you weren’t afraid of flying over an ocean with me?”
“No.” She wound her arms around his neck.
“Don’t forget your promise to me that you would quit bounty hunting when we got married.”
She brushed the side of his jaw with her lips. “Not until I get pregnant, and that’s not going to be anytime soon.”
Train slipped his hand around her waist and down to the tattoo on her lower back. She had tattooed Train, with an arrow underneath and one single word that had given him hope when he had kept asking her to marry him. One word that also gave him hope that one day they would have a family.
