Chapter Twenty-Three
ZANDER COULDN’T TAKE his eyes off Shauna, standing at the end of the aisle with Cap.
He’d never seen her like this, with her hair down, lustrous waves framing her gorgeous face, a wayward strand blowing across her shoulder with the breeze.
She looked elegant and defiant at once, and it knocked the air right out of his lungs.
Junie, Rosie, and Leo began making their way down the aisle, throwing rose petals and waving to everyone, briefly capturing Zander’s attention.
They were cute as hell, but as Leo toddled up to give Zeke the wedding rings, Madigan began playing the “Wedding March.” Shauna stepped into the aisle, and everything else faded away.
Shauna moved with the confident strength of a lioness as she made her way toward him, her back straight and chin lifted, pretending she wasn’t nervous.
She was so damn strong, refusing to let anything stop her from doing what she needed to.
But Zander knew her well enough to see the flicker of insecurity in her eyes, the tightness of her jaw, and the way she was gripping Cap’s arm like a lifeline.
A flood of feelings locked into place, heat behind his ribs, a pulsing ache in his chest, and the unrelenting “Mine” growling through his head.
It wasn’t the greedy, shallow desire Zander was familiar with.
No, this wasn’t just a want. It was a need, driven by deep admiration and primal protectiveness.
She and Cap stopped in front of the gazebo. Cap leaned in, whispering something that made her smile, and then he kissed her cheek and went to sit down.
As Shauna climbed the steps, her and Zander’s eyes connected with a silent ferocity that was so fucking real, it felt dangerous. It scared the hell out of him and made him want her even more. Not just for a night, and not just in his bed.
Preacher cleared his throat, jerking Zander from his thoughts. He must have been staring, because his brothers chuckled.
“If I’ve learned one thing from raising five stubborn children, it’s that life rarely follows expected paths,” Preacher said, earning murmurs of agreement.
“But without the unexpected trials and tribulations that life throws at us, we wouldn’t have met the incredible people who have since become family.
We’re gathered here today to welcome another new member into our family and to witness a promise between Shauna and Zander.
A promise that didn’t start as a fairy tale and wasn’t born from unrelenting love, but comes from the vital stepping-stones on which love grows.
A promise born from trust and friendship. ”
Shauna gripped the bouquet she was holding tighter. Zander fought the urge to reach for her hand.
Preacher looked between them and said, “Today is about honoring your choices. Alexander, do you promise to stand with and support Shauna as her partner, her protector, and her friend, in sickness and in health, with honesty and respect, from this moment forward?”
His father’s use of his given name made the moment feel even more momentous.
Shauna mouthed, Alexander?
She was so damn cute. He opened his mouth to say his I do, expecting it to be easy.
It was just two simple words pledging a temporary commitment, but as her eyes brimmed with trust, the gravity of what they were doing hit him full-on.
He didn’t feel panic or regret, only a deep-seated surety that this was bigger than anything he’d ever felt before and the determination to do it right.
He held Shauna’s gaze as the words clawed their way up from his heart, and he said, “I do.”
His father turned to Shauna and said, “Before you do this, it’s only fair that I warn you. My son is a hell of a good man, but he can be a handful.”
Laughter rumbled around them.
“His charm alone makes him a handful. But charm and all that?” She smiled so big, her dimples popped as she held her hand out, as if presenting Zander to Preacher, and said, “I think he’s more like an armload, but I can handle him.”
More laughter rang out, and Zeke said, “She’s got your number, Zan.”
Yes, she does, and I fucking love it.
“Sounds like this young lady can hold her own,” Preacher said. “Shauna, do you promise to stand with and support Zander as his partner and his friend, in sickness and in health, with honesty and respect, from this moment forward?”
“I do,” she said.
The mix of trust, worry, and unmistakable hope in her eyes nearly did Zander in.
Zeke handed him the rings.
Zander took Shauna’s left hand, feeling it tremble as he slid the ring on her finger and whispered, “I can’t believe you’re my wife.”
She laughed so softly, he was sure he was the only one who heard it as she took his ring from him and slid it onto his finger.
He wrapped his fingers around hers, unable to look away as his father said, “With an open heart and prayers you both survive, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
As cheers rang out, Preacher said, “Are we sealing the deal? Because, son, this is when you’d kiss your bride.”
Shauna’s eyes widened with surprise.
“What do you say, Angel?” Zander asked. “I know you’re dying to kiss me.”
“I am not dying to kiss you.” She laughed, and so did everyone else.
Zander stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Then I guess I’m in this alone, because I’m dying to kiss you.”
She blushed a red streak, and he thought she might look away, but her eyes didn’t shift.
They locked in. He barely had time to register the flicker of heat in them as she grabbed his shirt, hauling him into a kiss like she owned him.
Oh yeah, Angel, you were dying to kiss me, too.
He took control, wrapping one arm around her as her arms snaked over his shoulders and he threaded his other hand into her hair, taking the kiss deeper, earning the sexiest sound he’d ever heard.
His tongue slid savoringly over hers, tasting, taking, possessing, in an unhurried claiming, when what he really wanted was to ravage her until the sun came up, but he was all too aware of their audience cheering and whistling.
Fuck.
Forcing himself to break the kiss, he kept her close, taking in her flushed cheeks and the intoxicated haze in those gorgeous eyes.
She blinked several times, as if she was having trouble getting ahold of herself.
Then all at once, her eyes sharpened, and her lips twitched into a nervous smile that said, Holy shit. Did I really do that?
He grinned and took her hand, turning to their family and friends, and said, “And to think I almost asked for a handshake.”
AS THE NIGHT wore on, someone kicked off a playlist with a mix of country music, classic rock, and pop.
There were toasts with champagne and sparkling cider, enough food and cake for an army, and countless lingering glances between Zander and Shauna.
They weren’t the hey, want to hook up glances he usually gave women who caught his attention.
These were deeper, checking in on her, making sure she was okay, and yeah, he couldn’t stop thinking about that scorching-hot kiss, which his mind naturally took to the next level, wondering how the rest of her would taste.
He had a feeling that kiss was taunting Shauna, too, because she’d kept a polite distance and had been looking at him a little differently.
Her eyes carried a charge he hadn’t seen before.
Curiosity shaded by desire and tempered by restraint.
As much as he wanted to push past it and convince her to explore, that wasn’t part of the agreement, and he respected her too much to push.
The sun had set long ago, the lights in the trees casting a soft glow over their evening.
Zander stood by the dessert table, untouched drink in hand, alone for the first time tonight, which meant he was free to watch the woman who had captivated his attention before he even knew she wasn’t just a figment of his imagination.
Madigan and the other girls had absconded with his wife a little while ago, and he couldn’t be happier for her.
He’d hoped the girls would welcome her as warmly into their group as they had the other women.
He spotted his angel sitting on the deck steps with Emerson and Chloe.
Marybelle toddled over in her pretty pink dress and patted Shauna’s knee.
A momentary flash of unsurety shone in Shauna’s eyes.
Zander had the strange desire to rescue her from that unease, but Chloe said something that made her smile, and his glossy-haired wife—Holy shit.
I have a wife—lifted Marybelle onto her lap.
Marybelle put her chubby little hands on Shauna’s cheeks and leaned in.
Zander knew she wanted to rub noses. That was Marybelle’s newest thing, but Shauna’s gaze flickered between awe and uncertainty.
She turned to Chloe, her brows pinched. Chloe must have clued her in, because Shauna turned bright eyes back to the happy toddler and rubbed noses with her.
Marybelle bounced excitedly, and Shauna rubbed noses with her again.
“Rethinking this whole marriage thing?” Blaine asked as he sauntered over with Maverick and Zeke.
Zander scoffed. “No, man. It’s the least I can do.”
“Because she saved your life?” Maverick asked.
Nah, because it’s her was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back because he wasn’t supposed to feel like that, and went with “What do you think?”
“I think you might be crazy,” Blaine said, and took a swig of his beer.
Zander ground his back teeth to keep from arguing that point.
“But aren’t we all?” Blaine added. “I get it, man. I mean, I was all in helping Reese with her situation when she thought I was nothing but a pushy asshole.”
“You are a pushy asshole,” Zander said, breathing a little easier with his support.
“There’s a reason everyone calls you a bulldozer.” Maverick tossed out the barb with a grin.