Epilogue
KIT
FOUR MONTHS LATER…
“ Y ou look beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.” Alana dabs at her eyes with a tissue and then throws her hands up in the air with a groan. “I swear to god I don’t even know why I put on makeup when I knew I was going to cry like a baby seeing you in your wedding dress.”
I smile at my best friend and go to her. “You’re going to make me cry,” I tell her and hug her tight.
“Don’t cry. Do you know how much it cost to get that damn makeup artist all the way out here?”
The here is a vineyard in the South of France. The wedding dress is a simple white lace tea length dress that I spied in a shop the day earlier and bought immediately. Because I knew.
“About as hard as it was for Grant to convince the priest to hike out here.”
“That wasn’t hard. It’s a vineyard. We’re all getting wine drunk after this and that priest knows it.”
I laugh and smooth her hair back from her face when we part. “I’m really happy you’re here.”
“Me too. If I hadn’t been fourth-wheeling it I would have had to find out with everyone else tomorrow.”
I shake my head and smile. “I wouldn’t have let them talk me into it if you weren’t here.”
We are on vacation. A little trip that Alana proposed last week after everything had been quiet for a few months. I’d never been to France and Rafe and Grant had been all too happy to indulge me with a whirlwind trip. They didn’t have any projects starting for another two months and jumped at the chance for a trip to make the most of our time together. They hadn’t even proposed to me yet, not until last night when I’d put the dress on to show them what I’d bought.
Rafe had scrubbed a hand over his face and waved a hand at Grant.
“Get the fucking ring. I’m done waiting.”
I don’t even think Grant went anywhere to get the ring. He just pulled it out of his pocket like he’d been waiting for the go ahead from Rafe which, knowing them, he had been. The ring had been a perfect pairing to the bracelet. A delicate gold band with a sparkling single oval cut sapphire. I’d nearly passed out when they slid it on my finger. Every moment since then has felt like a dream come true. That had been less than twenty-four hours ago. The only thing I’ve done is get ready today with Alana while Grant and Rafe took care of the rest. The vineyard is gorgeous, a place where the owners know Grant and are discreet enough that no one will get photos of our ceremony.
I peek around the corner of the stone archway Alana and I are standing beside and my heart aches at the sight of the men I love standing waiting for me. They are wearing suits. Rafe in all black and Grant in slate blue with a crisp white shirt. They are standing shoulder to shoulder with the priest a few feet away from them. He’s looking at them curiously and I know why.
A wedding with two grooms is beyond conventional but whatever they’ve done to get him here is enough for him to be willing to do it. The wedding isn’t going to be official, not with them both as my husbands, I know that. Legally, we have settled on me marrying Grant. That’s just on paper.
This is what matters the most when it comes to sharing our lives with one another. It doesn’t matter who is listed as my husband on a piece of paper when they both belong to me.
“Do you have the rings?” I ask Alana. She’s walking with me down the aisle and I mean what I said. If she hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t have done this. She’s my family and I want her here on the happiest day of my life.
“I do. Here you go.” She hands me the rings that appeared like magic that morning. Two simple gold bands that will match the one I know they have waiting for me.
“Thank you.” I look down at the rings in my hand and rub my thumb over them. Some people are lucky enough to find love in their life with just one person, but somehow I’ve been gifted it with two. Two men who are kind to few and love only me. Men that want nothing more than to give me the world and keep me safe. Men that have killed to give me exactly what I want, even when I hadn’t known what that was.
Today, I am the luckiest woman in the world.
My men, my monsters. The ones I will gladly let destroy me a thousand times over, because of how sweet it is when they put me back together. When I step out from the archway with Alana, Grant and Rafe’s eyes come to me immediately and when they smile, I smile back.
“I’m ready. Let’s go,” I say, before I take a deep breath and walk towards my happily-ever-after.