Chapter 137

The look on Mom’s face as I entered the church told me she knew exactly what I’d done with my wife. I offered the most innocent grin possible before hurrying down the aisle toward my brothers at the front of the church. At least she laughed.

This wedding looked different than our first one. Sure, it was technically a vow renewal, but I wanted to give her the wedding she’d wanted—one not influenced by her parents whatsoever. She picked everything from the flowers to the sparkle to the open-door policy with all of Cedar Harbor. Who the fuck knew who planned to show up? I sure as fuck didn’t, but that made it all the more fun.

I knew about as much to know the pack leaders were in town, Esther and Vera were enthusiastic about attending, and Lane and Beau were coming. I had yet to talk those two fuckers out of it.

The rest… well, the mystery was half the fun of it.

I just loved every fucking bit of the whole event because it screamed my wife. I could see where she’d put her heart into each decision. There were little memories tacked to everything—late nights on Pinterest, all-day trips to Olympia, phone calls during training at the mill so she could run ideas past me. All of it I fucking loved.

Despite the location, she wanted a non-denominational ceremony while she figured out her relationship with religion. She had passages and quotes stashed in a notebook that Parker had been thrilled to accept.

“How are we on schedule? Are we even on schedule?” I laughed as I joined Lucas, Sam, and Finn at the front of the church.

“Considering we wrote ‘Killian and Ginny hook up in the dressing room’ on the schedule and planned for it, we’re on schedule,” Sam retorted with a grin. Fucking shithead.

“You’re a dick,” I said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. We’d agreed to keep the wedding a little more laid back for everyone’s enjoyment—no uptight suits everywhere and uncomfortable dresses. As a result, Sam wore a white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows and a black tie. The look showed off what was once our matching tattoos. Only Raven had gone to town to turn his into a watercolor masterpiece while adding in little variations to make it more him. From what I’d heard, there was a fuck ton of apologizing for the entire goddamn session. “Where’s Roan?”

“We gave him a list of shit to do from the bride,” Lucas replied, damn near giggling.

“It’s the stupidest shit too,” Finn chimed in.

“You furry fucks,” I groaned. Couldn’t stop the fucking smile on my face though. The first time around, Nolan had been my best man. This time, I wanted Roan standing up there with me, considering he’d seen me through some of my darker shit in the last few years.

“If it helps, Axel added like four things to the list,” Sam told me. “And then Cade took the list, walked outside for ten minutes, and came back with a whole new list like Ginny changed her mind.”

From his spot in the front pew next to Raven, Cade laughed.

“I regret nothing,” Cade called out while I shook my head.

“Declan added a chicken run to Henry’s house on the list,” Lucas said.

“Why the fuck would you do that?” I demanded as I caught sight of my brother pacing along the side aisle. He wandered closer with a shit-eating grin on his face and his phone pressed to his ear.

“Would it be a Cedar Harbor wedding if there wasn’t a chicken involved somehow,” Declan replied quietly. “Isn’t that right, Killian?”

“Damn it,” I growled. Whirling on my heel, I faced the altar and made the sign of the cross. “God bless Mrs. Cheep.”

Fun fact: punt-kicking a chicken was never a good idea.

Yeah, I killed a chicken at our first wedding. I’d had no goddamn clue my brothers had hidden her in my room as I was getting ready, and she’d scared the shit out of me.

And yes, I paid Henry a thousand dollars for the goddamn chicken that went missing. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that I’d kicked her across the room out of fear.

“I like to think Mrs. Cheep is up there with Mr. Snuffles,” Finn said.

“God bless Mr. Snuffles,” my brothers and I murmured in unison. That fucking possum.

“Do you have Nolan on the phone?” I asked softly when I turned back to Declan. For as much as we all wanted Nolan at the wedding, he wouldn’t leave the apartment. He never did. The kid was barely surviving the aftermath of what the hunter had done to him. Physically, he was fine. Scarred but fine. Mentally, he had shut down on all of us. He didn’t text, didn’t call, didn’t want visitors. We all rotated shifts to bring him food, pick up his apartment, and take care of his cats. All the while, Nolan never left his room.

“One way,” Declan told me as he held the phone out of hearing range. “I got him to agree to watch the ceremony, but he won’t allow two-way video. I don’t know that he’ll stay on the whole time.”

I understood that. I hated it, but I understood it. I nodded and gestured for him to bring the phone closer.

“Love you, baby brother,” I said when Nolan could hear me. “Just know Genevieve and I both are thinking about you today. We love you, and we’ll be by later with cake and dinner for you.”

I waited for some kind of response. It usually took him a bit to do so.

“You don’t have to,” Nolan replied, barely audible.

“I know, kid, but I’m not giving up on you,” I promised gently. “None of us are.”

He said nothing, but I didn’t expect him to. The kid was slipping away from us. It worried the hell out of me—out of all of us.

“I got him,” Declan whispered. “You just worry about you and Ginny today.”

“Thank you. Just make sure you and Raven get out of here in time to beat the snow to East Havenwood.”

“We have three old men waiting to play cards, and I’m going to piss off Mrs. Ward tonight.” He laughed. “I’ll make sure we’re out of here in time.”

“Killian!” a little girl shrieked before I could reply. I grinned as I recognized Lizzie’s voice and turned in time to see her racing down the aisle.

“It’s my favorite muffin thief!” I exclaimed as I caught her, hoisting her lanky little self off the ground. She laughed as she hugged me, and I got a face full of blonde hair saturated in glitter. “Girl, you’re getting big.”

“That’s what I keep telling her.” Grant chuckled as he walked toward us. The man looked ready for work in what I would’ve guessed was his work suit. I kept that comment to myself. “I keep trying to put bricks on her head, but it hasn’t done a thing. How are you doing, Killian?”

“I’m good,” I said and shook the hand he offered. If there was ever anyone I looked short next to, it was Grant with his six-foot-five linebacker frame. However, anyone looked short next to him. “I’m glad you two could make it.”

While we had a pack full of kids we could’ve relied on, I wanted Lizzie to be the flower girl. The kid meant more to me than any of the pack kids ever had.

“Are you kidding?” he scoffed. “She had our whole trip planned before we even hung up the phone.”

“I like to be prepared,” Lizzie replied.

“And that’s what your dad needs,” I told her. “He’s so unorganized.”

“So unorganized.” She rolled her hazel eyes with more attitude than should’ve been legal. The fucking sass on this child.

“Okay, see that woman over there? With the blue hair?” I pointed across the church, and Lizzie nodded. “She’s got her son with her. He’s six. Real cool kid. His name is Walker. I know for a fact he knows where all the secret snacks are because I told him. Why don’t you go say hi until we’re ready to begin?”

“Okay!” Lizzie practically bounced off the carpet when I set her down. Fuck, it warmed my heart to see her happy. As soon as she was gone, I turned to Grant.

“His mom is named Danica Stone,” I said. “Quiet, no-nonsense type.”

“Is she one of you?” he asked.

“Yes, but Walker is her everything, so that’s where her focus is,” I replied. “I think you can understand that. Single parent and all.”

“I can. I’ll go introduce myself. Good luck today.”

“I’m already married.” I shrugged. Today was all symbolic. Nothing could go wrong.

The church was standing room only—rather, there wasn’t enough room for the turnout. Apparently, the two of us renewing our vows was the New Year’s Eve event in town. That shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did.

“I just love officiating weddings,” Parker commented as he joined me at the front of the church.

“You do know we’re married already, right?” I whispered.

“Everything I’ve done since I got here has been funerals and memorials. Let me have this, please.” He leaned closer. “Besides, how many people have the kind of love story you two do?”

Few and far between.

The music started, and I rubbed my hands together as the attention in the church turned to the back. Was I nervous? Anxious? Apprehensive? I didn’t have a word for what I was feeling as I watched Roan escort Gabby down the aisle in what looked like the most awkward arrangement ever. If anyone had told me a year ago that I would’ve been standing in front of my entire fucking hometown and then some to renew our vows, I would’ve told them they were fucking crazy.

I hadn’t pictured my year turning out the way it did. And I’d never dared to picture the big dream with Genevieve again. My wife. My kids. My home. I was the luckiest fucking man on the planet, and no one could convince me otherwise.

“I thought she was going to eat me,” Roan muttered when he stepped up behind me. Gabby smirked while I bit back a laugh.

Lucas and Finn closed the back doors while Lizzie took center stage throwing metallic colored flower petals on her walk down the aisle. I smiled. The girl fucking owned it, and Grant was her biggest fan as he filmed it. I was her second—always would be.

While the entire church turned to face the back, I smoothed a hand down the front of my shirt. Roan clapped a hand on my shoulder.

“She looks incredible,” he whispered. “I peeked. Lord help your dick.”

“We’re in a church,” I snapped, but it didn’t help that Parker snorted. I liked this kid.

My brothers opened the door—a little dramatically—with the uptick of music, and Lord help me, I forgot how to breathe.

The woman was sin and temptation draped in gold. Jesus fucking Christ, it was a goddamn good thing I hadn’t seen her before this. We never would’ve made it down the aisle. With long sleeves and a flowy skirt, the dress dipped low between her breasts and wrapped tight around her waist. Every inch of fabric sparkled as she moved. The color made her gorgeous eyes pop and complemented the deep red color she’d picked for her lips.

Oh fuck me, I was a goner.

As she took my hand, I realized even the soft curls in her long hair sparkled. The woman was a walking treasure, and she was mine.

“You look…” I faltered. Fuck, I didn’t have the words for how stunning she looked.

“I know.” Genevieve smiled. Something so simple threatened to take me out by the knees.

“I’ll figure out more words later,” I promised.

“He won’t,” Roan commented.

“Are you my best man or my peanut gallery?” I demanded.

“Obviously both.” He smirked.

Taking my wife’s hands, I drank her in, only vaguely aware of the ceremony starting.

“Well, I don’t think anything can top an entrance like that!” Parker exclaimed. Damn right, it couldn’t. “Susan Elizabeth Phillip once said, ‘anything worth having is worth fighting for’. I think that quote can resonate with all of us, but when I sat down to plan today with Killian and Genevieve, that is the only quote I could think of to encompass these two.

“I had the honor of talking with both of them—together and individually—about their journey that has brought us here today. And I just have to say, I have never met two people who better encompass the meaning of that quote than these two.”

“Don’t start crying, baby girl,” I whispered, watching her blink rapidly.

“Should’ve worn waterproof mascara,” she muttered. She let out a breathy giggle as she pressed one finger under her eye to catch tears. “I wore lip stain but forgot the waterproof mascara.”

“It’s okay. I’ll only make you cry a little,” Parker teased quietly. I had mixed feelings. I liked the kid, but no one made my wife cry. Not even for good things. “What these two have been through is nothing short of empowering. We all go through hardships in this adventure we call life. We all fall, we all struggle, we all stray from our path. We fall in and out of love. We question, we doubt, we fight. Some of us more than others. And that’s okay. It’s normal. It may not feel normal, but it is.”

Okay, Parker was riding a little too close to making me emotional in front of too many people.

“But to witness two people go through so much together—to have their relationship tested so heavily—and to see them grow despite it all is inspiring. It speaks to the kind of love they have for one another. A love that endures. A love that we all can aspire to have in all aspects of life.”

I squeezed Genevieve’s hands tighter as she lost her battle with not crying.

“And I promise that’s all I have to say.” Parker laughed, earning a small chuckle from everyone. “As this is a vow renewal, I’m told both of you have written your own vows. Well, the last we talked, Killian was going to, but he hadn’t yet.”

The kid had jokes.It did make Genevieve laugh, so it was worth it.

“Can I go first?” Genevieve asked quietly. “Because if you make me cry, I’m not coming back from that.”

“Anything your heart desires, baby girl,” I assured her.

“Ian,” she began with a small smile, “I’ll be honest and say that I don’t have the words to tell you how much I love you. You aren’t just my husband. You are my heart, you are my soul, and you are my home. I am who I am today because I love you and have been loved by you. I can’t promise easy days to come, but I can promise you that on the hard days, you won’t be alone. I can’t promise we’ll never have problems, but I can promise you that we will get through them together. I can’t promise…”

Her lower lip trembled, and she drew in an unsteady breath. Oh, my sweet princess.

“I can’t promise there won’t be times when the world is too much for you.” Her voice caught in her throat, and my chest tightened. “I can promise I won’t ever let you drown. I promise to always listen and to remind you of what you have. I can promise when it feels like you can’t fight anymore that I will help you keep going.

“And I promise to always make sure you have Waverly’s donuts when it’s the right time of year,” she finished. That last part earned her a round of laughter. I fucking grinned. I would never deserve this woman. Not in a million years.

“I can’t compete with that. I’m not great with words. Never have been, but I’ll do my best,” I said. “By nature, I’m a fighter. I have always been best at fighting my way through a situation or running away when emotionally it’s too much. Commitment has never been easy for me because it requires a kind of vulnerability I’m not comfortable with.”

“Ian,” Genevieve whispered. Her fingers laced through mine, offering comfort. But I didn’t need it. I was sure of what I wanted to say to her.

“I know the kind of man I am, and I know that being my wife hasn’t always been easy,” I continued. “But I also know I’m committed to change. I’m committed to changing for you, changing for us, and changing for our future. I promise to listen to the words you say and the ones you don’t. I promise to share my thoughts, and I promise to speak my truth. I promise to hold important the things you love, and I promise to share the things that are important to me with you. I promise to stop running when the push is too hard, and I promise to stop always fighting my way through things. I promise to protect your heart, and I promise to give you mine to protect. I promise to rely on you as much as I ask you to rely on me. But most of all, I promise it was always you and me, and it will always be you and me. We’re a team, Genevieve. Where you lead, I’ll always follow. Good days, bad days, and all the wildly crazy fucking days in between.”

She snorted through the tears.

“I only used one,” I mouthed, holding up one finger and making her smile.

“There isn’t a lot of advice I can give two people who have gone through what the two of you have,” Parker announced happily. “But I challenge you to make yourselves vulnerable for one another, even when you’re afraid to. I challenge you to find peace within one another, even when it feels like peace isn’t an option. I challenge you to always make time for one another, even when life gets busy. And I challenge you to talk to each other and to keep talking to one another, even when words are scarce and emotions are high.

“And that’s all I’ve got!” He clapped his hands together. “You may kiss your wife!”

That I didn’t need to be told twice to do.Pulling her to me, I cradled her face in my hands and kissed her. She melted into me as the church filled with cheers. I smiled, happier than I’d been in a long fucking time.