Chapter 16 #2
“We have lunch or dinner with your mom, eating food she’s spent the summer growing.
We laugh, reminisce about how we met and how awesome it is that something so great came out of something horrible.
Then we head off to our tent, or yurt, or cabin, and spend the next week solidifying our commitment to each other.
Just us, nature, and the occasional moose wandering by. ”
It hadn’t escaped Chaos’s notice that they were no longer talking hypotheticals. They were planning their own wedding ceremony.
“Noted,” he said softly, resting his forehead against hers.
“You want a ring?” she asked.
“Yes. I can’t wear it when I fly, but I definitely want to show everyone that I’m taken by the most beautiful, amazing, talented, smart woman in the world.”
Kara smiled at that. “An exaggeration, but lovely all the same.”
“Not exaggerating. I know when I’ve got something good, and I’m not going to screw this up.”
“Same,” she told him. After a beat, she giggled and lifted her head from his. “Did we seriously just plan our wedding?”
“Apparently. I mean, when you love someone, it seems natural to want to make promises to spend the rest of your lives together.”
She froze—and Chaos panicked for a second, wondering what he’d said to make her stiffen. Then it hit him.
He lifted a hand and caressed her cheek.
“I love you, Kara Guthrie. I knew from the moment I saw you that my life had changed, and I wasn’t wrong.
I want the first thing I see in the mornings and the last thing I see before falling asleep every night to be your beautiful face.
I can’t think of a better gift than navigating whatever time I have left on this Earth with you by my side. ”
“Arrow,” Kara whispered.
“You make me happy. You make me want to be a better man. You make me more aware of the injustices in the world against women, and I want to do everything in my power to make your life as easy as possible. To be your greatest supporter and cheerleader, and your staunchest protector.”
“I love you too,” she said, when he took a breath.
“It took me a little longer than you to understand what I was feeling, as I was a little preoccupied and traumatized when we first met. But you’ve treated me with nothing but respect and care, and you’ve gone above and beyond what anyone has ever done for me before.
But my love isn’t based on material things.
I have a feeling we would still be happy and in love if we lived in a tent on the street.
I’m so proud of you, and in awe of your skills. ”
“I feel as if my heart’s going to explode out of my chest. I’m so happy,” Chaos told her.
“Me too.”
“How long do you think we have to stay?”
Kara rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his arm. “Behave.”
Chaos grinned but was only half kidding. The desire to get her into their bed and show her without words how much he loved her, how proud he was of her, how much it meant to hear her say that she loved him, was almost overwhelming. But if she wanted to stay, he’d stay. Period.
“Feel free to let loose tonight. I’ve got you.”
She tilted her head. “Really?”
“Yes. Getting drunk isn’t going to hurt you. In fact, drunk sex with my girlfriend sounds like a perfect end to a great day.”
She grinned. “Yeah. Will you dance with me? I mean, after I’m drunk? Because I don’t dance in public unless I’ve lost all my inhibitions.”
“I’ll dance with you anywhere. In fact, I’m adding that to our wish list. After we commit ourselves to one another in that field in Maine, I’m definitely dancing with you.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
“As you should. Come on, let’s go visit the bartender and see what fun frou-frou drink you might like to start with.”
Chaos kept his eye on Kara throughout the rest of the night. She seemed to be having the time of her life, and he loved seeing it, especially whenever thoughts of what she’d been through flashed through his head.
This was the woman she was meant to be, not the scared, traumatized person he’d met clinging to that tree and huddling in the Asheville forest.
Laryn and Penny were beautiful, literally glowing with happiness as they celebrated marrying their soul mates. And Casper and Pyro looked just as proud, not wanting to be away from their wives for more than a few minutes at a time.
And when Pyro danced with Bowie, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.
The little girl had been showing off the bracelet her daddy had given her during the ceremony at the courthouse.
It had her new initials of BBM on it in Braille, so she could “read” it whenever she wanted.
She’d decided to keep Burns as her middle name and take Mullins as her last name.
Chaos had rarely seen his teammate look so happy. So content.
Mandy and Zita flitted around the space with their cell phones, recording everyone giving the couples good wishes. They were going to edit all of them together to make a remembrance video for their newly married friends.
Jen ended up attending solo, and it was almost painful how awkward things seemed between her and Edge.
That was the only downer to the evening, as far as Chaos was concerned.
When Jen wasn’t looking, Edge stared at her with longing, and when Edge wasn’t looking, Jen’s gaze was more often than not drawn to him as well.
Her new guy had planned on attending, but apparently there’d been some emergency at one of the houses he was building, which he was forced to deal with.
Chaos overheard the girls giving her shit, asking if Asher really existed.
Jen just laughed and said of course he did, and joked that she’d try to remember to take a selfie the next time they went on a date to prove it.
Jen left before everyone else, since she had training with Fred in the morning, and slowly but surely the other guests began to head out as well.
Pretty soon, the only people left were the close-knit Night Stalker teammates and their loved ones.
Bowie was sound asleep in the back office on a small couch, and the couples were slow-dancing on the makeshift dance floor.
Tables and chairs had been pushed back to clear a space, and the music was playing through the bar’s speakers, as it had been most of the night.
There hadn’t been a cake or official toasts.
No bridesmaids or groomsmen, just a bunch of friends hanging out and celebrating two couples officially tying their lives together.
As much as Chaos looked forward to the low-key celebration he and Kara had officially unofficially planned earlier that night, he had to admit, this was pretty darn perfect.
As he danced around the small area with Kara in his arms, Chaos’s thoughts inevitably turned to what was to come when they returned home.
Every brush of her body against his set his blood aflame.
He didn’t even try to control his erection anymore, going so far as to push his hips against hers even harder as they swayed back and forth.
She smiled at him. Her pupils were dilated, and she was shuffling more than she was actually dancing, but with his arms around her, she was in no danger of falling anytime soon. “Is that for me?” she asked coyly, pressing her hips against his in return.
“You see anyone else in my arms right about now?” he teased.
Kara glanced around exaggeratedly, as if looking to see who he might be talking about, then giggled as she met his gaze once more. “I had an amazing time tonight.”
“Me too.”
“Laryn and Penny were gorgeous.”
“Yup.”
“So were Mandy and Zita. Everyone is so happy.”
Chaos nodded.
“Jen looked good too. Don’t you think?”
“Of course.”
“She’s very self-conscious about her wigs and her hair.
She hates that she doesn’t have any eyebrows.
Did you know how important nose hair is?
I didn’t, until she complained about not having any.
I mean, the little hairs catch the dust and stuff in the air, so it doesn’t get into your lungs.
It’s how boogers are made. She doesn’t have boogers! How weird is that?”
Chaos couldn’t help but laugh. “That is weird. And she has no reason to be self-conscious. She’s beautiful, hair or no hair.”
“That’s what we all told her!” Kara exclaimed. “Do you think Edge thinks so too?”
“Not going there, sweetheart,” he warned. “Love my friends, but I draw the line at interfering in their love lives.”
Kara pouted. “But they like each other.”
“And she basically has a boyfriend now.”
“One none of us have even met. How can I decide if he’s good enough for her if he won’t take the time to meet any of us? That’s a strike against him from the get-go.”
Chaos couldn’t disagree. But he shrugged. “They’re adults. We can’t interfere.”
“I wish Edge would’ve said something sooner. Asked her out. Then she’d still be here with us now, and so would he.”
“But he didn’t, and they aren’t.”
“Yeah.” Kara sighed and tightened her arms around his neck, plastering herself against him from hips to chest. They were barely swaying back and forth now, and it was taking all Chaos’s control not to kiss her the way he’d been dreaming about all night.
“Arrow?”
“Yeah?”
“Take me to bed or lose me forever.”
He chuckled. “Are you trying to quote Top Gun to me?”
“Well, it’s a pilot movie.”
“Not quite the same thing.”
“Whatever.”
“And I’m not losing you. No fucking way. I know what I’ve got. A classy, beautiful, talented woman who could do so much better than me. If you’re ready, we’ll say our goodbyes and I’ll take you home and show you how much I love you.”
She sighed. “I love hearing those words from your lips.”
“Get used to it, because now that the door’s been opened, I plan on reminding you of my love every day for the rest of our lives.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
She pulled out of his grasp and reached for his hand, dragging him over to where Obi-Wan and Zita were dancing.