Chapter 24
What is taking him so long? Standing in front of the entryway mirror, I fluff my curls again and run a finger below my bottom lip, wiping away any stray gloss. “Luc? Are you almost ready? The ceremony starts in”—my eyes flit to the clock above the stove—“thirty minutes.”
Today is Viktor and Maggie’s wedding. Most of my life, I didn’t think my brother would ever find love. A hopeless romantic and nurturer at heart, he truly found his soulmate in Maggie. And he gained the family he always dreamed he would have.
I can’t help but smile. I’m on the precipice of having the same happily ever after, too.
The smile falls from my lips when the bedroom door swings open, the frame filled with a very uncomfortable-looking minotaur. His nostrils flare as he huffs, wiggling the golden ring between them. Heavy hooves stomp across the hardwood as he approaches me.
Massive body stuffed into a black suit jacket and bowtie, it’s clear he’s miserable.
“Come here, big guy.” I curl a finger to beckon him to me.
Once he’s in front of me, I pop the button on the jacket. Some of the seams have already started to unravel from trying—and failing—to contain his bulk. Slipping behind him, I grip the thick fabric and tug it off him.
His sigh of relief and the happy flick of his tail have me stifling a laugh. I’m not sure who thought putting a seven-foot-tall minotaur in a full suit was a good idea. Especially Jean-Luc, who’s used to more… casual attire.
I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything other than jeans and flannels. The occasional knit sweater when it’s brutally cold outside.
“Did Maggie say you had to wear a full suit?” I ask when I’m in front of him again.
Dark eyebrows dip as my fingers pluck the end of the bowtie, unraveling the pale-pink silk. “No.” This close, I get a good view of the matching pink that stains his cheeks through his fur. “I wanted to look nice.”
My hands smooth over his delicious pec muscles until they reach the collar of his white dress shirt. I pop the top couple of buttons, unleashing the tuft of chest fur that’s become my favorite thing about him.
Although his soft, pillowy belly is my favorite. And his perfect horns. My eyes flit to the curved yellowing bones, cheeks flushing to match Luc’s as I remember how I used them as my personal handlebars just this morning.
Clearing my throat, I meet his ocean-blue eyes and thread my fingers together behind his neck. “You always look handsome, Luc. I don’t think Maggie would want you to be uncomfortable at her wedding. She’d want you to be yourself, right?”
He grunts, but his lips twitch at the corners. “You’re right.”
There’s still something not quite right. I tap my chin, and my eyes roam over him.
Ah-ha!
Unbuttoning the cuff of his sleeve, I roll the fabric until his forearm is on display, then repeat the process with the other sleeve. “Better?”
“Oui. Much.” Big hands settle on my waist, squeezing as Luc scans me from head to toe. My usual icy skin heats to an inferno under his slow perusal. “You look gorgeous, mon soleil.”
Backing out of his arms, I do a little spin so he gets the full effect of the blush-pink bohemian bridesmaid dress. With the thin straps, plunging neckline, and flowing skirt, I look the part of a woodland goddess.
I definitely feel the part as Luc backs toward the kitchen counter, never taking his intense gaze off me.
As he plucks the final touch of my outfit from the butcher block, all the feelings I’ve been holding inside bubble to the surface. So much uninhibited, pure emotion shines in his light-blue irises. The same emotions that are making my heart beat a million miles a minute.
I gulp a swallow and bury my hands in the soft organza of my skirt. I don’t want to do long distance anymore, but I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell Luc.
It should be terrifying how much I want a future with him. A real life. With kids and a happy, noisy, messy home.
Moisture pricks my eyes as he approaches, the delicately woven floral crown clutched in his big hands. “You okay, Ness?”
I sniffle, pressing my tear ducts so the tears don’t slip out and ruin my makeup. “Y-Yeah,” I croak as he settles the crown onto my head.
Later. After the wedding. That’s when I’ll open my heart to Luc and tell him that my bags are packed as long as he’s willing to give me a key.
Rows and rows of lush pale-pink flowers provide the perfect backdrop for the ceremony. The apple trees are in full bloom, and the air is fragrant with their sweet aroma. Shaded under a wooden archway that’s woven with more stunning blooms, I take my place beside Viktor at the altar.
Cyrus, dressed to kill in a crisp black tuxedo, stands opposite us.
Maggie and Viktor chose to do things a little non-traditionally when it came to their wedding party. Instead of the usual bridesmaids and groomsmen, Viktor chose me to stand at the altar with him, and Maggie chose her late husband’s older brother.
“You’ve been with me through everything, Ness. Why should my wedding day be any different?” my brother had proclaimed, leaving me a blubbering mess.
Wanting to keep things intimate, a few rows of chairs, filled with family and friends, face us as we wait for the blushing bride.
Viktor’s hand trembles at his side, so I reach out and lace my fingers through his. “Don’t be nervous, Viki.”
Emotion hangs on his bright crimson eyes when they land on me, his throat bobbing. “I just want everything to be perfect for her. She deserves only the best.”
I squeeze his hand. “Everything will be fine. She loves you and already wears your mating mark. Your lives are already intertwined in every way possible. What you and Maggie share is magical.” My gaze flicks to the audience, where Luc is seated next to Maggie’s friend, Penelope, and Cyrus’s mate, Antoinette.
His eyes meet mine, his mouth pulling into a grin.
“I hope I’m lucky enough to have the same. ”
This time, Viktor squeezes my hand, smiling when his gaze follows mine and lands on my handsome minotaur. “You will, Ness. Your happy ending is right there. You just have to take it.”
My heart skips a beat, because I know, deep down, he’s right. And I plan on doing just that after the ceremony.
Any further conversation is cut short when soft music fills the spring air, making flawless harmony with the joyful chirps of the birds fluttering through the bright blue sky. Everyone stands, and their attention falls to the end of the aisle.
In an elegant white lace dress, Maggie stands hand-in-hand with Lily, who’s bouncing on her feet and playing with the poofy tulle skirt of her blush-colored dress. Cute as a button, as always.
Viktor beams at his girls as they make their way to the altar. Once they’re in front of him, he dips to one knee, giving Lily a hug and kiss. With a whispered “I love you,” she’s passed to my mom to watch the ceremony.
A hush falls over the guests when the officiant welcomes everyone before commencing with Maggie and Viktor’s vows. As I absorb the heartfelt words between my brother and his mate, I can’t peel my eyes off the minotaur who, even while sitting, rises a head taller than everyone else.
There’s no way to avoid the indigo flames blazing in his eyes as Maggie recites her vows.
“Viktor, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to show you how much I love you, but I’ll spend the rest of our lives trying.
You came into my life at a time when I was desperate…
even if I was too stubborn to admit it.” She chuckles, and he smiles, tucking a stray golden curl behind her ear.
Boundless love and affection radiate between them.
“You saved me from drowning in my grief and loneliness. You understood my need to be independent, and rather than swoop in and save the day, you stood by my side while I figured everything out. You allowed me to grow and flourish on my own, and within our relationship. You showed me that asking for help doesn’t make me a burden; it makes me human.
” Hiccupping, she swipes at the moisture streaming down her face.
“You brought me back to life. I love you, Viktor.”
Eliminating the space between them in one step, Viktor cups her tear-stained cheek and leans his forehead against hers.
“Sweetheart, I love you more than life itself. More than the air I breathe. More than the blood I crave.” He brushes more tears away from Maggie’s face while he pours his heart out.
“You are my everything, Maggie Bielski. I would move Heaven and Earth to make you happy. Every single day, I vow to be the partner you deserve and the father Lily deserves. I, too, will spend the rest of my days proving how much I love you, country girl, because you were made for me.”
Damnit, Viki! My eyes burn with a swirling cocktail of emotions. They’re happy tears, but still. I’m not a crier.
The tears threaten to break free in big, fat rain drops when I caution a glance into the crowd again. Those blue flames have only grown stronger in Luc’s eyes, and it has my fingers trembling around my bouquet. He’s it for me, and I’d bet my immortality on him feeling the same way.
I’m so ensnared by Luc’s fierce stare that I miss the “I dos” and the big kiss. Exuberant clapping and cheers finally pull me out of my lovestruck stupor, only to find Maggie in Viktor’s arms as they leave the ceremony.
Cyrus steps up next to me, extending his arm. Just like we practiced last night, I wrap my hand around his robust forearm, and we head up the aisle. “Annie says you found a property for your new spa.”
Smiling, I peer into his icy-blue eyes. Even though he’s built like a brick house, Cyrus only has a couple of inches on me. “I did. Finally. I thought I was never going to find the perfect place,” I say, making small talk.
“What part of the city?”
At the back of the aisle, we stop, and I release his arm. “It’s actually here.” I wave a hand around the orchard. “Not here here, but in Maple Ridge Hollow.”
His dark-blonde eyebrows rise, and he squeezes my hand. “That’s great, Ness! I’m happy for you.”
I spot Luc as he walks toward us with a laughing Penelope and Antoinette at his side. The grin I can’t seem to wipe off my face lately stays firmly in place. “Thanks. It feels like my life is finally starting.”
Cyrus’s lips curve into a smirk, eyes never leaving his dragon shifter mate. “I know the feeling.”
“That was beautiful!” Antoinette says when she stops next to Cyrus.
Like it has a mind of its own, her tail wraps around his waist. Black opalescent scales on her cheekbones and arms shimmer under the late afternoon sunshine.
Matching wings are folded neatly against her spine, accentuated by the open back of her silky burgundy dress.
Pen sniffles, joining our group and wiping her fingers under her glistening blue eyes. “It sure was. Weddings always make me cry.”
A warm hand slides around my waist, pulling me into an equally warm big body. Through the thick curtain of my false lashes, I peek up at Luc. As much as I want to blurt, “I love you,” I sink my fangs into my tongue, tasting copper as I keep the confession inside.
I don’t want the first time I tell Luc I love him to be in front of a bunch of people. Over our time together, I’ve learned that Luc is a private creature. He values quiet moments and solitude, so I want to respect that.
“We’re going to head over for social hour,” Cyrus says. “You coming?”
I nod, right as my phone buzzes in the hidden pocket of my dress.
Bless Maggie. I knew I loved her, but I love her even more for picking a bridesmaid dress with pockets.
Every dress should have pockets.
I slip my phone out to find a text from my twin.
Viki: Can you check on the caterers? Social hour and appetizers are supposed to start at 4. Lily is with Mother and Father. Maggie and I are otherwise… occupied.
Laughing, I decide not to tease him too much, and my thumbs fly across the screen as I type a response. It is his wedding day, after all, so I’ll keep my vexing to a minimum.
Me: Already enjoying being newlyweds? Take your time. Luc and I will handle it.
“Come on, big guy. Viki wants us to check in with the caterers.” I shove my phone back into my pocket and grab Luc’s hand before tugging him toward the set of big white tents near the back of Maggie and Viktor’s house.