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Tossing out the ridiculous things Tasia had asked for, Mother gave us a list of locations and asked what kind of wedding Cadence wanted. When Cadence said she just wanted something small and simple, Mother had beamed, assuring us she could make it happen.
It still took a month to get everything ready, partially because the dress Cadence wanted had to be let out to accommodate her belly. She fussed about it, but I assured her she would look beautiful no matter how big she claimed to be.
Introducing Madame to my mother so she could help with the wedding had been an interesting moment as well. I’d been warry what Mother might think when she met the female alpha, but they seemed to have become friends over their discussions of which shade of pink to use for what decorations.
I still had no idea what my mother had done to break my engagement to Tasia without alienating Dimitri, but there hadn’t been any blowback. Perhaps due to the rumor circulating that Tasia had been seeing another alpha from her father’s organization during our short engagement.
Father stood next to Mother in the front row, giving me a quick nod when I shot a glance his way. Standing at the end of the aisle waiting to see Cadence was the longest moment of my life, but it was worth everything when she came through the doors in her white dress. Her hair was down in a loose sheet around her shoulders, just like it had been at the auction that brought us here. The bouquet of white roses she carried did nothing to hide her belly, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Lips stretching into the biggest smile I’d ever had, I sucked in a deep breath, more than ready to make Cadence my wife, as well as my mate.
Cadence
Iheld my breath as I stepped through the doors, but the look on Leo’s face made the rest of the world disappear. I couldn’t look away from him the entire walk down the aisle, until Michael stopped a few feet short of the alpha I was about to marry, who’d already claimed me, and my heart.
Confessing to Michael who Leo was had been difficult, but he’d handled it better than I had expected. He’d sat in silence before telling me I couldn’t help who I loved, and he still wanted me to be happy.
Turning to my brother, I leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek. I caught his flush before he turned away and took his seat in the front row beside Madame. Since he was my only family, I had insisted people sit wherever they wanted instead of taking sides, but the front had been reserved for the two of them.
My attention was pulled back to my mate, waiting to make me legally his, his tux highlighting his muscular body. It didn’t matter that I saw him in suits all the time, I still couldn’t pull my eyes away from the sight.
I barely heard anything the priest said. Leo squeezed my hands when I needed to respond, and in what felt like mere seconds, I was being introduced asMrs. Galleon.
Our baby girl tumbled in my belly as everyone stood and cheered. She seemed just as excited as her parents, and I moved a hand to my belly to savor the moment.
This was not what I’d expected for my life. It still wasn’t perfect, though living with Leo for the past few weeks had felt that way. I knew there would be issues in the future. There would always be the threat of danger lingering nearby because of who his father was, but I trusted Leo to keep us safe. He’d pulled away from certain parts of the business, though he still insisted I take a self-defense class once the baby was born and learn to handle a weapon. As adverse to the idea as I had been, I knew it was for the best.
Michael was staying at Leo’s penthouse now too. Leo had the extra space, and though Leo had been concerned about me being comfortable having my brother in a building filled with his men, I assured him it seemed the safest place for us to be. We might eventually have a house built near his parents in the neighborhood controlled by their people, but for now, we were happy where we were, and knowing there were men loyal to Leo nearby was comforting.
Leo pulled me into his arms again, swooping down to steal another kiss to the sounds of whoops and more cheers. One thing I was sure of with Leo, life would never be boring. There would always be something new on the horizon. Some new challenge to face.
And I looked forward to it.
Life might not be how I’d imagined, but I was happy. I looked forward to what the future would bring, and I knew we would face the challenges together.
And I knew Momma would be happy for me.
