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“Admit it, that turned you on,” I teased, trying to kiss her.
She pushed me away. “You’re damn right it was hot, but you’re not messing up my hair again.”
“Ever?” I demanded, hand going to my neck to clutch my imaginary pearls.
“Not until the guests leave!” she laughed, dodging around me and pulling on her panties as I playfully swiped for her. I licked her spine, and she stilled, groaning.
“Wedding,” Valor reminded us, heading into the bathroom.
“Whose idea was this wedding anyway?” I grumbled.
“Yours.”
“Right. Good point.”
If we were a few minutes late to the ceremony, our guests were too polite to mention it.
The landscapers had outdone themselves, designing a series of gravel pathways and wildflowers in terraced garden beds. Trees shaded the guests, and the wind brought the scent of flowers—most of which I didn’t know the names of. What had once been my lonely, monastery of a house now looked like an actual home. We still had to buy another one in Prague, of course, but this one now held our furniture, and their clothes in the closets, and food in the fridge. Tables held decorations, bowls of fruit, or mementos. Our keys nestled together in a bowl on the entryway table.
Before they’d moved in with me, it had never been a home—just an art studio with a roof to keep me dry, and a place to have nightmares.
We’d helped each other dress, laughing guiltily about making people wait. Remarkably, Tarryn looked immaculate, as if our impromptu oral fest hadn’t happened. Valor was gorgeous in his impeccably tailored, charcoal gray suit. As for me, I was dressed in a gorgeous black brocade coat with tails, a black shirt and pants, and gleaming black knee boots. I wasn’t sure if Tarryn had been aiming for vampire, pirate, or both when she’d chosen the outfit for me, but I absolutely adored it.
Valor and I almost jogged to our spots at the front of the small gathering of people, but it was obvious we were aware we were late. My brother watched our hurry and leaned over to comment in Rodrigo’s ear. They looked amused, as though they’d guessed what we’d been doing. I might have been embarrassed if they weren’t often late, themselves, for similar reasons.
The folding chairs were arranged in neat rows and were mostly filled with my extended family. Rodrigo’s mother, siblings, and their childrenhad come, too, as had Severin’s other brother Church with his wife and children.
Big, shaggy Severin stood near the officiant, dressed in ripped jeans, but a clean T-shirt and a comically crooked tie. He cradled his baby son, Aurelius, who he kept having to jiggle because he was fussing. Rodrigo was also standing for us, looking as effortlessly dapper as Valor, but with a barf cloth on his shoulder as he attempted to burp baby Tiberius.
The music started—Humoresque No. 7 by Dvorak, played by Rodrigo’s actor brother, Fidel, on violin. Our nephew Prospero, our ring- and flower-bearer, walked down the aisle first. He was taking his job seriously and was dressed in an adorable tuxedo. Concordia had not been interested in participating in the ceremony today and was wandering around in her dinosaur costume while enjoying a slice of specially ordered emergency pizza.
Minnow came gliding down the aisle next, looking classy and understated in a muted rose chiffon dress that reached her knees. Considering she had two husbands and four young children, she looked well-rested and completely unfrazzled, considering how monumental an undertaking it had probably been to get here. Then again, my brother and Rodrigo weren’t useless tools.
After a pause, the song changed to a piece Fidel had composed. The first time I’d heard it, I’d imagined fairies in a summer glade. It was a tune he’d made up to entertain Prospero when he was a baby. It was perfect for today and for us. Irreverent.
Even though I’d helped her get ready, when Tarryn appeared at the other end of the aisle, my heart skipped ahead a few beats. Sunlight streamed through the trees, making her hair a glorious halo of red. When she spotted us waiting, her eyes lit with joy.
I’d worried this wedding would be a pale second-best compared to the one they’d shared when they were teenagers, but they’d thrown themselves into the preparations with as much zeal as I had. They’d assured me it meant as much to them, if not more, but seeing her elation convinced me.
I glanced at Valor, whose eyes were riveted on her, but then he looked back at me and grinned, like he wanted to grab me and kiss me.
The chiffon of Tarryn’s gown floated around her, ethereal. She’d allowed me to lace her sandals that reached her knees, and the feel of the cords lingered in my fingers. When she reached us, they moved me between them. I’d assumed Tarryn would be in the middle, but they’d apparently had other ideas.
We turned to face Jack, who was looking their best in a three-piece, pinstriped suit. Valor and Tarryn linked their hands with mine.
“Good morning, everyone,” Jack said, smiling confidently at the small gathering. “Tarryn, Loïc, and Valor are so happy you could be here with them today, as they take this important step into their new life together.”
In that moment, I was a vessel the universe filled with more feelings than I could ever be expected to hold. Tears tracked down my cheeks, and I simply let them.
Loïc Leduc didn’t deserve this resplendent happiness, but he would snatch it up like a shameless thief and never look back.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Valor
“Which one?” Loïc insisted, waving the fan of meticulously curated paint color samples in front of my eyes. I held up a finger and continued my phone conversation with my construction manager who wasn’t complaining about the time even though it was 2 AM in New York state.
The project I had the man working on was in its preliminary stages, but we were already discussing plans to convert a second abandoned mall after this one. Seeing a mall being turned into a space for a thriving co-operative community was exciting. Jack had been the one who’d suggested it to Loïc. Sure, we were usually breaking even on these ventures thanks to government grants, but we didn’t need them to turn a profit. It was still hard to wrap my head around not needing to make money.
When we’d met the people who had applied to move into those spaces, they made me think of how scared Tarryn and I had been when we were newlyweds, and how often we’d gone hungry trying to save enough to make rent. The subsidized units were sorely needed, and there was so much demand thatthis was only the beginning.
