“All of them?” Trey said.
“Yep, but we went over the proper sequence,” Sed said, giving Eric a hand up and another encouraging pound on the shoulder.
“Take the ass first, right?” Eric said, glad they were joking around. It helped with his gargantuan case of unexpected nerves. “And then it goes right in the mouth.”
“Repeat after me,” Trey said. “M-P-A. Mouth. Pussy. Ass.”
“P-A-M?” Eric asked.
“Not unless she likes the taste,” Trey said.
“M-P-A,” Eric said, pointing to imaginary body parts in the air. “Mouth. Pussy. Ass. Got it.”
“I prefer M-V-P,” Sed said. “I’m not much for A.”
“What’s M-V-P?” Trey asked.
“Mouth Vagina Pussy.”
“Aren’t V and P the same thing?” Eric said, scratching his head as if confused.
“Yeah, but I always take two goes at it,” Sed boasted. “First I make sweet love to the vagina. And then I fuck that pussy raw.”
Someone cleared his throat in the doorway.
“Hey, Mr. Blake,” Trey said, as if they’d been discussing the World Series MVP and not the one Sed frequented. “Is it time to start the ceremony?”
Eric could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Sedric Lionheart blush. It seemed he would finally get to use the fingers of both hands to record the activation of Sed’s blush-o-meter. He was so red Eric could have toasted a grilled cheese on the man’s face.
“Yes, it’s time to start,” Father Bl—Dad said before he shut the door again.
“Really smooth, Sed,” Eric said.
“Do you think he heard me?” Sed whispered.
“The entire church heard you,” Trey said.
“Oh God. I’m going to Hell for sure now.”
“Was there any doubt before?” Trey asked.
Sed chuckled. “Well, at least I’ll be in good company.” He wrapped an arm around Eric’s shoulders and escorted him out the door.
Eric scanned the pews.
Myrna, Aggie, and Jessica were seated in the front pew on his side. On Rebekah’s side sat Isaac, who stole a glance at Trey, stiffened as if someone had slapped him in the face, and then diverted his gaze to the front of the church where Mr. and Mrs. B were already standing at the altar. Jace was also up front waiting for Eric. He gave Eric an encouraging wink as Sed and Trey abandoned him to sit in the front pew with the women. Brian was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Dave, which Eric thought odd. His perplexity vanished—as did the rest of the world—when the massive double doors at the back of the church opened and a wheelchair whirred into the aisle. The first note of the wedding march wailed from an electric guitar that could only be under the skilled fingers of Master Sinclair. But even the sounds faded under the thudding pulse in Eric’s ears as he glimpsed his bride standing beside her brother’s wheelchair. Her lovely face was obscured by a gauzy white veil, but he could feel her gaze on his and he couldn’t look away or do anything as ordinary as breathe.
Don’t faint, he thought as she took a step in his direction. Do not faint.
Chapter Six
Rebekah’s heart fluttered in her chest like the wings of a butterfly as she stared down the aisle at Eric. She grinned when she noticed he was wearing his Converse and a T-shirt under an expensive tuxedo. Perfect attire for him. Perfect man for her.
Dave’s wheelchair sputtered and zoomed, sputtered and zoomed as he tried to keep pace with Brian Sinclair’s electrifying rendition of the wedding march. Rebekah tore her gaze from her waiting groom to look down at her brother.
“Having problems?” she whispered.
“I hate this thing,” he grumbled before hooking an arm around her waist and tumbling her onto his lap. She patted the wide skirt of her dress down, laughing as Dave zoomed up the aisle at a more constant speed. They must have made quite a sight because every person in the room was laughing by the time they arrived at the front of the church with her train dragging the floor beside his chair. They waited for Brian to finish his Wedding March guitar solo and then her dad said, “Who gives this woman to this man?”
“That would be me,” Dave said.
Dave tipped her off of his lap, and she swept her dress out of the way of his chair. He surprised her by clutching her forearm and hauling himself to his feet. He took her hand, placed it on his arm, and labored forward three steps. He handed her off to Eric. “Take her, she’s a pain in the butt, and all yours,” he said before lifting her veil. “I love you, baby sis,” he said.
“I love you too.”
He kissed her cheek and forced his uncooperative legs to take several more steps before collapsing in the pew next to Isaac, leaving his wheelchair abandoned in the aisle.
Rebekah smiled when Isaac’s eyes met hers. She was so glad he was there. They were no longer lovers, but he was still her dearest friend. She hoped one day he and Eric could get along. They were a lot more alike than they were different. Neither of them seemed to recognize that, but she did.
She lifted her head, and her breath caught. The smile on Eric’s face could have cleared the cloudiest of days. It made her glow beneath its radiance.
She stared into his loving blue eyes as her father outlined the expectations of marriage and as they repeated their standard vows. She was scarcely aware of what she was saying, but she felt every word deep in her heart.
“Do you have the rings?” her father said.
Rebekah’s heart skipped a beat. They’d forgotten to get rings!
Eric turned to Jace, who handed him two slightly tarnished silver bands. Her lip quivered when she recognized them, and she tore her gaze from Eric’s palm to her father’s misty-eyed stare.
“Daddy?” she whispered.
He smiled and nodded reassuringly.
She couldn’t believe he was letting them wear the rings that had been passed down his side of the family for five generations. She knew how much those rings meant to him. He wouldn’t have given them to Eric unless he truly accepted him as part of the family. Oh, thank you, Daddy. Thank you.
“Wear them well,” her father said, and then he blessed the rings and their wearers with words she’d heard dozens of times. Yet this time the lifelong blessing, the forever blessing, was for her and Eric. Before she could get too choked up, her dad said, “Do you have anything you’d like to say to Eric as you take him as your husband?”
Rebekah nodded, her vision blurry through the tears in her eyes. She took the larger of the two rings from her father’s palm and slipped the ring onto Eric’s left ring finger. Her heart gave a little skip of joy to find it fit his long, slender finger perfectly, as if he were destined to be a part of the family. She stared up into Eric’s eyes as she said the words she’d prepared. The ones she would later have tattooed on her skin.
“Eric, I promise to live beside you like there is no tomorrow, love you like you’re the only perfect man on Earth, and laugh with you like no one is watching. You bring so much joy into my life, give so much love, awaken my passion, stir my soul, rock my body.”
She heard her mother click her tongue with disapproval, but she didn’t care. These were her words to Eric, and they had nothing to do with her mother or anyone else.
“You’re my heart and soul, Eric. I can only hope that I will make you half as happy as you make me. I want to spend my whole life trying. I pledge my heart, my soul, my life to you, my love. My husband.”
Eric gnawed on his lower lip, looking at her like he’d just won the lottery.
“Do you have anything you’d like to say to Rebekah as you take her as your wife?” her father asked.
Eric jumped, as if he hadn’t realized they weren’t alone. Rebekah completely understood that feeling.
He swallowed hard, took the ring from her father’s hand and with trembling fingers, slid it on her left ring finger. He blew out his cheeks, squeezed his eyelids together, and then opened his eyes to gaze into hers. His trembling lessened as he stood there for
a long moment just searching her gaze and then he spoke.
“Forever was just a word until I met you. Now it’s a promise. A dream. My cherished reality. I love you forever, Rebekah. My love. My wife.” He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed her wedding band, staring deep into her eyes. “Forever.”
“Forever,” she repeated, unable to take her eyes off his.
Her mother sniffed loudly behind her. There were several other sniffles from the front pew.
“Do you all have allergies or what?” Eric asked. His voice sounded extra loud in the quiet church.
Rebekah’s laugh was accompanied by several others.
Eric glanced at her dad. “Well?” he said, eyes wide with expectation.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
“Fucking finally,” Eric said and drew Rebekah against his body.
To a background of laughter, catcalls, her mother’s open weeping, and one incredibly sensual guitar solo, Rebekah Sticks kissed her husband for the first time. The press of Eric’s lips against hers was even more tender, emotional, and passionate than she’d anticipated. Her throat and eyes ached with unshed tears. Happy tears. The happiest.
Eric’s strong arms tightened around her, drawing her closer, enveloping her in love and tenderness and heat. She couldn’t ignore the heat between them.
“Get a room!” Trey yelled.
She felt Eric smile against her lips, and he drew back to gaze down into her eyes.
“Best advice I’ve gotten all day,” he said.
She had to agree.
Her dad cleared his throat and spoke in a loud, clear voice. “This day Rebekah and Eric entered as two and now leave as one soul united,” he said. “May I present Mr. and Mrs. Eric Sticks. May their love shine more brightly with each passing moment.”
She beamed at her daddy, who was blinking far more than necessary. Her mother squeezed her arm, and Rebekah turned to find her smiling through her tears. Eric shook her dad’s hand and then helped her down from the single step at the front of the church so they could exit.
They didn’t get far.
Chapter Seven
Eric jerked unexpectedly as he was hugged vigorously from behind. He turned his head to find Jace—all denim and leather and tough guy and maybe a few tears—with his face buried in Eric’s back. Eric grinned and patted the pair of hands clasped tightly together at his waist.
“Now, Tripod,” Eric said, “you had your chance with me and settled for Aggie.”
He caught the stunned look on Rebekah’s face and offered her a wink. The tension immediately drained from her body and she smiled, cocking her head to peek at the man behind him.
“Fuck you,” Jace said, his words muffled by Eric’s back. He attempted some strange variation of the Heimlich maneuver. “Just… Fuck you.”
After a moment, Jace took a deep breath, drew away, and settled for pounding on Eric’s back with enough force to fracture bones.
“Yes, you like me,” Eric said, chuckling. “I get it. Stop trying to break me. Aggie, control your sub.”
“You’re such an ass,” Jace said.
Well, what did Jace expect? If he didn’t turn Jace’s uncharacteristic emotional display into a joke, he’d have to put on an uncharacteristic emotional display of his own.
Jace circled Eric’s neck with both hands and pretended to choke him. Not one to be left out of a gag, Eric let his head loll loosely and stuck his tongue out as if he were in true distress.
Rebekah’s mother tried to step in—presumably to save his life—but Rebekah caught her arm and shook her head. That slight motion made Eric love her all the more. The woman understood him in a way that completely baffled him. He figured most women would be pissed to have her first moment as a newlywed standing beside her husband interrupted by a bunch of immature male-bonding bullshit, but not his Rebekah.
Since it didn’t seem like they would ever make it back down the aisle, the spectators rose from the pews to offer their hugs and congratulations.
Eric kept one eye on his bride, who kissed his hand and then released it so she could hug her family—now his family too, he thought with a smile. Aggie stepped up to help Jace get his out-of-control emotions back under his command. She pinched his ass, and he immediately dropped his hands from Eric’s throat. Eric grinned to himself. Nope, he obviously wasn’t her sub at all.
Sed took the opening to give Eric a customary slap on the back of the head before capturing his arms in a full-nelson so Trey could bless Eric’s nose with his sticky cherry sucker.
“Hold still,” Trey said, tracking Eric’s jerky head motions with his lollipop.
Brian emerged from the choir loft, where he’d been playing his guitar, and wrapped a protective arm around his pregnant wife’s shoulders before approaching Eric.
“Words of wisdom from one married man to another,” Brian said, turning his head side to side as he tried to track Eric’s gaze. After an exasperating moment, he released his wife and hugged Trey from behind, pinning his arms and his sucker to his sides. Trey immediately went still.
“Guys, really?” Brian said. “The man just got married. Show him some respect.”
“Yeah,” Eric said. “What he said.”
Sed released Eric’s aching arms.
“You can harass him after I’m through with him,” Brian added.
“And I thought you were on my side.”
“I am. I’m going to help you out here. So listen carefully.”
Eric nodded, having rarely dealt with any of his band members speaking to him with such earnestness.
“You only need to remember three words to keep your wife happy,” Brian said, releasing Trey so he could draw Myrna against his side.
“I love you?” Eric said.
“No. Any idiot can try that route. The three words are: she’s always right. If you remember that, your life will run smoothly.”
“But what if she’s wrong?”
Brian stuck a finger in Eric’s face. “No, dude. Listen to me and remember. She’s always right.”
“She’s always right,” Eric repeated obediently.
Myrna laughed. “But if you need to spice things up a little, falsely accuse her of being wrong.”
Brian patted Eric’s chest with the flat of his hand. “Just make sure you admit she’s always right after the hot, angry make-up sex.”
“Got it,” Eric said.
“Brian?” Jessica said, laying a hand on Brian’s arm.
Brian turned his head to look at her. “Yeah?”
“Will you please have this little talk with Sed?” she asked.
“Sure. When’s your wedding again?”
“Don’t wait until we’re married. He needs to learn this now!”
Everyone laughed, even the Blakes, who were huddled in a perma-hug around Dave and his wheelchair. Eric noticed the only one still sitting in the pews was Rebekah’s friend Isaac. It was probably hard for him to see Rebekah marry someone besides himself and even harder to be completely ignored by Trey, who he was obviously still mooning over. Poor guy. Eric separated from his group of admirers and joined Isaac on the gleaming wood bench. Isaac glanced up, his hazel eyes wide with surprise.
“Why are you sitting over here by yourself?” Eric asked.
“I just wanted to be here for Rebekah. I don’t want to intrude on her happiness.”
“She’d probably like that though,” Eric said. “Personally, I don’t know why she likes you so much. You’re sort of a douche.”
Isaac blinked at him in shock.
Eric grinned. “I’m joking,” he said. “I do that sometimes.” And sometimes he hid behind jokes so he could speak his mind freely, but Isaac didn’t need to know that.
“Oh.”
“But even though you’re a douche and really hurt her feelings, she’s forgiven you. I don’t get it. I’d have cut you from my life and buried you in the backyard.”
&nb
sp; He did sort of get it, actually. He had a friend who had hurt him repeatedly and still he couldn’t remove that man from his life. But unlike Isaac, Jon hadn’t had the decency to show up for the wedding. At least Isaac cared enough about Rebekah to show the fuck up. Jon didn’t even have that going for him.
“Her forgiveness is far better than I deserve,” Isaac said.
“So don’t you think you should go tell her that you’re happy for her, even if it’s a lie? I know she’d like to hear that from you.”
Eric glanced over at Rebekah and caught her watching them. He smiled at her and her answering smile was a bit hesitant. She probably thought he was being mean to Isaac. And yep, that had been his first instinct. The man had ripped Rebekah’s heart out, and Eric didn’t take kindly to anyone who hurt her. He also didn’t appreciate Isaac’s attempts to drive him and Rebekah apart. But in the end, Eric had won the girl and Isaac had lost her. Eric figured that was punishment enough for the pretty guy. He did seem to have a good heart under all his confusion.
“I don’t know what to say to her,” Isaac said. “This past week has been hell for me.”
“You can start by not focusing on yourself,” Eric said and rose to his feet. “Maybe ask her how her cancer screening went this morning.”
“That was today?” All the blood drained out of Isaac’s face. “Is she okay?”
“Does she look okay?” Eric asked.
They both stared at the woman in question, who was showing off her enormous, expensive engagement ring and her cheap, meaningful wedding ring to the ladies surrounding her.
“She looks radiant,” Isaac said. “She never looked like that when she was with me.”
As if she could feel Eric’s gaze on her, Rebekah lifted her head and met his eyes over the small crowd of admirers. She smiled brightly, and Eric’s chest swelled with a strong sense of pride. No one made her as happy as he did. Not even Dr. Perfect. Now that was something to crow about. Before he could swoop down on her and carry her out of the church to celebrate, Isaac strode purposefully to her side, took her hand, and pulled her behind the pulpit for a more private word. Eric hardly struggled with his spike of jealousy at all. He trusted Rebekah. It was the impossibly-good-looking physician that he didn’t quite trust.
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