“Excuse me,” the groom asked him, and Nathaniel moved aside, not realizing he was blocking the entrance. “Thank you. You ready?” he asked his bride-to-be.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this!” They opened the doors and went in.
Nathaniel couldn’t look at his friends. “Time?”
Dontae grated through his teeth, “Ten.”
“Where is she?” Darik groaned, tapping his feet.
Just then, he heard her voice and his hands escaped his pockets as he took a couple steps toward the welcome sound. There were other female voices with her, and their heels clicked speedily along the floor, a clear sign they knew they were running late.
Dontae sighed out all of his tension and Eli chuckled. “You guys should see your faces.”
With nervous laughter in his voice, Darik said the obvious, “Here they come.”
Around the corner appeared his future wife wearing a white floor-length spaghetti strapped dress that hugged her in all the right places. Her hair was in loose, long curls and she wore no jewelry. In her hands was a bouquet of the orchids he’d given her, the resilient flowers beautiful still. She’d brought them all, and the effect was kind of funny since there were so many.
She had two friends with her, the woman who was drunk at the club, now sober and with light dancing in her blue eyes as she tended to her friend’s hair and kept talking non-stop. She wore a blue dress that complimented her eyes. The other was a redhead with wild wavy hair and chic wardrobe. The women didn’t match, but it didn’t matter. The redhead was looking at Nathaniel’s party. She smiled at the males en route to them, and her eyes paused a moment longer when she saw Dontae. She glanced back quickly to Michelle.
Nathaniel walked to meet them and he felt as though he could finally breathe. He gave her no sign he’d been nervous and when he stood before her, she and both her friends stared up at him. “You are so beautiful.”
She blushed and held out her hand. He took it and was about to walk away with her, but she tugged on him. “This is Rose,” she indicated the woman with the light-brown hair, who he’d seen before.
“Rose, nice to meet you.” He nodded, not willing to let go of Michelle’s hand.
“And Laura,” Michelle smiled to the redhead. “She’s a newer friend, but I thought I’d invite her anyway. I have others, but it’s a work day, so…”
“I wouldn’t miss this!” Laura grinned, clearly thrown by the swiftness of the courtship.
Rose rolled her eyes, clearly indicating her disbelief that any of this was a good idea, but kept quiet. Nathaniel could see that took some doing, and he imagined she must have given Michelle quite a bit of grief over this decision. He was just glad she hadn’t talked her out of it.
With his future wife’s hand tightly held in his, he turned and introduced his packmates. “Ladies, this is Eli, Dontae, and Darik.” He turned back as each one inclined their head in respective order. Locking eyes with Michelle he saw love gazing up him. “Come with me.”
She nodded and let him lead her to the door. He listened through it and heard the previous ceremony coming to a finish. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. When he knew it was time, he walked her in just as the other couple was leaving.
The city workers smiled at the large party’s arrival. Their friends stood back a few steps as Nathaniel and Michelle walked to the front and faced one another in front of an older man in a tired suit, who waited to perform the ceremony. He went through the normal verbiage without much romance, and when he started to give them the usual vows, Michelle shook her head.
“I want to say my own. Sorry, I should have warned you. I just thought of it, though,” she said with a shaky voice. “Just now. I don’t want the same old thing.”
He smiled at her. “I don’t need time to prepare. I know what I want to say to you.”
She flushed happily, a small shy smile on her lips. Taking a deep breath, she began, “Nathaniel, I promise to love you every day for the rest of my life. I promise to always be loyal and to treat you with the utmost respect. I vow to you today to work through whatever problems we may encounter as the years go by and when we change and grow. I promise with all of my heart to truly love you in the deepest sense of that word.” There were tears in her eyes and he squeezed both her hands and kissed her.
“Not yet,” said the County Clerk.
Throwing him a sideways smile, he cleared his throat. Looking into Michelle’s soft brown eyes, he told her, “Michelle, I promise to love and protect you every day for the rest of my life. I promise to support you in whatever you do and to be your greatest friend. I vow to take care of you and treat you with the respect you deserve. I promise to make love to you with passion and commitment from this day forward.” She chuckled and a tear escaped. He bent down and kissed its trail, this time uninterrupted, as there was not a dry eye in the room. “I promise to grow and change with you, and to share everything I am, to be honest and have no secrets. I will work through problems. I will be on your team. I promise you that. You have my word.”
The County Clerk cleared his throat. “Nathaniel Jacobs, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Nathaniel said, firmly, “I do.”
“And Michelle Nero, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
She gazed up at him, and choked, “I do.”
“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride…again.”
Nathaniel crushed her to him and kissed her deeply as her arms swung around his neck. She pulled him close and they kissed until their friends were whooping and hollering, the clapping echoing loudly off the sparsely decorated room.
The newly married couple separated, laughing, and shook the clerk’s hand before they turned back to grin at their friends. Michelle threw the bouquet without warning and it hit Rose in the face. Rose laughed and held the flowers, rolling her eyes at them and not seeing what Nathaniel had, that Eli had a special gleam in his eye as he looked at the blue-eyed female.
“Now what?” Dontae asked with pretend gruffness. “Move to Brooklyn and buy a house? Ridiculous. All of this!”
Nathaniel threw his arm around his new wife. “We’re staying in Manhattan.”
She nodded beaming at him. “It’s been decided.”
“Well, with the rate this is going, she’ll be having his child by Thursday,” Laura quipped.
“Right?!” Rose said dryly. She pointed her finger at Michelle. “Don’t you dare!”
Nathaniel exchanged a look with his packmates. All of them knew from her scent that his bride wasn’t fertile just yet, but that would soon change. He smirked and started for the door, his arm still around her. “Let’s go eat!”
Cheers from the group as they followed them out, their footsteps echoing loudly off the hard tile. Nathaniel heard Eli asking Rose, “So, what do you do?”
“I’m a lawyer,” she said with casual lightness.
“Hot.”
Darik’s voice rose over the clattering heels. “No dating, remember?!!!”
Nathaniel grinned over his shoulder to see Eli throw up his arms in mock-innocence. “What? I’m just asking the pretty lady a question!”
Sunlight burst onto them as the double door swung open. Michelle whispered up to him, “Hey husband.”
“Yes, wife?”
“I just had to say it.”
He stopped at the top of the steps before the group descended, and kissed her again as though no one was watching. They heard the voices of their friends fade away. They’d given them a moment alone. Nathaniel felt such a rush as he held her, knowing she was here to stay. He looked at Michelle and he said in a husky tone, “Remember I said, no secrets?” She nodded. “I have to confess something then.” Her eyebrows tilted up. “I didn’t think you were going to come.”
Tenderness warmed her eyes and she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him before saying, “And I didn’t think I’d ever meet the one
. See, we were both wrong.”
He grinned, grasped her hand and led her down the steps. Their friends waited at the bottom, talking amongst themselves. They turned to watch them coming down, and broke into applause.
Nathaniel called out, “Alright! Enough! I’m starving! Let’s do this!”
The seven walked into the city feeling their lives were changed, and changed forever. You just never knew when a path would turn and take you where you never thought you’d go.
The End.
Werewolves of New York
Eli
Eli’s coming! His oh-so-reluctant romance will also be a complete book with no cliffhangers. To Be Notified of When it Releases...
Sign Up For The Private Mailing List HERE.
Also by Faleena Hopkins
Owned By The Alphas - Five Novellas Boxed Set
Tired of the life that society shoves down her throat as ‘normal,’ Ali's escaped the city for a solo hike in Yosemite National Park, and she finds more than she was looking for. She finds magic.
Buy the Boxed Set on Amazon Here and read all five novellas at once, or download them separately in Kindle Unlimited by starting with Part One Here.
About the Author
Faleena Hopkins is a BIG fan of werewolves, vampires, redemption, and drinking a glass of red wine while howling under the moon—any moon, full or not. She lives in Los Angeles where all the crazies live…and feels right at home among them. Plus, she trains in the martial art Krav Maga and could kick their asses if the need arose. (That’s a boxing glove she’s sliding on in the photo.) Did you know she’s an actress and director, too? You can find out more about these here on IMDB.
Be sure to like her Facebook Page to stay in touch!
authorfaleenahopkins
Werewolves of New York: Nathaniel (Werewolf Shifter Stand-Alone Paranormal Romance Book 1) Page 11
