Chapter 40
OWEN
The Elvis impersonator behind me adjusted his bedazzled white jumpsuit for the third time.
If someone had told me a year ago that this was how my wedding day would go, I would have laughed in their face. But standing here now, in this tiny chapel with its tacky velvet curtains and plastic flower arrangements, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.
“You good, man?”
I glanced at him standing beside me in his dark suit, his expression unreadable. We talked last night. It hadn’t been easy. There had been yelling. Some shoving. A lot of things were said that we both probably needed to say.
But we ended it with a handshake that turned into a hug, and when he asked if he could stand up here with me today, I almost lost it right there in the hotel lobby.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m good.”
“You sure? Because you look like you might pass out.”
“I’m not going to pass out.”
“You’re sweating.”
“It’s hot in here.”
“It’s sixty-five degrees.”
I wiped my palms on my pants for probably the hundredth time. “Okay, fine. I’m nervous. Happy?”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You should be nervous. You’re about to marry my sister.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Too late. Already reminded.” He paused, his expression sobering slightly. “But for what it’s worth? I’m glad it’s you.”
My throat went tight. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He clapped me on the shoulder, his grip firm. “You hurt her, though, and I’ll bury you in the desert. They’ll never find your body.”
“That’s fair.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know.” I met his eyes, letting him see the truth in mine. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life making her happy, Jax. I promise.”
He studied me for a long moment, then nodded once. “Good.”
Movement in the pews caught my attention.
Cam and Trystan sat near the front, Kailyn sleeping peacefully against his chest, her tiny hand fisted in his shirt.
He had flown twelve hours to be here, had probably gotten maybe three hours of sleep, and still showed up to tell me he hoped I knew how lucky I was.
I did. God, I did.
Elvis cleared his throat behind us. “You boys ready for this? Because once that music starts, there’s no turning back. Well, technically there is, but the refund policy is complicated and…”
“We’re ready,” I said quickly, cutting off what was surely about to become a rambling tangent.
“Alright then.” Elvis gestured toward the sound system. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
The opening notes of “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” filled the small chapel.
My heart stopped.
Then started again, twice as fast, slamming against my ribs like it was trying to escape my chest.
The doors at the back of the chapel opened.
Syn appeared first, wearing a deep burgundy dress that made her look both elegant and dangerous. She walked down the short aisle with the confidence of someone who owned every room she entered, her eyes finding mine with a look that clearly said, You better not fuck this up.
Message received.
She took her place across from us, and I tried to focus on breathing. In and out. Simple. Basic human function. I could do this.
Then Harlow appeared in the doorway.
And I forgot how to breathe entirely.
She was...
Beautiful didn’t even begin to cover it. She was radiant. Every cheesy adjective I ever rolled my eyes at in those rom-coms she made me watch suddenly made perfect sense.
The dress was stunning, long and flowing, and her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders.
But it wasn’t the dress or the hair or the makeup that stole my breath.
It was her smile.
She was smiling at me like I was her whole world.
The sting of tears burned behind my eyes, and I blinked rapidly, trying to keep them at bay, but it was useless. One escaped, tracking down my cheek before I could stop it.
“Dude,” Jax muttered beside me. “Are you crying?”
“Shut up.”
But I couldn’t look away from her. Couldn’t stop watching as she walked toward me with Kaia at her side, both of them moving in time with Elvis’s voice crooning through the speakers.
Harlow’s eyes never left mine. Even when she stumbled slightly over her dress, she kept her gaze locked on me, and her smile widened.
She was absolutely perfect.
They reached the front, and Kaia turned to face Harlow, taking both of her hands. They exchanged a look that spoke of years of sisterhood, of shared secrets and late-night conversations; it was a bond that went deeper than blood.
Then Kaia turned to me.
She placed Harlow’s hand in mine, her expression warm but with an edge that reminded me exactly who I was dealing with.
She leaned in close, her voice pitched low enough that only I could hear. “If you hurt her,” she whispered, “I will rip out your heart with my bare hands and feed it to the desert vultures.”
My eyes widened slightly. “That’s... very specific.”
“I’ve had time to plan.” She smiled sweetly, then stepped back. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” I managed.
Kaia took her place next to Syn, and suddenly it was just Harlow and me, standing face-to-face in front of Elvis and everyone we loved.
Her hand was trembling slightly in mine.
“Hi,” I whispered.
“Hi.” Her voice was thick with emotion, her eyes already shining with unshed tears.
“You look...”
“Don’t.” She shook her head, smiling even as tears spilled over. “Don’t make me cry before we even start. I’ll never make it through the vows.”
“Too late. You’re already crying.”
“Your fault.”
“How is this my fault?”
“You’re standing there looking all...” She gestured vaguely at my face with her free hand. “...you. In a suit. With that stupid emotional expression. What was I supposed to do?”
I grinned, squeezing her hand.
Elvis cleared his throat. “Well now, if you two lovebirds are done making googly eyes at each other, we’ve got a ceremony to conduct.”
A few quiet laughs rippled through our small audience.
“Right.” I straightened, trying to look serious and failing miserably because Harlow was biting her lip to keep from giggling. “Sorry. We’re ready.”
“Good, good.” Elvis adjusted his sunglasses and opened the small book in his hands. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the beautiful city of Las Vegas, Nevada, to join these two crazy kids in holy matrimony.”
Harlow’s eyes met mine, and I saw my own barely contained laughter reflected there.
This was insane. This was perfect.
Elvis continued through the traditional parts of the ceremony.
I tried to pay attention, I really did, but I couldn’t stop looking at Harlow.
Couldn’t stop memorizing every detail of this moment.
The way the light caught in her hair. The slight flush on her cheeks.
The way her thumb traced absent circles on the back of my hand.
“Now,” Elvis said, his tone more serious, “I understand you two have prepared your own vows?”
My heart kicked up another notch. “Yeah. We did.”
“Ladies first.” Elvis gestured to Harlow. “Whenever you’re ready, darlin’.”
Harlow took a breath, her hands tightening around mine.
“Owen,” she began, and hearing my name from her lips sent a shiver down my spine.
“I’ve loved you for so long that I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.
I loved you when we were kids, and you taught me how to throw a baseball.
I loved you when you didn’t notice me. I loved you when you noticed me, but thought you shouldn’t, and I love you now, standing here, about to become your wife. ”
A tear tracked down her cheek. I reached up with my thumb and wiped it away, my own vision blurring.
“You make me laugh harder than anyone I’ve ever met,” she continued. “You make me feel seen. You make me brave enough to be myself, even the messy parts, and you make the best terrible scrambled eggs I’ve ever had to pretend to enjoy.”
“Hey,” I protested softly. “My eggs are getting better.”
“They’re really not.” She smiled through her tears. “But I love you anyway. I love all of you. The good, the bad, and the catastrophically burnt chicken. I promise to spend the rest of my life annoying you, stealing your hoodies, and making you watch rom-coms you claim to hate but secretly love.”
She laughed, the sound bright and perfect, and squeezed my hands.
“I promise to be your partner, your best friend, and your biggest fan. I promise to support your dreams, even when they scare me. I promise to fight fair, forgive quickly, and never, ever go to bed angry.” She paused, her expression softening.
“And I promise to love you, every single day, for the rest of my life. No matter what.”
The tears I was fighting spilled over. I didn’t even try to stop them.
“Damn it,” I said. “How am I supposed to follow that?”
“You’re not.” She grinned. “I win at vows.”
“This isn’t a competition.”
“Everything’s a competition.”
Elvis cleared his throat. “Your turn, son.”
I took a breath, trying to pull myself together. When I spoke, my voice was rougher than I wanted it to be, thick with emotion I couldn’t hide.
“Harlow,” I started. “Soon to be Harlow Taylor. I’m not great at words. That’s more your thing. But I’m going to try.”
She nodded encouragingly, tears streaming freely down her face now.
“You asked me once what my favorite part of having you in my life was, and I said everything. I meant it. I love waking up next to you. I love the way you steal all the blankets and manage to roll them around you. I love how you steal all my hoodies. I love that you sing off-key in the shower.”
A quiet laugh from Syn.
“I love how you make me want to be better,” I continued.
“Not because you ask me to, but because being with you makes me believe I actually can be. You make me want to wake up early and make you coffee. You make me want to learn how to cook something other than eggs. You make me want to build a life worth living.”