Vicious Carousel (Suncoast Society #25)(64)

Betsy giggled, and that was probably the best sound Kenny had heard in his entire damn life.





Chapter Twenty-Two


“ Everyone ready?” Leah asked?

After getting thumbs-ups from everyone, Leah hurried back outside to where they were holding the wedding. Loren was officiating the vows between Kenny and Nolan.

And Betsy.

And Nolan’s parents still weren’t exactly sure why their son was legally marrying Kenny, yet the girl who seemed to be their girlfriend was also wearing a wedding dress. Likewise, Betsy’s parents were a little confused about why Nolan and Kenny were getting married when they thought, but still weren’t sure, that Betsy was marrying Nolan or Kenny.

The rest of the wedding party pretended it was the most natural thing in the world.

Which, of course, to them, it was.

This was as vanilla as it got in their group. They were holding the wedding at Lucas, Leigh, and Nick-2’s house. Fitting, because that was where Nolan and Kenny had been the night Betsy really walked into their life to stay.

Only a select group of close friends from the Suncoast Society were invited, and all of them had been at the party that night as well. And the family.

Only Kenny’s mom was totally in the know and did her best to help the other sets of parents through it all.

Dennis was on a cruise to Mexico with a buddy of his, a Christmas gift to her husband.

And it happened to coincide with the date of the wedding.

How convenient.

Leigh, bless her heart, was waddling around, trying to make sure everyone was being taken care of. Tilly was busy chasing after her, trying to order her to get off her feet.

They all gathered together. “Any comments before we get started?” Loren called out.

“Does anyone need the duct tape?” Gilo called out, making everyone except the parents laugh, and only because they weren’t in on the joke.

“Nope, I think we’re good there, Gilo,” Loren said, obviously trying not to bust out laughing. She seemed to need a moment to compose her thoughts. “I know you three have your vows and said I could say whatever I wanted,” she started. “So, for starters, you two are married,” she said, indicating Kenny and Nolan with a smile. “Let’s just get that right out of the way, because even though it’s the legal part, it’s not the important part.”

Around Betsy’s neck, she wore a gorgeous, delicate niobium necklace, from which hung a shark’s tooth. That had been given to her the night before at the club by the men, in front of all their friends, during their collaring ceremony.

This was for the families, and the legal portion of the proceedings. “Families aren’t just born, they’re made,” Loren said. “That’s obvious by not just you three, but by most of us in this audience. We have families we were born into, and some of them accept us and some of them don’t, but we’ve built families. Of both lovers and friends, of friends who became lovers, of friends who are so close they might as well be blood relations—Gilo, if you make a bloodletting joke, so help me, I’ll smack you.”

“Aww.”

The audience laughed, and laughed again at the clueless looks on the parents’ faces.

They couldn’t help it. They were all well aware of how tragically close this day came to never being for a variety of reasons, and it felt good to laugh in celebration as well as victory.

When they were settled—again—Loren continued. “The bonds we make, the vows we take, the bread we break. It’s all part of the tapestries we create together. And I feel blessed and honored to call you my friends. Kenny.”

Kenny and Nolan flanked Betsy, all three of them holding hands. “Just because a piece of paper lists only one of you doesn’t mean that we aren’t a family together.”

Ed Payne had made sure of that, the paperwork ready to file Monday morning, powers of attorney, a trust, and an LLC, in all three of their names.

He continued. “Nolan, we’ve been together for several years now—”

“How many?” Gilo called out.

“Almost seven, Gilo,” he shot back with a grin. “Nice try. I heard Tony bet you.”

“Dammit,” Tony muttered from the other side of the audience. “I owe him twenty.”

“Nolan, we’ve been together for nearly seven years now, and while it’s been a wild and crazy ride, I wouldn’t have ridden it with anyone but you.”

Even Loren snickered.

He glanced at her. “Say it.”

“Ridden. That’s what she said.”

The audience, already on the edge of hysteria, burst out laughing again.

And it was all expected by most. Betsy had made it loudly known that if people didn’t cut up and keep the ceremony light-hearted and filled with laughter that she would sic June on them. Even their vows had been crafted with an ear to the ready one-liners.

“And I’m glad we have Betsy joining us on this ride,” Kenny finished, smiling down at her. “Because I didn’t know how much we needed her in our lives until she was there in the middle of it.”

Loren snickered, which made Betsy laugh.

“I love you both,” Kenny said. “And I’m glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you both.”

Now it was Nolan’s turn.