It’s dusk, that magic hour where the sky bleeds soft purples and blues behind the mountains. The wind moves through the grass in soft waves. The aisle is black velvet, lined with glass pillars and low black candles flickering against the dark.
The altar glows like a portal to another world. A massive heart of black roses rises at the center. Fog curls up from the lake like ghosts’ breath. A blood red neon sign glows through the mist. Til Death.
It feels dramatic. Gothic. Completely unhinged.
Exactly the kind of wedding I always imagined.
The guest list is small. Only the people who matter.
Miles sits beside his husband, Alonzo. Naomi sits next to them with Elise and Ryan beside her. All of them are dressed in black. All of them hold bouquets of black stemmed roses.
My little found family.
The only family I ever really needed.
Beau stands beside Seth with his arms folded across his chest, playing the role of best man with the same calm confidence he brings to everything else. Seth’s best man and hitman.
And Seth…
Seth looks like sin in a suit.
Black on black. No tie. His collar sits open just enough to show the edges of the tattoos climbing up his neck.
His eyes search for me.
And the second he sees me, he smiles.
The kind of smile that says he would break every law in the world just to kiss me.
The priest standing between us looks terrified.
I notice it immediately.
I kind of love that.
I feel perfect.
I feel alive.
And I walk toward my ending.
Or actually, my beginning.
The wind lifts the hem of my dress as Travis walks me down the aisle, his arm steady under mine. When we stop in front of Seth, Travis gives my hand one last squeeze before placing it into Seth’s.
For a second, the three of us stand there together.
Travis looks at Seth, then pats him once on the back, the kind of handoff that says more than anything either of them could put into words.
Take care of her. I know you will.
Seth gives him a small nod. Then Travis steps back and returns to the others.
The priest clears his throat.
His hands shake as he opens the book.
From the side, Beau watches him carefully with his arms still folded, his expression promising violence if anything goes off script.
