Retribution (Secrets & Lies #3)(66)
I laugh and shake my head, picking up the bra and fingering the satin and lace. “I should have known. But I think the pendants are enough for us. So when are you and Jackson going to put yours on?” I ask. I put the bra down and pull my t-shirt off, getting ready for my shower. The compound has two showers, so today one is the 'girls' bathroom' while the other is reserved for the guys. “I still can't believe everyone insisted on us still using them after my screwup brought Isis to us.”
“They're beautiful works of art from a beautiful person, and I'll be proud to wear it the rest of my life,” Katrina reassures me, checking one last thread on my dress. “Well, you know what I mean.”
The night is clear and there's still a lot of chill, but the bonfire that Katrina and Jackson built bathes the entire area in light and warmth, and standing here in my knee-length dress, I glance at Andrea, who looks as excited and as nervous as I do. She's nearly my mirror image, her dress a light pale pink she says is the same color as sakura cherry blossoms, while mine is a pale ghost gray, lighter than my eyes but close enough. “Ready?”
“I'm ready,” Andrea says, holding Carson's pendant in her hand. Nathan's is in mine, and I'm reassured by the weight in my palm. Maybe there's a reason why I made ours slightly bigger than the other sets, feeling that reassuring weight all the time. “You think they'll be handsome?”
“They always are,” I say, taking Andrea's hand. “Andrea, before we do go out there, I wanted to tell you... I never could have gotten here without you. I don't know what the future holds for all of us, how our children are going to end up or anything like that, but I want you to know that if you and Carson are okay with it, I'd like it if maybe we can still live together after all of this. At least for a little while.”
“We're going to need a bigger house, but let's talk about it. Because I'd like that, too,” Andrea says, giving me a quick hug. “You look beautiful tonight, 'Lissa. Nathan's a lucky man.”
“And Carson's a lucky man as well.” We walk out together, and for a moment, my feet freeze, seeing Nathan dressed and waiting for me by the fire. I've seen him in his black suits so many times before, I thought I'd be used to it, but seeing him in all white, he's heart-stopping. Jackson and Katrina are standing next to Carson and Nathan, Jackson dressed in a black suit while Katrina, for maybe the third time since we've met, is wearing a dress. Visible on her pale skin is the gleaming glow of her pendant, and Jackson is wearing his outside his suit for now, smiling as Andrea and I come closer, and I reach for Nathan's hand. Andrea takes Carson's hand, and I look in Nathan's eyes.
“There's nothing more important than the bonds that unite us,” Katrina says, taking the lead. It makes sense, this all started with her, and while Nathan might be the leader of this family on the battlefield, she's as much our leader as he is. “Eleven and a half years ago, I gave up on institutions. Instead, I put my faith in good people. This is the key to our lives, to this path we've chosen to walk. So Nathan, Carson, do you promise to love, respect, and partner with your chosen one, to be honest and forthright, for as long as you live?”
“I do,” Nathan says. Before Carson can add his assent, Nathan continues. “I promise to protect, to give every fiber of myself to you, Melissa. You are my redemption, my heart, and my love.”
Carson echoes for Andrea, adding his own words.
Jackson speaks up, clearing his throat. “Melissa, Andrea, do you promise to love, respect, and love these men, for as long as you live?”
I nod. “I do. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and maybe I'm just a big child, because I've felt like it's taken a team to bring me out of the nightmare of where I was. Carson, Andrea, even Jackson and Katrina... but most of all you, Nathan. You awoke the woman inside me, and for that I will always love you. I’m honored to be your wife, and to be the mother of your child.”
Nathan's eyes are filled with happiness, and we exchange our pendants, Nathan carefully clasping the chain around my neck even as I attach his. We turn to Andrea, who is already crying in happiness, and she turns to look up at Carson.
Andrea says her vows, and they exchange their pendants, and all six of us hug, BA in her baby carrier on the edge of the circle, dressed warmly since it is still late winter. Seeing her family hugging, she raises her arms to us and calls out. “WABU! Wabu-wabu!”
Indeed, love.
“They didn't have to take the van down the mountain,” I say wistfully as the taillights disappear down the hill. “Really.”
“They wanted to give us our privacy,” Nathan says, kissing my neck and sending a shiver down my spine. “It's sweet. Besides, I think they're going to enjoy the hotel room for the next two days, kind of a mini-second honeymoon for them.”
“Mmm, those kisses of yours are just as sweet,” I reply, turning and putting my arms around Nathan's neck. “What about Andrea and Carson?”
“I have a feeling the gym in the chapel is exactly what those two want and desire for tonight,” Nathan says, chuckling. “While you girls were down in town, I helped Carson install some... equipment that apparently he and Andrea have discussed for a while. Nothing too strenuous, but things they can’t do at home.”