Epilogue Legacy (Court Legacy: Finale)

Epigraph

Ares

“I don’t get it. Why aren’t you more nervous?”

I was sure Thatcher wasn’t trying to be fucking annoying with his question, but he was being, well, fucking annoying.

Thatcher frowned. He sat watching me get fitted for my tux. Our other friends and our dads were around here somewhere getting fitted, too. Thatch crossed his big arms. “I mean, like, what if the DJ plays shitty music, or I forget the ring?”

“You won’t.” I straightened my tie in the mirror. The Armani suit was form-fitting and pristinely tailored. I eyed Thatcher. “Right?”

All the other guys would be checking to make sure Thatcher didn’t forget the fucking wedding rings, and each of them would be checking on each other to make sure the other best men duties were covered.

I had several best men because I had more than one best friend, so all the tasks required of the job were divided.

Thatcher’s grin was wiry. “Right, bro.”

I grunted. Thatcher had been doing nothing but this weird-ass questioning shit. His questions hadn’t surrounded cold feet but the logistics of it all. He was worried if everything would be okay; but that was Thatcher. The dude was an empath like that.

I think that was the only reason why I was entertaining his fucking questions.

Thatcher got up and came to stand beside me. He was a huge fucking dude, so he ate up most of the mirror. He huffed. “How are you staying so relaxed?”

“Because I know everything will be okay.”

“How?”

Lifting my eyes, I turned. I loved my best friend, but his anal shit was starting to get to me. I put my hands on his shoulders. “Because none of this wedding shit matters. Well, it does matter, but it’s not the ultimate thing that matters. You know?”

He looked real fucking confused. I guess my explanation could have been better.

Grinning, I wrapped an arm around him. “Say it was you and Aspen getting married today,” I said, and he blinked at me referencing his girl. I laughed. “Seriously, say it was you guys. What would you be thinking about that day?”

“If she was okay.”

“And…”

“Well, nothing besides that. I…” His eyes scanned the ground. “I wouldn’t, because nothing else matters but her. Her and her happiness, I mean.”

I patted his chest. “Exactly. All the other logistics don’t matter. Calm comes with knowing that she’s it. She’s all that matters, bro.”

“So no nerves.” Thatcher smiled, looking up at me. “Nothing else matters but you and her.”

“Correct.”

We were joined by my father, his friends, and the rest of my friends.

I should have known it was weird that I was left with Thatch’s ass: the men came in with a huge display of cigars, champagne, and music.

Wells, one of my buddies, literally had a boombox on his shoulder.

It blasted hip-hop. I laughed. “What’s all this? ”

“A celebratory cigar as we’re coming down to the final days before my son’s wedding,” Dad said. He handed me a lit cigar.

My old man looked fly as shit in his classic tux. He wrapped a long arm around me. “I’m so proud of you, kid. Fawn’s a great girl, and I know you two will be really happy together.”

I knew my dad was proud of me. He told me that all the time since I went away.

In the few years since graduation, I’d moved to New York City.

Fawn and I had a penthouse apartment there.

She worked for the New York Times and I had a small studio where I worked when I wasn’t doing street art.

Basically, I had a good fucking life. A great life.

I grinned. “Thanks, Dad.”

“We would have done this for my son,” Royal said. He was my buddy Dorian’s dad and the pair looked so much alike. They were both large blonds. This was fitting for Dorian since he’s a quarterback in the NFL. Royal nudged Dorian. “That is, if he would have given us the opportunity.”

Dorian and his wife, Sloane, had hopped off to Vegas, like, hours after college graduation. My guy just couldn’t wait, I guess. But Fawn and I hadn’t been in a rush. She wanted to establish her career a bit, and I’d wanted to get my studio going. We were forever, so we figured why rush?

I could tell my boy D was trying not to roll his eyes at his dad. It’d been years since Dorian’s shotgun wedding, and he still heard about it. He took it in good stride though and knew we all loved him.

Dorian raised his champagne glass. “To Wolf,” he said, using my college football nickname. Dorian smiled. “And to the greatest girl for him. You and Fawn are magic, and you create that for each other.”

We literally had. She’d been there for me during all my bullshit, including a health scare.

Knight, Thatcher’s dad, handed me a champagne glass. He was standing next to Wells’s dad, Jax.

My friends crowded around me, including my adopted brother Bru. He smiled at me.

I raised my glass. “To Fawn.”

“To Fawn,” the men in the room said, and I think it hit me then. We were doing this. The girl of my dreams and I were getting married, and I was a little nervous. I supposed it was excitement.

Thatcher lifted his glass to me. He had his own cigar and a wide smile on his face. “You two are all that matters,” he said.

I suddenly was happy for all his weird questioning, because it reminded me of something I already knew.

It reminded me of the only thing that mattered.

Fawn

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

I grabbed Ares, and he laughed before picking me up and smashing our mouths together. He spun me around, and the large church erupted in applause. Both our families got the large wedding of their dreams. Wolf and I were indifferent to how we got married, but a big wedding made our families happy.

“You can’t get rid of me now, Red,” Wolf said. My nickname came from my hair, which was obviously red. He grinned as he bit my lip. That got him a hoot and holler from some of his friends, but I didn’t expect him to kiss me any other way. He squeezed me. “You’re mine now. You’re my wife.”

I’d been his for a long time. I squeezed him right back, and he kissed me again, which got us another round of applause. I’d never get over how big he was, strong. I was well over two hundred pounds, and this man had no problem keeping me suspended in the air.

Eventually, Wolf and I had to stop mauling each other.

After the ceremony and pictures, our group was off to the reception.

The bride’s family typically paid for everything, but Ares’s parents didn’t let my stepdad do it all.

My stepdad certainly didn’t need the help, being in the medical field, but I think he knew how much this wedding meant to Ares’s family as well.

Ares’s twin had a wedding, but they didn’t get to do much with that since she eloped.

Ares and I danced through the night under the stars.

The reception was on the grounds of a historic landmark in Ares’s hometown.

We were surrounded by flowers and sun during the day, but, at night, the place lit up like the botanical garden setting it was.

This felt more natural to both Ares and me.

He loved to be outside, being a creative, and I did too.

I think I had my camera on me more than I should have on my wedding day.

“Leave the photography to the photographers, Red,” Ares said.

He took my camera before sneaking me into the bathroom for a quickie.

We couldn’t do much since people were waiting for us, but, needless to say, we had fun.

We were both out of breath and sweaty by the time we made it back to the dance floor.

I think only our friends probably figured out why we left temporarily.

Wolf’s buddy Dorian smirked and Thatcher and Wells gave Ares a fist bump once we got back to dancing.

Boys.

Anyway, I didn’t care about that, as I danced in my sheer, white gown.

The outfit was a relief from the ballgown I wore for the ceremony.

I could breathe in this one, and it showed off the tattoos on my arms and legs.

I was dancing barefoot, which was fitting, since Ares had changed into a simple shirt and sports jacket.

If I got to be comfortable during the reception, I wanted him to be, too.

If anything, he looked more gorgeous outside of the tux he wore quite a bit for events.

He was always at shows and parties celebrating his art.

Tonight, I got him stripped back, his hair up and his body firm in neutrally toned clothing.

He squeezed my back. “How much longer do we have to stay at this thing?”

I thought about that, beaming as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He made that easy since he let me dance on his feet. This guy was literally just south of seven feet and dancing any other way wasn’t possible. I laughed. “Probably long enough for our parents not to freak out.”

Again, both our families wanted the wedding of their dreams, so we were giving it to them.

I beamed. “I’m glad your parents got to have their big wedding.” Ares’s twin, Sloane, was supposed to have one after the elopement, but she’d decided not to do that.

Ares smiled. “Thanks for being so cool with having one.”

I shrugged. “I know my parents appreciate it, too.” My stepdad was probably indifferent. He just wanted me to be happy, but my mom loved the idea of creating such a huge event. We’d gotten so close over the years and I think the wedding was her way of spending time with me.

“This is all that matters,” Ares said, pressing our foreheads together. His hand slid to my ass. He was making it very difficult for me to honor sticking around for our families.

“May I cut in?” my stepdad, Anton, asked in his heavy German accent.

Ares gladly handed me over to him. “Of course, sir.” Ares pressed a hand to his chest. He and my stepdad got along so well. We’d been in each other’s lives for years, since college.

As it turned out, Anton got to be the first to dance with me during the dollar dance, which was not only fun, but really special for us.