Independence

by Shelly Crane

  And then I saw Peter. I realized that I hadn't seen him all day.

  And then Caleb was there as the last people parted the way to reveal him. They circled and enclosed around me, almost pressing in to suffocate me, but none of that mattered. My mouth fell open and a small gasp fell from my lips. I looked him up and down, lingering on his bare feet before moving back up to his clean shaven chin, his lips that were slightly parted, and his button-up red shirt with the top two buttons undone.

  God…thank you, for he was beautiful.

  He moved the small inches that were between us and licked his lips before wiping under my eye with his thumb. I hadn't realized I was crying. And being without him all day made me sigh when he touched me. His calm, his love, his touch was just what I needed. He moved forward and kissed my cheekbone where the tear was and I practically melted right there in front of his whole family.

  He leaned back and looked me over, letting his fingers fall to my shoulder.

  That dress is…

  Gran made it. I stated what he already knew.

  That's not what I meant. At all. His fingers moved along my skin and I got his meaning exactly. I shivered and he smiled in satisfaction.

  All right, you, I scolded.

  He grinned and put his arm around my back, pulling me into his chest. We both turned to face Peter. I saw Dad and Fiona on the opposite side of us, Bish and Jen were next to us, and Kyle and Lynne on Caleb's side. We all faced Peter as he stood in the middle as the vortex, we circled him as a rim and the family circle us as the outer crust. It was like our own little world. Nothing mattered except this.

  Peter began to speak, facing us and being a little biased I think. Caleb was his son after all. "Imprinting isn't a life sentence. Our people thrive with our significant by our side. We all know the importance of what has happened since Maggie came into our lives. The proof of how destiny works and moves is right here in this circle, in these four couples that will be joined today. But more than destiny and purpose is love. The love one feels for his significant is bigger than any ocean, deeper than any well, more powerful than any storm. When we join these significants today, they are telling us that they want no one else, will always be there for each other and will never part from their mate. Not that I have to tell them that."

  The chuckles resounded around us as Peter turned to Kyle and Lynne. "Do you dedicate yourself to your significant?"

  Kyle spoke first. "I do, with all that I am."

  Lynne said too loudly, "I do, too, with all I am."

  Peter smiled, but didn't join in the laughter with the others. He turned to my dad and I felt my eyes crinkle as I watched him say that he accepted Fiona as his significant. He met my eyes across Peter's shoulder and he smiled, showing full on teeth and everything. Then it was Bish and Jen's turn. Peter choked up asking Jen if she would take Bish. And then Dad choked up when Bish said he would take Jen. Bish locked eyes with me and winked. I smiled and looked up at Caleb and it was so cliché. So predictable. So…everything I always imagined it would be. I was breathless and stuck in the trance of watching Caleb as he watched me.

  When I heard my name loudly, I pulled my gaze from his and looked at Peter. He looked at me expectantly. "Oh," I realized he'd asked me already. Even Gran's cackle didn't distract me from saying, "I do…with all that I am," I whispered and didn't wipe the tears that fell. I wore them like a badge that said how happy I was. I was so full, it was spilling over.

  And when Caleb said his words, they were low and filled with emotion. He brought his hand up, placing his thumb under my chin and his fingers on my cheek "I do, take you, Maggie, with all that I am."

  I tried hard to keep it together and not crumble.

  Peter cleared his throat several times and when I looked at him, he was fighting his own tears. "Now, as your first act as a married, mated couple, kiss her and claim her for all to see as your true heart and only love."

  Caleb pulled me to him, and claim me he did.

  Chapter 16

  Caleb

  Her mouth had never tasted better.

  She let me control her and I just couldn't stop. The feel of her lips, the smell of her cherry blossom perfume, the grip of her fingers in my shirt. Gah… I forced my lips to let go and looked at her as I barely pulled back. "I didn't say it yet, but…hell… you are so beautiful. And that dress is possibly the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

  "I'm glad you like it. I wore it for you," she said and smirked up at me. "You're welcome."

  I laughed and pressed my nose to hers. I breathed her in.

  "All right, you two," Gran spouted from behind us. "Make out later. Especially since we're all just standing here waiting for you to finish smooching. I'm ready for some cake."

  We burst out laughing. I nodded to Gran. "Thanks, Gran. Way to stay on top of things."

  "Don’t sass me, boy." She grinned and pushed past my uncle to reach us as everyone dispersed. She cupped my cheeks . "You're married," she mused. Her eyes took on that sheen that said tears were next. I balked in shock. Gran was crying for me?

  "Ah, Gran." I hugged her to me. She fit under my chin like Maggie. "Don’t cry, come on."

  "You're just so grown up." She leaned back. "A man now, with his own wife and house and life. Pretty soon, you'll be giving me great grandkids and -"

  "Hold your horses, Gran," I said laughing, stopping that train right there. Maggie was smiling, but her blush was a clear indicator. "Let's just worry about cake for now, OK?"

  "Good idea." She patted my cheek and strutted away toward Kyle, to give him the same speech I assumed, her bare feet small in the grass.

  I turned back to Maggie. "First it's having the "No sex" talk and now it's the "Grandkids" talk. The woman switches gears quicker than a five speed."

  Maggie giggled. "She's just happy. So am I."

  "So am I," I repeated in a growl. I pulled her up to meet my lips and kissed her good. When we finally moved into the garden where the food was, I saw that all the married couples had lingered and were currently making good use of the dark garden corner. Especially Jim. Way to go, Mr. Masters….

  Maggie slapped my arm and rolled her eyes. "Eew."

  "What?" I laughed.

  "Come on, Mr. Jacobson." She tugged my arm as she walked backward. "Dance with me."

  "No," I said.

  She looked startled before hearing my thoughts about my wanting to give her a present. "What kind of present?"

  "This kind." I took the guitar from Uncle Max and sat in the chair he vacated. The yard was filled with white lights in the trees, looking like stars right above us, but other than that no other decorations. I thought it was kind of hilarious how Maggie hated that sort of thing. And it wasn't my family's thing either. She fit right in.

  She knelt down on the grass at my feet and looked at me like I was a rock star. I played the song that I wrote, a slow, steady, strumming rhythm and sang the words in my mind just for Maggie to hear. My vows that I made a song with.

  You're amazing.

  Today you'll be mine in every way,

  every sense, every second,

  but I know that no matter how tight I hold you,

  it'll never be close enough.

  No matter how long or hard or passionately I kiss your lips,

  it'll never be sating.

  You're my soul-mate,

  my reason to keep pulling air into my lungs,

  my gorgeous significant that fits in my arms

  and my life perfectly,

  my whole life, my love, my partner in crime,

  my very heart, my amazing girl.

  She had cried a lot already today and I hated to be the reason she was doing it again. But she reached up and put her arms around my neck, the guitar between us. "Thank you."

  "Don't thank me." I sat back and set the guitar aside as I stood and pulled her elbows to help her stand, too. "I love you."

  "I love you," she replied in a whisper.

  I took her and p
ut her hand on my shoulder, while taking the other in mine. My palm pushed against her lower back and I pressed her to me. My body hummed and told me to touch every piece of skin that I could see. I tried not to let it consume my thoughts, I tried to keep my hands to myself, but I'd find them wandering along her back, caressing down her bare, tan shoulder, linking and lacing our fingers as the skin I touched buzzed with eagerness.

  When she started to shiver in the warm night air, I knew I had to stop. She wasn't cold and if I didn’t watch it, I was about to embarrass myself. So I focused on the surroundings and let Maggie's thoughts guide mine as she watched her Dad and Fiona. She bit her lip and tried not to cry again. And then Kyle bumped my shoulder. He had Lynne wrapped up in his arms like a cocoon. He glanced between us and gave me a knowing look.

  Things always work out, his look seemed to say.

  He and Maggie shared this look, too, that spoke volumes of their past. Of the way Kyle chased her when she wasn't his. About how life finally got right when he decided to let Maggie go. I wasn't surprised when she let me go to hug him. He gripped her tight and I heard his thoughts as he was thankful for unanswered prayers. He loved Maggie, that never changed, but it was the way that he loved Maggie that had made the transition. I used to be envious of their past, how he knew so many things about her, but not anymore. Maggie deserved to have a friend like Kyle. He was a good guy and he was going to make a great husband.

  When they let go he hugged me next, patting my back in a brotherly way. He whispered in my ear, "If only Rodney were here with us."

  I felt my chest jerk. God help me, it hurt to know that he wasn't here and he should have been. I nodded and he gave me knowing look. "Yeah," I muttered. "That cowboy knew how to party."

  Kyle laughed and nodded once. "Yeah."

  It was a lame attempt to make it all OK, but it was all we could do.

  We danced, and everyone else danced, and Bish and Maggie danced, and Maggie and her Dad danced, Maggie danced with Haddock, and I danced with Jen. I could tell from using Maggie's gift that Jen still had no idea about the house. I grinned and had to give Bish props for doing a good job with keeping it secret. I knew how hard it was.

  I looked around at the chaos. The next time a wedding happened in this back yard, I'd be officiating, because I was the Champion now. I was glad that Dad had gotten to perform a service though. He deserved to.

  So, then we did the traditional cake eatingfeeding thing for Maggie, Lynne and Jim's sake, but that wasn't something we usually did at our weddings. And then we did our Virtuoso traditional dance. It starts with the bride in the middle, or brides in this case, and the men circle her, link arms and 'protect' her as we do our footwork of leg over right and then back again before kicking your foot right and back again. It was an old folk dance our ancestors started. It was a mix between all sorts of cultures. While each of the men takes turns going to the center and dancing with the bride in a circle once before going back to his spot and letting the next man have a turn. Once again, I thought these dances were stupid. Just like at the Reunification where they swap wives for dances for the night, I just got married and I didn't freaking want to share her. But as I watched her dance with all of my uncles and cousins, my annoyance melted away and my laughter replaced it. Especially when Uncle Mike made an ivy vine crawl up and wrap itself around Maggie's arm before attaching it to his, effecting handcuffing her to him. She laughed so hard and giggled it carried over the music.

  All I could do was stand there and watch her.

  When it was Dad's turn with Maggie, he took all the salt shakers from the picnic tables and dumped them over the girls' heads high enough so that the grains floated down. It fell around us all like sand or snow. It was so cheesy, but I could tell that Maggie and the rest of the girls were mesmerized by it.

  After we ate dinner and more cake, and everybody was thinking about heading out, I sprung the news on them that we'd gotten a call from Marcus. I told them I had made reservations at the cottages for us like I told Maggie I would. I instructed them all to get the bags that I knew they had already packed for their honeymoons and meet us there in an hour. Kyle was the only one who grumbled, but he did as we asked. Bish was disappointed. He was looking forward to springing the house on Jen tonight, but understood that everyone's safety was first priority. The rest of the Jacobson clan was on lockdown at Dad's, per my order.

  I had to make sure everyone would be safe while we were gone and Dad's house was the safest and biggest place. No one grumbled about my order either. Those Jacobsons were all about a party. And Mom was ecstatic to have people to cook for.

  We waved and said our goodbyes. Mom cried and fussed over me and then cried and fussed over Maggie. There was no throwing rice, no party favors, no changing of outfits, though we did put some shoes on.

  Bish and Jim rode together while Kyle rode with Maggie and I.

  I had to turn on the radio pretty loud to cover up the smacking noises of Kyle and Lynne making out in the backseat. Maggie thought it was hilarious and giggled into my arm my arm half the way and then I thought she'd sleep, but her fingers kept moving along my arm and fingers. She was absolutely calm. She was calmer than I was.

  It made me pause, made me wonder what the reason was for her calm. Instead of making me feel better, it made me worry.

  I stopped at the light before the cottages and I felt her palm on my cheek, making me look at her. She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to. The small, honest smile that sat on her lips told me she was just happy…and ready.

  I checked us in, gave them their keys and tried not to be awkward when I gave Jim his. He wouldn’t look me in the eye and it took a lot not to groan at the elephant in the room as we all stood around and pretended that we weren't all about to be on our honeymoons.

  "So what now?" Bish asked as we stood between our cars in the parking sand.

  Jim gasped under his breath and Kyle laughed at the insinuation.

  "I meant…what now like tomorrow. Not…right now…" he mumbled, embarrassed. But really, all you could do was laugh. Bish started and the rest of us followed. Once we stopped laughing I answered him, my hand wrapped around Maggie's.

  "We're going to hide out here. I used an emergency credit card that Dad has that's not traceable to us. We just need to stay low for a while until we figure out what to do about Marcus."

  "So we could be here for like a week?" Lynne asked.

  I nodded. "Maybe more."

  "Sweet!"

  "Well, I think we should check in with each other regularly just to make sure everything's fine. So…tomorrow, let's meet up at lunch?" I suggested. I tried to act totally cool and casual, but everyone saw right through it.

  "Yeah. Lunch," Kyle agreed in a snicker. "That ought to be plenty of time."

  "Shut up, Kyle."

  The silence stretched. The awkwardness was so thick I was choking on it. I tried to think of something, anything. But I felt like anything I said would translate to Maggie's dad and brother as, 'Can't wait to bone, Maggie.' So I kept my mouth shut. The thick silence was better than the latter.

  Leave it to Kyle to not give two craps about any of that. "Well, goodnight! Sleep tight," he said brightly and practically dragged a giggling Lynne away.

  That was my cue.

  "We'll see you tomorrow, Dad," Maggie said softly. She hugged him around his middle. "I'm really happy for you," she whispered.

  "Me, too," he said. He looked at Fiona over Maggie's head. He smiled at her and she smiled back. She stood there in her red dress, purse in hand, and she didn't look very nervous either.

  I took a deep breath. It wasn't a steadying breath, 'cause I didn't need that. It was just a breath. Dad had sat me down earlier today, pulling me away from Jim, Bish and Kyle and all of my uncles. He wanted to speak to me about Maggie…and the wedding night.

  "Son, I just want you to be prepared. I know it's awkward to have this talk with me."

  "Awkward," I mused. "Yeah, that pretty muc
h covers it."

  He smirked. "Look. I know that you know that your imprinted body will know what…to do. And I know that you know the basics and what happens. What I want to talk to you about is the other stuff."

  "Other stuff?" I asked.

  "Things like the fact that our bodies don't allow us to hurt our mate." He gave me a knowing look. "Ever think about that? We aren't allowed to hurt our mate in any way. Not even on our wedding night."

  Oh, yikes. That had never even crossed my mind. "Oh…well then what happens? What am I supposed to do?"

  "Well, your body will take care of her. She won't actually feel but a second of pain if that before your body is already healing hers. I just wanted to you to understand that the birds and bees discussions we had, they are still true of course, but things are a little different for Aces."

  I pondered that. It was actually a relief now that we were having this discussion. I would have probably freaked later on tonight and screwed up everything. "Is there anything else?"

  "Well, I know that you've mutualized already," he looked at the floor for a few seconds, "but things are also a little different when you add…things to it."

  And so the conversation went. By the time we were done, over an hour had passed. I was so grateful for it now. I was grateful in general. In relative terms, Maggie and I were pretty lucky. Our families were great. No matter what happened, even when Dad didn't agree with my decisions, he still was my father and helped me in any way he could. I hoped to be half the man my father was some day.

  Maggie released Jim and he nodded to me before taking Fiona's hand. They were the laid back couple of us all. They walked leisurely away and Bish and Jen followed a few seconds later after saying their goodbyes to Maggie. She turned with a small smile to me. Her star bracelet jingled as she rubbed her arm. The wind off the ocean was warm, but steady and lots of it.