“Thank you.”
An arm curls over my shoulders, tugging me backward. Wrath. He pulls Charlotte closer in a much gentler manner. “That’s what I love about Charlotte. Knowing she’s calling Teller out on his shit twenty-four seven gives me endless joy.”
“Endless joy,” Grinder mutters, shaking his head. “You sound like a hippie.”
Charlotte sputters with laughter. “That’s not true. You didn’t like me at first.”
The amusement slides off Wrath’s face and he releases us. “I didn’t know you. Now I do. You’ve proven yourself. And you sass Teller relentlessly. What’s not to love?”
“Thanks, big guy.” Charlotte pats his arm. “The feeling’s mutual.”
He gives Charlotte another affectionate squeeze, then walks off to talk to Chaser and Mallory over at their table.
“He made your life miserable at first, didn’t he?” Grinder asks Charlotte.
“I wouldn’t say miserable,” Charlotte answers as if she’s trying to come up with a nicer word.
“He definitely tortured Hope more,” Dex says.
“Hope?” Grinder’s eyebrows shoot up.
“Charlotte grew up around an MC.” I nod to Merlin who’s standing on our patio talking to a few of the guys from Downstate. “Hope didn’t.”
“Merlin,” Grinder grumbles, sliding a stink eye in his direction.
Charlotte half-shrugs. “We can’t help the families we’re born into.” She tilts her head back to shine her smile on me. “It’s the family you choose to love and make a life with, that matters.”
“Without a doubt,” I agree.
We seem to have lost Dex’s attention. I turn and follow his line of sight straight to Serena, her friend Emily, and Emily’s younger sister Libby.
“Why don’t you go talk to Emily instead of eye-fucking her from all the way over here?” I ask.
Dex scowls at me.
“Marcel,” Charlotte scolds.
“Still got that famous tact, I see,” Grinder says.
“What?” I shrug. “It’s my wedding day. Charlotte said I don’t have to be polite.”
Charlotte steps away from me, shaking her head. “I said no such thing.”
I pull her back against my side. “No? I swore I heard that somewhere.”
Dex chuckles. “That’s for the bride. Not you.”
“Hey,” Charlotte protests.
“Forget Teller,” Grinder says, slapping Dex’s chest. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to not be having this conversation right now,” Dex answers in a flatter tone than usual.
“She’d want you to move on, don’t you think?”
For fuck’s sake, I can’t believe Grinder’s bringing up Dex’s dead wife at my wedding. I can’t let Grinder keep on emotionally torturing Dex. I place a hand in front of Grinder in a “back off” gesture. “Ease up, old man. Let’s let everyone enjoy the evening.”
Grinder looks at me, then Dex. “You’re right. I just want to pass on whatever wisdom I’ve picked up. No matter how small.”