Page 138 of Wedlocked

“Just let me say this, bear.”

Arsen pressed his lips together and nodded.

I took a breath and gazed out the window as I exhaled, watching the snow fall. Swallowing, I turned back to my almost-husband.

“I’m pretty nervous,” I confessed. “So what I want to say might be kinda awkward, but I want to try. You deserve that. You deserve so much, maybe more than I can give you.”

His face changed like the wave of the emotion pummeling me was now crashing over him. “That’s not true.”

“I thought I would have to rearrange my life for you,” I blurted out, surprised I’d just started speaking but not stopping myself. “But in the end, I didn’t have to rearrange anything. You just fit. You didn’t fill in the places I was missing. You just loved me in spite of them. I thought you were chaos, but really, you’re my calm. You met me where I was, in the dark, and you didn’t even ask to turn on a light. I never…” I faltered but then straightened. “I never thought anyone would love me. I didn’t even know anyonecouldlove like you. But here you are. My favorite sound. My favorite heart. My everything. I probably won’t ever be easy, but I promise to try, bear. I promise to try and love you as good as you love me.” My lip wobbled then and my breath shuddered. I wanted to say more, but I was out of words.

Arsen made a sound and moved in to kiss me.

His dad pushed his hand between our faces and pressed Arsen back. “Just a minute.”

“Do it right now, Dad,” Arsen practically snarled.

Bennett smiled as though his son snarling at the altar was adorable.

He was right.

It was.

“The ring, please,” Bennett prompted.

Arsen tugged the silver band off his thumb and pushed it onto my ring finger. It was loose, but it didn’t matter. It felt right.

“And the other,” Bennett said, then grimaced. “Oh, ah, I mean…”

I grabbed Arsen’s hand and kissed the finger where I would put a ring.

“I now pronounce you husband and husband.”

Arsen’s lips met mine, silencing the room and everyone in it. My heart, which had been beating as fast as hummingbird wings, slowed to a thud, and I sank into the kiss, fisting the front of his shirt and holding on as if my life depended on it.

People around us cheered.

Hard bits of something started hitting me in the side of the head and side.

I wrinkled my nose, and Arsen laughed against my lips, lifting his hand to shield my eyes so we could continue kissing.

And we did, bodies crushed together right there in the middle of the room like we were alone.

“Get a room!” Win hollered.

“This is their room,” Lars quipped.

I heard the clicking of the camera, and another chunk of something hit me in the ear. Pulling back from Arsen’s lips, I glanced around and down at the floor where white rice littered the carpet.

Laughing, I looked up at Rush who was holding a huge red box of instant rice, currently pouring some into Bodhi’s palm.

Bodhi tossed the entire handful at us.

“It was short notice,” Rush said. “It was the best I could do.”

“Congratulations,” Wes said, moving in to hug me. I hugged him back and then everyone else as they came over to congratulate us.

I never once let go of Arsen’s hand, not even when Ryan and Rush poured glasses of champagne from two bottles and passed them around.