“I know, lyuba,” she said, tears in her eyes. “But now, you can finally live your own life. I’m so happy for you. And for your mate.”
“Thank you.” He pulled J.D. close to him. “I love you, J.D.,” he whispered. “Thank you. For everything.”
“And I would have gone through with it, too, you know,” she said. “I’d follow you to the ends of the earth. Put on the most uncomfortable gowns and the highest heels for you. Talk to the most important and boring people on earth and muzzled my potty mouth.”
“Now I know you really must love me,” he quipped.
“I do, you weirdo.” She sighed. “I guess we’ll have to find a way to make ends meet on your ranger salary, huh?”
“I suppose we’ll have to tighten our belts.” Of course, between his trust fund and the value of his shares in MedvedDaz, neither of them had to work another day in their lives.
“You can live with us, Your Highness,” J.D. put an arm around Natalia. “I have a spare room for you. We’ll decorate it with some nice curtains.”
Natalia laughed. “I would be happy to make use of your room for a visit, but I think it will be more useful as a nursery, eh? And really, you must call me babushka from now on.”
“Babushka? Hmmm. Too long.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “We’ll figure out another nickname for you. I—oh crap.”
“J.D.? What’s wrong now?” Cam asked, his polar bear going on full alert.
Her hands slapped over her forehead. “I almost forgot! It’s Christmas!”
“Christ—oh.” He looked at his watch. It was already past midnight. “You’re right. Merry Christmas, love.” He pulled her close.
“Merry Christmas. But I forgot to get you a present,” she whined. “And this is our first Christmas together.”
The love in his heart filled his chest with much lightness and warmth, and using the bond, he pushed that feeling to her. Her eyes lit up with recognition.
“Love,” he began, kissing her square on the mouth. “You’ve already given me the best Christmas present of all.”
“And this is the bestest, most perfect Christmas ever,” she said, then pouted. “Well, almost a perfect Christmas.”
“Almost?” he said in a mock offended tone. “I serenaded you in a crowded ballroom to declare my love and dueled for your honor! How much more perfect of a Christmas could this be?”
“Weeeellllll, we just need some—” She gasped, her eyes lighting up as they grew wide.
“Love? What’s wrong?”
“Look.” She nodded at the sky.
“Look? At what?” He blinked as he lifted his head. All he could see was darkness and … a single white snowflake floating down. It landed on the tip of his nose, then melted.
“See!” J.D. cried, ecstatic. “I told you! I told you it was waiting to come down at the right time.” She let out a whoop as more flakes rained down on them.
He was about to say something to contradict her, but the pure joy on his mate’s face made him stop. Instead, he put one arm around his grandmother, and another around his mate, then looked up to the heavens to watch a true Christmas miracle happen.
Epilogue
One year later …
The snow-covered grounds of Blackstone Castle were the perfect setting for a Christmas wedding, as if it was all laid out and planned, and not even the season and weather could go against the bride’s wishes.
“Are you ready—hey, stop peeking!” Damon admonished. “Cam is out there, he’ll see you.”
J.D. let out an impatient sound and whipped around. “Aww, I just wanted a peek. I didn’t have time to look at the setup because Anna Victoria had me up at the crack of dawn to get me ready.”
Gabriel pulled her away from the window of the second-floor anteroom right above the patio. “You’ll see it in five minutes when you walk down the aisle.”
“Aww, this sucks. I can’t even watch you all walking out.” She put on a pout.
“Yeah, well, you’re the bride. Comes with the territory.” He dragged her to the sofa. “Now sit and behave.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine.”
The wedding coordinator, a bespectacled young man named Finn peeked his head in. “We’re about to start, if you wouldn’t mind following me downstairs …”
“Er, I need a minute!” she cried.
“A minute?” Gabriel said incredulously. “You’ve done nothing but complain the last couple months that this moment couldn’t come soon enough, and now you need a minute?”
“It’s uh … a girl thing! Please. I swear, I just have to adjust … something.” She glanced down at her breasts.
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Fine. Don’t be too long, okay?”
Damon sent her a warning look as he walked toward the door with Gabriel. “You behave now, okay?”
“Yes, mom,” she mocked. “Go. I’ll be down in a sec. Finn will make sure I’m there, right?”
“Once you hear the music, start making your way down, and that should leave you plenty of time,” Finn said before he and the two other men left the room.
Once they were gone, J.D. shot to her feet. Finally! Picking up the skirts of her gown, she rushed back to the window to look out onto the patio again. She was so glad Matthew Lennox had agreed to let them have the wedding and reception here in Blackstone Castle. But then again, as the dragon shifter had said, they were family now.
God, she still couldn’t believe that she was getting married. But here they were.
Pushing her nose up to the window, she peered down into the garden. The decor was holiday themed, of course, with red, green, and gold as the main colors, and the castle was bedecked with ribbons, holly, evergreen, and wreaths inside and out. Chairs were laid out in rows on the great stone patio, leaving an aisle in the middle. At the end of the aisle was a raised dais, and instead of a typical arbor, two Christmas trees flanked the black-robed judge waiting for the bride and groom. And of course, the spectacular Blackstone Mountains stood as the perfect backdrop for the scene.
The orchestra began to play Canon in D, and everyone settled in their seats. Cam, looking abso-fucking-lutely hot in his formal tux, came out first, followed by his best man, Anders. It was hard to think that a year ago Cam and Anders were the most bitter of enemies due to their opposite natures. But somehow, they met in the middle, shared many patrols together, and were now the best of friends. Cam had said that in their time together, he’d learned that Anders truly was an honorable and admirable man. Though if anyone were to ask the tiger shifter, he would say that it was mostly because Cam had finally gotten that stick out of his ass.
When they finished their walk and stood at the dais, it was time for the three flower girls and ring bearer to make their appearance. The more senior flower girls, Temperance and Her Highness, Princess Natalia of Zaratena, walked hand in hand as they scattered flower petals on the aisle. However, since the last two of their party, Aiden Stevens and Lila Cooper, were still only a few months old and couldn’t walk, they were carried in by their mothers.
They were followed by the two bridesmaids, Sarah and Dutchy, who were, coincidentally, both in the advanced stages of pregnancy. Their mates, who partnered them as groomsmen, both walked stiffly beside them, perhaps because the two men were feeling overly protective of their mates and cubs.
Last of course, were the co-maids—er, men of honor. Gabriel had joked to Damon that they should hold hands, an idea which was promptly shut down by the chief. So instead, they walked side by side with the lion shifter preening and raising his hands so as to encourage the crowd to cheer, while his counterpart rolled his eyes.
“Ms. McNamara!” came a frantic voice.
“What? I wasn’t doing anything!” J.D. jumped away from the window and whirled around.
Finn stood by the doorway, face red from exertion. “You were supposed to come a while ago—”
“Yeah, yeah!” Rushing over to him, she blew past the poor wedding coordinator and
dashed down the grand staircase toward the double glass doors that led to the patio. By the time she got there, the music had already changed—to a classical arrangement of a certain love song that brought a smile to her face each time she heard it.
“Go, go,” Finn cried, practically pushing her out.
“All right, all right, hold your godamm—” Her mouth clamped shut as she staggered forward, barely catching herself as she nearly tripped over her skirt.
Since she hadn’t worn one in the entire year, J.D. relented and agreed to an actual dress for her wedding. But having no clue about fashion, and having left the design and details to the talented Dutchy Forrester, if anyone asked the bride to describe it, the only thing she could say was it was white and had pockets. Her most treasured accessory, however, was the simple bouquet of roses and ivy she carried, which had a miniature photo of her father and mother tucked in between the flowers. Her arm was also left bare, her tattoo matching the ivy leaves in her bouquet.
As she reached the end of the aisle, she winked at her groom. The look of awe on his face was unmistakable, so just for fun, she stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes, prompting him to laugh. Judge Cornelius Atherton was not amused as he shot the bride a disapproving look.
The ceremony was quick, simple, and thankfully, uninterrupted. When Atherton pronounced them husband and wife, a cheer erupted from the guests.
“Finally,” Cam said as he took her in his arms.
“He hasn’t said you may kiss the bride,” J.D. pointed out.
Cam turned to the judge. “Sir, if you please?”
The judge smirked. “You may kiss the bride.”
“Thanks.” And so, he did.
The crowd whooped and cheered for them again, but it was like they were in their own world as they continued to kiss.
“All right, all right, break it up, there are children watching,” Gabriel groaned. “Save some for the honeymoon. I’m hungry. And that cake Temperance made looks so good.”
“Don’t you dare, Russel,” J.D. warned as she released Cam’s lips. “If I see one bite—”
“C’mon now, love,” Cam said. “Let’s go.”
Everyone was ushered into the castle, toward the ballroom, which was also decorated with the same Christmas holiday theme as the patio. The music played, and the bridal party made their grand entrance, and Cam and J.D. performed their first dance as man and wife to a more traditional waltz.
“Woohoo, didn’t know you had it in you, Jasmine Dawn,” Anders jeered as they stepped off the dance floor.
J.D. rolled her eyes. After she lost a bet and had to reveal to Anders what her animal was, he was now trying to guess what J.D. stood for. His guesses became more and more ridiculous each time.
“Some village out there is looking for their idiot,” J.D. shot back. “I’ll make sure to let them know where you are.”
“How about Journey Delaware?” the tiger shifter asked. “Jade Destiny?”
“Where do you come up with these?” J.D. rolled her eyes. “They all sound like stripper names.”
“Yeah, you would know, Jaylene Danica,” Anders snorted. “You’re the one who wanted to go to a strip club for your bachelorette party.”
“You what?” Cam exclaimed.
“Nothing!” J.D. grabbed her new husband by the arm. “C’mon, let’s go sit so they can serve dinner.”
They sat at the sweetheart’s table in front of the room and everyone soon settled down so they could begin the evening’s festivities. As was customary, the toasts began during dinner, and the very first one was given by Her Royal Highness, Princess Natalia.
“Good evening, everyone,” the princess began as she stood in front, microphone in hand. “I’d like to make this ‘short and sweet’ as you Americans say, so don’t worry, you don’t have to listen to this old woman ramble on.” The crowd laughed. “All my life I have been praying for my dear grandson’s happiness. I wished for him to find true joy, wherever that may be. Let me tell you, I was just as surprised as you all were when I found out who his mate turned out to be.” Chuckles rumbled across the room. “But I have never seen a more perfect couple, who complements each other so well. And in J.D., my dear Aleksandr has continued to discover true happiness, and I wish them well. I love you both.” She raised a glass. “And so, please do raise your glasses and give a toast to Their Graces, Cameron Aleksandr Spenser and James Dean McNamara Spenser, the Duke and Duchess of Westmoreland.”
“James Dean?” Cam exclaimed. “Your name is James Dean?”
J.D. burst out laughing. “Yeah. Pop thought I would be a boy. But Ma loved the name and kept it anyway.”
“And you told my grandmother before me? What about the judge? Are we legally married?
“It’s all in the paperwork, and I swore him to secrecy,” she said. “It’s all good, don’t worry about it.”
Natalia came to them after the toast to hug and kiss them. “Congratulations again. You don’t know how happy you both have made me.”
“Aww, we love you too, Babs.”
Cam rolled his eyes every time she used her nickname for Natalia, but the princess was tickled pink by it. “How are things in the Northern Isles, Babushka? And Uncle Sasha?”
“As well as can be.” Her eyes sparkled, and she took J.D.’s hands in hers. “This is your doing, Kotyonok. If it wasn’t for you, we never would have found him.”
They were all still shocked at the turn of events earlier in the year when in fact, Natalia’s tip did ultimately lead to the lost prince. Of course, it wasn’t how anybody thought it would turn out to be, and the road to finding him had been long and arduous. Thank goodness the Dragon Guards were up to the task, though there were many surprises along the way.
Cam groaned. “I can’t believe you gave up another favor from a dragon,” he said. “You have no idea the things he could do for you. What kinds of rewards he can give you.”
J.D. snorted. “What would I have asked for? More money? Another house? Another car? I only have one ass to sit down on.”
“And you say I have a way with words,” he snorted.
They finished their dinner, sat through more toasts—and more eye-rolling from Cam as Anders and Gabriel delivered a hilarious joint best man and man of honor speech complete with a slideshow.
The reception continued on with more merriment, eating, drinking, and dancing. J.D. coaxed Cam to play the piano again, though he declined to sing, which was fine with her because she wanted to keep her new husband’s voice all to herself anyway.
Surrounded by their family and friends, J.D. couldn’t help but feel the love flowing around them. And she couldn’t believe this day had finally come. They were now husband and wife. It had taken them this long, not just because she had wanted to be married on Christmas—and thus making sure Cam never had any reason to hate the holiday—but because Cam had to do a lot of traveling back and forth between Colorado and Russia.
As Stepan had promised, the Dashokovs released Natalia from the blood oath. But there was a lot of work to be done to transfer over all the power in the company over to Stepan. Cam still had to sit on the board of directors, but that meant he needed to travel to Russia once a year at most. J.D. had gone with him when he signed the last of the papers, then they helped Natalia pack up her flat in St. Petersburg so she could move to the Northern Isles and they could meet Uncle Sasha. It was there that Cam proposed, and she accepted.
When the party was winding down, Cam whispered in her ear. “Want to go sneak off somewhere with me?”
“Where are we going?”
“Does it matter, as long as we’re together?”
She grinned at him. “Lead the way.”
Cam led her out of the ballroom, toward the front door of the castle. “I have a surprise for you,” he said they walked out.
“A surprise?” she asked. “What—holy moly! Are you shitting me, Spenser?”
He laughed. “No, I’m not. Go ahead.” He gestured to the car sitt
ing in the driveway.
“That’s a 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith!” Rushing over to the car, she ran her hands over the smooth body. “Oh, baby. You’re a beaut.”
“It’s yours. Do you like it?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she shouted. “Of course I do. I love it!” Launching herself at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, champ.”
“And I love you, James Dean.” He frowned. “I’m never going to get used to that.”
“Why do you think I go by my initials? I was already teased enough as a kid. When we moved here, I decided to just use J.D.”
“Well, I love you. Whatever your name is.”
As he pressed his mouth to hers, she melted against him. The mate bond flowed between them like a living, breathing thing that bound them in a way that could never be broken. Through the connection, she could feel Cam’s love, tenderness, and warmth, and she returned it until the emotions were one and the same.
When they finally pulled apart, her brows knitted together and she pouted.
“What’s wrong now?” he asked.
“It’s really been a great day. But weeeell … you know what would make this the bestest, most perfect Christmas ever?”
“Oh, bloody hell.” He shut his eyes tight. “Don’t even say it. I swear to God, you’re going to shake my faith in science, wife.”
“Fine.” She snuck a look up at the sky as she spotted a puffy white flake descend from the heavens. “I won’t say it.” With a soft, satisfied sigh, she pressed her mouth to his.
The End
Dear Reader,
While this may be the end of the Rangers Series, we’re not going to leave the world of Blackstone yet!
So many more mysteries to explore in this universe.
Like what happened to a certain dragon guard who visited Blackstone in book 3.
And how did they find the lost Grand Duke?
Blackstone Ranger Scrooge: Blackstone Rangers Book 6 Page 20
