CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile.

It feels like I've barely blinked at the tail end of July has arrived, waking up on the morning before our mammoth wedding reception turned wedding for SAMCRO I find Jax is already up and gone, the note on the bathroom counter telling me Gemma picked up Abel and Doj at 7 to take them to TM for the day while I made sure all the outfits were planned. The pair had been almost inseparable since the move, Doj having taken to sleeping on the floor outside Abel's room and following whoever was holding him if they left the room. Stretching in the brand new bed in our new bedroom I smile up at the ceiling, Cam's due back that afternoon in preparation for the wedding, only for two nights, coming back again just before the trial. My begging for her to come to Sturgis with us had fallen on stubborn ears when she told me repeatedly that she had interviews to finish for the Paramount crew she was putting together.

Walking slowly down the stairs I look around, everything is in its place in the new house, a huge cylinder leaning inside the front door makes me smile, the 2nd note from Jax attached to it with a simple question mark. Ripping the packing slip off it I find it's the rugs I brought, the Harley one destined for Abel's room, the green one for the twins room for when they visit, 2 black and white ones for the living room and a couple for the upstairs bedrooms in pale creamy colours. Leaving them downstairs for Jax to help put out later I fix a cup of coffee while I wait for everyone to arrive for our last minute shopping, the dressed I'd ordered as bridesmaids dresses had arrived and been the wrong ones, with no time to get the right ones shipped I'd asked everyone to be at the house at 9 to go pick 5 'bridesmaids' dresses.

The only dress of the 6 that I had ordered that had been right was the one for Gemma, the black dress decorated with lace panels is perfect to show off the jewellery we'd brought for her, my question of if she wanted new shoes was met with a shake of her head when she'd seen the dress. The smile she shot my way holding equal measures of relief and happiness.

The sound of a car pulling up outside reaches my ears seconds before the sound of laughter and my front door opening. "You better have coffee and food in there!" Al calls from just inside the house.

Waiting till she comes into the room I gesture towards the coffee pot on the bench, the line-up of cups beside it and the container behind it holding the bacon and cheese muffins I'd made the day before. Al practically falls on them, half a muffin sticking out of her mouth as she pours coffee into the cups "You nervous yet?"

Shaking my head I toy with the top of my cup "Why would I be. This isn't a big deal; it's an excuse to play dress up more than anything."

Donna snickers, sitting down beside me "I would have thought with the Kings showing up you'd be worrying about something."

I shake my head again "Why. Gemma's done all the organising for this. Anything that falls flat is on her; unless it's me then it's on my shoes."

Lyla sits down beside Donna, Cherry slipping into the last chair seconds before Al can "Did you decide on which dress you were going to wear?"

I nod, smiling at her "I did, I ended up going with the black one, the red one will wait for something else."

Donna grins over at me "You know you could always change part way through the night."

I shake my head "No. That would just be asking for trouble. One dress is fine. But are you guys sure you're all alright with wearing the same dress?"

The four of them exchange glances and Cherry sighs "We're fine with it. It's just that Ly and I wondered why you wanted us so involved."

Smiling softly at her I get up, crossing the kitchen and putting my cup into the dishwasher "Gemma has labelled you all, you know that?"

Donna lifts an eyebrow as I turn around "Do we want to know?"

I laugh "Sure. She's decided that you're all 'my girls' I guess she has this idea that I'm up for training the next lot of Old Ladies and anyone who looks at Kip can see he's head over heels for you Cherry." Cherry colours slightly but doesn't say a word.

Lyla looks up "Okay, but why me?"

"Miles." Gesturing towards Al I say "Juice." Finishing by sharing a long look with Donna "And my big brother Ope. SAMCRO is a family, but it's a family of choice. Blood makes you related, loyalty makes you family. I don't speak to my blood relatives, I have no need to. I have the all the uncles and brothers that I could need and each of them wears a patch. The women they choose to spend their lives with, they're my sisters. Apart from Gemma."

Donna giggles "What's Gemma then?"

Sitting back down beside her I lean into her side "Gemma is Gemma. There are no words to describe her."

Donna snickers "Well there is."

Shaking my head at Donna I pick at the muffin I brought back to the table "Without her we wouldn't all be sitting here though."

Donna nods, sliding her arm through mine "I know S. Sitting here while dresses aren't being brought. You know Cam's size aye?"

I nod, laughing as I get up "Of course I do. She's a size smaller than I am, and I know her shoe size too if I need to buy her new shoes."

Everyone else follows me towards the front door where I stop for a minute to alarm the door and relock the house, turning around I laugh "When did that happen?"

Donna giggles "Jax met us down the street to bring it back."

My Nitro is sitting in the middle of the drive, a huge purple bow on the roof and a bunch of purple roses sitting on the bonnet. "Did he say what was wrong with it?"

Donna nods "Yeah, apparently your battery was corroded, the terminals were fried and you had a loose sparkplug lead. He also gave it a full service, put a new set of tyres on it and had it groomed. He made some weird comment about tweaking the sounds in it too?" Donna lifts her eyebrow at my flush "By that look I don't want to know!"

I shake my head, holding out my hand for the keys Donna has hanging off her finger "Are you all going to be okay in one car?"

Al clears her throat, looking towards where her car is also sitting in my drive "We're picking up Cam on the way back, that makes 6 in a 5 seater. We're gonna have to take two cars."

I frown at her "Are you sure we're picking her up? Hap asked me last night what time she lands. I think he was going to."

Al grins "Okay then. I guess we're picking up Cam's bags then." Pulling the bow off the car I put it beside the front door, sticking my face into the roses and inhaling deeply. I unlock the door and go back inside, taking a few minutes to find something that will work as a vase, eventually settling on one of the beer mugs from the games room, putting the roses on the table by the front door I realarm and lock the house again and head back to the car; opening the door and getting into the driver's seat of my car for the first time in ages, spending a few minutes adjusting everything back to normal I wait while Donna claims the front seat and Lyla ends up in the middle of the backseat being told she had the smallest ass for the tiny centre seat.