34. Tate

THIRTY-FOUR

TATE

The music from the DJ echoed through the massive hall that Gio had rented. Ava and Blayne were on the dance floor. It was their first dance, and every eye was on them.

Steff, Miles, and I were sitting at the groomsmen table. A very expensive bottle of champagne sat on the table in front of us. I'd worked with celebrities and had never seen a wedding as grand or expensive. Gio had really pulled out all the stops for his little girl.

Blayne had grumbled the entire past year while it was being planned. My friend had grown up frugal, and this huge display of wealth made no sense to him. But when Gio Francis says he wants his daughter to have a dream wedding? Well, you didn't say.

Looking across the dance floor, I spotted Gio. He was sitting, watching Ava and Blayne. I'd never seen the man look so happy. The fact that he had a grandbaby in each arm probably helped that.

The babies were a little less than three months old and seemed to be absolutely entranced by the beard Gio had grown. Each baby kept reaching up a tiny little fist and clutching a handful of the hair. If it hurt, Gio didn't show it. Instead, he laughed and bounced the boys in his arms.

Harley was sitting at another table with Celina and April, our own little Tory on her knee. He was almost three now. Celina held her baby to her chest. That little ball of fire was six months old already.

God, time went so damned fast. We'd all been through a lot the last few years. It was strange to be out of danger. To be able to enjoy this day, to breathe easy and have fun. It was almost like this day was a celebration of everything we'd been through. Somehow it made the party even sweeter than it would have been.

Harley caught my eye and winked. I grinned back at her. For the millionth time, I thought about how Emily's curse was supposed to be a weapon against us, but instead it had helped make our lives whole. All four of us had been living what we thought were great lives. In reality, we'd been hollow. Broken and craving more than what we had. The curse had brought these amazing women into our lives. Women and children that none of us could picture life without now.

I looked over at Steff and Miles and spoke above the music to be heard. "We're pretty damn lucky, aren't we?" I said, nodding toward the table where our mates were sitting.

They grinned and nodded. Steff, basically reading my mind, said, "Yeah. I hated Emily for a while, but I think I could give her a big sloppy kiss right about now if she was still alive."

The last few years, I'd been happy more than I'd been sad. That was something I never could have said before all this. Now, my sadness was bittersweet as I watched my boy grow up, sent Mariah off to college—things like that. Sad but happy at the same time.

Jared was at the far end of the room, leaning against the wall and watching the newlyweds dance. He was a good kid. Antonio had been close to ruining him the same way he'd ruined Mariana. But Jared was still young and had a lot of life left to live. We'd all wondered if the curse would affect him as well, but it seemed like he'd gotten out lucky—or unlucky, depending on how you looked at things.

That part of the curse had been broken when Ava had rejected Blayne. Jared wouldn't be in Lilly Valley much longer. There were no other dragons anywhere near Lilly Valley. I didn't want him to be lonely his whole life. He needed to go and see the world. Maybe find his own mate out there somewhere.

Whenever he made his way out into the world, he knew the guys and I would be there for him. Even if he was halfway across the world, he was still an honorary member of our pack.

The dance ended and applause erupted. The DJ leaned into the microphone. "All right, now that the mister and missus have had their turn, let's get all the couples out on the floor. Come on, ladies and gents, grab your date and try not to step on any toes."

We got up and headed across the room to grab our mates. Harley handed Tory off to Jordyn and took my hand to follow me onto the floor.

The music started, and I pulled Harley in close. I surprised her by spinning her and dipping her low before lifting her back up. She laughed and shook her hair out of her face.

I lifted a hand and pushed a strand aside. "Thank you," I said.

"For what?" she asked with a smile.

"For bringing love and joy into my life. For filling my heart with all the things I never had before."

Harley's smile softened and her eyes looked deep into mine. "The feeling is mutual." She leaned in and kissed me.

"Tory, no!" Mariah called. "Put that down. I said, put it down!"

The little boy's squeals of laughter bounced through the room. I smiled and shook my head. "That kid is a handful. He's a wild one."

"I know," Harley said with a grin. "Hopefully this next one will take after me."

"Yeah. Hopefully…"

My eyes widened as I registered what she said. I jerked my head back to look at her and saw the mischievous smile on her lips. "What did you say? What do you mean?"

Harley leaned forward and nibbled at my ear before whispering, "Get ready. There's another little dragon on the way."

The whole day, I'd been thinking about how happy I was. How full my heart and life were. Until that moment, I hadn't thought I could have been happier. Harley's words showed me that my thoughts had been a lie. I could be happier.

I laughed and kissed her long and deep. All around us, my friends danced and our families laughed. The world was richer and more vibrant than any of us had believed it could be. All this because something that started out as a curse ended up being a blessing.

THE END