Chapter 357: Trigg
*You! Cake witch! It’s my wedding, don’t hijack this one! – Trigg*
Trigg was a tall wiry man with dirty blond hair and soft green eyes. His skin was tanned from years of riding his bike and working outside. Now that he had passed the halfway point to a century, the crows’ feet, laugh lines and occasional wrinkle, didn’t bother him as much as they used to.
Just like the other Saints that were sitting in the back garden of the Shack, he wore jeans, a nice shirt, leather jacket and club cut with thick soled motorcycle boots. Compared to the Italian family that were all dressed in expensive suits and dresses, the Saints looked underdressed.
Somewhere between the two was the Goth crowd. Most of them wore black, which the bikers liked. And their intricate and carefully made clothes probably cost more than what the mafia was wearing. The amount of dog collars in the space was probably sending the Doms and animal lovers into a crazy frenzy.
And not just the ones that the Goths were wearing. There was a good half dozen catholic priests and a cardinal among the crowd.
“What are you laughing at?” Sid asked as she wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist.
After so many years together, it was just a natural movement to hold her to his chest as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “How fucked up this wedding is going to be.”
“Babe, all your weddings are fucked up.” She grinned at him. “It’s why everyone wants you to officiate their wedding. It’s never the boring blah blah blah.”
“Yeah, but… think about this. Pagan is a Saint, Shiloh was born into a mafia family and made herself a family with the goth goons.”
Sid chuckled. “Goth goons?”
“Just roll with it.” Her husband told her. “Shiloh is a recovering Catholic, her words not mine. Pagan is a nonpracticing wiccan. Not sure if that makes him a witch or a wizard.”
“I’ve never seen a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.” His wife pointed out.
“Shush. Steel and Lily are here for the first time in about two years. So are all three of his sisters. And sweet Jesus, did you know that Cookie and Karan are having a baby with Shiloh’s friend Gertie?”
“I did. Is this news to you?”
“Yeah.” The four-letter word was drawn out and Sid laughed at her husband. “What? You think we sit around and gossip like a bunch of old ladies?”
She arched an eyebrow at him and although he knew that they did indeed sit around and gossip like a bunch of old ladies, he refused to budge. Giving a little chuckle, she turned as looked for the woman who could answer the question.
“Alana!” Sid called out and waved at her.
The other woman wore the standard biker fare of jeans and a lerather jacket. She had dark hair with streaks of gray, bright blue eyes and a slim build with a slight middle-aged spread at her middle. After five children and at least twice as many grandchildren, she still had a youthful appearance. But she thoroughly enjoys being a grandma. This was evident as she spoiled her youngest grandbaby, Michael.
“What’s up?” Alana called back, refusing to leave the side of her youngest and his pregnant wife.
“My husband and I are having a debate. Who gossips more? Men or women?”
“Shit! Hands sown, these mother fuckers.” The woman had grown up in the club, her father, Pops, had been a founder and president of the clubhouse that bore his name. She then married a man who became the president of the Shack chapter. She had also had relationships with at least two other presidents and several other members.
She knew more secrets about the club than anyone else could ever imagine.
“I’ve even seen these assholes sit and gossip while they have a bunny on her knees-“
“Mother!” her sons warned from around the area.
Alana scoffed and rolled her eyes. “While a bunny bobbed for apples.”
Several of the older women laughed and nodded in agreement. Some of the men shrugged as they admitted that they did gossip a lot. There were some of Nessie’s girls, most were club girls, also called the bunnies, who worked in the small restaurant here at the Shack, who grinned in acknowledgment that they had listened to the gossip while they, as Alana phrased it, bobbed for apples.
“And you were saying?” Sid asked as she looked up at her husband.
Trigg looked down at his stepsister who became his wife. Her hair was a lighter shade of blonde, her gray hair was coming in more platinum, and she thought herself lucky in that respect. Deep blue-green eyes smiled at him with love and amusement. She had light crows’ feet and laugh lines herself and he wouldn’t change anything about her.
Not even when she was giving him that ‘I told you so’ look.
“I was saying how much I love my wife.”
“Uh-huh.” Her smile widened as she pushed herself up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. “It’s a good thing that your wife loves you, too.”
“It definitely is.” He grinned back.
“Now, continue on with why this wedding is going to be different from your other crazy ass weddings.”
“Well, just sticking with the religion aspect, the Catholics once persecuted and killed the witches. Witches once cursed the Catholics. Ciara is doing her little knotty thing, and the bird man is giving them communion.”
“Bird man?”
“Did you know that the cardinal, the bird, is named after the red cloaks of the priest?”
“I did. I also have talked to our daughter, and she really liked the encyclopedias about religions.”
Trigg squeezed his wife close. “I miss her. Why did we let her go so far away?”
Sid slid her hands into his hair and pulled her down for a kiss. “Because it was time for our little bird to spread her own wings and fly. Besides, she has Gator and his Cajuns to watch over her.”
“And Tink.” He added with a grin. Tink was a Doberman that was trained as an emotional support dog but would also protect their daughter with his life.
In spring, their youngest had gone to prom with her then boyfriend and her best friend, Priscilla, and her boyfriend, Leo. Camille felt an episode coming on and knew that she was about to collapse in sleep and had called Dom. He tried not to think about why Dom and Camille had such a close relationship. The boyfriend caught Camille in a back hallway with some of his friends with the intention of raping her.
Dom arrived in time to rescue his baby girl and a few days later, she gave Camille the dog that had been ordered when it became clear that the teen would be leaving for college. The woman that had killed her own brother-in-law grinned as she handed over the dog and told Camille his name.
“Tinkerbelle. You know, like the fairy.”
Camille roared with laughter as her parents groaned. Those who knew the story laughed. Those who did not, were left in the dark because those involved refused to tell it.
“I even miss that damned dog.” Trigg muttered softly against his wife’s hair. “But I’m going to deny that if anyone else asks.”
“Of course, you will.” Sid smiled as she pressed herself closer to him.
Toad walked out of the doors from his clubhouse with Pagan, Cookie and Repeat.
“Looks like we’re ready to get started.” Trigg kissed her lips.
“Yeah, you better get them married before the snow starts up again.”
“Ten bucks says that Nessie is barefoot.”
“You know she is.” Sid laughed as she walked away from him as he approached the small pergola that Pagan and Cookie had built over summer.
Trigg looked out over the crowd and cleared his throat. “Ladies and assholes and distinguished assholes, I think we’re ready to get started.”
