by Coralee June
“You? That's the line you come up with after having me worried sick for months?!” She started speaking in a rapid procession of her native language before Chief Aarav nodded at me then yanked her outside the tent and shut the hanging partition. Her ranting was cut off, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he finally kissed her speechless or if she ran away. Either way, I knew he’d catch up to her. He lost her once and wouldn’t be doing that again any time soon.
“I thought people were supposed to be giving you gifts. It’s your wedding after all,” Jules said while rolling her eyes. She was brushing some powder onto my cheeks, making them look rosy.
“Your brothers are the gift, believe me,” I replied.
“Gross,” Jules replied before digging in her bag. She yanked out a leather satchel and tossed it in my lap before leaning against the vanity. She watched me open it and pull out six rings. “Tallis makes jewelry. I know setting up artisans hasn’t been a priority, so you haven’t really been worried about getting them rings, but I had these customized for you.” She reached into the pile and grabbed two that looked very similar. “These are for Maverick and Cyler. I’d been holding on to Dad’s old wedding ring. Had it melted and turned into rings for both of them.” I choked on a sob as I took in the meaningfulness of her statement. “I picked a wooden ring for Kemper because of his grandfather’s love of woodwork.” She ran her thumb along the groove then dropped it into the bag.
She picked up another pair of rings that looked similar but had stark differences. Both were jade green, but one was much lighter, and the other had darker tones. “These are for the twins, I’m sure you can guess which is for which. Their mother had green eyes, too. I hope one day they tell you more about her. She was an excellent baker, actually.” She sniffled.
The last ring was sterling silver and looked delicate but still masculine. “My mother always loved Jacob. She adopted him as a babe. I would have given him part of my father’s ring, but Jacob shared a special connection with my mother. This is a piece of her jewelry I had sized and changed to fit his personality.”
I stared at Jules with my mouth hanging open in shock as I took in everything she was saying. “This is the most thoughtful gift…” I began. Jules loved these guys, even if she was left out of a lot of their life; they still shared a special bond that meant a lot to her. They’d grown closer over the last few months, especially now that Tallis was a Deadlands representative for the new world order and lived in Galla with us.
“Please don’t get all emotional on me. I don’t do feelings well, and I just finished your makeup.”
I chuckled at her bluntness and was taken back to the first day we met. Who would have known that my entire happy ending started because of her? “Thank you, Jules. I’m so...I’m so thankful for you,” I stuttered before blotting at my face.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go get this show on the road before people start to think I’m killing you again in here.”
I’d never attended a wedding before, so I didn’t exactly know what to expect. I wore a scarlet red trumpet gown that trailed in the dirt behind me as I walked. Everyone sat on blankets on the ground as I walked to my guys, who each gave me loving looks as I approached them. Hope was bouncing on Thurst’s lap in the crowd, and Mia whooped as I walked, making everyone chuckle.
At the end of my walk, my guys positioned themselves in a circle around me, and I took a moment to stare at each of them. Cyler in his black suit. Huxley with his dark eyes full of hunger. Jacob with his mindspeak out, because I was sure his thoughts weren’t appropriate for crowds. Patrick wearing a grey suit with a red tie, matching my dress perfectly, while Kemper wore all navy with a white flower in his pocket. They all, also, were wearing rings of vibrant flowers around their necks. It was beautiful.
“To accept the marriage rights, each must ask for her hand and anoint her with her flower and a kiss,” Tallis said from outside the circle.
Naturally, Cyler stepped forward first. It seemed fitting that the man who I met first, the man who saved me, would be the first to become my husband.
“One of the greatest pleasures in my life has been watching you grow into this strong, capable woman that demands love and respect. I want to watch your journey of greatness for the rest of our lives. I want to protect you. Care for you. And mostly, I want to kiss you all the damn time. Will you have me as your husband?” he asked.
“Yes,” I whispered before leaning forward to kiss his lips. He groaned against me as the crowd cheered. I wanted nothing more than to linger and celebrate in this circle just for us forever, but eventually, he pulled away. He removed a ring of flowers from around his neck and placed it on me. “I love you,” I said.
“Love you too, Babe,” he replied before going back to his position in the circle.
Jacob moved next, and I noticed that he didn’t put his mindspeak in. I took in his anxious expression and worried for a moment that he left it behind. I almost twisted to ask Jules to grab it, but he pulled me to him and whispered so low that only I could hear.
“L-love...you. Al-always. Love you, always.” I nearly cried at how his face was scrunched up in concentration at his declaration. I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered yes what felt like a million times in his ears before crashing my lips to his. Wet tears left streaks of emotion down his face, and I kissed them all away while he placed the ring of flowers around my neck before he pulled away and joined the others in the circle.
Patrick was next. He started dancing towards me, shaking his hips while singing one of those nursery rhymes he was determined to teach me. He didn’t care that others were laughing, he only had eyes for me. “I love making you laugh, Ash. I wanna do that all the time. I want to take every damn burden off your back and make sure you live your best life. I love everything about you. I’m supposed to be the twin that’s good at words, but all I can think about is how much I’m just ready for you to be my wife already so we can get this happily ever after started.”
I laughed then said in a loud voice, “Yes, Patrick.”
He kissed me tenderly and slowly before whispering over me. “Don’t want to give them too much of a show.” He then placed his red flowers around my neck and fist pumped the air while walking back.
Kemper was next. Naturally, he had a folded sheet of paper ready and pulled it out, prepared to read the thoughtful words with precision; I wouldn’t have expected anything else.
“Ashleigh, I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find a love so pure, so wonderful. You’re kind, you’re thoughtful. You make me feel invincible and call me on my shit. You have the most empathy of anyone I’ve ever met, and when I’m with you, I truly want to be the best version of myself.” I smiled at the sweet sentiment. “But more than that,” Kemper added, “you make me let go. Of my expectations of myself. Of perfection. You help me enjoy the journey and learn from the mistakes. You take the pressure off because I know that, at the end of the day, you’ll always love me, and for that gift, I could never say thank you enough. I love you. I’ll always love you. You’re the imperfectly perfect woman for this perfectly imperfect man.”
“Yes,” I whispered before wrapping my arms around him for a kiss. He dived in, lapping me up with his tongue before growling into my mouth, audience be damned.
We kissed, and kissed, and kissed for an embarrassingly long amount of time before, somewhere in the crowd, someone shouted, “Come on, we’re ready to eat already!” I pulled away with a laugh before quickly putting his flowers over my head and watching him adjust his pants as he walked back to the circle. The other guys were patting him on the back, and I had to roll my eyes.
Maverick came to me next. “Ash,” he said with a sigh, “I’ve struggled with what to say to you because, again, I just feel my words aren’t enough. You’ve saved me in so many ways, and I am so thankful to have you by my side for the rest of my life. I love you. I’ll always cherish you. I’ll make sure you’re happy and keep you safe. I’ll encourage your dream
s, cry for your pain. I’ll even laugh at Patrick’s jokes if it makes you happy,” he teased.
“Hey!” Patrick exclaimed.
“Yes,” I replied. “A thousand yesses.”
Maverick leaned forward and left a smoldering kiss on my forehead in reverence before dropping a sweet kiss to my lips that I felt travel through my entire body. When we pulled apart, he placed his flowers around my neck before returning to his spot in the circle.
Last, but certainly not least, Huxley strutted towards me. It seemed fitting that he would be the last to solidify this union. He was the last to trust me after all.
“Ash,” he began with a grin. “You wanna marry me?” he asked. A bright grin broke out on my face. Ah, Huxley. The man of few words.
“Yes, you big idiot,” I said back, making everyone laugh. He stormed over to me then cupped my cheeks. Leaning forward, he whispered into my ears.
“I love you so much, Ash. I’ll love you now and forever.” He then kissed me deeply while picking me up to spin me around. The crowd cheered as I nipped at his bottom lip, and when he set me down, I made quick work of adjusting my dress and accepting the flowers around him.
The next part of the ceremony was to hand out the rings. It was a last minute addition, so I surprised them by working around the circle and giving them out. I briefly explained to Maverick and Cyler what Jules had created for them, and watched as they mouthed teary thanks at her from across the ceremony.
The last part was something my guys and I planned but hadn't told anyone about. On the front row, Payne was sitting cross-legged on a blanket, staring in awe at everything in front of him. I was surprised at how well he behaved during the ceremony. We broke the circle, and I walked over before crouching lower to be eye level. “Hey, big guy, I need you for this part,” I said before holding out my hand for him to take. We all walked back towards the center of the ceremony, and I bent low to ask Payne the question I’d been dying to ask.
“Payne, you know we all love you very much, right?” I asked.
He eagerly nodded in response before blurting out. “I know you love me ’cause you make me cake,” he replied proudly. Everyone laughed, and I had to bite my tongue to hold back my own chuckle.
“How would you feel about officially being a member of our family, a...Black?” I asked. For some reason, I was nervous about this. What if Payne didn’t want to be a part of this? I’d respect him and help him find a home that he felt comfortable in, but I really wanted him to feel comfortable with us.
He glanced at Hope in Bowden’s lap then back at me. “Like how Uncle Thurst and Uncle Bowden made Hope their family?” he asked.
“Exactly like that, kid,” Huxley answered for me.
Payne took a long look around the circle, his grin growing as he landed on everyone. “Okay. Let's be a family,” he finally said before jumping up and down. At his answer, we all joined for a big group hug, and I never had in my life felt more complete.
I had my men. I had Payne. I had dreams for the future and an appreciation for the past. I was finally free.
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the support of my dear friends, Denise, Savannah, Claire, and of course my wonderful PA, Mads.
Also, I am especially indebted to my author tribe. They not only encourage me to work hard, but inspire me to be a better writer.
I am grateful to all of those with whom I have had the pleasure to work with during this book. I’d like to especially recognize my editor, Helayna Trask. She always takes the time to dive into the worlds I create and make sure they are perfect for you all. I would also like to thank all the dedicated members of CJ’s Elite and The Zone.
Nobody has been more important to me in the pursuit of this series than the members of my family. I would like to thank my parents, whose love and guidance are with me in whatever I pursue. Most importantly, I wish to thank my loving and supportive husband, Joshua. Thank you for working hard for our family. And to my two wonderful children:
Everything I do is for you. Everything.
About the Author
I’ve always been passionate about storytelling and impressed by the influence it has on people. I love engaging with the projects I work on, diving headfirst into developing real, raw, and relatable characters.
I like flawed and beautiful things.
I’m an English Major from Texas State University and my wild affair with literature began at a young age. I love angst. I love to crack open a book and borrow the character’s emotions for a bit. It’s how I approach writing, too.
I live in Dallas, Tx with my husband and two beautiful, headstrong daughters. I enjoy long walks through the ice cream aisle at my local grocery store and listening to gangster rap in my minivan.
For more information about me, and my upcoming releases, please visit my website at:
www.authorcoraleejune.com
Also by CoraLee June
The Bullets Trilogy
The Lies Trilogy
Cruel
Tame
Eternal Soul
Saving Merritt
The Deadly Game