Page 135 of Wedlocked

Coupled with the warm light from the string lights above our bed, we stood there with our family in a halo of gold.

Rory rushed back in, her camera in hand and a smile on her flushed cheeks. “Sorry. But I thought it would be so beautiful to have the lights glittering through the window while you said your vows.” She held up the camera. “This might be spontaneous, but good pics are always a good idea.”

I glanced at Arsen. “Vows?” Nerves multiplied inside me, and I tapped the outside of my leg.One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three.“I don’t have vows ready.” And coming up with them on the spot was a bit daunting. I mean, I knew how I felt about Arsen. I felt it with my whole heart and chest, but putting that into words?

Hell, I had to text him my answer to his proposal.

And now there was a room full of people.

Warm palms swallowed my cheeks, and the brush of the cool metal of the rings on his fingers felt nice. “Hey,” he murmured, his voice just for me.

Have I mentioned it’s my favorite sound?

“We don’t need to do vows. You just have to stand here and repeat after Dad, then say I do. Okay?”

“You deserve better than that,” I said, the nerves inside me snowballing. What if this was a mistake? Not the marrying part but marrying now, like this. I mean, look at Ben. He was putting together a whole wedding. Food, decorations… Hell, we were at some massive chalet. He was writing vows.

What was I doing?

Standing here in Arsen’s checked Burberry pajamas and slippers. I didn’t even have a ring.

I gasped, the force of it pulling me away from his hands. “I don’t have a ring!” I glanced around, suddenly overwhelmed. “We can’t get married, Arsen. I don’t even have a ring for you.”

He grabbed me again. “Easy,” he murmured, toes bumping against my slippers. He swayed in, the flannel covering his thighs brushing against me. “Look at me, princess.”

I listened, eyes latching on to him like a lifeline. Probably because hewasmy lifeline. The only person I looked for now when my insides got stirred up.

“We don’t need rings.”

“Yes, we do,” I whispered.

He frowned. Then his eyes lit up. Pulling away, he reached for his hand, tugging off the silver band he always wore on his thumb. “You like wearing my stuff, right?” he asked, holding it up. “How about I give you this one? Might be a little big, but it will be okay until I can get it sized.”

Biting into my lower lip, I looked at the offering. Ididlike wearing his stuff. Eating off his plate, drinking from his glass. I liked anything of his. So the idea of wearing one of his rings was sort of perfect.

“But I don’t have one to give to you,” I said, forlorn.

Someone cleared their throat. “I could probably help with that.”

I glanced at Max, and he nodded. “Brought my tattoo kit.”

“Yes,” Arsen said instantly.

I looked back at Arsen. “You’d wear a tattoo for your wedding ring?” I questioned. “It’s permanent.”

“Just like how I feel about you.”

Oh.

He must have taken my silence for apprehension because he said, “But you can still get me a ring if you want. I’ll wear it too.”

Pushing up on tiptoes, I hugged him tight, squeezing my eyes closed and just wallowing in all the things this man was willing to do for me. “Can we get married now?” I asked.

“I mean, I’ve been waiting,” he mused, taking my hand and leading me over so we were in front of his father, standing face to face.

“We are gathered here in the middle of the night, in the presence of family and pajamas…” Bennett began, his voice confident and settling over the entire room. It even calmed some of the excitement popping inside me like popcorn.

This is right.This is where I belong.