Chapter 8
As Gideon looked around the compound, he wondered if the Vicious Kings needed to add event planning to the list of ways they made money.
There had been no time to hire an event planner, but it looked like they didn’t even need to.
Gideon learned last night that Glimmer’s favorite colors were pink and purple.
A true girly girl. There were white flowers with pops of pink and purple.
Silky ribbons and crystal decorations Gideon didn’t even know how to describe filled the space.
There was informal table seating along each side of the aisle his soon-to-be-wife would soon walk down.
He waited at the alter alongside Rome, who had gotten his officiate license for this occasion, and Deuce, who was his groomsman. Deja and Kyomi stood on the opposite side, and everyone waited patiently for Haze and Glimmer to appear.
When they did, everything around Gideon drowned out. The people standing, the music, the murmurs of praise for his soon-to-be-wife . . . it all faded as he focused solely on Glimmer.
She was breathtaking. Her beauty literally stole his breath away.
A nudge from Deuce reminded him to breathe.
When Glimmer smiled at him, he almost melted right there onto the floor.
Her white dress matched his white suit and tie.
Her hair was pulled away from her flawless face, just like his locs were.
Glimmer’s brown skin looked like it glistened under the soft lighting. He was glad she had Haze to lean on because he could tell she walked with a slight limp. Everything in him wanted to rush to her and help her himself, but he trusted his best friend to get her down that aisle safely.
By the time she reached him, he realized his mouth was salivating. He had to clamp it shut to keep from drooling.
Haze kissed her cheek before handing her dainty hand over to Gideon and taking his stance next to him as his best man.
Gideon’s warm hand wrapped around hers, and he smiled down at her. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She blushed, which made him smile bigger.
Rome called everyone’s attention and started the ceremony, but Gideon didn’t pay any attention. He took the time to commit every part of Glimmer’s face to memory. He noticed that she seemed just as mesmerized by him as he was with her.
When it was time to exchange rings, Gideon noted the panic run across Glimmer’s face. He chuckled and whispered, “Don’t worry, I took care of it.”
Pup stepped forward with the rings. He handed the one he picked out for himself to Glimmer, and then he handed Glimmer’s wedding band to him.
Gideon took that time to admire the rock on her finger.
It looked perfect, and he was proud of his choice.
He had never bought a woman something so expensive before, but something told him Glimmer was worth every penny.
“Repeat after me,” Rome said to Gideon. They exchanged their standard vows, and before he knew it, Rome was ready to end the ceremony. “You may now kiss the bride.”
Gideon cut his eyes at Rome. He told that nigga to leave that part of the ceremony out. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to kiss Glimmer. He just didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.
Haze chuckled behind him while Rome smiled guiltily. When his eyes landed on Glimmer, he saw her cheeks tinted red, but he also saw a hint of curiosity in her eyes. His brows raised. “You okay with this?”
“Yes.” Her voice was airy, almost as if she was in the same trance he was in.
Like magnets, they came together. The kiss was simple, but to Gideon, it felt life-changing. Glimmer gasped as soon as they pulled apart, and he knew she felt it too. He grinned and kissed her forehead, unable to keep his lips off her now that he got his first taste.
She beamed up at him. Gideon was vaguely aware of Ivy and Tiki snapping photos like madwomen, but once again, he found himself tuning everything out.
“I can’t believe we’re married,” Glimmer whispered as he held her by the waist.
“We still have to sign the marriage certificate.” His head nodded toward a nearby table where the certificate sat.
“Oh. Should we do that now?” she asked.
He chuckled. “We can. All that’s left to do now is eat and dance the night away.”
“Wow, a full-blown wedding, huh?”
“I didn’t want to half ass this. I wanted it to be special.”
“I appreciate that. Let’s go sign the paperwork,” she said with a gleam in her eyes.
She had no idea that Gideon would follow her anywhere.
She led them toward the table where they signed the marriage certificate.
Kyomi and Haze signed as their witnesses, and Gideon put the certificate in the envelope and handed it to Rome.
“Make sure this gets to where it needs to go. We need to have this on file in case niggas want to question it.”
“Got you, G.” Rome tucked the certificate into his suit jacket pocket.
Gideon turned to his bride. “You hungry?”
“Starving, actually. I haven’t eaten yet today.”
Gideon’s brows pulled in. “I sent you up breakfast this morning.” He guided them toward a table and nodded at people congratulating them, but otherwise gave his attention to Glimmer.
“I got it. I was just too nervous to eat.”
“Man, you already making me break my vows, baby.”
She looked confused and then grinned. “I can go six hours without eating. I don’t think it counts if I’m just not hungry, Gideon.”
“Nah, it counts.” He pulled her chair out for her, and as soon as she sat, a server appeared with their plates.
“What about when I’m sleeping? You gonna wake me up every six hours so I can eat?” she challenged.
He thought about it. “Fine. Maybe we can amend that vow.”
She giggled. “I definitely think we can. Thank you, by the way. Today was so thoughtful. I’m really in awe.”
He looked into her eyes for several seconds. “It was all my pleasure.”
She beamed and then looked down at the plate in front of her. “Surf and turf?”
“One of your favorites,” he said. He’d learned all her favorite foods last night and made a last-minute change to the menu today.
She moaned after taking a bite of the tender steak. It made Gideon happy to see her happy, especially during such a difficult time. Shit had gone fast in the last couple of days, but he couldn’t help but feel like it also felt very right.
While they ate, people kept coming up and congratulating them.
He could tell Glimmer was getting a bit tired of all the attention, and quite frankly, so was he.
When the first dance was called, he leaned over to Glimmer and whispered, “If you want, we can do this one dance and then dip off upstairs.”
She looked at him with relief flooding her eyes. She relaxed slightly. “Really?”
He chuckled. He’d noticed pretty quickly that Glimmer was an introvert. Gideon actually loved being around people, but he realized at this moment, he didn’t want to be around anyone but his wife.
Because he couldn’t help it, he leaned over and kissed her cheek before he whispered, “Really.”
He stood and reached for her hand. She accepted it as “Promise” by Jagged Edge played through the space.
Everyone gushed as they walked to the middle of the floor where a spot had been cleared for dancing.
If Gideon knew anything about the Vicious Kings, he knew they would be up until the wee hours of the morning, partying.
“I love this song.” Glimmer gushed as they embraced and then swayed together.
Gideon smirked. One day, she would learn that he paid attention to everything she said to him. He’d learned last night that this was one of her favorite songs, so he made the request to the DJ for today.
Instead of responding, he quietly sang the song to her.
She looked up at him in admiration. His voice was deep, and in another lifetime, he knew he would be a singer.
Not many people knew he had pipes on him.
His new wife knew now, though, and if it kept her looking at him like that, he decided he would spend a lifetime singing to her, because something told Gideon that this was only the beginning.