Your wedding with Thomas was beautiful, but the tension in the air was so heavy it felt difficult to breathe. Two worlds collided that day, yours elegant and well-mannered and full of rules, and his raw and loud and unpredictable. The raised chins of your relatives mixed with the heavy looks from the Small Heath boys, as if the whole room were silently questioning whether these two groups should even be allowed to share the same air.

Your stress had been growing since dawn. You knew that one provoking gesture, one word spoken a little too loudly, could end with a fistfight between the wedding tables. Arthur was restless, John overly excited, and Polly… Polly had that kind of sharp alertness that usually ended with a gun being pulled from her handbag.

Thomas saw it all coming.

Hours before the ceremony he looked at his brothers with a cold commanding stare and simply said “No fights.” No one even tried to argue.

Your family, meanwhile, looked like they were made of porcelain stiff postures and tight smiles and little judging movements that made your skin prickle. You were afraid to do anything wrong, as if every gesture might summon several pairs of disapproving eyes onto your back. But through all of this one thing was certain you were truly becoming a Shelby.

And their presence, ironically, was your anchor.

Curly in his awkward charm tried to ease your nerves. He approached you with a serious expression and then pulled from inside his jacket a small crooked paper horse he had made himself “for luck.” When he pressed it into your palm with full sincerity you could not stop the soft laugh that escaped you.

Arthur tried to help in his own way too nudging your arm with a familiar bluish bottle. He only gave you a knowing nod as if offering the simplest cure for anxiety. You refused of course and he muttered something under his breath but walked away without fuss.

And Thomas.

Your husband.

Always there always aware of everything before you even sensed it. His hand on yours steady and sure was the only thing that truly kept you grounded. He did not need to say a word. His presence alone reminded you that you did not belong to two worlds only to one, to his.

That day you officially became a Shelby. And they all with their chaos and loyalty and heart were your real family.