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As one, they all stood before the altar. Raine swallowed, so much less nervous now that they both held her hands and flanked her, the pillars of her life.
As she’d planned this day, Seth had helped her search Los Angeles for someone who performed poly-commitment ceremonies. Raine had interviewed several candidates but never quite felt the connection to any. None of those people had any meaning in her life, hadn’t played any part in bringing her, Macen, and Liam together.
Beck had discovered he could be ordained online to perform handfastings, so he’d volunteered. Seeing him in a crisp suit standing in front of them was a bit surreal—but very sweet. When he winked at her, she gave him a teary giggle.
“Not too late to change your mind, princess,” he teased.
Liam glared. Hammer growled.
Raine just shook her head and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “It was too late a long time ago.”
He gave her one of his rare, real smiles. “Then let’s get you married.”
Suddenly, the doctor and sadist stood taller, taking on an almost stately air. Beck never ceased to amaze her.
“We’re here today to witness the joining of three people we all know and admire. They’ve elected to share their lives together because they’re filled with love for one another. They’ve asked us to watch them because they’d like us to share their joy. They’ve chosen to celebrate their commitment on this day because exactly one year ago they all stood together for the very first time and began to fall in love.”
Raine glanced over at Liam with tears falling, glad she’d remembered to wear waterproof mascara. But what she really thanked God for was the man who’d left his adopted home in New York a year ago today to unwittingly start a new future. He might have intended to come for a temporary visit, but he’d stayed and become a permanent part of their forever.
“Some of their bonds are older than others,” Beck continued.
Liam glanced over her head to meet Hammer’s stare. They smiled, shared a nod that said they were beyond friends, even closer than brothers. She turned to Hammer as he looked down at her. She remembered Macen the night he’d taken her in, the day he’d celebrated her college graduation, the moment he’d first touched her, the time he’d finally admitted he loved her. So many years, so many memories. Yet in some ways, they’d only begun a year ago on this date—when Liam had finally completed them.
“But they all commit with their free will and their whole hearts. Today, three officially become one interwoven, unbreakable cord of love.”
From behind him, Beck produced a braid of silk that she, Macen, and Liam had previously braided together in solemn silence and abiding devotion. White, gray, and peacock strands blended perfectly, shining in the falling sunlight as he draped it across his palm. Together, they leaned in to kiss the length of silk.
“Join.”
At Beck’s soft command, they all held up their hands, fingers curling around the wrist to the right. Liam held her. She caressed Macen. He gripped Liam. An endless flow of love.
“This bride and her grooms have chosen a three-stranded cord as a symbol of the lives they have chosen to lead together,” Beck told the bystanders.
Then he wrapped their braided cord around their joined flesh, beginning with her wrist, all the way across Hammer’s hand, and ending with Liam’s fingers on her.
“Liam, Raine, Macen, if you let them, these are the hands that will passionately love you, utterly cherish you, and wrap you in comfort through your lifetime. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills you. These are the hands that will wipe away every tear, whether they be from sorrow or joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children and join your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it, support and encourage you to pursue your dreams, and comfort you through difficult times. Do you commit to holding your partners with that care from now until death parts you?”
“I do,” Liam promised, squeezing her hand.
“I do,” Raine managed to choke out between her happy tears.
“I do,” Macen vowed, looking like he wanted them to know he meant every word.
“Up until this moment, you have been separate in thought, word, and action. As your hands have been bound together by this cord, so, too, shall your lives be bound as one. May you forever be united, sharing in love and loyalty, joy and devotion.”
Beck unwound the ribbons from their wrists and nodded their way. “Exchange the symbols of your new life together.”
Raine set her flowers on a little pedestal to the side and untied the rings she’d secured with a tiny bow to the stem of her bouquet. She turned to Liam first with three interwoven bands of polished titanium he’d chosen. Sophisticated with a bit of masculine shine. It fit him perfectly. With Hammer’s support at her wrist, she pushed the ring on Liam’s finger. His warm eyes caressed her with tender adoration as he silently promised her the rest of his days.
