She carefully unzipped the garment bag that contained her wedding dress and revealed it to Happy, who was seeing the dress for the first time. Cassie was the one who suggested that the two of them to get ready together. She had never held much of the whole traditions of a wedding. It was all bullshit. Why should it bring bad luck if your partner sees you in a dress before the wedding? She never believed any of that.

Instead, she looked forward to the fact that he would be the first, other than Samantha and the saleswoman, to see her in it. This way she would also see his honest reaction. In front of all the guests he would never show the emotions he would show when they were alone. And that was okay with her, she knew who she was  getting married to today and not for millions of dollars she would change anything.

Happy, who hadn't got ready himself yet and was only wearing sweatpants, stepped next to her and placed a hand on her tailbone. He struggled with himself for a moment as he felt her bare skin against his palm. She stood next to him in nothing but lacy underwear that matched the color of the dress. But it wasn't the right time to make a move now, after all her hair and make-up were already done and he didn't want to ruin any of it just because he felt like fucking his Ol' Lady before the ceremony.

The SAA didn't let her see that he was nervous, but he was. A few years ago he was so sure that he would grow old alone with his dog and spend lonely nights in the club, every now and then with a Croweater in his bed. And now he was standing here in his own house, waiting to finally see his fiancee in her dress.

He himself was glad that Cassie had suggested that they get ready together. So neither of the two was under pressure when they saw the other for the first time in front of so many people. They wanted to keep the wedding small, but with two Charters plus their families it was almost impossible to keep it small. Now there were fifty two guests in their garden waiting for them to come outside.

“Do you like it?” Her soft voice tore him out of his thoughts. Looking at her, he saw that she was just as nervous.

“It looks good, little girl. But I can't say much about it until I see it on you. Put it on”, he ordered with a certain softness.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and got the dress out of the garment bag and cautiously slipped into it. Turning around with her back facing Happy, she asked him if he could help her with the zipper, which he did.

A nervous feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she turned back to Happy and let her hair fall back down her back so he could really see all of the dress. Like last week's fitting, it fit perfectly, still like a second skin, and brought  out all the right curves.

There was silence for a long moment while Happy let the sight sink in and memorized every little detail. His mouth suddenly went dry and he even had to swallow, which he rarely did. Who would have thought that a wedding dress could leave him so speechless.

“You look absolutely perfect, little girl”, he croaked, then cleared his throat to hide his emotions. Sometimes it was still difficult for him to show himself vulnerable in front of Cassie.

Reaching for her hand, he pulled her closer and ran his fingertips from her neck down to her shoulder earning a pleasant sigh from the brunette.

Really everything about her was perfect and sometimes he still couldn't believe his luck. He really was a happy bastard.

“I can't wait for you to get my last name”, he rasped against her lips and involved her in a short but deep and wanting kiss, which she returned without hesitation.

“And I can't wait to get called Ms. Lowman.” Her hands slid down his torso after his tongue slipped between her lips and explored her mouth, caressing her tongue with his now and then, which got both of them excited pretty fast.

His hand traveled up her back and then rested on the back of her neck, giving him an even better grip and allowing him to deepen the kiss. For a brief moment he even forgot that they had to be ready in thirty minutes and apparently so did Cassie, who pressed her body against his and poured her heart and soul into that kiss.

Only when Callum started to fuss, who was lying on a play mat on the floor in the bedroom of the two, did the two breathlessly break away from each other, hardly able to keep their hands off each other⸺ but they had to.

“Guess our one month old son is more responsible than we are”, Happy rasped, a deep chuckle vibrating through his chest. “I should get ready. You good with him or do you want me to get Samantha?”

“He probably is”, the brunette replied smirking and shook her head. “No, I'm fine, get ready. And I'll get him ready.”

Happy grunted in response and took a quick shower in the small bathroom that was part of the bedroom while Cassie fed their son with a bottle before she changed him and put on the outfit Samantha got for him the day they also got her dress.

Cassie squealed to herself at the cute sight. Callum looked absolutely adorable in that baby suit and she couldn't help but take a bunch of pictures of her baby boy. Only when Happy came out of the bathroom her jaw dropped. Not that he looked much different, and yet he did.

He wore his casual jeans with his boots like everyday. The only thing missing was the holster with his gun and knife. He also wore his kutte, as every Samcro member when they got married. The kutte was part of them and was never removed at such celebrations. What surprised her, however, was the red and white flannel shirt he wore underneath. She had often imagined how he would look in one of those, secretly that was one thing she really liked about a man. And boy she was not disappointed.

Biting her lower lip, she looked at him and almost melted at the sight. In addition, the black/grey beard, which he now proudly wore, made the overall picture perfect.

“You look fucking hot, babe”, she blurted out making him laugh at her bold words.

“That's what I wanted to hear”, he winked at her and put on his rings before he involved her in another demanding kiss that got her even more excited than the one before.

With a smirk, he pulled away and picked up his son, who was still lying on the bed and was watching them both curiously. In the meantime, Callum was a bit more compact than he was two weeks ago. A smile hushed over his face at the outfit their son wore.

“Samantha picked it out”, Cassie told him with a smile and leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder while she ran her index finger over Callum's tiny cheek. “I think it's perfect.”

“He's perfect”, Happy rasped before kissing his son's forehead first and then the top of Cassie's head.

⸺

Lee held out his arm after Cassie walked into the living room so she could link her arm with his. Which the brunette did immediately.

The first moment she came down the stairs, his breath hitched in his throat. Cassie had always been pretty, but seeing her in a wedding dress, realizing that she was really grown up now and had a family of her own, did something to him. She was just like a daughter to him and the sight touched him emotionally. And unlike Happy, Lee had less trouble showing it.

“You look so beautiful, darling”, he whispered to her with a smile, noticing her nervousness.

“Thanks Lee”, she mumbled with a small smile. Although she was nervous, she was also happy. The brunette was just glad that there was really only Lee in the room with her. That meant she could take a few deep breaths without getting weird looks.

Happy left the house already ten minutes ago and waited at the small altar that was set up in the garden. Samantha had already sat outside in the first row with Callum five minutes ago and Lyla was probably also standing at the altar since she was Cassie's bridesmaid. Kozik and James were Happy's best man as both were an important part of his life. In addition to the other guests, Maria was of course also there, Happy's mom, who would also be staying for a few more days to finally be able to spend time with her grandson.

Actually, James' wanted to walk her down the aisle, but he had left that task to Lee because he was like a father figure to Cassie. And usually the father of the bride always did that. But James had already saved the first dance, after the dance with her husband, with her for later.

“Are you ready?”, the older man asked with an affectionate grin, patting her forearm, that was hooked with his, with his free hand. “The others are all waiting. No pressure though.”

Just as Cassie was about to answer, the door opened and a brunette woman walked in, making Cassie's blood run cold.

“Sorry, he needs to use the bathroom”, Tara apologized, holding Abel's hand and clearing her throat in embarrassment. This was one awkward moment.

“What the hell are you doing at my wedding?!”,  Cassie hissed at the woman. If there was one person she didn't want at her wedding then it was Tara. They didn't hate each other, but everything Tara did to her and her family and now showing up at her wedding? That was just a big no.

“Well, I didn't wanna let the boys go to Tacoma with Gemma alone”, Tara explained a little reluctantly, if only because Abel was there. “You won't see much of me. I sit in the back and will stay in the background the whole day.”

“You can't just invite yourself”, Cassie snorted, her eyes wide. Who did Tara think she was? The Queen?

“Cassie, come on.” Lee squeezed her forearm gently, hoping Tara's presence wouldn't't cause any further problems. He already had to calm Happy down when the SAA spotted Tara in the crowd and almost freaked out. “Don't let this ruin your day.”

The only reason Cassie gave in was because Abel seemed visibly confused. The brunette put on her best smile and looked at the blonde boy. “I'm glad you're here, Abel. I hope you have fun today.”

She didn't even look at Tara anymore. Cassie wasn't going to let her day be ruined, not because of Tara Knowles. Still, she would later ask Jax or Gemma why the hell neither of them had stopped Tara from coming.

Lee gave Tara a warning look, who only sighed briefly, rolled her eyes and finally searched for the bathroom with Abel. Then he looked at Cassie, who was really trying to calm down. Only when the young woman next to him was completely calm and stopped shaking did he slowly walk her outside.

⸺

With the amount of guests, it had taken forever for everyone to finish congratulating Happy and Cassie. But the married couple was grateful for every single one who came and wished them their best. Even though they asked them not to buy presents, a whole table with big boxes, small boxes, envelopes and bags had accumulated.

The smaller guests sat at a table that Happy and her had set up especially for children last night before they went to bed. With enough paper, pens, and craft supplies, they wouldn't get bored while the adults were partying later.

Tara had kept her word and stayed in the background, but she was still a thorn in Cassie's and Happy's side. But until now the couple hadn't found a moment to talk about this.

“My congratulations to you!” Gemma hugged them both at the same time after she approached them and lifted a corner of her mouth. “I owe you an explanation. Because of Tara I mean.”

“Thanks Gem”, Cassie smiled kindly and after the hug, she leaned back against Happy, who had his arm around her shoulder and a beer in his other hand. “And yes, an explanation would be nice.”

“What were you guys thinking? That bitch hurt my family and you expect me to accept that shit?”, Happy asked grunting, still not thrilled that the woman was here who had gotten his own wife in trouble and danger a few times. 

“I know this wasn't a great move and I'm sorry, I swear”, Gemma let out a sigh. “But she wouldn't let me take the kids alone. She came back a day after you two left and Jax filed for divorce. Tara's afraid that either him or me could take them somewhere. She doesn't trust us with them.”

“Well, she could've stayed in a fucking hotel close to us”, Cassie muttered under her breath.

“She wouldn't, I'm sorry. But if she does anything to piss you guys off, I'll drag her ass out of here myself”, the matriarch promised.

Cassie knew Gemma would do that, but it was the fact that no one had told her or Happy before that Tara would come and that kind of pissed her off. But today was the last day she wanted to start an argument and swallowed the anger she felt. A brief look at Happy was enough to show her that he was trying to do the same.

“It's okay as long as she stays in the background”, Cassie nodded slightly. It's not like she had any other choice. Sure, she could make Tara leave but that was cause a scene and that's not what she wanted.

“You better keep an eye on her, Gem”, Happy rasped, his tone serious.

“I will, promise”, Gemma smiled briefly.

“Guys! The food is served”, Kozik called from the other end of the garden, where all the tables were set and the croweaters from the Samtac Charter were serving the food.

“Come on, let's eat, Mrs. Lowman”, Happy winked with a grin and pulled his wife with him to the tables where the others were already waiting for the couple. He didn't want to spend his day getting upset about Tara, instead he wanted to spend a nice evening with his family and especially his wife. His wife, he definitely enjoyed calling her that. Now she officially belonged only to him.

⸺

authors note; next chapter will be the rest of the wedding with lots of family talks and all but I decided to split it before it would get too long. Feedback is always welcome! 🖤