by D. L. Raver
“Here we are,” he returned.
People didn’t always get second chances, but we did.
How fucking amazing was that?
Chapter Thirty-One
Sloan
I LEANED AGAINST the window, watching Kenna sleep. My life had completely turned around in a matter of hours. Besides her joining the Ceilte, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. There was only one thing left to do. I opened the box in my hand and smiled. My earlier doubts were gone, and I felt certain Kenna would say yes when I asked her to marry me.
Closing the box, I set it on the table and returned my attention to the lovely woman still sleeping. I loved watching her in slumber—relaxed and at peace. Before, I could see the dreams haunt her, making her brow furrow, but not anymore.
I sighed contently and walked to the fireplace to throw some more logs on the fire.
“Sloan?” Her voice sounded stressed, and I turned around to see her climbing out of bed. She took a throw blanket off a chair and wrapped it around her. The room was on the chilly side, but even naked I wasn’t bothered by the cooler temperature.
“Is everything okay?” She asked as she snuggled into me with a yawn.
“Sure. Just couldn’t sleep. You thought I’d left, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. Old habits,” she answered sheepishly, her ruby lips curving down slightly.
“I won’t ever leave you again without telling you first. That’s a promise, M’fhíorghrá.”
“Me either.”
We stood there in front of the fire for a few more moments, holding each other as I gathered the courage to ask her the question burning in my mind.
I let go of her and silently retrieved the box from the table.
Kenna watched me without question, though curiosity lit her gaze.
“What’s that?” She stared at the large, black velvet rectangular box in my hand. “Is that for me?”
“Open it and find out?” I held out my hand and she took the box.
When she opened it, she gasped and her eyes flew to mine.
“My bracelet. I-I didn’t think I’d ever see it again. And two rings?”
I took her ring from the box and dropped to one knee. “I love you, Kenna Campbell. You’ve meant more to me than anyone in my life. You’ve stayed with me, believed in me, and loved me even when I did my best to push you away. You never gave up on me.”
I swallowed back the emotions thickening my throat.
“Wear my ring. Be my wife. Let me prove to you for the rest of our days that I will never give up on us again. Ever.”
“Yes. Oh God, yes.” Tears streamed down her face as she dropped to her knees, dropping the box to the floor. I placed the ring on her finger, and she threw her arms around my neck, kissing me, hugging me, loving me.
“I love you, Sloan,” she said as I pushed her to the floor.
With her acceptance of me, my life changed. For the first time ever, I wasn’t alone. Besides Kenna, I also had Irelyn, Zolt, and Brody.
As I positioned myself over my woman, I momentarily closed my eyes and thanked God for sending her to me, and for giving her the fortitude of spirit to survive all the shit we’d been through.
I loved this woman beyond reason, and maybe beyond what was healthy, but I didn’t care.
“I love you,” I said again as I thrust slowly into her.
The smile she gave me lit the room. She didn’t need to say the words back because I saw them reflected in her eyes. It has always been there, just waiting for me to accept it.
We made love until the sun came up and then we slept with our bodies intertwined around each other, physically and emotionally sated.
The next day, we sat in Kieran’s kitchen, video chatting with Irelyn and Zolt, catching them up on everything.
“So,” Kenna hesitated, glancing at me and began biting her nails.
“What Kenna?” Irelyn asked as she and Zolt shared a questioning glance. “You’re biting your nails. What’s up?”
“Sloan asked me to marry him and I said yes.” Kenna held her hand in front of the laptop camera to show off her lover’s knot, yellow gold ring with a two karat diamond.
“Oh Kenna! It’s beautiful. It’s officially a family tradition that we have Irish wedding rings.” She brushed a tear from her cheek. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“It matches the bracelet Sloan gave me I thought I’d lost.” Kenna kissed me on the cheek as she admired her left arm and its adornment.
“So that’s where that bracelet came from,” Irelyn said, with a huge smile. “I always wondered.”
“Congrats, dude.” Zolt put a comforting arm around Irelyn who continued to sniff back more tears.
“We’ve decided to get married here in Ireland, and we were wondering if you and Zolt would come? It would mean the world to both of us if you could.”
“Of course we’ll come,” Zolt said, answering for his wife. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
“Did you speak to your parents?” Irelyn asked as she dried her tears.
Kenna’s happiness fell away and was replaced by sadness. When tears welled in her eyes and she leaned her head on my shoulder, I answered for her.
“Peter and Celia won’t come. They don’t condone Kenna’s recent behavior and refuse to take part in the ceremony. They’re afraid she’s reacting to what happened and marrying me is a mistake.” I stroked Kenna’s hair as she cried, hating her parent’s inability to be happy for her hurt her so much.
“Oh Kenna, I’m so sorry. I wish I was there to give you a hug. Do you want me to talk to them? Maybe if you gave it some time?” Irelyn asked.
“No.” Kenna lifted her head and squared her shoulders. I found a tissue and handed it to her.
“I don’t want to wait for them to catch up with where I am now. I’ve waited too long to be with Sloan, and after everything that’s happened, we need this. My future is with him and maybe one day they’ll accept that.”
I smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead. I was so fucking proud of the woman Kenna had become.
“What about Cory?” Zolt asked.
“Cory agrees with them. He said neither he nor Rachel would come.” Kenna shrugged.
Both Zolt and Irelyn sighed.
“We know what it’s like to disappoint people,” Irelyn began. “Our elopement wasn’t met with joy and happiness. Both Brody and Rachel were pissed we hadn’t included them. Thankfully, they both came around. I’m sure your family will do the same. You don’t need to explain to Zolt and me how you feel. We understand better than anyone.”
Zolt kissed Irelyn’s wedding ring, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Thanks, cousin. It will mean the world to me to have you here.”
“Absolutely.” Irelyn blew us both a kiss, and we ended the chat with a promise to let them know once the arrangements were made.
Kieran came in the kitchen, and we both jumped. In the twenty-four hours I’d been here, I’d only seen him that once. But then Kenna and I had stayed locked away in our room.
“Good afternoon. You two look happy. You are happy, right?” He cocked his head and gave us both questioning looks.
“We’re getting married.” I held up Kenna’s left hand and showed off her ring.
“Congratulations. I’d like to say I’m surprised, but not really. So why the tears? Sloan, what the hell did you do to her now?”
“Fuck off, Kieran.” I flipped him off with my middle finger to punctuate my sentiment.
Kenna sighed and shook her head at us both.
“Since we’re going to stay in Ireland for a while, we want to get married here,” I said, squeezing her hand.
“Like in a few days. My parents refuse to come,” she added, and let out a long, mournful sigh. “My best friend Irelyn, who is also Sloan’s cousin, and her husband Zolt are coming, but not my family.”
“I’m sorry for that, but maybe I can help. If you’d allow me, I’d like to offer you my home for the
ceremony and perhaps my services. I can perform a traditional Irish, handfastening ceremony.”
“You’re a minister?” I asked suspiciously. “Since when?”
“Not a minister, but a Pagan priest. I can do the ceremony and then you and Kenna can have a civil one in town.”
“Of course you’re a Pagan.” I hit my palm on my forehead. It explained so much about him. But really, if he said he went to school at Hogwarts, I’d believe him.
“Uh, I’m a Christian. We wouldn’t have to behead a chicken or sacrifice a virgin, would we?” Kenna asked and glanced at me with a wary expression.
“Not during the ceremony. I’ll do that later,” Kieran deadpanned and winked at me.
“Oh.” Kenna’s face twisted, and I could see she bordered on believing him.
“I was raised with both Christianity and the old religion. I can go either way. But…” I said.
“But what? Don’t you trust me, Sloan?” Kieran crossed his arms over his chest and arched a brow in my direction. “Oh, how you wound me.”
“Ha! Step off. You’re not wounded at all, and you know I don’t trust you.” I snorted.
“Sloan,” Kenna protested and pursed her lips.
“Okay, I trust you. Sort of.”
Not as far as I can fucking throw you.
That wasn’t necessarily true. Kieran and I had a long, complicated, and tempestuous relationship. I suspected we always would. I supposed offering to arrange this for us was his way of making amends.
“Good. It’s settled. I’ll arrange for everything. I’ll send my private jet to Scottsdale at your friend’s convenience. And Kenna, I’ll have some gowns brought here for you to choose from. Sloan, may I ask, since you’ve decided to stay in Ireland, does that me you’re coming back to the Ceilte fulltime?”
“Aye. I’m bloody well not leaving my wife’s training solely in your hands, Kieran.”
“Understood.” He put out his hand, palms up in supplication. “And I can’t say I blame you.”
“Thank you, Kieran,” Kenna said and shot me an admonishing stare. “It’s very kind of you to open your home to us.”
“I’ll see to everything. It’s the least I can do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it would appear I have a ceremony to prepare.”
I snorted again, and then grunted when Kenna elbowed me as we watched Kieran leave the room.
“If we’re going to work with him, Sloan, you and he are going to have to come to a better arrangement.”
“Don’t worry about Kieran and me. We’ll do just fine as long as he stays respectful of what’s mine.” I leaned in and whispered in her ear so that only she could hear. “Besides, I’m not about to go home and leave Kieran to his devices. He went through a lot of trouble to get the Emerald. I’ll be damned if I’m going to walk away now. Plus, he wants you in the Ceilte. There’s a reason for that and I’m going to find out what it is.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She leaned over and kissed me. “Good plan.”
I tapped the side of my head with my finger. “Always thinking, love. Always thinking.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sloan
I STOOD ON the bluff overlooking the Sea of Moyle just moments before sunset, waiting for Kenna to make her way from the house to my side.
The last few days had been a whirlwind of activity. Kieran had made good on his promise to arrange everything, including consulting with Kenna and me on everything from the food to our wedding clothes. I heard words like “off the shoulder,” “peasant sleeved,” “silk gown with an empire waist” being discussed, and I watched Kenna’s face light up.
All that meant nothing to me. I didn’t give a fuck what she wore when we exchanged vows—marrying her was all that mattered. The details were irrelevant.
I looked down at my own black suit and straightened my black tie. I hadn’t worn a suit since Chris’ funeral. Just the thought of him made my chest ache. Seeing Irelyn, Zolt, Brody, T-bone and his wife, Tamera, gathered around waiting for the ceremony to start, eased the ache some.
Besides Kenna, these were the people I cared the most about; even Kieran ranked on that list to some extent. With him, however, it was more a need to keep him close so I could keep an eye on him. But, we had a long history together, and in some ways, he had been influential in making me the man I’d become, for better or worse. I could acknowledge it, even if it didn’t exactly thrill me.
With Kenna now involved, I really had little choice but to be more tolerant of him. At least Kieran hadn’t invited Darius, his second-in-command. I really couldn’t stand that man, and I didn’t want Kenna anywhere near him.
Today, however, I refused to worry over things out of my control. For Kenna and me, this was a day for moving on and starting anew. All past events and transgressions between us were old news, and we agreed to leave them in the past where they belonged.
I let out a long sigh and glanced over at Kieran, who stood in front of a rose-covered gazebo, looking dapper in his black tailored suit.
Thank God he’d agreed not to wear the traditional Pagan priest robes. While Kenna and I had agreed on a traditional handfasting ceremony, we didn’t think our few guests would appreciate him donning robes that made him look like a wizard instead of a priest. Though come to think about it, Kieran may well be a wizard. The thought alone weirded out my already-frazzled nerves.
My fingers twitched as I waited for my bride. Though marriage had never been in my plans, I was ready to be with Kenna in every way, and to have the kind of relationship I saw between Zolt and Irelyn and T-bone and his wife.
Just as the sun began to set, Kenna emerged from the house. I sucked in a breath as she made her way toward me in her white silk gown with a Celtic knot, gold circlet atop her strawberry blonde waves.
Instead of a traditional floral bouquet, she carried one made up of seed pearls and Swarovski crystals. Each crystal appeared to be mounted on wires of varying lengths. The setting sunlight bounced off of the bouquet and bathed Kenna in an ethereal light.
As long as I lived, I would remember this day and how beautiful—almost otherworldly—she looked.
I felt a cheek-splitting grin break over my face as our gazes caught; gunmetal gray to deep green.
Kenna, too, wore a large smile on her face. When she winked at me, my heart jumped. I loved her more-relaxed, confident demeanor brought on by knowing her past didn’t rule her future.
When she finally reached me, she broke with tradition and kissed me—a toe-curling kiss full of promise and expectations of what the honeymoon night would entail.
Kieran cleared his voice, breaking our kiss. I had to stop the snarl that threatened my lips, because in that moment, I wanted to get the ceremony done and over with so we could jump right to the honeymoon. My mind played images of me stripping off her wedding dress and making love to her by the fireplace for the rest of the night.
Kenna eyes sparkled as she reluctantly stepped back and took her place at my left side, and I had to wonder if our thoughts ran parallel to each other.
“I welcome you all, friends, family, and loved ones to the handfasting ceremony of Sloan and Kenna,” Kieran began.
He took both our hands in his and a strange electrical current shot up my arm, causing me to gasp.
When Kenna gasped as well, I knew she had felt it too. We looked at each other, and then at Kieran, who merely continued to smile as if nothing unusual had occurred.
“By the power our God brought from heaven, mayst thou love each other. As the sun follows its course, mayst thou follow each other. As light to the eye, as bread to the hungry, as joy to the heart, may thy presence be with each, oh one that you love, `til death comes to part us asunder.” Kieran’s singsong voice, heavy with his Irish accent, spoke the Irish Wedding vow, bringing tears to my eyes.
Tears glistened in Kenna’s green-eyed gaze as well. For the first time since I’d known her, these were unshed tears of joy. A happiness and sense of peace I hadn’t
believe possible washed over me.
Kieran produced four handfasting binding cords from his pocket. The cords consisted of a deep red, blue, green, and light blue silk cords. He placed my right hand in Kenna’s left hand and began tying a true lover’s knot with the deep blue cord. The knot consisted of two interlocking, overhand knots that created a symmetrical figure eight.
“Will you share yourselves freely and generously with each other, making time to be together?” Kieran asked.
“We will,” Kenna and I said in unison; our voices ringing out strong and true.
“The first binding is thus made with dark blue, symbolic of Water, that your love may flow and fill you to your depths,” Kieran added, tying the knot.
“Will you each seek to ease the other's pain and suffering, sharing laughter and joy?”
“We will.”
“The second binding is thus made with green, symbolic of Earth, that your love may be wise and nurturing, and your happiness abundant.” Kieran tied the second knot.
“Will both of you look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?”
“We will,” we said and smiled at each other again.
“The third binding is thus made with red, symbolic of Fire, that your love may be bright and passionate,” Kieran said and tied the third knot
“Will you both help each other to grow in spirit and wisdom?”
“We will.”
“The fourth binding is thus made with light blue, symbolic of Air, that your love may be as limitless as the sky, and filled with spirit,” Kieran said as he tied the fourth and final knot.
“Now you are bound one to the other with a tie not easy to break. Take the time of binding, before the final vows are made, to learn what you need to know, to grow in wisdom and love, so that your marriage will be strong and your love will last in this life and beyond.” Kieran placed his hand on our bound ones and lifted his head to the gloaming sky, whispering words in Gaelic that I didn’t understand.
Whatever the words and their meanings, they had a certain power that radiated over the both of us through the three of our hands joined together.
