Ethan smiled at his wife, amazed at her compassion and kindness. “It works for me. Looks like you have two escorts down the aisle.”
“I do love being surrounded by sexy Blackhawk men,” she said, patting her husband and Callen Whitefox both on the ass. When she got a look from each of them, she began giggling.
“Elizabeth! Knock it off!” Blackhawk laughed.
Callen Whitefox interjected. “Hey, speak for yourself. She can pat my ass any day.” Yeah, there was no joke there. Who was he to complain?
Now Elizabeth just laughed more.
“Where do the bosses want to head now?” he asked his brother and sister-in-law.
Elizabeth grinned up at both men. “Ethan and I have an office to run, so I say we get some dinner and pop in to terrify the minions for a bit.”
“Sounds like a plan to me, baby,” he said, kissing his wife on the top of her head.
“I’m easy,” added Whitefox, winking at Elizabeth.
“Oh, where to go with that one,” she replied, blowing him a kiss.
“Behave you two, or I’m not going to let you play together!” He loved how all three had built a close camaraderie. It just felt right.
“Never!” they both said at the same time, then broke down laughing more.
When she finally had control, she finally decided to break the news. “Oh and by the way, I hired another administrative assistant for the front desk. Ginny was overwhelmed and busy nonstop, and I left it all up to her. I signed off on it while I was filing my paperwork today. Just a heads up, he’s from the Rez.”
“HE?” Blackhawk must have heard her incorrectly. His wife just told him she hired a male personal assistant and a Native one at that.
Callen Whitefox was entertained by the look on Ethan’s face.
“You let Ginny, the man ogler, hire a Native man to be our administrative assistant?” asked Blackhawk horrified. “Are you crazy or is this some pregnancy hormone thing that we men just won’t understand?”
“Yes, I did. Some people called me certifiable before I was pregnant, so it’s debatable.”
“You do realize he’s probably going to have no skills, and be nothing but Native eye candy right?”
Elizabeth laughed at the way her husband said ‘eye candy’. “Yes, I do,” she drawled and started laughing at the look on both her husband and brother -in-law’s faces. “The more the merrier gentlemen, and in my opinion every office needs a collection of exotic Native eye candy. Maybe, I need more than two.”
“Hey!” They both interjected simultaneously.
“Not happening, Elizabeth,” added her husband.
“I’m with him,” said Callen Whitefox. “You’re at your max for man entertainment.”
“But what if I feel like sexually harassing someone?” she teased, and snickered when Whitefox raised his hand to volunteer, and got a punch in the arm from his brother.
“Hey! She asked a question and I’m willing to take one for the team!”
Blackhawk shook his head and then winked at his brother. Their little unit lightened his heart and filled him with love. “Yeah, you’re a saint, Cal, for making that sacrifice.”
Elizabeth broke into laughter. Sometimes it was good to be madly in love and the boss.
Well half the boss anyway.
~ Epilogue ~
Four hectic weeks later
Ethan had promised her a wedding to remember, and as he looked around at the event, he was sure it was going to be that and so much more. It was a mix of traditional and Native cultures. There was a flute quartet, some dancers in customary colors of the tribe, and drummers off to the side. Where possible, they used people from the tribe, to cook, cater, entertain, and construct the entire setting. It was late fall, and it could be cooler, but it was still warm enough to have a ceremony outside under the stars.
Officiating the ceremony would be Timothy, and he was proud to do it. He wore his white robes of the shaman and had feathers hanging from his ears. His hair was pulled back into the two customary braids, and he wore the beads of their family around his neck.
Blackhawk himself wore blue. Turquoise to be exact, and it signified the family colors. What made it even more special was that his father and brother also were wearing the same colors, just with varying adornments. For the wedding he had allowed his grandfather to braid his hair, and he didn’t mind at all. It was his effort to embrace his heritage, and he hoped it pleased his wife.
They had discussed how far to take the wedding into Native culture, and she was pretty much open to anything, except she demanded control of her dress and shoes. Ethan still had not seen either. He wondered if she would go Native or traditional with them. Either way, it wouldn’t matter. All he wanted was to see her and marry her all over again.
For the wedding, he picked out new rings for both of them. Both were identical with turquoise stones decorating them. His grandfather had insisted they be scribed with some sacred symbols, and he agreed to it. Ethan wanted to buy her a diamond, but she didn’t want one. Elizabeth was insistent that it just be a band symbolizing their unity.
For now, they both decided to take off their bands and place them away for their children one day. Neither of them wanted to see them damaged or lost, so they were in a special box that Wyler had carved while he recovered. Blackhawk couldn’t wait to slip the symbol of their love onto her finger, and see if it was what she had always envisioned.
As he looked out into their family, friends, and practically the entire tribe, Livy was already crying and the ceremony had yet to start. Gabe sat beside her, holding her hand and shaking his head. All he could do was keep handing her tissues. She had been with Elizabeth all morning, helping her prepare. They decided to skip the bridesmaids and groomsmen of tradition, keeping it all in the family. Waiting in chairs sat some of Elizabeth’s deputies from Salem, and they were all smiling. Lastly, there was Doc Trudeaux. He too was holding a tissue and looking emotionally overwhelmed. After all, Elizabeth was like a child to him.
The flutes began playing the Native American wedding music, signifying it was about to begin. Some members of the tribal council walked down the aisle and began lighting candles along the way. The dancers began off in the background, a low hum of words and dance, sacred to their tribe and heritage.
Blackhawk felt himself becoming nervous. Yes, he was already married to her, but there were two hundred people now watching him.
Then he saw his wife, and everything else fell away.
Elizabeth went with a mix of traditional and Native garb. The dress was white and long. It fell around her feet almost in a cloud, and around her waist sat an adorned belt of turquoise beads. She was being escorted down the aisle by both Callen and Wyler.
His wife wore her hair artfully arranged on top of her head, and as she approached his heart skipped a beat. She had a single daisy nestled in the curls in the same spot as the first one he ever gave her. Elizabeth held no flowers- the one said it all, but instead she carried the beads she would present to her husband during their vows.
When she finally reached him, all he wanted was to grab her and kiss her. There stood his wife, the mother of his child, and he knew he couldn’t love anyone more.
Elizabeth wanted to break down right there.
Her husband stood in such a beautiful blue. It almost matched her eyes, and his hair wasn’t tied back, but hung in braids like the men in his family. Somehow it made her proud and all warm inside. Ethan was truly her sexy warrior. If she could, she would have jumped on him right there, and from the twinkle in his eye, he was well aware of it.
They went their separate ways the that morning. Both she and Livy had gotten pedicures and relaxed all day, just being pregnant girls together. All she knew was her husband, his brother, father, and Gabe had spent that night at a bachelor party. He didn’t look hung over, and Wyler had given up alcohol, so she had no idea what they had done.
All day they avoided each other, sending only random text messag
es to each other. Some appropriate for her to ‘ohhh and awwww’ over with Livy, some that were sexy and suggestive and for her eyes only. A few of them heated her blood with the promise of their upcoming, second wedding night.
Timothy began speaking, and it pulled her back to the ceremony occurring around her.
“Are you both ready?” he inquired, quietly.
They both nodded, unable to look away from each other.
“Join hands and we’ll begin.”
Timothy waved his hand and the music stopped. “We are here today to recommit Ethan Jackson Blackhawk and his lovely bride Elizabeth Renee Blackhawk back into the tribe. They come willingly, freely, and both acknowledging their roots and ancestors. Who invites this woman to return home with this man?”
“I offer the invitation. I’m her brother-in-law,” answered Whitefox, taking his beads from his neck and handing them to his brother. He slowly kissed Elizabeth on the lips, dipping her low and savoring every second of it. As he brought her back to her feet, he winked at his brother as they both laughed. There were yells and war cries from the Natives in the audience, once more entertained by the brothers.
Callen got to kiss the bride after all, and he’d never forget it for the rest of his life.
It was a brief touch of bliss.
“Who else invites this woman to return home with this man?” asked Timothy.
“I also offer the invitation. I’m her father-in-law,” answered Wyler. He too took the beads from his neck and placed them over their hands. He kissed Elizabeth on the forehead and whispered in her ear, making her eyes fill with tears. He patted his son on the cheek and went to stand by his other son, proudly watching over his loved ones.
Timothy lit a smudging stick of sage and then blew it out, allowing it to smoke. He spoke in a language few there not of his generation knew. Around them he walked and waved the sage at them, cleansing them both of all the bad that may have followed them into the ceremony. When he returned to his position, he took both their hands in his and continued. “These beads signify your journey together. They are connected at both ends and bumpy in the middle much like the road of life. You both come into this journey aware of the troubles that may happen, but know together you can survive anything.” Timothy took one strand and placed it around Elizabeth’s neck and the other around his grandson’s.
“Do you wish to speak vows to each other?”
“We do,” they said in unison.
“The warrior shall go first, and make his pledge to his bride.”
Ethan Blackhawk stared down into his wife’s eyes, and spoke the words he practiced for days. “I promise to protect you, fill our home with children, and to love no other woman but you for the rest of my life. I bring you home to my heritage, open my heart to it, and ask all here to accept my chosen, seeing her now as one of us. Elizabeth Blackhawk is now part of me, and shall be until I leave this earth when the Great Spirit calls.”
The entire tribe responded in their Native response, accepting her into their midst.
“I love you, Elizabeth, and you complete my heart.” He took the ring from his father and slid it on her finger. He saw a tear fall, and he kissed it away. “You are my chosen, my love, and my forever.”
“The bride shall answer the warrior’s words with her own,” said Timothy.
“I promise to stand beside you, to love all the children we create together, and to always love you. I willingly join this beautiful tribe with an open heart. I shall remember that it’s now called my own, as well as ours. I am now one with all here.”
The tribe again replied.
“I love you, Ethan, and you live in my heart,” she said, taking the ring from her brother-in-law and slipping it onto her husband’s hand. “You are my beloved, my protector and my eternity.”
Timothy pulled two small white boxes from behind him, and handed one to each of them. “We shall now partake in the tradition of the butterfly. According to the legend of our people, if anyone whispers a wish to a butterfly, it will carry it to the Great Spirit once it is set free. Tonight the warrior and his chosen shall do just that, making the wish and setting it free. The butterfly cannot speak, so it can never tell anyone but the Great Spirit, thus making it come true. I ask you both to make your request.”
Elizabeth knew what hers would be, and she whispered it into the box. All she wanted from the Great Spirit was a lifetime with the man before her. Fifty or so more years to love him and be by his side would be perfect.
Blackhawk also knew what he wanted most in life, and asked the Great Spirit for it to be granted. They prophesized having a house full of boys, but his secret dream was to have one single girl that would remind him of his wife. Wild, out of control, and she would be daddy’s little hellion.
“Now set them free.”
They both opened the boxes and blue and black butterflies took off into the evening sky. Behind them were floating lanterns that were released to fill the sky with their hopes in life written on them. They drifted above everyone that had come, dotting the starry sky with fire.
“Ethan, I now give you your wife, Elizabeth. Kiss her and claim her as your own.” Timothy stepped back and gave them room. There was snickering from his other grandson, so he was sure there was going to be one hell of a mauling.
He was given the rare opportunity to marry her again, and he was going to make this kiss count. He pulled her into his arms, and leaned her back, showing his brother how it was done.
The wink to Callen Whitefox made her laugh, and the kiss made her forget. It was long, slow, and deep. The dancers began again, and the yells went up. The ceremony was completed and the festivities would now begin. Everyone clapped, cheered, and stood as he finally broke the kiss.
“May I now introduce to the tribe, Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Blackhawk!” yelled his grandfather over the cheers and shouts from their people.
There were more calls and cheers as Blackhawk swept her up in his arms and planned on carrying her down the aisle.
“Ethan!” she said, laughing.
“Get used to it, Mrs. Blackhawk,” he kissed her again, as his father and brother started down in front of him clearing the way.
“Nice kiss, Ethan,” laughed his brother. “Now that you taught me how to do it, I want a re-do.”
Elizabeth snickered.
“Wait until you get married one day, Callen. Remember, payback is a bitch.” Blackhawk grinned wickedly. “If you’re kissing my wife, then I’m going to reciprocate.”
Callen laughed, willing to accept that.
Elizabeth couldn’t help but feel warm with joy. Her husband was a miracle, and having a family when she’d been alone in the world was just icing on the cake.
Elizabeth was the luckiest woman alive.
During dinner, everyone had an amazing time. The food was terrific and both tribe and outsiders danced, mingled and had an evening to remember. Many of the guests came up to the couple, welcoming them and genuinely accepting Blackhawk and his bride back into the fold. As the music continued, Ethan stood and went to the man with the microphone. All the music stopped and Elizabeth didn’t know what he had planned.
“The Blackhawk family would like to thank you all for coming,” Ethan glanced over at his wife, protectively surrounded by his father, grandfather and brother. “Elizabeth and I hope that you’re having an amazing time.” He held out his hand for her and she crossed to him.
“Our first wedding ceremony was just us and two very special people in our lives. One of those individuals was my boss, who out of either genius or sheer luck brought us together.”
Gabe yelled from the crowd. “It was genius!”
Everyone laughed.
“Either way, thank you. If you didn’t send me to Salem, I wouldn’t have met the woman of my dreams and the mother of my child,” he said, lovingly placed his hand over her barely visible baby bump. It was his official announcement to the tribe of the upcoming birth of another Blackhawk. There were cheers and war ca
lls from the males.
“The next generation of Blackhawk is on its way! Be ready for it!” yelled Callen.
The tribe erupted in laughter and calls to rejoice.
Gabe stood before he could continue. “Mr. Blackhawk, before you continue, do you remember a conversation we had at my house regarding a toast?” he said, lifting his glass.
Ethan Blackhawk started to laugh. “I do Gabe, and the floor is all yours.”
“Thank you.” He raised his glass. “A day before Ethan Blackhawk decided to marry Elizabeth, I asked him if he had it bad, and his reply? He had it ‘crazy, stupid, marry her right this damn second’ bad.”
There were more cheers and laughter.
“I knew then that fate had intervened and brought them together. I was just the instrument that led the way. Ethan wanted to know why I sent him there, and to that I had two answers. The first was because she needed help, and the second was to teach the cowboy a lesson. The moral of their story was that anything could happen if you broke the rules. He informed me that I needed to save it for his wedding toast. So, that day is upon us, and I’d like to toast the bride and groom.”
Ethan and Elizabeth took their glasses and watched the entire tribe stand.
He turned towards them. “To Ethan and Elizabeth Blackhawk, may your life be filled with adventure, and may you always be willing to risk the safe road for the one that will always lead you to break the rules. Don’t fear the unknown, embrace it, grasp it and enjoy it. To love, family, and to you both catching up to us in the children department.”
Everyone cheered and Elizabeth kissed her husband long and slow, to show him how much this night meant to her.
“Thank you, Gabe,” Blackhawk grinned mischievously, after he finally stopped kissing his bride.
Elizabeth noticed her husband was up to something. Generally he was quiet, but he had the ‘trouble’ look on his face.
Sacred Burial Grounds (An FBI Romance Thriller (book 2)) Page 55