Epilogue
Sylvik
The wedding was magnificent.
Through all the preparation, I’d been at her side, possibly neglecting my responsibilities for Radiance, Inc for a few days, but not minding at all.
I’d kept up her morale, fetched hot cocoas from the diner, and made sure she drank water.
I helped Brooke keep track of orders and deliveries and counted and recounted centerpieces, and set up and decorated the potted Christmas trees.
And I loved seeing her creative genius at work.
At eleven p.m., her masterpiece was set.
The guests began arriving, and Tarkhan, Garrak, and I helped seat everyone as Brooke ran about, checking the string quartet was ready and the tech booth was set.
She looked stunning in the hunter-green long-sleeved gown Riven had chosen for her and Sami to wear, and I thought Garrak and I looked fairly dapper in our formal black with silver accents.
Then everyone was seated, and we were settled into place in the living room, waiting for our cues to step onto the back patio.
Brooke stood by the door, wearing a headset, and as the music began, gave Abydos his cue.
I walked down the aisle behind Tarkhan and the groom, my chest swelling with pride to be included, and pride for what my Mate had accomplished.
Then it was Sami’s turn to walk down the aisle, and the way Tarkhan looked at her told me he was just as proud of his Mate as I was of mine.
But when Brooke stepped onto the stones of the patio, the clicking of her heels heard over the cello and violins, I knew there wasn’t a more beautiful female in the world.
Mine.
Brooke held my gaze as she walked toward me, the sweetest smile on her lips, and in that moment, I knew the truth: I wanted this. I wanted to stand before my family and friends and declare my intention to honor her for the rest of my life.
Good thing you bought that ring, huh?
My grin matched hers as she settled under the arch opposite me, and I could barely drag my gaze away from hers as the wedding march swelled and Riven—dressed in a beautiful white gown with a short veil—stepped outside on her mother’s arm.
Riven and Abydos stood beneath the wedding arch, surrounded by greenery and little white berries of mistletoe as the holy man droned on.
Thanks to Garrak’s help, Brooke and I had been able to order and then construct a triple archway covered in plants that held special meaning to orcs.
We were surrounded by large fir trees—root balls still attached, waiting to be planted around the property—decorated with white berries and silver glittery garland and not a single cinnamon-scented ornament.
Abydos had been properly appreciative of how much greenery and the natural world we’d been able to incorporate into the ceremony.
Yesterday when we’d revealed it before the rehearsal, he’d gone all speechless, then pulled both me and Garrak into a hug, which had been surprising as hells, but thoroughly satisfying.
My favorite part of the decorations was the huge sprigs of mistletoe woven throughout the archway. I’d stolen my share of kisses from Brooke as we’d set it up, and I planned on stealing more tonight…
My Mate might struggle with spreadsheets, but her vision was perfection, and the timing even better. As the minister declared the marriage official, and Abydos bent to claim his bride’s kiss, the clock struck midnight, and the tech booth set off the pyrotechnics we’d arranged.
Behind Riven and Abydos, behind the arch, the sky over the ocean and cliffs lit with fireworks.
Unlike traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations, these were all silver, white, and green, and arranged to look like stars.
The photographer’s camera shutter clicked constantly as she tried to capture the magic of the stars exploding behind the wedding kiss.
And I caught Brooke’s eye, grinning proudly.
My Starr.
“I love you,” I mouthed to her, and her smile grew.
The wedding was small, and as the fireworks finished, Riven ushered everyone inside into the warm dining room, where Brooke and I had carefully arranged seating so everyone would be comfortable.
As the servers began to bring in the food Riven herself had helped prepare, Brooke and I helped the quartet move inside, settled with the tech guy, and ensured the rental chairs were prepped to be picked up in a few days.
I knew the midnight dinner would be delicious, and I knew the dancing would last until two, but for now, there was something I wanted more than food.
As Brooke slowly spun in a circle beneath the arch, muttering to herself as she checked things off her mental list, I caught her hand, pulling her to a stop. “Everything is perfect, dkaar. You were brilliant, and the event was magnificent.”
She beamed. “You really think so? I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Yes, you could have.” I tugged her until she fell against my chest, so I could wrap her in my arms. “You can do anything, Brooke. But I’ll gladly be there to help support your new business.”
She was going to name it Starr Events, and I’d already helped her apply for an LLC.
With a contented sigh, she snuggled against my chest. “Did I tell you that Tanis’s Mate Ashlyn reached out to me?”
My brows rose. “Doesn’t she own like half of the historic district downtown?”
“More like all of it. She and Mrs. Larue, who does the weekend teas at the museum, want help planning the next gala. They think they can bring in more donors with my help.”
I squeezed her. “Of course your event will bring in more donors. They’re going to be famous. And Abydos is already planning on hiring you for the next corporate event Radiance has to host—not quite as glamorous as the gala, but necessary.”
She tipped her head back, her grin proud. “And Jess put my information on the town’s website, so I’ve already received an email from a bride interested in being married on the island.”
I was proud of her, yeah, but I was most proud of her pride. I loved that she knew she was a success, and I loved that I could be here with her to see it. I leaned down. “I love you,” I murmured, right before I brushed a kiss over her lips. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you,” she murmured back, her arms trying to snake around my middle.
But I straightened, stopping her movement. Her brows rose as I stepped back, glancing up once at the mistletoe dangling over her head.
“Sylvik?”
“I’ve been thinking about another event you could plan, if you wanted to. It doesn’t have to be too big and fancy, just something simple and intimate.”
Her eyes had gone wide, and she stepped toward me, one hand out, panic in her tone when she repeated, “Sylvik?”
I was fucking this up, wasn’t I?
Grinning ruefully, I sank to one knee, and when she sucked in a breath, I knew she understood.
“Brooke Starr,” I began, pulling a ring box from the inner pocket of my jacket, and flipping it open to reveal a gold ring set with a stunningly perfect emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Her fingertips pressed against her lips, her wide eyes filled with tears. “Wife?” she breathed.
“Partner. Mate.” I pulled the ring from the box and held it up. “You are the most perfect partner a male could want, dkaar, and I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you. I thought, here and now, at the beginning of a new year, we could prove it to the world, too.”
“Yes,” she murmured. Then, with a laugh, she threw herself down into my arms. “Yes!”
I curled the ring against my palm as I caught her, then our laughter was swallowed by kisses as I balanced her on my knee.
Later, she curled in my arms beneath the arch as I slid the ring onto her finger. “Happy New Year, dkaar.”
She grinned. “We celebrated it already, remember? The solstice is the traditional beginning of the new year.”
“And I knew that night that I needed you in my life.”
Brooke hummed and snuggled closer. “I thought you’d lost control because of the Hunt or the mistletoe.”
“No.” I glanced up at the little berries hanging over our heads. “The mistletoe helped, but the feelings were all mine. I didn’t understand them, but I couldn’t control them.”
This time she laughed. “I like it when you lose control.”
Oh yes, we’d had some fun with that in the last week. “But the mistletoe gave me an excuse.”
With a smirk, she glanced upward, then her gaze dropped to my lips. “It was the best mistake I ever made.”
I leaned forward. “Not a mistake at all.”
She was smiling as her arms went around my neck to pull me closer. “I love you, Mate.”
And my heart soared, knowing I’d found my forever. “Here’s to a very happy new year,” I whispered as my lips claimed hers.