Chapter 358: Black Wedding
*Finally! A bride that is dressed for her grooms funeral! – Toad*
The doors at the back of the aisle opened and Karan walked out wearing a short skintight black and red lace dress. She smiled at her husband and knew that he was already planning on burying his hands in her very carefully styled hair.
“Hey, boys,” Cookie told the other men standing around him. “I get to fuck that later.”
“Lucky bastard.” Repeat muttered.
“I’ll go home to my stepsister.” Trigg chuckled and smiled at his wife. She grinned back and produced a small cupcake. At his excited smile, she quickly peeled off the paper and took a bite. “Maybe I won’t.”
Laughing, Sid approached her husband and offered the second half of the treat to him. “I love you too much not to share some of Nessie’s cakes with you.”
He pulled her close and held her as he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Damn that’s good.” Winking at his wife, he grinned. “Cupcake is pretty good too.”
“Good answer.” She kissed him once more before returning to her seat.
“I get to fuck that later.” Trigg boasted to the others around him.
Karan laughed as the men shook their heads at Trigg. The door opened again, and Gertie stepped outside in her own red and black dress.
“I get to fuck that later, too.” Cookie grinned.
“So do I.” Karan agreed.
“Yes, ma’am, you do.” Cookie agreed.
“Quit bragging.” Repeat suggested.
“Nah.” Pagan interjected as he turned an offered the large black man a fist bump. “Brag away, brother.”
“I feel like I missed something.” Gertie admitted as she stopped next to Karan.
“Not too much.” Karan winked at her partner.
When the door opened a third time, Ashlyn and Alyssa stepped out in matching dresses. They had long, ruffled red organza skirts and black bodice with long sleeves. They tossed out red and black poppy flowers as they walked towards their dad. Each of them had kitten ears held in place with silver spiderweb clips and red poppies.
“See those girls?” Repeat asked. “I’m going to give them so much damn sugar, they’re going to be bouncing off the walls until next weekend.”
“You know that they’re staying with you and Zee, right?” Pagan asked seriously as he turned to look at the younger man.
“Nobody said shit to me.” Repeat panicked until Pagan began to chuckle. “Son of a bitch.”
“They’re staying with Nonno.” Pagan grinned.
“You damn near gave that boy a heart attack!” Trigg declared as the others around him laughed.
The door opened once again, and everyone stood up as Shiloh stepped out on Nonno’s arm.
“I get to fuck that, later.” Pagan grinned and Cookie clapped him on the shoulder.
“Lucky bastard.” Repeat muttered with a grin and no heat in his voice.
“Yes, I am.” Pagan agreed as Shiloh and Nonno reached them.
“You look beautiful, young lady.” Trigg told Shiloh as Cookie picked up Ashlyn and Repeat picked up Alyssa. “Almost as pretty as those two.”
“I can never compete with the beauty of my girls.” Shiloh told the man performing her wedding.
Trigg looked at Nonno. “You sure about this? I mean…” he cocked his head to the side and glanced at Pagan. “He ain’t the best catch round here.”
“You have a suitable substitute?” Nonno asked. He had been warned about Trigg and his tendency to try to talk the couple out of getting married.
“I got a son. Thirty-two. Sagittarius. I’m desperate to get that bastard married.”
“You lost me at Sagittarius.” Nonno admitted. “But I might be able to hook him up. Blonde or brunette?”
“Red!” Dutch yelled out from where he sat.
“I’ll work on that.” Nonno offered.
“Deal.” Trigg shook the older man’s hand. “I’m done with you. Go sit.”
Chuckling, Nonno kissed his granddaughter on the cheeks and then repeated the same action with Pagan. He murmured an Italian blessing over them and then went and sat next to his nephew.
“Where’s my bird man?” Trigg looked around and spotted the Cardinal. Pointing at the priest, he ordered the man up there. “Come turn them into cannibals.”
“Cannibals?” Pagan asked.
“You’re going to eat flesh and drink blood.” Trigg pointed out as the Cardinal approached. “Sounds like cannibalism to me.”
“It’s actually just stale crackers and wine.” The cardinal grinned.
“You should know that meal quite well.” Sid called out with a laugh.
“Our first date was peanut butter sandwiches.”
“On stale bread.” His wife pointed out.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that I want to have sex later, I’d tell you to hush.” Trigg admitted.
“Smart man.” Cookie smiled.
“Was that when your mom was still married to her dad?” Repeat asked.
“Hey, Bird Man,” Trigg asked, “can you absolve me of murder?”
Making the sign of the cross, he replied, “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, you are free of sin.” Tilting his head towards Repeat, the priest asked, “Should I administer last rights?”
“Probably.” Cookie laughed.
“I didn’t want you to take away all of my sin. I rather enjoyed some of it.” Trigg complained.
“It’s an all or nothing kind of deal.” He replied and Trigg huffed as he handed over the communion crackers and goblet of wine.
The Cardinal took the small, gilded tray and held it up to offer a blessing. “In your goodness, Lord, accept this gift of our love, and with a father’s affection watch over this couple as you join them in the covenant of marriage; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
There was a resounding ‘Amen’ that came from mainly the Italians in the crowd. Then a small cracker was placed on the tongues of both the bride and groom. The chalice was then offered to them to drink.
“Holy shit, that’s real wine!” Pagan exclaimed after he took a drink. “Let me have another hit.”
Handing the chalice back to him the Cardinal grinned. “We offer free hits every Sunday morning.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Pagan replied after he drained the chalice and handed it back.
The Cardinal, who had known Shiloh her whole life, smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.
“I know where the liquor store is. And I can get better tasting crackers.”
Laughing he handed the tray back to Trigg who sat it on the table behind him.
“Alright, witchy lady. I’m done with you, bird man.” Trigg motioned for the Cardinal to leave and for Ciara to come up.
“Trigg, your weddings are always entertaining.” Ciara said as she stepped forward with the ropes to bind her brother and his wife.
“I try.” He shrugged.
Wrapping the cords around their joined left hands, she gave her own blessing.
“Blessed by the goddess, blessed by love and blessed by me. I bind these two, she to he and he to she. By the power of three, so mote it be.” She pressed a kiss to her new sister-in-law’s temple and then to her brothers temple. “Do you remember our vow?”
“By destiny we are aligned, our love is eternal and true. By the sun, moon and stars, blessed by the goddess, my heart beats for you.”
“Blessings brother.” Ciara kissed his cheek and then kissed Shiloh’s cheek. “Blessings sister.” Smiling at Trigg, Ciara added, “I hear there’s cake.”
“I know there’s cake! Go sit down so your brother can tell this lovely lady why he’s marrying her.”
“Because there’s no one else in this world that I want to spend the rest of my life with.” Pagan said. “She’s an angel to my girls and the best mom that they could ever choose. Besides, she has my heart, I have to go where she goes. I love you, Shiloh.”
“I love you too. And you have my heart, also. But I do have something to tell you.”
Gertie stepped around and handed her friend the black velvet roses and red poppy bouquet. Shiloh tugged on a piece of silver at the back of the bouquet and handed it to her husband.
It took him a moment to understand what she was telling him, but with his free hand, he pulled her close and kissed her.
Trigg looked at the strangely shaped object. It looked like a silver egg on a stick with a few bells on a small ring. Curiously, he looked at Gertie. “You understand this?”
“I do.” She confirmed.
