by Lexi C. Foss
“Never.” That devilish smile of his had her thighs clenching. “Run along, Aya, before I decide to make use of that short dress.”
She swallowed. Issac never bluffed and he certainly wasn’t now. He cocked a brow as if daring her to stay. She took a step backward instead. “See you after the ceremony.”
“Oh, you’ll see me during.” His heated gaze ran over her. “I’ll be the one fantasizing about your legs and how they feel when wrapped around my waist. Or maybe I’ll think about your mouth…”
Stas flushed hot, his words making the ache inside her worse. If she didn’t leave now, they’d end up naked on this beach. Certainly not the ceremony everyone wanted to witness today.
“Leaving,” she managed through her tightening throat.
“Watching,” he called after her as she darted up the path, his hot gaze singeing a hole through her dress.
She’d chosen the short length because of the sand. Rustling skirts over the beach hadn’t appealed to her. It now served the dual purpose of taunting her favorite demon.
Maybe I’ll play with that during the ceremony…
“You look beautiful, Liz,” Stas said, catching her friend’s gaze in the mirror above the dresser. Alik had offered his home to the wedding party since he lived closest to the beach, and the girls were in his guest suite, while the men took over his master bedroom.
“I just feel so… exposed,” her best friend mumbled, lowering her hand from the bump beneath her Grecian-style gown. She was convinced that everyone would see right through the off-white fabric to the growing child beneath, and not see anything beyond it. But the flowing style hid everything, giving her the appearance of a Greek goddess.
Amelia had styled Lizzie’s hair in long, red ringlets, clasping them loosely with pins in a variety of places. And Eliza had left Lizzie with a natural glow, the makeup subdued and allowing the bride’s innate beauty to come through.
“Jay’s jaw will be on the floor when he sees you,” Stas added. “Trust me.”
Eliza smiled wickedly. “And then again when you reveal what’s beneath the dress.”
The French designer who helped fit Lizzie with the dress had also gifted her with matching lingerie. All the girls had approved, especially the bride.
Lizzie blushed. “Well, at least Amelia and Eliza worked some magic on my hair and face.”
The fledgling turned makeup artist snorted. “Pretty sure genetics gave you all that, Lizzie. We just perfected the masterpiece.”
A knock sounded before Stas’s best friend could refute the claim, which she’d clearly been about to do.
Luc popped his head in with an adorable grin. “Can I interrupt for a moment?”
“Did the Hydraian King just ask permission to do something?” Eliza asked, her gorgeous features twisting into a scowl. “Because I thought he thrived on dishing out commands without regard to anyone else’s feelings.”
His lips flattened. “Eliza. I didn’t realize you were in here.”
“I bet not.” She faced him with a flip of her long, dark hair over a slender shoulder. “You do have a tendency to interrupt without thinking, after all.”
His square jaw tightened. “I came to deliver a gift.”
“Oh, is it another edict?” She fluttered her thick lashes at him. “How fucking thoughtful of you, Your Majesty.”
“From the groom,” he added, his broad shoulders appearing wider, harsher, as he approached Eliza. “Keep pushing me, princess. See what it gets you.”
She didn’t appear at all fazed by the close proximity of his muscular form to her much smaller frame. “A spanking?”
His resulting smile was reminiscent of a panther sizing up its prey. “You’d like that far too much.”
She snorted. “Not from you.”
He took another step, crowding her up against the makeshift makeup counter in Alik’s spare bedroom, his hands clasping the table beside her hips and caging her between his powerful arms.
Lizzie raised her auburn eyebrows, her expression rivaling Stas’s feelings.
Luc always exuded a calm presence, yet there was nothing relaxed about his position now. Intimidation and fury rolled off him in waves, not that it seemed to bother Eliza. She held his gaze with a steely one of her own and arched one perfectly sculpted brow, awaiting his retort.
“No, it seems you’d rather have one from a boy at a club.” His gaze raked over her in clear disapproval. “Pity when there’s so much potential.” He pushed away from her and left without a backward glance.
Stas frowned. What just happened?
Eliza huffed, her tan skin darkening. “That man is impossible.” Her fingers clenched into fists at her sides. “What did he expect me to do last night? Just wait around on the island for everyone to come back after going into Athens to celebrate the New Year? No. I went out, too, because I’m an adult capable of making her own fucking decisions. And that asshole”—she pointed to the door—“has the audacity to chastise me for it? At a nightclub?” She scowled. “Fuck him.”
“You all went out last night?” Lizzie asked, her forehead crumpling. “After the party on the beach?” There’d been a big bonfire with music and dancing in Hydria to ring in the New Year. Nothing extravagant, just a relaxing evening of champagne and conversation. Stas hadn’t felt much like celebrating, her mind still wrapped up in the holidays from last week.
Gabriel.
Who are you?
“Yeah, Jacque took a group out,” Eliza muttered. “I went with them, only to be tracked down thirty minutes later by…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Never mind. This is your day. I won’t let talk of the King ruin it.”
Balthazar’s chuckle preceded him as he entered the room. In a tux.
All three of them openly gaped at the too-handsome man. He resembled a god in whatever he wore, but that suit was sin personified. It should have been illegal.
He and Issac beside each other would be—
“Utter perfection,” he finished for her with a wicked grin. “Now imagine what we’d look like with each other.”
“I really hate when you do that,” Stas growled, referring to the mind reading, not the very sexual image he’d just provoked in her head.
“You were the one thinking my name, sweetheart.” He unbuttoned his black jacket to pull a package from the inner pocket. “Luc meant to give you this, Lizzie. Before he became otherwise distracted by the beauty in the room, I mean.” His dimples appeared, earning him an appreciative sigh from Eliza. “Now that I’ve seen you all for myself, I can understand why.” He pressed a kiss to the bride-to-be’s temple as he handed her the gift. “You look stunning, Lizzie.”
“Thank you,” she replied, flushing. “What’s this for?”
“Open it and find out,” he encouraged, his chocolate eyes glittering.
She drew a manicured finger over the long package, her lower lip catching between her teeth. “Okay.” Lizzie always loved presents, and it showed in her smile now as she lifted the lid. A necklace lay inside with a heart-shaped ruby pendant encrusted in diamonds.
Her gasp had Balthazar’s lips twitching. “I’ll give him an eight point seven. Points deducted for not delivering it himself.”
“What?” she asked, her eyes fluttering upward with tears glistening in their depths. “Why did he do this?”
“Because you’re his heart,” Balthazar replied softly, cupping her cheek. “Welcome to the family, Lizzie.”
She sniffled and threw her arms around his neck, her words unintelligible against his chest.
“Really glad I chose waterproof mascara,” Eliza said, causing Balthazar’s lips to curl into one of his devastating grins.
“Emotions are more than acceptable today.” He kissed Lizzie on the head and released her. “I’ll tell him you like the necklace.”
She nodded. “Tell him I love it. I love everything.”
“Which means I have to upgrade the score to a solid nine. I’ll let him know, but I expect
a ten from him tonight.” He winked and ducked out of the room.
Lizzie stared after him. “He didn’t just imply… I mean, he’s not really going to, like, grade our…?”
“Jay is the only one you need to be thinking about,” Eliza replied. “He won’t let anyone, or anything, make you uncomfortable.”
The bride-to-be’s cheeks reddened again, her attention falling to the box in her hand. “You’re right. He’s made everything so perfect.” Her brown irises locked on Stas. “I didn’t plan anything.”
“I know.”
“Like, not even the food or the wine or the flowers.”
“I know,” Stas repeated.
“How is this my life?” She touched her belly, the open sleeves of her gown flowing around her like angel wings. “How did this all happen?” Her lower lip wobbled. “Oh God, I’m going to cry. Again.”
“Uh, then I’ll just come back,” Tom said from the doorway, Amelia beside him.
She caught him by the arm as he tried to escape, and pulled him over the threshold with her. “Nice try, arse.”
“What? I was just giving her privacy.”
“You were running.” Amelia arched a brow, daring him to argue. When he didn’t, she nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
Lizzie grinned at him through her watery gaze. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied softly. “You look stunning, Lizzie.”
She glanced down at her bump. “You can’t tell?”
“Even if I could, it would only make you even more beautiful.” He held out his arms for her. “Come here. I promise not to mess with your hair.” A habit formed between them from years and years of brotherly affection.
“He knows better,” Amelia added.
Lizzie giggled and accepted Tom’s embrace. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“Walking me down the aisle.”
“Ah, Liz, I should be thanking you for the honor.” He held her tighter, kissing the top of her head very carefully. “I’m so happy for you, sweetheart. So, so happy.”
Stas teared up at the display, the reality of today settling over her. It hadn’t been the decorations or even the dress, but Tom’s embrace with Lizzie conveying the love of a man finally letting her go. Their relationship had always been platonic, even when Lizzie pined after him, but this felt like a final moment. A private one filled with joy and acceptance, and underlined in adoration.
“Love you,” he murmured, his eyes falling closed.
“Love you, too,” Lizzie replied just as softly.
A comforting silence fell over the room, Tom’s eyes stilled closed as he lent Lizzie his strength one last time. This wasn’t a goodbye between them, but a rebirth into a new life, one where he trusted another to protect her and cherish her the way she deserved.
He met Amelia’s gaze over Lizzie’s shoulder, and she gave him a nod. Some secret message Stas couldn’t decipher. But it was clear that Amelia approved.
“It’s time,” Tom said quietly, slowly releasing Lizzie. “You ready?”
She nodded, no hesitation in her features. “Yes.”
16
Stas
“Amelia is quite besotted with the Elder, Eli. She’s mentioned the exchanging of vows on several occasions, desiring the promise of eternal love. This is not something I’ve ever desired for myself, but if it is my sister’s wish, I shall endeavor to accept it.”
—Issac Wakefield
Vita mutatur, non tollitur
“Do you, Elizabeth, take Jayson to be yours forever, to love and to hold dear, from this day forward, for the rest of eternity and beyond?” Luc’s voice carried across the beach, his position at the altar fitting.
“I do,” Lizzie replied, her hands clasped in Jayson’s palms, his smiling eyes holding hers. He hadn’t stopped grinning since she appeared at the end of the aisle, had even shed a few tears at the sight of her walking toward him.
“And do you, Jayson, take Elizabeth to be yours forever, to love and to hold dear, from this day forward, for the rest of eternity and beyond?”
Adoration graced Jayson’s features as he said, “Absolutely, I do.”
Stas met Issac’s burning gaze. He sat in the second row of the groom’s section with Aidan beside him. She stood behind Lizzie, holding two bouquets of flowers.
Are you all right? he seemed to ask with his eyes. Or maybe that was her imagination. She seemed to have something caught in her throat, some sort of emotion she couldn’t name. Because everywhere she looked, she saw a future that would never be hers.
Yet, elation also filled her chest at the love radiating between her best friend and Jayson.
So why do I feel like I’m about to cry?
Maybe it was the emotions of the day, the embrace she witnessed between Tom and Lizzie, the undeniable devotion thickening the air before her.
And the realization that Stas would never experience a moment like this for herself. Not the marriage, but the vows—that sense of having someone for eternity without any strings or concerns.
I’ll never have that. Her heart ached with the thought.
Issac must have seen it in her expression, even though she tried her hardest to hide it, because his lips curled down at the corners. She swallowed and refocused on the ceremony, needing not to consider such things. Not right now. Not on Lizzie’s day.
Because she truly was happy for her best friend. Lizzie deserved this moment more than anyone Stas knew, and she was so thankful to be a part of it.
“Jayson?” Luc prompted.
The groom’s eyes glistened with warmth as he lifted Lizzie’s hand to his mouth to kiss her wrist. “From the moment we first met, you captivated me in a way no one else in my very long life has ever accomplished. I had to know you, Red. Every detail, key words that make you smile, why you care so much for others, what makes you so uniquely you, and how to be the best man possible in your life. And I’ve only begun achieving those goals, and with each one, I have a thousand more I want to experience and understand.”
He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear beneath her eye.
“I want to spend the rest of our very long lives creating a new history together, Red,” he continued softly. “Loving each other, raising our beautiful daughter together, and spending every waking moment treasuring this unique and special bond between us. I won’t let anyone or anything harm you, your heart, or your soul. I will never forsake you. I will always be faithful to you, to our family, to the bond between our souls. And I will forever love and adore you, as you are my heart, my love, and my life.”
Balthazar—the best man—handed him a box, inside it a ring that Jayson slid over Lizzie’s finger.
“Vena amoris,” he murmured. “A tradition younger than me, one that states the vein of your left finger is tied to your heart. That’s the purpose—to secure the other’s heart. But, Lizzie, you are my heart. Therefore, this is merely a symbol of my devotion to you, and with this ring, I vow to spend eternity with you and you alone. Always. Forever. For all the centuries and millennia to come. You are my Elizabeth, my Red, my wife.” He kissed her wrist again, adding a nibble to her pulse that left her smiling through the tears.
“You said we weren’t doing vows,” she whispered.
“I never said I wasn’t,” he clarified, the words only audible for those standing near the altar.
Clever man, Stas thought, smiling as Balthazar winked at her from over Luc’s shoulder. I hope you have more handkerchiefs, she thought at him.
His responding grin held a note of confidence and a knowing gleam, as if to say, Of course.
“God, Jayson,” Lizzie said, fanning her face with one hand. “I can’t follow that.”
The groom chuckled and kissed her hand again before releasing it. “I don’t expect you to.”
“But you just said all those things, and all I had planned was a standard vow that is so boring in co
mparison, and, oh…” She touched the back of her hand to her cheek, which was flushed a traditional Lizzie red. “I love you so much. You’re going to be the most amazing father and husband, and I’ll make you as many cookies as you could ever dream, and, and, I’m totally fucking this up right now.” She pressed her palm to her mouth. “Oh God, I said fuck in my vow…”
Several chuckles came from the audience while Stas tried to hide her own amusement behind the bouquets of flowers in her hands.
Balthazar cleared his throat and handed Lizzie a box that matched the one he’d given Jay. “It’s not official until you’re holding the ring,” he murmured, his voice warm and encouraging. “Just speak from your heart, sweetheart.”
She nodded, taking the box and stealing a deep breath while everyone around them quieted themselves.
Stas risked another glance at Issac, and he tilted his head to the side, a deep curiosity in his gaze. What would you say? he seemed to be asking. Or maybe he just wanted to know her thoughts, or why her own eyes were tearing up yet again at the proceedings before them.
Because I’ll never have a chance to say these things to him. They couldn’t have eternity.
“Jayson,” Lizzie started, pausing to swallow and straighten her shoulders. “I’ve spent my life not belonging, an outsider playing the part I was groomed for from a young age without ever understanding why. I thought I understood a lot of things, like love, but I didn’t. Not until I met you.”
He squeezed her hand when she paused again, the smile in his dark eyes genuine and encouraging. She responded in kind, her expression glowing with warmth and conviction.
“You taught me how to feel, Jayson. To really feel. And you taught me how to live, as if I’d never been living at all. I can’t wait to explore the future with you, with our new family, our daughter, to watch you become a dad, to live with you every day for the rest of our lives. God, there’s going to be so much pizza and cookies, and I’m going to get fat, but I know you won’t care because you’re my Jay and I’m your Red, and together, we are one giant heart. Because you own my heart, too, Jayson. You always will, for richer, for poorer, for eternity. I will always be yours.” She slid the ring over his finger with her words, handing the box back to a waiting Balthazar. “I love you.”
