Turner smirked. “All right, everyone. Repeat after me: I, then say your name, take you to be my lawfully wedded wife… or husband. To love, cherish, and honor for all the days of my life.”
Austin and I held hands, surrounded by others who were repeating their own vows. He took the ring from his pocket—the chain still attached—and then gently pulled my veil away from my face.
He slowly placed the ring on my finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Turner stroked his beard. “Everyone else is just gonna have to find something to give your mate.”
“With this tie, I thee wed.”
I snapped my head around and saw Denver putting his bow tie on Maizy’s wrist. All the men were definitely thinking outside the box. Jericho gave Izzy a necklace, Reno put his sunglasses on April’s face, Wheeler gave Naya his belt, and Maddox gave my mother a ring. A sparkly diamond tucked in a velvet box.
We both looked anxiously at Turner, and he kept smiling.
“Something else?” he asked.
Austin stared daggers at him.
Turner snapped his fingers. “Oh, yeah. You may now kiss the bride.”
Austin placed a sweet, reverent kiss on my lips that melted into a smoldering, sensual kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he groaned, pulling me tighter and sending a wave of tingles through my body.
Someone in the back started humming the wedding march, and others joined in. Applause erupted, everyone turning away from their mate to howl at the bride and groom.
As we turned to walk back to the house, the twins assailed us with rice.
“Hey, now! Not that hard!” Izzy scolded them.
Before we knew it, we were running up the white carpet, tiny grains splintering against our skin. I’d never laughed so much.
At least, until I tripped over Spartacus and fell on my face.
“Jesus, Lexi. Are you okay?”
Sparty padded out of reach and sat down, trying to chew off the bow tie Naya had put around his neck.
“A black cat just crossed our path, Austin. That can’t be good,” I said with a laugh. Austin helped me stand without ripping my dress, which would have been a photo guaranteed a spot on our mantel. “We need to do this again.”
“Maybe on our fiftieth,” he suggested.
“And then our hundredth,” I added, climbing up the steps.
“Deal. But when we hit five hundred, I’m kicking it up a notch.”
I faced him and furrowed my brow. “What does that mean?”
He smoothed his hand over my rear and gave it a light squeeze while kissing my neck. “You’ll have to stick around to find out. Now go get your purse. Time to make our great escape.”
“Are you sure about this? We don’t have to do a honeymoon.”
“If my woman wants a wedding, she’s getting a Weston-style wedding all the way.”
I ran my fingers down the lapels of his jacket. He looked so handsome dressed up in a tuxedo, and I had to take a moment to adore everything about him. “This was better than blowing up my car.”
After zipping inside to grab my purse, we headed out to the car. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d forgotten something, and that something was my baby boy.
I held Travis in my arms and squeezed him tight. “You be good for Grandma. And don’t say your first words while I’m gone. Okay?” I showered him with mommy kisses.
Austin held the passenger door open while talking to Reno.
“Don’t you worry about a thing,” my mom said. “Travis is in capable hands.”
“Make sure Denver doesn’t give him anything like Cheetos. Those things are a choking hazard. And he likes it when you wind up his little wolf at night.”
“I know, I know,” she said, taking him from my arms. “Come see Grandma.”
Travis smiled and cooed, his blue eyes twinkling like tiny jewels. I’d been blessed with such an easy baby, though I wondered if growing up in a pack had something to do with that. Maybe it was the innate confidence instilled in an alpha that kept him from crying at loud noises or when he fell down, but Travis was my brave little wolf.
“Mommy loves you.” I kissed his chubby cheeks over and over until he giggled and turned toward my mom. “I’ll call you as soon as we get there.”
The walk to the car was a blur. Everyone showered me with hugs and well-wishes, and Naya presented me with a sack full of lingerie.
“Why didn’t you give me this earlier? I would have packed it in my bags,” I said.
She gave me a furtive glance and shrugged. “I thought you might need them in the car later on.”
“Nice. I’ll let you know how that works out.”
“Have fun,” she purred.
I stood on my tiptoes and gave Austin a peck on the chin.
“You ready?” he asked.
I turned, feeling as if I’d forgotten something. “Ready as I’ll… Hey, who’s that down by the road?”
Austin shielded his eyes from the sun and stared down the driveway at a figure standing at the end of the property line by the private road. He had on a blue suit, and I couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Everyone who had confirmed their invitation had shown up.
“It’s Ben,” he said on a breath.