Twenty-Seven
Her Destiny
Sin
Everyone was in awe of Rocko, the ring bearer, as the damn cat waltzed down the aisle in a kitty tuxedo and bow tie with the wedding rings dangling at his neck.
The fluffy feline was cute as a freaking button—he’d been groomed for the big day, pampered to the maximum because our girl had insisted he received the best treatment.
“Cute little beast you’ve got there, guys.” Zane stood beside us in a black tux with a white tie, and he whistled at the cat. “Here, kitty, kitty.”
Rocko meowed at Zane. He bent down to untie the wedding rings and held them in the palm of his hand. Zane was our wedding officiant, and his sole priority was to marry us. He’d read our vows, do the ring exchange, and lead the ceremony of our dreams.
“Rocko’s great.” I clenched my teeth to hide my distaste for the damn cat. “Isn’t he?”
Saint slapped my back. “Almost as amazing as my best friend.”
Goddamn cat rubbed up against Saint’s pant leg. Saint jiggled a bell, and the trained cat took a seat beside us. The pussy should run away and join the circus. Save me some grief.
“See?” I glared down at the black ball of fuzz. “I’m better.”
Rocko hissed at me. I had to fix this hostility. Quick. Our bride was about to walk down the aisle.
I tapped the cat on the head. “There, there, kitty. Relax. The show is about to begin.”
“Are you fellas ready for this?” Zane cocked an eyebrow. “Last chance to run.”
“Never,” Saint whispered as he clasped his hands together and stared straight ahead. “We were born for this.”
I peered down the aisle, lined with tombstones. “We were created for her.”
Raven walked toward us first with a smile on her face.
Wispy pieces of her hair framed her face, and she appeared angelic, but we knew she was far from it.
She had a sassy side, and her wink at us proved my point as she walked by.
She took her place on the bride’s side, and then our eternity approached.
The wedding march came on, and Liv appeared. Radiant. Beautiful. Fucking perfect.
Liv glowed as she effortlessly flowed down to her rightful place by our sides. The sight of her brought tears to my eyes. The damn sting of wetness burned, but I couldn’t blink. I didn’t want to miss a single moment of her.
Liv reached us. Frank kissed her cheek, and he gave her to us, releasing his daughter to be cared for by us for the rest of her life, and we’d never take the responsibility for granted.
We nodded to him in good faith.
“You’re stunning,” I whispered to Liv, and tears clouded my vision. “You take my fucking breath away.”
Liv blushed. She took my hand. She peered up at Saint.
“A bombshell, if you ask me.” Saint grinned.
Liv giggled softly and passed her bouquet to Raven. She took Saint’s hand too and stood facing us with her gorgeous eyes glistening. She squeezed our hands, peering down at them and then back up at us with love.
Our obsession. Our missing piece. Our light in the darkness. My everything.
“We gather here today to join these three in marriage. To witness their declaration of lasting love and commitment as lost souls who found each other,” Zane announced as he glanced at all of us with a sly grin. “Now, I can’t legally marry all three of you. Only two. But let’s pretend, shall we?”
I whispered, “We get the fucking drift, buddy.”
Saint flashed Zane an unimpressed scowl. “Continue. Please.”
I’d let Saint sign the marriage license. His signature on the dotted line should cheer him up. But in person Liv, our wife, would announce herself with both of our last names because she was ours. Together. Never apart.
Zane cleared his throat. “Liv, Sin, and Saint, may you embark on this journey of holy matrimony filled with strength, trust, devotion, and good faith. The road ahead of you won’t always be a smooth one and full of fucking—”
I fake coughed, “Ixnay on the cursing.”
“I mean… potholes.” Zane shifted on his feet and laughed nervously. “You never know which one might blow a tire and leave you stranded on the side of the road.”
We glared at Zane.
“But Liv will have Sin and Saint to lean on, and they will have her too. Isn’t that what commitment is all about? To carry one another on through each chapter of the story. The book of unhinged affection. Of everlasting love,” Zane added.
Zane stopped for a few moments while Sin and I peered at Liv, lost in her.
Her twinkling eyes locked onto us, and we were the only visions she saw.
Everything else drifted away with the one memory I’d remember for the rest of my fucking life.
The exact thing I’d tell our kids when Mommy declared her true love for their daddies. The moment Liv spoke, “I do.”
“And do you Sin Cruz and Saint Sullivan take Liv Valencia to be your lawfully wedded wife from this day forward? To have and to hold, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health; to love, honor, and cherish her as long as you all shall live?” Zane asked us.
“I do,” Saint and I declared in unison.
Liv laughed with happiness, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks, and we wiped the wetness away.
Christ, Liv made the most fucking magnificent bride I’d ever laid eyes on.
Zane passed us each a wedding band. Saint had the idea of a black plated ring for us. He wanted Liv’s shining the brightest because she was the most radiant star there was in our eyes. Her brilliance outdid us, and her glow humbled us.
Hell, the damn glare of her giant diamond made me blink. Twice. Until I had to block the shine because it was vivid.
“Are you okay?” Liv asked me.
“Yeah.” I squeezed her hand with a smile and held the ring up to her finger. “Never been better.”
“Repeat after me while you place these symbols of unbroken commitment on each other’s fingers,” Zane announced as he peered down at the book with our marriage script. “We take you, Liv, with this promise of love.”
Zane glanced up at me and Saint.
“We take you, Liv, with this promise of love.” We slid the band onto her ring finger.
“Now, Liv, it’s your turn,” Zane said.
Liv stared into my soul. “I take you, Sin, with this promise of love.”
Liv slid the wedding band into place on my hand. My heart burst wide open. I was a complete man. Fully invested in my destiny.
Liv turned to Saint.
“And I take you, Saint”—Liv slipped his ring on slowly—“with this promise of love too.”
My best friend couldn’t stop the quiver of his chin, the tears from falling, or wipe the smile off his damn face. Saint was more than happy; he was as completely changed as I was. We were whole.
“Beautiful, guys.” Zane smiled with a nod of his head. “By the power vested in me, I can now officially pronounce you all…”
Shots fired. Screams erupted. Chaos rang out.
Zane’s grin turned upside down. “Get down!”