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They held hands as the officiate, a new member of the New Bear Council, stood between them as they said their vows. Both spoke straight from the heart, which pierced Lyra like an arrow when Timber said his.
He looked down at her, tilting his head in the most affectionate way she had ever observed. Her heart galloped madly, hoping that the feeling would never fade.
“Lyra, you are the best thing I have never planned,” he said, smirking and sparkling. “I was lost in a sea of confusion when you came to me in the night. You are my lantern of hope and love.”
Lyra said her vows, too, which she somehow was able to release from a throat that had run as dry as a desert.
She held his look of love, the rest of the world around them disappearing into the coral twilight.
“Timber, I never thought I would want to tame an animal before. I have never tried, but with you, I am glad I did. You have shown me what I’m worth and have made me braver than I have ever been before. You are the sea captain in our eternal voyage.”
They grinned endlessly, not having known that the other would use a nautical metaphor. They kissed the first time as husband and wife to soft applause beyond them.
“My captain,” she whispered over his lips.
“My lantern.”
They sailed down the aisle and to the reception, which also took place in the backyard. They had a calm, quiet celebration of their love, a blossoming of affection surging around every corner and every touch.
Marigold sat between them in a golden dress, switching between their laps all night until it was bedtime. Lyra kissed each cheek, full of wonder that she had brought them together.
Their meeting had been magical, which surely meant the rest of their lives together would be too.
FORTY-SEVEN
TIMBER
Timber knew how much Lyra had enjoyed the yachting adventure they had taken on the day he proposed. So, for their honeymoon, he took it upon himself to lease one that would explore the Alaskan seas for as long as they saw fit.
He hired a small crew of five who would tend to their needs as far as cooking, cleaning, and steering the ship. He was ecstatic to reveal it to her as they went on his private jet, soaring into a secret week of bliss.
The sky was clear all week, a blinding bright, crisp blue shade. The frozen tundra glided along beyond them silently as they spent their days bundled up in wool jackets and hats, drinking coffee and hot chocolate as they floated from island to island. When they were ported, they explored each area, indulging in the cultural cuisine and traditional celebrations.
As much as Timber adored the days of watching his beloved wife laugh and absorb the wide-open world around her, it was the nights that he looked forward to the most. The crew he hired was kind and efficient but also respected the privacy of their relationship. Timber wanted to grab his wife at any instant, pulling her by the hand into their bedroom to indulge in each other, no matter what time of day it was.
Timber wasn’t much for PDA, but he did love teasing her. Her cheeks would flush beyond the pink blooms of the cold when he ran a hand past the hemline of her jeans, setting in the warm space between her thighs. He would then leave it there for her to respond, which she always did.
“Baby,” she crooned, snapping her head at him with wide eyes.
He chuckled. Her surprising arousal had never failed to amuse and satisfy him. They had been spending a lot of time together naked, their days flowing into nights, and nights into days, without any acknowledgment of time.
In fact, he had tasted her that very morning, trailing his tongue between her legs to wake her up. Her honey flowed into him with a quiet gasp, a unique flavor to go with his coffee.
They had eaten at the breakfast table, dazed and giggling with sensuality like two teenagers. They then came up into the sharp cold air, drinking more coffee with a spiked addition just for the sake of it.
“What?” he said, curling his tongue between his teeth and moving in closer.
Lyra wore a faux-fur hat a few sizes too big. Her rosy cheeks made her look like a little kid, having just come in from sledding.
Timber rubbed his nose against hers, gliding his hand up toward her heat. She groaned when he trailed over her mound, moving upward to settle on her waist.
“You are insatiable,” she purred.
His heart was going to burst out of his chest. He never knew he could be so deliriously happy. He thought that the bear council was enough for him to be content. But he realized after falling in love with Lyra that he had never been content at all.
He had never known thorough, layered, enlightening, fresh, and edgy love.
It not only made him feel whole, but it made him feel like he would become more and more of a man for her. A better man. A three-dimensional being with her growing and loving him and herself along the way.
