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My dad wasn’t a man of many words, but he said, “Never thought I’d get invited to your wedding. Honoured to be here, son. You picked a good one.”
I nodded, not really sure what else to say, but that was good enough for him. Nate hugged me and threatened my life if I ever hurt his brother. Then he promised me rewards if I fucked with him forever, so I made that deal with no problems. Sold.
“Ready?” Scraggly Beard asked.
I read his name on his certificate, but my brain had no more room for remembering things on a day like this.
Ready. So fucking ready. The tree looked like it came straight from Hell, the clouds threatened rain, crowcawsoverpowered the sound of our voices, and my mom was already drunk. Nate and Xavi were in fine form, gossiping and snapping photos like a couple of tourists, but what else was new?
We nodded at Scraggly.
Devon’s breath whooshed out of him in a shaky exhale as soon as he took my hands. I fuckingknewhe’d get emotional. He needed to cut that shit out because I didn’t feel like crying today.
“Stop it,” I whisper-shouted at Devon as Scraggly started droning on about what marriage meant.
Devon glared at me, but at least it snapped him back into shape. We half-ass listened while this asshole talked, but I think we had an entirely different conversation with our eyes. Devon told me it didn’t matter that we were poor and homeless because our love was enough. I told him he was a twat who needed to get his priorities straight, but that I loved him anyway.
“I said no showy shit!” Devon barked at Scraggly. “Just get to the part where we say our shit and kiss.”
Again, Scraggly wasn’t bothered by our bluntness. “Maddox, go ahead.”
I didn’t have much of a declaration because Devon already knew how I felt. I’d been taunting him with my vows being done for weeks, so he probably expected something grand and bullshitty. Nope. That wasn’t me. I was more of a one-liner kind of guy. I’d told him I wanted to hate him, have him, fuck him, fight with him, and marry him. But now I had something new to add to that list.
“Devon,” I started, feeling those emotions creep up my throat—the very same ones I just reprimanded him for. I rubbed my thumb over the ring on his left finger, looking at his eyes and only his eyes. “I promise to never let you sit alone in the dark.”
Devon, that fucking bitch, blinked, and a whole-ass tear dripped down his cheek.
“Fuck you, Devon. Lock that shit up.” I seethed at him, trying to stop the burning in my own eyes.
He nodded, blinking away the tears. The breath he let out was wobbly as fuck.
“Devon?” Scraggly prompted.
Devon nodded a hundred more times, and then he looked up at the tree we stood under. The old, haggard, half-dead Oak that stood on the edge of the forest and refused to give up on life like the beacon of strength it was. It was weathered from taking the brunt of all storms, but it was wise for living through them. It was solid because it refused to be weak. Guess I was a tree-hugging granola bitch now.
“Maddox,” Devon started, looking at me now. “I’m right here, and I’m not fucking going anywhere.”
Well, god-fucking-dammit. Just like the tree. I widened my eyes, refusing to blink. If I blinked, it would happen. I stared at him with a high level of intensity, unflinching, but trying to will away the overwhelming sense of love. He winced when I squeezed his hands too hard, and then he squeezed mine back. This feeling ripped up my sense of composure just like all the ripped-up vows Devon had tossed.
“Youlock it up,” Devon hissed at me. But he busted into tears, and fuck him for it!
A single tear fell down my cheek, and I choked on fucking love. “Get on with it,” I ordered Scraggly.
He started saying something about the power vested in him, but Devon got impatient. With tears still on his cheeks, he grabbed me by my damn throat like the asshole he was and kissed me.
“I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may… fuck it.”
This kiss differed from all the rest. It sealed fate and made it eternal. It promised things our mouths failed to say, reminded us of memories our hearts still carried, and offered hopes we were hesitant to wish for. Devon’s fingers pressed into my pulse point, feeling exactly how hard he gave me life. When our family started to hoot and holler, Devon didn’t let go. He kept his hand on my throat, rested his forehead against mine, and breathed.
“I fucking love you, Maddox Kane.”
I bitch slapped my emotions into check, breathed deeply, and swallowed my pride. “I don’t deserve you, but I’ll spend forever earning you, Devon. I love you.”
I kissed him one more time, and then Devon grabbed my hand and raised it above our heads as we turned to face our family. The crows all cawed and the wind picked up like our marriage was an omen—good or bad. “I bagged me a Kane!”
I laughed. And smiled. Real ones. Like the kind full of joy and all that humble gratitude bullshit. Pete raised his glass from the porch again, and I nodded at him before he went inside. I think I found my home here at his farm.
We were congratulated, mocked, made fun of, and pushed around by our brothers, and my mom ended up sharing her tetra-pack of wine with Scraggly. We didn’t exchange rings because we already had those, but when my dad pulled out his phone to take pictures of us and our brothers, Devon made sure the arrow on his shirt pointed at me. Xavi and Nate directed the photos like runway directors, but it was all in good fun. They were annoying, but not any more so than usual, so we took it. They even got one with us holding Scraggly in a headlock.
