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I hum, kissing him again as I press my body up close. “Now that sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Oh, barf,” Knox grumbles under his breath.
I flip him off as I kiss Zane again, happy as I can be. “Merry Christmas, Zane.”
“Merry Christmas, my darling.”
Epilogue I
Zane
There’s a timeless quality to Las Vegas, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It could be the flashing lights, the endless sound of coins spilling from slot machines. It feels strange coming back after so long. Nothing has changed, yet everything has changed. Today is a particularly special day, too, because the last of us Phillips brothers is finally getting married.
I don’t know if it counts as a tradition, but I like to think Knox getting hitched at the Little White Chapel on the Strip is more than a little coincidence. First Heath, then me—even if I still barely have any recollection of the ceremony—and now the youngest Phillips brother. There’s something nice about having a small, intimate wedding. No need to stress about the catering or figuring out the guest list or burning a hole into your wallet trying to accommodate everyone’s expectation of what a wedding is supposed to be.
“God, I’m nervous,” Knox grumbles for the fourth time this hour. He readjusts his suit jacket, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles just so he has something to do with his hands. “Is it normal to feel this nervous?”
I chuckle. “We’re not going to have a runaway groom on our hands, are we?”
Heath laughs. “You asked her to marry you, kid. Why are you freaking out?”
“I don’t know,” Knox admits. “I guess it’s just really hitting me, that’s all. I didn’t think Natalia would say yes.”
“She loves you,” Willow says. She stands off to the side in a lovely green dress, little Marcus fast asleep in her arms. I’m holding Leo, who’s been wide awake since six this morning and show no signs of slowing down.
Knox shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot. “She’s just so… amazing. You know? Headstrong, confident, ass that won’t quit.”
I roll my eyes. “Save it for the vows, man.”
“I just hope I can give her everything she’s looking for.”
Willow gives my brother a sympathetic smile. “She stepped down from the cartel to be with you, Knox. She wouldn’t have done that if she wasn’t sure.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
The bridal march starts to play over the chapel’s cheap speakers, Natalia entering through the main doors into the small room. She’s dressed in all white, her dark hair contrasting beautifully against the delicate fabric. I’ve only ever known the woman to have sharp edges and a dangerous look in her eye, but I must admit she looks almost angelic today. Her cheeks are a light pink and her smile is one of pure joy as she walks down the aisle to join my brother at the altar.
Willow and I take a seat next to one another in the front row, watching the two of them as they exchange vows and then their rings.
“You know,” I whisper in my wife’s ear, “I don’t think I ever got to see you in a wedding dress.”
Willow grins. “You didn’t carry me over the threshold, either.”
“Do you think we should renew our vows while we’re here?”
She nudges me with the tip of her elbow. “Why not? I think it’ll be romantic.”
Up at the altar, the man dressed as Elvis in a sparkling white getup says in a clear voice, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
And just like that, my little brother is hitched. Knox smiles at his new wife, an expression I genuinely used to believe he was incapable of. It’s nice to see how much Natalia has changed him, how they’ve changed each other. I’m so used to seeing them aloof and broody, but together, they appear every bit as soft and in love as the next couple waiting to get married out in the lobby.
“Ready for our Las Vegas honeymoon?” Knox asks her.
Natalia smirks. “I hope you know we’re going to spend the whole time fu—”
Willow clears her throat. “There are kids present.”
“So? It’s not like they understand me.”
