15. Vance
“I’m more nervous about this courting ceremony than I was our wedding day,” my husband muttered as his fingers fumbled with the tie he was trying to knot. With a small smile I moved his hands aside and took over, expertly tying it.
When I finished I didn’t step back, but looked up into his face.
“Are you having second thoughts?”
His eyes widened at my interpretation and he leaned forward, claiming my lips in reassurance before using his words to do the same.
“No, not at all. I’m more nervous about this crazy, chaotic town. And meeting their parents. They’ve done a good job of painting a terrifying picture,” he muttered.
“That they have,” I chuckled. “But don’t let it get to you. I met Riley’s sister on a date, and she did the same, but how bad can they be? The entire town adores them.”
A loud buzzing interrupted us, and I grabbed Adrien’s phone for him from the dresser, a French number on the screen again.
“You should answer,” I said gently. He’d been tense since the first call. Anytime we weren’t with our future pack, and it got quiet, I could see it. “Let’s not go into today with anything holding us back.”
“Hello, Luc,” Adrien answered without hesitation. My words meant something to him, which meant I’d hit the nail on the head.
“Bonjour, Adrien. I’m so sorry to have to reach you like this. But your parents are not the calm type,” he said in a rush. “I’ve been calling for a week.”
“What have they done?” Adrien asked. His accent was stronger when he was stressed, and I regretted telling him to answer.
“They want to get in contact with you. I’ve blocked them on all avenues so far, but I heard from a friend they have hired a private investigator. They’re more determined than ever. I just wanted you aware,” he explained.
“Are they still at home?” I questioned this time.
“Yes. For now. But…” He trailed off, and the silence stretched on for a moment.
“What is it, Luc?” Adrien coaxed his old friend and former lawyer.
“They booked a private jet. I don’t have the destination or logs, but we can all take a guess,” he finally said. “Please don’t ask for my sources.”
“We won’t. Thank you for the information, Luc,” Adrien said as his face went unnaturally pale. It had been a long time since I’d seen my husband truly shaken.
They said their goodbyes and we both sat down. Thankfully we started early and had a few minutes to decompress.
“It’s crazy. Just like that, I feel like a teenager under their thumb. Why can’t they just let me go?” he questioned in frustration, gripping his perfectly styled hair in his hands so it stuck up at odd angles.
“You are a strong alpha. And a happy one, even happier after today. Whatever they have to say, even if it’s to make amends or try and cut us down, it no longer matters. We don’t need them to be happy or fulfilled. You aren’t that kid.”
“I’m not,” he said, shaky at first, then stronger. “You’re right.”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have prompted you,” I said. “I thought it would be something silly and trivial like an old paper needing signed or something.”
“My parents are like vipers, waiting to strike the moment you’re happy. You and I both know they would have found us regardless,” he sighed before standing and grabbing a comb, brushing his hair back into place as he stared in the mirror. I walked up, wrapping my arms around his waist and snuggled in, resting my chin on his shoulder.
“And they can’t take it from us. Not anymore,” I told him. “They’d be marched right out of Holiday Hollow. Hell, Riley and Claire themselves would lead the charge.”
Adrien’s smile was back at that thought before he shook with laughter.
“Instead of pitchforks and torches, they’d borrow cupid’s arrows and trumpets, terrifying them out of here,” he said. The tension was broken, and our mood was back where it should be. “You always know exactly what I need to hear, mon chéri. Thank you.”
“What do you think this is going to entail?” I questioned. “I’ve never been to a courting ceremony. And things in the Hollow are always… different.”
“They said it’s tradition. I guess we get to go find out,” I said. “It’s time.”
We both shrugged on our suit jackets and took one last look in the mirror before checking each other over. With one last kiss, we walked out of the door.
It seemed everyone in Holiday Hollow was in the town square waiting for us. Parking was a nightmare which was crazy in a town this small. But it was the crowd literally parting for us to walk to our waiting omega and beta that was the real icing on the cake.
Claire was gorgeous, her curls framing her face, her makeup accentuating her bright eyes and her smile lined in pink. The dress she wore this time was a bit less tortuous, but she was enticing nonetheless. It was black, tight in the waist and hugging her cleavage, before flaring out slightly at the waist. It hit right above her knees and she wore hot pink booties that matched her lips.
Riley was wearing his signature tight jeans and a matching hot pink shirt. The top buttons were undone to show off his gold necklace. But his smile, carefree and genuine, had me wanting to move closer and kiss him soundly.
“They’re a vision,” Adrien said, voice thick with emotion.
“They are. And they’re ours,” I reminded him proudly. “Nothing stands in our way.”
“Except maybe his mom. She has to be the one staring into our soul like that,” Adrien hissed under his breath. I followed his line of sight to see the woman studying us more intensely than anyone ever had. Then she gave a slight nod, as if approving, before a smile broke free that matched Riley’s.
Apparently we passed the first test.
We made our way over to where they stood accepting more hellos and congratulations along the way. Most of the people recognized Adrien from the shop, as usual, but the few people I’d met the past few months and befriended like Natalie, the local bookshop owner, and Michael, the record shop owner, came over to talk to me personally.
“I’m proud of you, mon chéri,” Adrien said. “Grateful too.”
“I’m proud of us,” I said truthfully.
We’d come so far out of our comfort zone, and while we were still navigating that, I was beginning to see the type of life and community we could have here in Holiday Hollow.
“Well look at these cool drinks of water,” Riley said, as we finally got to them.
“Just for you,” Adrien said smoothly. “Tell me. If we kiss you both hello will we be breaking any customs?”
“I don’t care if we are or not,” Claire said. “Get over here, alpha.”
I went over to Riley as Adrien pulled Claire into his arms. He reached his arms up around my neck, standing up on his tiptoes to place a kiss on my lips.
“Welcome, Holiday Hollow!” a voice sounded from inside the gazebo. “Thank you for joining us for this joyous occasion. Could I please get the lovebirds to join me?”
“It’s the mayor,” Riley said low in my ear, threading his hand through mine. “Let’s go get Holiday Hollow official, alpha.”
I caught Claire’s eye over my shoulder, desperate to take her in my arms too.
“Soon,” she said, a flirty smile on her pink lips.
As I took the first steps into the gazebo the mayor shook my hand.
“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, Vance. We’re glad to have you and Adrien here in Holiday Hollow. I hope to get to know both of you more after this.”
“Thank you,” I said, some of that anxiety inside me settling.
The mayor greeted Claire and Riley with hugs and congratulations, the familiarity between them something I hadn’t expected. Then again, it was a small town. It still amazed me how interactive everyone seemed to be.
I’d already planned to start working some of the new dynamics into the next series I was writing. I was thinking a small-town mage from humble beginnings.
“We’re gathered here today for a Holiday Hollow Courting Ceremony! For those of you who don’t know, this tradition goes back to the founding of our little town, and is part well wishes and part of that community togetherness that we all value so much. When one of us succeeds, all of us succeeds,” the mayor said.
“Hear hear!” Someone shouted from the crowd.
“Two of our newest residents to join the Hollow, Adrien and Vance Laveaux, have asked to court our Holiday Heathens, Claire Dawkings and Riley Ortiz. I think I speak for all of us here when I say that we are overjoyed that not only have Claire and Riley found each other, but we’ll have another set of hands to keep an eye on these two on April Fools Day.”
“You pull one little prank in high school, and they never let you forget about it,” Riley sighed.
“The school gymnasium survived,” Claire pointed out with a shrug.
“We’ll be hearing that story after this,” Adrien said with a small twitch of his lips.
“But in all seriousness the Holiday Hollow Courting Countdown is meant to bring packs together and help them establish a stable foundation together, and with their community. It’s a bit quirky, just like us, and we sincerely wish the four of you the best of luck on your journey. Without further ado, Janet, could you please come up and join us to read the charge?”
Janet took the mayor’s place, standing between us, Claire and Adrien on one side, Riley and I on the other.
“This year, since those rascals forewent a courting ceremony of their own,” Janet said, looking pointedly at the pack we’d been introduced to at the auction, “Pack Halston has graciously decided to sponsor the future Pack Laveaux should they wish to complete the list. For each item on the countdown you complete, a member of the community will give you an item. You never know who it may be. Once you receive an item, please take it to Boone at his store on Main Street.”
“That’s my alpha!” Autumn called out from the crowd, making the stoic alpha beside her blush.
I could totally see why she was friends with Claire and Riley. Maybe the Halston pack could give us a few useful tips.
“When all five items are complete, the sponsoring pack will present a gift from Holiday Hollow to the Laveaux pack that they can have to remember this joyous time in the forming of their pack,” Janet said.
I thought it was sweet that the community celebrated the forming of packs like this, but I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when Janet began to read the list.
Holiday Hollow’s Courting Countdown
5. To go forward you must go back, learn each other and take a page from the rack.
4. Next be careful, next be quick, open yourself, it’s just a nick.
3. Build the walls and seal the seams, fill thy Hollow up with teams.
2. One or two, milk, no cream, straight black, or just a steam, it’s time to learn the little things.
1. All that’s left is the heart, a moment in time, never to part.
I could feel the wave of confusion down the bond from Adrien, and admittedly he wasn’t the only one. The whole thing was quirky, and I wasn’t sure if I was in a small town in North Carolina or on a stage at The Globe hearing a bastardized version of iambic pentameter mixed with some southern rhyme schemes.
“Okay, that’s even stranger than I remember,” Riley muttered under his breath.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” I said with a small laugh.
“Let the courting commence!” Janet cheered, the rest of the crowd that had gathered joining her.
Janet stepped down from the gazebo, giving the four of us a moment.
“Well, that was certainly something,” Adrien said.
“How are you feeling?” Claire asked seriously. “Any regrets?”
“No,” Adrien said firmly, cupping her cheek and reassuring our omega.
Footsteps sounded against the wood, pulling my attention to Autumn who was bounding up the stairs, her pack not too far behind her.
Claire gave Adrien a quick kiss before turning towards her friend.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me y’all were sponsoring us?!”
“Surprise!” Autumn said, throwing her arms around our omega before holding an arm out. “Get your cute ass over here, Riley.”
“They always like this?” I asked Jack, who had stepped up beside me.
He chuckled. “I’m pretty sure it’s only gotten worse since they’re all tied into business together, between the orchard and the distribution, and goods that Claire partners with. So much excitement, so many ideas.”
“I’m glad they have friends they can count on,” I said, a warm feeling settling in my chest as I watched them. There was a carefree, happiness they possessed that we’d been lacking in our lives.
“You can too, you know,” Jack said, the beta bumping his shoulder against mine. “Once you get done with meeting the parents and the chaos settles a bit, why don’t we grab some lunch? Autumn said you’re a writer? I’d love to hear more about your work.”
My eyebrows rose at his easy offer.
“Yeah,” I said, adjusting my glasses. “Sure, I’d like that, Jack.”
“Me too,” Boone said, stepping up beside him. It was the first time I heard the quiet alpha speak, but I got the feeling it wasn’t an unfriendly disposition, more of just the way it was. “We’ve known the two of them a long time, and we’re really glad to see them this happy.”
“That means a lot,” I said with a nod. “And thanks for putting together whatever this secret courting countdown thing is.”
Boone’s lips twitched behind his beard. “It’s the least we could do. I still think Mom was a little bummed that we didn’t profess our undying love for Autumn and go through the whole ordeal.”
“You would have hated it,” his mate said, stepping up to him. “Plus I had a lot of things to work out for myself.”
“Alright, alright,” Hunter said, tipping his hat to me before snatching up his mate. “Let’s go work on some of those things together and let them have a moment before they meet the parents.”
“How much time do we have left before your parents expect us?” I asked. “Or are we doing introductions here?”
“Introductions at the house,” Riley said. “They went back to start up the fire pit and finish the prep.”
“We’re more than happy to help them with that,” Adrien offered.
“Why don’t we take a second to read this crazy poem together and see if we can make sense of it,” Claire said, tucking one of her curls behind her ear. “We can go—“
Her words faltered as a gust of wind rose behind me, swirling our clothes and making her gasp, her nose flaring.
“Claire?” Adrien asked, stepping closer.
She put her arm on his shoulder, shaking her head as she stepped closer to me, burying her nose into my neck and taking a big inhale as she pressed her lush body into me. A growl sounded from her throat, and I pulled back slightly, only to be met with a slightly feral look in her eye, her pupils almost completely black.
“Mine.”