by Shayla Black
“I do,” Liam promised, squeezing her hand.
“I do,” Raine managed to choke out between her happy tears.
“I do,” Macen vowed, looking like he wanted them to know he meant every word.
“Up until this moment, you have been separate in thought, word, and action. As your hands have been bound together by this cord, so, too, shall your lives be bound as one. May you forever be united, sharing in love and loyalty, joy and devotion.”
Beck unwound the ribbons from their wrists and nodded their way. “Exchange the symbols of your new life together.”
Raine set her flowers on a little pedestal to the side and untied the rings she’d secured with a tiny bow to the stem of her bouquet. She turned to Liam first with three interwoven bands of polished titanium he’d chosen. Sophisticated with a bit of masculine shine. It fit him perfectly. With Hammer’s support at her wrist, she pushed the ring on Liam’s finger. His warm eyes caressed her with tender adoration as he silently promised her the rest of his days.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Then she loosened Macen’s ring from its ribbon. Liam supported her hand as she slid the triple bands of tungsten onto his finger. The black metal looked sleek and mysterious and masculine on his hand. It was a perfect reflection of the man. When their stares met, the hazel eyes she’d seen stern or closed or unreadable for so many years were now wide open with love.
“I love you,” she murmured to him, too.
Then he pulled a ring from his pocket, something the two of them had designed especially to celebrate their love for her. Raine hadn’t seen it yet, but like the others, it had three bands intertwined. As she clapped eyes on it, she gasped. A ring of titanium, a ring of tungsten, and a ring of sparkling pave diamonds wrapped around one another. Together, he and Liam slid the beautiful symbol onto her finger.
“You’re our life,” Liam said.
“And our heart,” Hammer added. “Precious.”
“We love you,” they said together.
Raine teared up again. The weight of the ring was more than mere metal. The gravity of their commitment wrapped around her finger, around her heart. She knew it would never dissolve or fade—and that filled her with a euphoric bliss she’d never even imagined.
“What these three have worked so hard to put together, let no asshole put asunder. And now—as far as I’m concerned—you’re married!”
Raine and her men laughed, along with the rest of the small gathering.
She glanced at Macen and Liam, committing this golden instant to memory. They smiled back at her, obviously as in the moment and as gloriously happy to be here as she was.
It felt so good to be committed, joined in the eyes of their friends and community.
As she basked and looked forward to the party to follow—as well as all their tomorrows—Liam suddenly curled a hand under her chin and brought her gaze up to his. He wasn’t smiling now.
“Kneel.”
Raine gasped. She flipped a stare to Hammer and saw the same Dominant steel on his face.
They were collaring her, too?
Her heart fluttered in her chest. She’d wondered if they would want to express their commitment this way someday. She’d hoped but…
Instead of asking questions they would surely answer later, she gave them a grateful nod and bowed her head, exposing the unprotected length of her nape to them, as she dropped to her knees.
“Look at us,” Macen commanded.
She obeyed and watched Liam lift something from his pocket and dangle it in her face. A strand of titanium combined with a strand of tungsten to support a heart-shaped lock trimmed in diamonds. The front had been engraved with their initials and the date.
Raine had never seen something more beautiful—more heartfelt—than this expression of their devotion. The fact they’d surprised her only made it more special.
He gave Macen one end of the chain as he hung on to the other. Together, they fastened it around her neck. The weight felt blessedly welcome. It had been nearly ten months since Liam had first fastened his collar against her skin, only to remove it twenty-two excruciating days later. And Hammer… Raine had never dared to hope that he would collar her, especially now that she knew he’d vowed never to take a permanent submissive and why.
Raine couldn’t stop herself from reaching up to feel her exquisite new collar dangling just above her beating heart.
Liam reached in his pocket again and withdrew two little keys for the lock. He palmed one and handed Macen the other.
“You’re ours always,” Hammer said.
“Forever,” Liam seconded. “Because we want to tie you to us in every way we can.”
“Yours, Sirs.” Raine thought her heart would burst as she bowed her head again and felt their stares of approval caressing her.
When they both braced a palm under her elbow, she rose to her feet.
She really was the luckiest woman in the world.
“Kiss already,” Beck demanded. “Put an exclamation point on this marriage/collaring/handfasting shit so we can celebrate.”
Raine laughed, feeling lighter and more in love than she ever had as she turned to Liam on her left and lifted her lips to his for a kiss.
He looked into her eyes as if he wanted to reach into her heart and hold it in his hands. He gave her a tender press of his lips and nudged inside to deepen the kiss. He lingered, imprinting himself on her heart—just as he had with their very first kiss—before he eased away. “You look more lovely than ever now that you’re ours.”
“You’re mine now, too, buster,” she teased.
“I’ll not be forgetting that, I promise.”
Raine blew him a kiss, then turned to Macen in silence. He took her face in his hands and swooped close, staring into her eyes for a breathless moment.
“Precious…”
He didn’t have to say more than that. She knew what he felt. “It means everything to me, too.”
The smile he gave her in return told Raine that she’d perfectly read him. Then he captured her lips with his, seizing her, filling her mouth for a hot spark of a moment before he eased away.
It was done. They were one.
Together, they turned to the rest of the gathering and raised their clasped hands. Their guests stood and cheered as the happy trio bounded back down the silken path to the stairwell.
Halfway there, Hammer hoisted her into his arms. She squealed in surprise, then laughter. Liam put a fist in her hair and tipped her head back before stealing a kiss. They didn’t give her much of a breath all the way down to the party in the dungeon.
Most of the equipment had been pushed against the wall, moved out, or artfully hidden behind a drape so everyone could party now…and play later.
“I’ll be right back, precious.” Hammer kissed her cheek.
Before she could ask where he was going and if everything was all right, Liam distracted her with a soft kiss. “Are you feeling thirsty? It was a bit warm up there.”
He was always kind and thinking of others. It was one of the things she admired most about Liam. “Please.”
As they stepped away, guests began joining them downstairs, Beck first. He wore a wide grin and helped Heavenly, who held the other two pieces of Raine’s heart, which had expanded to accommodate her little twin miracles five weeks ago.
“Hi, my baby girls. Come see Mommy.” Raine held out her arms.
Heavenly smiled softly. “They’re such angels. Slept through most of the ceremony. Well, Ciara did. Catronia looked around at all the colors when she was awake.”
“Because she’s so curious.” Raine took one child, then the other, still marveling that she had two perfect bundles of girl with blue eyes, little bowed mouths and—no doubt about it—the O’Neill chin.
All their worrying that Macen had gotten her pregnant that torrid night Liam had first collared her had been for nothing. According to Bryn, her Irishman had actually done the job during their getaway at t
he lodge, right after Raine had figured out she was in love with him. Her pregnancy had been a shock, and she had come down some long, hard roads with her men to find this happy pinnacle in her life. But she wouldn’t trade a moment. Their daughters were perfect, and Hammer doted on them like mad. The twins would have both her big, bad men wrapped around their perfect, tiny fingers.
Seth joined them next, sidling up on the other side of Heavenly. She gave the doctor and the former cop both a sideways glance. Raine tried not to smile too wide. Now that Seth had moved here from New York and hung out his PI shingle, they both chased Heavenly without mercy. There was another interesting romance brewing, and Raine couldn’t wait to see how it all unfolded. First, the guys would have to figure out that their bigger battle wasn’t against one another but Heavenly’s reticence.
And her wide-eyed shock at the bit of dungeon equipment she could see.
“What is that?” She pointed to a spanking bench.
Not just any spanking bench—the infamous one on which Liam had first claimed her. The one on which Hammer had flogged her and proclaimed that she belonged to him and Liam. Raine probably should have tucked it away, but she couldn’t bring herself to…and she’d been curious about Heavenly’s reaction.
Seth and Beck both jockeyed to be the one to give her a tour of any equipment she’d like to explore.
Raine grinned. Yes, the sidelines would be an amusing place to watch this drama just waiting to happen.
Caitlyn, Meg, and Aisling, three of Liam’s sisters, had flown out to see the nuptials. Rosaleen and Shauna had come with Bryn when Raine had given birth to the twins—and they’d been immensely helpful to her as a new mother. The last, Maeve, promised to come when her youngest got a few months older.
Raine had bonded right away with all of Liam’s family. Now she felt immensely blessed. She’d started her life outside the Kendall house completely alone yet wound up blessed with so much love.
Her sisters-in-law scurried up, gooing and cooing at the twins. Clearly, they missed their own children. But they loved their new nieces, too.
After pressing a kiss to each tiny forehead, Raine relinquished her daughters to their aunts with a smile and a wave. They went happily with bright eyes.
River approached with a hug. “Committed, collared. Happy and settled. It’s not exactly what I pictured for you all these years. But it’s better. It makes you happy.”
She nodded. “You going to stay and maybe play? Lots of interesting people coming tonight…”
In fact, Dean Gorman sauntered down the stairs in a sharp navy suit. A few eager subs followed, all looking pretty in their summery dresses. Pike trailed them, coming down the stairs in typical leather and eyeing their asses. His one concession to the event was a white dress shirt and a loose black tie. With spikes around his wrists and a wicked grin on his face, no one would accuse him of being conventional. Donald escorted his wife and sub, Vivian, who looked teary-eyed, to the bar lining the back wall. They waved, and she raised a hand in return.
“I don’t know. I’d hang with Dean. He’s a good guy,” her brother said. “But he’ll pair off quickly, I’m sure.”
River had no more opened his mouth when the cop began chatting up a pretty, blushing redhead Raine had noticed recently around the club.
“The only other person I know who will stay beyond the dinner and dancing is Pike, and he’s an asshole.”
“Aww, you’re just being kind.” Pike clapped her brother on the shoulder. “Didn’t you say I was a massive, bleeding douche canoe last week?”
“I actually said worse.” River refused to look at the DM.
“Just because I told you to get your shit together.”
“I don’t need you in my fucking ear.”
“If you’re going to play here, you have to play right.”
Oh, so River had been hanging around and checking out the scene? She sent her brother a speculative stare.
He turned a dull shade of red. “I’ll leave. Besides, if you three are going to scene here tonight, I’d rather not watch.”
“No.” Hammer approached Raine from behind and slipped an arm around her waist. “We’re leaving.”
She whirled to face him. “We are?”
“Indeed,” Liam said as he brought her a glass of water. “Hammer and I have decided we’re going to have a proper honeymoon. River, Pike, bugger off. We’d like to talk to our bride.”
Their faces were priceless. Each dutifully hugged her and shook her men’s hands before turning away, bickering the moment they took a step.
“What are they arguing about?” Raine asked.
“Not what, who. They haven’t found her…yet,” Liam drawled. “I have a feeling she’s coming.”
Raine couldn’t picture that, but she was learning—fast—not to discount her Irishman when he had a feeling about something. Even though his mother was a continent away, he continued to tap into whatever gift she’d passed down to him with some really interesting results.
Hammer laughed as he watched River and Pike make their way across the dungeon, toward the bar. “After the shit your brother gave us, that would be poetic justice.”
“But once the children came, they’d be dumb and dumber. I don’t know which one is more clueless about babies,” she drawled.
That had Macen and Liam laughing even harder.
“‘It’s a baby-sized baby,’” Hammer chortled. “That was so damn funny.”
“Not when I thought Gwyneth had really brought me a son. But now? Fucking hysterical.”
Raine had heard this story and she just shook her head. “Maybe I should make that dumber and dumbest.”
“Undoubtedly.” Liam shook his head. “And you want to know where we’re taking you for a honeymoon, don’t you, love?”
She grinned. “Now that you mention it, I do. But what about the girls? Are we bringing them?”
“Nope.” Hammer shook his head and withdrew some plane tickets from his coat. “We’re whisking you to where you say you’ve always wanted to go: Paris. And after this trip, you’ll need a new safeword.”
She clapped a hand over her mouth as a thousand feelings all barraged her—shock, thrill, gratitude. Love. “Really?”
“We leave tomorrow.”
“But who will stay with the twins? I’m breastfeeding and—”
“Shh.” Liam pressed a finger to her lips. “My sisters are staying. And, of course, Vivian can’t wait to sit with the girls for a spell. The rest we’ll work out. We’ll only go for a few days this time, but we deserve a wee break to enjoy one another after everything we’ve done to reach this point.”
Raine couldn’t argue with his logic, so she didn’t try. She would miss her daughters terribly. Her men would, too. But they had to remember to invest time in their relationship to keep it healthy and flourishing. And what better time to start than their honeymoon?
“I’m excited!” She clapped.
“Next time we’ll take a family trip and visit Ireland. But for now… My sisters have packed for you. Don’t expect many clothes in your suitcase, love,” Liam drawled.
“That suits me, precious.” Hammer’s eyes darkened.
Yeah, that suited her, too. She laughed, so happy she thought she might burst. “Darn…”
Just one thing would make her happier.
She looked at Liam in question. He gave her an indulgent smile and a nod.
With an excited little hop, Raine bounced over to him and peppered kisses all over his face.
“What the hell?” Hammer groused. “Where’s mine?”
When she turned to him, she wore a grin so bright it almost hurt her cheeks. “Right here.” She kissed him softly before she took his hand and led it to her belly. “And right here.”
Macen didn’t say anything for a long moment, just sent her a puzzled frown. “I don’t…”
Raine bit her lip and looked at Liam. His expression told her to be patient, that all would be well.
Su
ddenly, Hammer’s hazel eyes went wide. He jerked his stare from her abdomen back up to her face. “You’re pregnant again?”
“Yeah. I wanted to give you a child, too. It’s the only thing I can give you that you can’t give yourself. Liam and I have been talking about it for a few weeks and started cooking up an idea…”
Macen whirled on Liam. “You didn’t have a ‘dire work emergency’ last week.”
“No, mate. Our girl ovulated and…” He shrugged. “I thought you’d make an excellent father again. I gave you a couple of nights together to enjoy, so we could be sure it worked.”
Macen looked speechless and overjoyed. “A baby?”
Liam leaned in. “A son. Congratulations. My mum sends her best, too. She called me the minute it happened—literally. But I already knew.”
With a whoop, Macen picked her up and twirled her around, pressing an insistent kiss to her lips. The instant her feet hit the floor, Liam wrapped her between them with a laugh.
“That’s it,” Hammer declared. “If we’re going to have three children by next summer, you need to legally marry one of us.”
Something hopeful and wanting tugged at her heart. God, she’d love that—just one more way to entwine their lives. But she’d made a vow. “I won’t choose between you two, Macen. We’ve been over this.”
He acknowledged her with a thoughtful nod of his head, then turned to Liam. “What do you think?”
“I agree, mate. It will make things far easier legally, especially whenever there are hospitals involved again.”
They all remembered that terrible morning Bill had nearly killed her. Raine had called and cried for her two men, only to learn later that because they weren’t family legally, they hadn’t been allowed in the emergency room with her. Traditional marriage would make all the practical things like wills and deeds and titles a bit simpler. But it could complicate every other facet of their lives, especially the balance of their relationship.
