Uniting the Souls (Souls of Chicago #6)(72)
“Welcome home,” I whispered into the dark and then I drifted off to sleep.
“Knock, knock, can I come in?” I heard Aysha say through the door.
“It’s open,” I answered back.
I looked up as the door swung open and smiled. Over the last several months, Aysha had become a sister to me and Matt as much as she was to Hudson. She looked beautiful in a blue silk dress that was elegant yet showed off her feminine curves. She looked happier and healthier than the day I first met her, but I supposed that’s what falling in love did to a person. And Drew loved her back just as much. Her eyes sparkled as she looked me over, smiling approvingly at my black tuxedo.
“Well, don’t you look handsome. I just wanted to check and see if you needed anything before I headed back down and got my seat.” I kissed her on the cheek.
“Thank you, but all I need is the two men who will be walking down that aisle with me,” I told her. Aysha’s grin widened and she chuckled at me.
“That’s almost exactly the same answer they each gave to me,” she said. I wasn’t surprised at all to hear that we were all on the same page, but it still made me feel warm all over. Aysha’s eyes turned serious and she laid a hand alongside my cheek, looking into my eyes.
“You’re a good man, Isaac. You’ve brought so much hope and joy into my life and Nicholas’ and for that I thank you, but I want to thank you most of all for loving Hudson the way that you do. He’s the best person I know, always so giving and kind. I used to worry that he’d meet someone and they’d take advantage of his goodness, but he found you and Matt instead and I couldn’t be happier. You two are exactly right for him because you’re compassionate and giving men as well. I know that you three will have a wonderful life together and I’m so glad I get to be there to watch it happen.” My eyes were blurry with tears as I wrapped my arms around her in a hug.
“Thank you for accepting and supporting the three of us. My life has become so much richer with you in it,” I whispered and she squeezed me tight for a few seconds before she pulled back. We chuckled as we both reached for a tissue and wiped the moisture from our eyes. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, shaking off the emotions.
“Okay, I’m going to head down now. Are you ready?” she asked.
“I’ll be there in just a minute,” I told her. Aysha nodded and smiled before shutting the door behind her. I turned back to look in the mirror.
It was finally my wedding day, the day I had dreamed about for years. When I was a young teenager and had first discovered that I liked boys, I used to fantasize that I’d meet a handsome man and he’d fall madly in love with me, marry me, and take me somewhere safe, away from all the pain and anger of my father. Zane would live next door to us with his own family and he and I would run a business together. At night, my husband would hold me in his arms and whisper how much he loved me until I fell asleep.
The reality was a bit different, but some of it was the same. I had two men that loved me instead of one and I worked with them instead of Zane, but thanks to Hudson, I had hope that I might find my brother someday. I wasn’t sure if that would ever happen, but the fact that I had hope where there once was none, was enough to make me happy. And I was happy. Sharing my story with Hudson and Matt had released the hold my demons had on me, taking away their power and transferring it back to me. I still felt pain and anger from everything I’d gone through and all the years I’d been cheated out of with my brother, but with the help of my therapist and the support and love of my guys, I was learning how to cope with those feelings.
I looked at my reflection in the mirror one last time and then turned with a smile to go find my men so we could get married. I walked down to the kitchen where we had said we would meet and looked out the window at all our guests. We’d decided to hold the ceremony at our house because we wanted to combine the happiest day of our lives to the place where we would build that life together.
Our friends and family were sitting and talking with one another in the white chairs we had set up for the special occasion. Tables were set up under a tent for the reception afterward and caterers scurried about, making sure everything would be ready for our guests as soon as the ceremony ended. I smiled as I saw that many of the staff and even a few of the kids from the center had shown up, although most of the staff were busy watching over things there, their gift to us so we could enjoy our time together.
Matt’s parents had also come. Hudson and I had been nervous meeting them, but they were as kind and gracious as their son and seemed relieved to see Matt so happy. The entire Greene family was there, even Carter and Ryan who had flown in along with Rylie and Lachlan, taking a break from the tour for the day so that they could celebrate with us.
“Hey, beautiful!” I whipped around when I heard Hudson’s deep voice and my heart caught in my throat as I looked at him.
His tuxedo was tailored to fit his broad shoulders perfectly and the crisp white shirt he had buttoned underneath showcasing his well-defined chest. I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat as Matt walked in behind him looking just as dashing. I couldn’t believe that these two amazing men wanted to spend the rest of their lives with me. I blinked, unable to see past my tears.
Seeing that I was overwhelmed with emotions, they came forward, sheltering me with their bodies like they always did and took turns kissing me and whispering to me how much they loved me until I was able to calm down.