SWNOVELS Brutal Savage: Chapter 45
There was a time when I didn’t think we’d ever get here.
Sure, we were married legally already. But to have a wedding, my whole family here, her getting ready with my sisters, I never imagined it.
I didn’t know what happiness was until now. Until her. Until forever became a possibility for someone like me.
Devlin and I sit around with my brothers at the outdoor patio bar at Necker Island. It’s small and private. We own the hotel, so arranging a wedding here, especially with Fernanda’s help, was easy.
I can’t wait to see her. Bet she’s gonna light up the whole place with how beautiful she is.
“So…” Devlin lifts a glass in the air. “This calls for a toast. He’s finally in love and getting married. Told you it was gonna happen.”
He smirks as my brothers lift up their own drinks.
“Yeah, yeah. Guess I owe you that million.”
“Bloody right you do. But you keep it. Just glad you found what you didn’t know you were looking for.”
“Thanks, brother.”
We toss our drinks back and ask for another.
From the corner of my eye, I see a couple arguing, and Fionn’s eyes immediately land on them too.
His jaw clenches when the man grabs the woman’s arm, angrily saying something to her while she’s visibly shaken. The girl… She’s no more than nineteen, her hazel eyes full of fear.
Before I can stop him, Fionn’s on his feet, stalking toward them.
“Oh, fuck…” I mutter, getting up after him. “Elara won’t forgive me if I get bloody before the wedding.”
Cillian laughs, smacking a palm to my back as we all head after him. Yet he’s already gripping the man’s shirt, saying something we can’t hear.
“If you touch her like that again, I’ll kill you.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” The man tries to fight my brother off, though doesn’t stand a chance.
When he realizes we’re all with him, fear passes through his eyes.
“I don’t know what the hell you think you saw,” he tells Fionn. “But that’s my girl, and how I handle her is not your fucking business.”
Fionn tips his face closer, looking down at the guy, who’s a good six inches smaller. “I’ve made it my business. What are you gonna do about it?”
Fionn could crush him. The asshole has to know that.
“You’re gonna leave. Now. You’re gonna get your shit and get the fuck away from her before I permanently remove you.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It is. Do you want a demonstration?”
“Whatever,” he spits out, glaring at the young woman. “You want the whore, you can have her. She’s boring in bed anyway. Half the time, I can’t even get it up looking at her.”
The woman sobs, frantically wiping her eyes and pushing her dark hair out of her face. She’s small too. Maybe five feet. And I catch a bruise on her arm. An older bruise.
Jesus. What the hell did we walk into?
“Maybe it’s your dick.” Fionn’s nostril’s flare. “Because from looking at her, she’s definitely not the problem.”
He can’t see her, but the woman’s eyes widen and she blinks past her tears, like she can’t believe he said that.
Fionn drops the man. “You have five minutes to get out of this fucking hotel. I don’t care where you go, but you’re not staying here.”
He scoffs. “Yeah, okay.”
“I guess you’re hard of hearing.” Fionn brings his face closer. “We own the place. So unless you want to see what happens to people who don’t do what we say, I suggest you get lost before I lose more of my patience.”
He shoots the woman a glare, muttering something unintelligible under his breath before marching off.
Fionn turns to the girl, and when he sees her bruise, his fist curls at his side. “He did that to you?”
She shrugs. “It’s okay. It happened a while ago.”
Her gaze falls to her feet.
With a finger, he tilts her chin up. “It’s not okay. No one has a right to put their hands on you.”
Her bottom lip quivers.
“How about I get you some food?”
“Ah, no…” She swipes under her eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know.” He smirks. “I want to.”
“Okay.”
Her voice is so small. Poor thing. Can just imagine what she’s been putting up with.
“Do you have the key to the room you two were sharing?”
She shakes her head, picking at her nails. “He kept everything.”
“Alright, don’t worry. What’s your room number?”
“Sixty-six ninety-three.”
“Okay, I’ll get you a suite and move all your things to it.”
Her eyes grow. “I don’t have money.”
“You don’t need money.”
She whimpers. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because someone has to be.”
Her bottom lip quivers. I can tell Fionn is affected.
“Come on, let’s get you settled into a new room.”
She nods, walking beside him, yet keeping a safe distance.
“Do you like weddings? Because one of my brothers is getting married in about three hours and I can use a date.”
That gets her laughing a little, and I don’t hear the rest of it as they disappear inside the hotel.
“Wow.” Cillian chuckles. “That was…”
“Fionn?” I offer.
“Yeah.” He shakes his head. “Jesus. I mean, he could break her.”
“Or maybe he can make her stronger.”
“Well, weirder things have happened,” Devlin adds. “I mean, Elara did fall in love with you.”
“Fuck off.” I punch his shoulder, returning to the bar.
In a few hours, she’s going to be walking down the aisle to me, and I can’t wait until I see my wife again.
ELARA
I stare at myself in the full-length mirror of the bridal suite, rolling my hands up and down the Chantilly lace of my mermaid gown.
My hair lies in perfectly styled Hollywood waves, the ends tickling my bare back. The dress was made just for me by Dolce & Gabbana, beautiful embroidered flowers all over the gown.
“You look so pretty!” Eriu dabs her eyes.
“You know you’re too good for Tynan, right?” Iseult teases. “If you’re thinking of running, I have a car ready for you.”
I laugh. “There’s no more running for me. This time I’d like to stay.”
“Good.” She tilts her face up with a smirk. “I was just testing you.”
I shake my head. “I’m afraid to know what would happen if I failed.”
Before she can respond, someone knocks at the door.
“Who could that be?” Iseult heads to open it while I stay where I am, just in case Tynan tries to sneak a peek again.
“Tynan!” she scolds. “I told you, you can’t see her.”
“Come on, just for a second.”
“Nope. Can’t see the bride before the wedding.”
“You’re terrible,” he tells her, while I stifle a laugh.
It makes me so happy that he’s so eager to see me.
“It’s what they tell me. Now go! Oh, hey, Brody,” she says. “You can come in.”
“Why the hell is he allowed in?”
“Because we actually like him. Goodbye, brother.”
The door shuts, and she’s returning with Brody.
“Oh my goodness! Look at you.” I grab his hands. “You look so handsome in your tux.”
“Thank you. I have the rings.” He holds a box.
“And I know you’re going to take great care of them.”
“I won’t lose them, I promise.”
Please don’t let him lose them.
It’s still hard to believe that Brody is talking again. That after all this time, he’s finally found his voice. It’s truly the greatest miracle, and we couldn’t be happier.
As the clock winds down, it soon becomes time to walk down the aisle. Knots form in my stomach.
It just hit me now that I’m alone. No family here. No one to walk me down the aisle. It shouldn’t bother me, yet it does.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Eriu’s brows furrow. “You look upset.”
Iseult takes my hand in hers. “What happened? Do I need to kill anyone?”
My laughter fills the room. “No, not today. I was just thinking how I have no family here. I don’t know, it just sucks.”
“You do have a family.” Eriu smiles. “We’re your sisters now.”
That has me choking up, fanning my face so I don’t cry.
“I know it’s hard,” Iseult says. “But we’ve got you.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
Another knock comes through.
This time, it’s Patrick’s voice I hear when Iseult opens the door. “May I come in?”
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, darlings.” His eyes go to mine, and he smiles wide.
“You look beautiful. My son is a lucky man to have met you. And right about now, he’s out of his mind waiting eagerly for you.”
My heartbeats pound in my chest, wanting to see him too.
“We know.” Iseult rolls her eyes.
“Hey, Brody,” Patrick calls him over. “They’re ready for you out there.”
“Oh God, is it time?” I ask.
“Looks like it.” He takes a step closer to me. “I did come here to ask you something, and feel free to say no, but I was hoping I could maybe walk you down the aisle.”
My eyes start to water.
“I know I’m not your da, but I’d like to think of you as my daughter now, so if it’s alright with you, it’d be my honor to take you down. What do you say?”
Emotions clog my throat, and tears roll down my cheeks. “I would love that.”
He hugs me tight and kisses the top of my head.
“Dad.” Iseult gives him a stern look. “You’re ruining her makeup with your sappy shit.” Though she’s discreetly fingering under her lashes.
“I’m sorry!” he says. “Alright, alright, no crying.”
Iseult quickly fixes my makeup, and before we know it, the girls are walking down the aisle, with Brody close behind.
When it’s my turn, I take a deep breath, nerves hitting my stomach. Not because I don’t want this, but because there’s something else I need to tell him.
The soft melody starts, and we begin our descent down the aisle.
All the guests rise. But he’s the only one I see.
It’s why I didn’t want the veil covering my face. I wanted to see him, and I wanted him to see me. To see how happy I am to be his.
Emotions cling to his eyes, and he swallows harshly when I grow near.
“You’d better take care of her, you hear?” his father says as he places my hand in Tynan’s.
“I promise,” he whispers, his eyes filled with longing and love—so much of it, I feel it whispering in the air around us. He holds my cheeks firmly, yet with softness too. “You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
“Thank you. You’re looking very handsome too.”
“I’ve been dying to see you all day.”
I laugh under my breath. “I heard. You’re pretty persistent.”
“You should know that about me already.” He picks up my hand and kisses it.
Leaning in toward his ear, I whisper, “You’re so persistent, you’ve finally knocked me up.”
He jerks back, the swell of his emotions lighting up his eyes. “Are you serious?”
I nod, my eyes watering. I love seeing him so happy.
He cups my belly, his brows furrowing.
“What are you two bloody talking about? Care to share with the rest of us folks?” Patrick hollers from his seat.
Tynan waits for me to give him permission to reveal the happy news, and I nod. We’re all family, and I want us to have some good news after everything we’ve been through.
“Well, it looks like I’m gonna be a father.” He chuckles. “Fuck.”
“Language!” Ruby tsks before she grins from ear to ear, coming over to hug us both, giddy with excitement. “Ah, a baby!”
Then everyone’s on their feet, congratulating us, telling us how happy they are.
I might have lost a family, but I’ve gained one too.
“Should I go ahead with the vows or…” The wedding officiant glances between us while everyone returns to their seat.
“Please do.” Tynan grabs my hand, and pulls me up against him, body-to-body, soul-to-soul.
And as he looks deep into my eyes, he clasps my chin between two fingers.
“Just get to the good part,” he whispers, nearing his lips to mine, repeating what he told the priest on the day we were first married.
But that feels like a century ago.
My heart fills with so much love, I could burst.
“By the power vested in me by the State of Massachusetts, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
With that, he pulls me in and seals his lips to mine.
And though we’ve been through so much already, our journey has just begun.