I checked the gold band with the little four-pointed stars stamped onto its surface and nodded my approval. I'd designed the ring set with Reason's help, going for a fifties look.
Sophie adored them.
I turned to the presiding official standing behind us. "Agent Moreno," I said, and reached out to shake his hand.
"Havoc," he answered.
"Ready to do the last wedding?"
"It will be my great honor," he said in his stern officious way, then followed it with a wink.
"Right," I said, and took a deep breath. With one hand locked around my wrist, I took my place beside Malarkey in front of the arch while a few more guests filtered in and filled the seats in the back. I sent a smile at Sophie's family in the front row. Then I watched the house and waited for my bride to appear.
"What's taking so long?" I muttered under my breath.
"Don't worry," Malarkey soothed me in old English. "She's coming. She's not going to miss the chance to net a fine catch like you."
And then—finally—she was coming. The low notes of the wedding march lifted from the speakers positioned strategically around the yard.
Mac was Sophie's matron of honor. Dressed in powder blue, she led the way across the low wooden deck behind the house. The flower girls followed, wearing the same color. Tia toddled along with a tiny basket of rose petals swinging in her plump fist. Betsy skipped behind her sister with a slightly larger basket. Every now and again, she remembered to toss out a handful of petals on the grass between the benches. Chelsea was the last of the flower girls and carried the largest basket. Being a little older, she did a fine job of sprinkling petals as she made her way up the aisle.
Reaching the end of her walk, Mac gathered the little girls on the left side of the aisle. Everyone's head was turned as they waited for the bride.
My heart stood still and I stopped breathing as I watched Sophie step from the house and cross the deck. Her skirt floated gracefully around her as she reached the far end of the aisle and moved onto the grass. She was more than beautiful. She was more than lovely. She was absolutely stunning. The wedding dress and the huge trailing bouquet of white roses helped, of course. But mostly it was her warm smile and sweet personality that mowed me down. I was glad she'd worn her hair long rather than up. It made her seem so much more earthly. Otherwise, she might have looked like a goddess beyond the reach of a mere mortal like myself.
She glided up the aisle toward me. And as I watched her face, I was filled with a deep sense of utter contentment to think that this perfect person had agreed to spend the rest of her life with me, that she thought me worthy of her love.
Malarkey handed me a tissue and I touched it to the corner of my eyes.
Of course, I hadn't seen the summery wedding dress she had designed and sewn together with Mim's help. Like everything Sophie did, it was fabulous. The full skirt was layered in white lace with a delicate daisy pattern. The sleeveless bodice had a little standup collar trimmed with tiny pearls. A wisp of veil sprang from the pearl-lined skull cap nestled in her dark hair. Finally, my gaze found the rune glowing brightly on her arm. My mark on her skin meant that Sophie was already mine. But today was the day we made it official in the eyes of the world.
I took her hands in mine as Agent Moreno guided us through our vows…which were thankfully short. I promised to love her and protect her for the rest of my life. She promised to put up with my obsession with video games and learn the rules for proper football.
And in the middle of the kiss, the fireworks went off. It was still early in the day and I'd assumed we'd be seeing the fireworks a bit later on. So, I easily kept my promise to Willful; I was surprised. But they were top-of-the-line rockets like the ones they set off at football games. They flung a burst of sparkling color high into the sky over our heads.
Sophie and I looked upward, then back down at each other.
"I love you," I murmured against her lips.
"I love you too," she whispered. "More than anything."
Laughing together, we ran back down the aisle, dodging the rain of colored streamers exploding from the party poppers aimed at us.
The reception was held at the bunkhouse, many of the tables spilling out onto the patio beside the river. Sophie and I made the rounds and thanked everyone for coming. Our friends and family stood for toasts as we ate dinner. (I assumed the food was excellent because, the truth is, I didn't taste a thing.) We cut the cake and stood for pictures. Sophie threw the bouquet and young Chelsea caught it.
And finally we were alone in one of the ranch's cabins…with several high stacks of presents surrounding us. Sophie picked up a large package with an elegant pattern stamped into the ivory paper. On the top of the box sat a huge silver bow. It's curling tendrils spilled over the sides.
"Which one should we open first?" she asked, her eyes sparkling and making me fall in love with her all over again.
I smiled as I sorted through the wrapped boxes and the bags filled with tissue. "This one," I said, picking out Valor and MacKenzie's gift. It was probably the least-fancily-wrapped, but it was the right shape and size for what I was looking for. I wasn't positive what we'd find inside but I hoped that at least one of the pack had thought to…
She shook the package and a soft rattle emanated from inside. "What do you think it is?"
"I can only hope," I answered as she started to carefully remove the paper. I would have just ripped it off. But I was being patient for the sake of my lovely bride. "Ah," I breathed when she was finished. "It's just what I wanted."
She gave me a questioning smile. "Did you?"
"Aye." I looked at the blue Parcheesi box in her hand. Counting the time I'd spent in my stone form, it had been about ten years since I'd played. "Let's have a game," I suggested.
"What? Right now?"
"Right now," I answered. "Do you know how to play?"
"I'm…familiar with the game," she answered with one of her take-your-breath-away smiles.
"Not the way I play it," I murmured, opening the box and setting out the board on the table in the corner.
"What?" she questioned me on a soft laugh.
I grinned up at her as I reached for the playing pieces. "Do you want to give it a try?"
"That would be jolly awesome," she answered.
So, we spent our honeymoon at the Greystone Ranch in Colorado. Why should we go anywhere else when we lived in the most beautiful part of the world? The property was so large that we were able to spend a lot of time alone and still join the rest of the pack for dinner in the main house. The kids were happy to see Sophie every evening.
And I'm proud to say that I didn't call the restaurant once during the honeymoon week. Marriage agreed with me and I planned to do it for the rest of my life.
But Sophie and I had decided we'd make the Boulder house our base for the time being…since it was closer to The Croft. And a week later, we were back at the old mansion and had invited the pack to join us for dinner. Malarkey had left on a road trip with Leo a few days earlier. Leo was taking him to see the Grand Canyon and the Pacific Ocean.
After a tasty meal of Greek moussaka and dolmathes, we strolled out to the far end of the property where we'd built a little shrine for Mitch. Several marble benches were arranged around the glass case in which she lay.
"Just like Snow White," young Willful said solemnly.
"Just like Snow White," I echoed quietly. I took a seat on one of the benches and pulled Sophie down beside me. The night was clear with a cool breeze. I lifted my face and picked out the big dipper hanging in the sky.
"Did you get a chance to play the game we gave you?" Valor asked as he and Mac settled onto one of the other benches and Mac cradled the baby in her arms.
"Parcheesi? Aye," I answered.
"He won," Sophie said.
I lifted my eyebrows and sent her a look. "As I recall, we both won."
As the skies darkened and stars filled the night, the pack fell to reminiscing,
recalling the circumstances that had brought us to this place in life—the good and the bad, the losses and the gains. The horrible blacksmith back in York. The gang of harpies that had trapped us. The eight centuries that had passed while we had waited for the sun to reach us. And the happy ending we'd found in the twenty-first century.
We talked about what life held for us now, the children that filled our lives, the two properties we owned, our bow business, Reason and Elaina's design company.
And of course, we discussed our plans for the future with Whitney's show horses, Lorissa's small herd of prize cattle, MacKenzie's plans for the ranch's grounds, and Chaos's ideas for future construction.
My pack drifted away as the hour grew later. The ones with children left first. Valor and MacKenzie with the new baby, Dare and Mim with their two dark-haired little girls, Reason and Elaina with their three young gargoyles. And not long after they were gone, Victor and Samantha took young Chelsea off to bed.
The night turned cool. Then Defiance and Whitney were saying their goodnights. Chaos and Torrie were next. Then Force and Camie. Courage and Lorissa were the last to head off inside, Lorissa proud of the bump she was sporting. She was due to burst any day now, adding another small member to the growing pack.
As we watched the last couple disappear into the darkness, it was just Sophie and me alone in the quiet night. My beautiful young wife squeezed my hand. But not like she was in a hurry to go inside. More like she was happy to sit with me until dawn if that's what I wanted to do. And I was both content and happy as I sat there on the marble bench, musing about the past as I gazed at the glass box that held the harpy.
The thing is…if I hadn't taken the time to kiss Mitch before she died, I wouldn't have had a rune left to give to Sophie. And sometimes I wondered…if Mitch hadn't meant for exactly that to happen. That she had meant for me to run out of time.
But if that was true, she must have loved me. I mean, really loved me. Not the way a harpy normally loves a gargoyle with dark selfish greed. But the same way Sophie and I loved each other.
Selflessly.
"She was good," I said quietly, knowing that Sophie would understand what I was talking about. Because like I said before, we're attuned.
"She was good," Sophie agreed quietly.
And I thought again about the nature of love, deciding that it's all very much the same. And the farther you spread it, the bigger it gets. I loved Dorrith and my mother. I loved Malarkey and the pack. And I loved Sophie more than anything.
But I loved a harpy, too. And Mitch will always occupy a place of honor wherever we make our home.
Because I told her we'd take care of her.
Forever.
###
About the Author
Hi! I'm Taylor Longford and I live with my family in Colorado. I don't have red hair like my heroine, MacKenzie Campbell, but I do drive an old Jeep Cherokee with 355,000 miles on it. I've rolled it once and it looks like crap but it still goes fast…and I love it.
Havoc's story finishes off the Greystone Series. I want to thank my small clan of readers who have stuck with the series. You guys are great!
Warmest wishes…and fare thee well.
You can find Taylor at:
Website: www.taylorlongford.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Taylor-Longford
Havoc Page 21