by R. E. Butler
Hope had moved into their shared room at the boarding house after Treasure’s wedding, but because she wanted to hold to traditions, she stayed with her parents at a B&B in town so they didn’t bring bad luck to their marriage by seeing each other the night before the ceremony. His cat didn’t think much of not having her with them. Even though it had only been a couple weeks, he’d gotten very used to having her around them all the time – even if four adults living in one bedroom and sharing a bathroom across the hall made for cramped living. Fortunately, their home was going to be ready in November. The four-bedroom ranch had something for each of them: a huge kitchen for Ben, who loved to cook; a wood-burning fireplace for Hope; a master suite with an entire wall of closet space that was his idea so they wouldn’t be squished sharing a smaller one; and a picture window in the family room, which overlooked a gorgeous old willow tree for Owen.
Nathan liked that they’d all had input into the home’s design, and he was looking forward to picking out all the flooring, fixtures, and other items as they drew closer to the home being completed. He enjoyed living in the boarding house; he’d been there since his father Aaron had brought them from King years ago, following their cousins – Ethan and Eryx – who lived with their mate Callie on Uncle Rhett’s farm. Hope, however, wasn’t crazy about it, and he could understand that. She was used to one family living in a single home, as opposed to the boarding house, which was full to the rafters with pride families. Before she moved in, they’d talked to Aaron about knocking down a wall and joining two of the bedrooms on the third floor, but the issue wasn’t just the lack of space in the bedroom. Hope liked privacy, and unless they were in their room, they were almost never alone.
He brought his thoughts back to the day ahead. He and his brothers were meeting Aaron and his brother Grant, who was also their stepdad thanks to their mutual mating of Samantha; their uncles James, John, and Rhett; and several of their cousins for breakfast at Cheri’s diner in town. Then they were going to pick up their suits from the cleaners and help with the setup for the wedding and reception in the backyard. Hope had stayed until nearly midnight the night before, helping with the decorating along with Aunt Lisa, Honor, Treasure, and nearly every pride female.
He dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and headed down to the kitchen to meet up with his family.
“Morning,” Aaron said, giving him a pat on the back. “Did you sleep well?”
“Not really,” he admitted.
“I didn’t sleep a wink before we married Sam,” Grant said. “It’s not like cold feet or worrying your female won’t show up; it’s something else, hard to explain.”
“Exactly.” Nathan nodded and smiled at his brothers, who were wandering down from the third floor. They looked as tired as he did, but with a glimmer of excitement in their eyes.
His cousin Jilly walked into the kitchen with her two-year-old daughter Lyra toddling behind her. She gave Nathan and his brothers hugs. “I’m so happy for you guys. Wyked and Fate are going to meet you at the diner; they had to run out and get a new suit for Miraj.”
“What happened to his suit?” Owen asked.
She shrugged. “Growth spurt? It fit fine last week, but we put it on him last night and it looked like it had shrunk two sizes.” Miraj and his twin Aliyah, were going to be the ringbearer and flower girl.
Lyra toddled over to their group and lifted her arms, and Nathan picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Morning, little cat. Are you having a good day?”
She hummed. “Bacon.”
Nathan glanced at Jilly curiously.
“She’s started to say ‘bacon’ every time she’s asked a question. Can’t explain it, other than she really likes it. Particularly the chocolate-covered stuff that Lisa makes to sell at the farm stand.”
“I like bacon, too,” Nathan said to Lyra.
The toddler gave him a very serious look, then pressed her little hands to his cheeks, and said in a surprisingly deep voice, “Ba-con.”
He started to laugh, startled by her tone, and the whole kitchen was soon filled with laughter. Giving her a hug, he said, “We’ll bring back some bacon for you, sweetie.”
He set her gently on the floor and she hurried to John, Jilly’s father, who scooped her up and tickled her under her chin until she fell into a fit of giggles. The sweet sight made Nathan’s heart tug. He was crazy about Hope, and he couldn’t wait to marry her and start a family.
They adjourned to the diner, where Cheri herself had set up two big tables and chairs in the center of the restaurant and served them their favorite breakfast: cinnamon french toast stuffed with cream cheese and strawberries, and enough fried breakfast meats to make everyone happy. Including the doggy bag of bacon they sent home with Wyked and Fate for Lyra.
By the time they were heading back to the boarding house to get ready, the afternoon sun was blazing hot, and the sky was a perfect robin’s egg blue dotted with puffy white clouds. Nathan dressed in a light gray suit and white dress shirt that matched his brothers. They’d each chosen a different colored tie that went with Hope’s color theme of blue and white. He’d picked a sapphire blue tie that matched her eyes perfectly.
He took a long look at himself in the mirror hanging over the bedroom door. He’d trimmed his beard and carefully styled his hair, wanting to look his best for his mate.
“You look fine,” Ben said as he came up behind him and attempted to look into the mirror too.
“Thanks,” Nathan said with a laugh. “You too.”
He stepped aside and shouldered his backpack. After their ceremony and reception, they were taking Hope to the B&B she’d stayed in with her family the previous night, to spend a week there. It was just outside of Ashland, on a private lake with walking and bike trails, a quaint downtown, and close to an outdoor concert venue where they had tickets one night. He headed down to the first floor, where pride members were busy putting the finishing touches on the food for the reception. He paused at the bottom of the stairs and smiled at Sam and Lisa, who were checking the food trays brought by the Italian restaurant. He sniffed the air and picked up cheese and tomatoes. His mouth watered at the delicious smells.
Sam looked up and smiled at him. She set the lid back on the tray and walked over to give him a hug. “You look so handsome.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said.
She straightened his tie and patted his lapels. “I’m so happy for you and your brothers. Hope is amazing and so sweet. I always wanted a daughter, and now I have two in her and Treasure. I wish you boys a lifetime of happiness.”
“You’ve been the best mom. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us.”
She sniffled and fanned herself with her hands. “You’re going to make me cry.”
“Sorry,” he said with a smile. “It’s all true.”
His brothers joined him, and Aaron appeared, taking their bags from them. “I’ll put these in the truck for you. Your cousins don’t want you to see it until after the reception.”
Their cousins had wanted to surprise them by decorating the truck. He couldn’t even imagine what they’d done to it, but considering they liked to go over the top with window paint, streamers, and signs, he knew it would look crazy and fun. They’d started the tradition when Callie, Ethan, and Eryx were married. He and his cousins hadn’t been to a wedding for a pride member before that point, because the females always chased away any women the males attempted to date. The trio had successfully broken away from the pride females to join Rhett and Lisa in Ashland and start the pride. He was supremely grateful they’d come to Ashland; otherwise the events that led to Hope becoming their mate might never have happened.
“Ready, boys?” Aaron asked as he and Grant came into the kitchen.
“Definitely,” Ben said. “I feel like we’ve been waiting forever.”
“Shut up,” Kevin said.
Everyone laughed, knowing that Kevin and Brian had waited years to mate Treasure.
; “Sorry, sorry,” Ben said.
Kevin grinned. “It’s all good, man. We’re happy for you, and Treasure is so thrilled to finally have a sister.”
Hope was, too. Because Ben and Kevin’s father, Grant, was also mated to Samantha, Nathan and his brothers were not only biological cousins to them, but also stepbrothers. Which made Treasure and Hope sisters as well as cousins.
“We’re ready,” Lisa said, checking her phone. “Hope’s out front, and waiting for you three to get out of the house so she can come in without you seeing her.”
Nathan’s heart kicked up a notch, and he looked at his brothers. “Ready?”
“Absolutely,” Owen said.
They headed through the kitchen and out onto the screened-in back porch, stepping down into the backyard, which had been decorated for the ceremony. Pride members sat on folding chairs on either side of a white aisle runner. Bouquets of flowers adorned the end chairs of each row, and at the end of the runner was an arbor covered with ivy and Hope’s favorite flowers: pale pink lilies and dark pink roses. Their own lapels were adorned with dark pink roses and navy ribbon.
The music from the DJ booth manned by Ray and Tristan increased in volume, and the sounds of stringed instruments spilled out of wireless speakers hidden around the yard. Nathan and his brothers walked down the aisle and joined Giselle, the werebear pastor who was officiating the ceremony.
“Happy day to you all,” she said in a low voice.
“Thank you for being here,” Owen said.
They stood to Giselle’s left, facing the aisle. Sam, escorted by Aaron and Grant, made her way down the aisle to the first row. Honor sat on the other side of the aisle with Brian and Kevin. Miraj and Aliyah were next, Miraj carrying a white satin pillow with four rings on it, and Aliyah holding a wicker basket full of pink rose petals, which she scattered as she walked. The music changed to the “Wedding March,” and Nathan’s cat stood at attention in his mind, watching as the door to the screened-in porch swung open and Holden and Jax stepped down to the grass. Holden held the door open, and the two offered their hands to Hope, helping her down the steps. She was lovelier than he’d ever seen her in a stunning gown that was dyed in a white-to-dark-pink ombre. She had a glittering crystal tiara in her hair that was woven with tiny pink roses, and the large bouquet she held was full of lilies and roses.
His eyes stung with tears as he watched her walk with her fathers down the aisle, the pride rising to their feet. He heard the collective sniffles of many female pride members, and knew he was not alone in being taken away by her beauty. At that moment, he was certain that he was the most fortunate male on the planet, to have such a beauty love him and want to spend the rest of their lives together.
She stopped a foot away from them, tears dotting her cheeks and her blue eyes glittering with happiness.
Giselle called for the pride to be seated, and then she spoke in a loud, clear voice. “Who gives this female to these males?”
“We do,” Holden, Jax, and Honor said simultaneously.
Hope kissed her fathers’ cheeks and joined Nathan and his brothers.
Giselle was talking about marriage and mating, and how special it was for young people to find each other in this crazy world. But the actual words were a blur to him, a fuzzy background noise, as he smiled at his sweetheart and mouthed ‘I love you’ to her. She smiled sweetly at him and mouthed the words back. In no time they were exchanging rings and promising to love, honor, and obey each other forever, and then they were married. Kisses were exchanged amidst the sweet purrs of all of their cats.
After the applause died down, Giselle brought James and John to the front, where they officially made Hope a member of the pride. The cheers were loud and long, and Nathan was the happiest he’d ever been. Hope was his wife and his mate, and he couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
He and his family devoured the food, which had been catered by the restaurant where they had their first date. They cut the cake, taking turns giving Hope bites of the sugary confection in between kisses, and then they danced long into the night. He danced with Hope, Honor, Sam, and Lisa, as well as the other pride females – including little Aliyah, who stood on his feet as they turned around the dance floor.
When it was time to leave, the pride followed them to the front of the house, where they laughed and cheered as Nathan, his brothers, and Hope stared in mute surprise at the truck. It was covered from hood to trunk with colorful streamers and balloons, and the window paint made it quite clear that they were just married and off to enjoy a sexy-good time.
“You love it, right?” Treasure asked, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled broadly.
“Of course,” Hope said. The two besties hugged tightly, and then Nathan, Ben, Owen, and Hope climbed into the truck and headed to the B&B to start their honeymoon.
He really couldn’t wait.
Chapter Seven
When Hope was little, she’d imagined what her wedding would be like, and while her childish dreams had included things that didn’t make it into reality – like a horse-drawn carriage and a night spent in a castle, because she’d imagined her future husband might be a prince – her wedding had been perfect. From the way her sexy mates looked in their matching gray suits, to the food from their first date, and all the dancing, it was everything she’d ever wanted and more. The most important aspect was that at the end of the day she, Owen, Nathan, and Ben were married. While she was only legally married to Owen, Giselle had prepared a second marriage certificate that listed Nathan and Ben, too.
For their week-long honeymoon, they went for long walks on the hiking trails, fished in the lake, and ventured into town for a concert and some amazing meals, capping off their time away with a lot of loving and snuggle time. They packed up on their last morning after a delicious buffet-style breakfast in the B&B’s large dining room, and headed to the boarding house to get back to reality. She had two weeks before school started, but she’d be going in for some teacher meetings and to decorate her classroom during the last week of summer vacation.
In the meantime, she was helping her mates with their landscape business by working in their office, which was in one of the first-floor bedrooms of the boarding house. Nathan spent a large chunk of his day there working on the business side of things, and while she hadn’t taken any business classes in college, she could help with the easy stuff – answering the phone and responding to e-mails, copying and filing, and taking care of the schedule – to free up more of his time.
She smiled at Nathan as he leaned back in the chair and stretched, cracking his neck.
“Ready for lunch, sweetness?”
Her stomach took that moment to grumble, and she laughed. “Definitely.”
His watch beeped, and he looked at it and let out a snarl. “Damn it, I forgot I’m meeting Ben and Owen at a potential client’s house to bid on a project.”
“I can meet you at the diner when you’re done,” she said, rising to her feet. She kissed his cheek and he pulled her into his lap with a purr, kissing her deeply. She sighed when the kiss was over, her senses devastated and her mind swimming with sexy thoughts.
He helped her to her feet, and she tried to hide the disgruntled sound from her cat, who wanted to keep the kisses going and add in some naked fun time.
“I know that look, baby,” he said with a husky tone. “We don’t have time to play.”
“Boo.”
“I’ll text you when we’re heading to the diner.”
“You got it.”
She left him and headed out to her car. She was tempted to go to Treasure’s and visit with her pal for a bit, or hang out with Lisa for a while before she went to the diner, but instead she found herself driving to their home site. The house was three months from completion, and she liked checking in from time to time to see how it was coming together. She’d never designed a house before, and she’d loved working with her mates and using a computer program to get their house set up
the way they wanted. She was most looking forward to living in a house with just the four of them. While she liked the boarding house, she wasn’t a fan of how busy it was. If she had a hankering to watch a movie or specific TV show, she might find the family room stuffed full of the pride kids watching cartoons, or the adults watching a movie of their own. It would be heaven to be able to move around in their own house without constantly bumping into others.
But she’d miss the busyness of it too, she was sure.
She parked on the street in front of their house. The slab had been poured, and the contractors were working on the framing. When she opened the car door, the sounds of nail guns and saws filled the air. She waved at the job foreman, a wolf shifter named Talbot, who reminded her of her grandfather Eli.
“Hi Hope,” Talbot said, straightening from where he was looking over the blueprints.
“Hello. Just came by for a peek. How’s it going?”
“Great. We’re on schedule.”
“Always nice to hear.” She shaded her eyes from the sun and watched the workers for a bit, and then strolled around the structure and envisioned it completed. It was easy to imagine how nice the house would look when it was finished and they were able to move in.
Turning around, she faced the cornfields and took off on a leisurely walk. Treasure and her mates often used the fields to shift and hunt in when they weren’t hanging out with the pride, and Hope looked forward to being able to do the same. She thought it would be fun to be out in the fields at night, hunting her mates as much as they hunted small prey.
“Hi Hope,” a feminine voice said, startling her from her daydreams and wandering.
She stopped and looked around, realizing she’d walked all the way through the field and right up to Callie’s house. Callie, a wolf shifter from Kentucky, had mated twin mountain lions Ethan and Eryx while visiting King. They had four children and lived in a converted apple barn a ways back from Rhett and Lisa’s house. Ethan and Eryx were cousins to Hope’s mates. She truly loved how large the Fallon family was.