“Yeah, Aiden and me will handle the rest of the family,” I add, because I know that’s probably what she’s most worried about right now.
“Aiden and I,” my mother corrects me out of sheer rote memory when she pulls back; it doesn’t look like she even registers speaking.
“No, I said me, not you.” I roll my eyes. Elise snorts, and, when I catch her eye, she breaks out into a wide smile. God, I’ve never loved anyone so much. I never want to let go of her.
Elise puts a hand on Mom’s shoulder. “Everything’s ok. We can handle it.”
She looks at Elise, and for all the shock still remaining on her face, there is some warmth. “Thank you, dear.”
Laura tugs on my mom’s arm and leads her back inside. Once they’re out of earshot, Aiden sidles forward and says to us in an undertone, “Logan hasn’t come back yet.”
I grimace. I don’t remember everything that happened during our fight, but I don’t think either of us did any lasting damage. It was just a bit rougher than our usual tussles.
I shrug, honestly glad that he’s not around right now. “He’ll be fine. He’s just gotta lick his wounds a bit first.”
I turn around and find Elise looking curiously at the patio full of distant family. “Is that your whole family?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Her stare remains on them, as she shifts her weight from one foot to another, considering the overturned chairs, the flower arch that could probably be propped up again. “I mean, we eloped on a crazy whim the first time. And, well, it’s no Atlantic City, but...”
I watch Elise’s gaze sweep across the lawn. I’m pretty sure there’s no way I’m catching her drift. Still, the endorphins from the other night give me the unwarranted confidence to catch her eye and ask, “Are you about to suggest we throw taking it slow to the wind?”
Elise rolls her eyes, but she grins. “Well, we’re already here. We can always just get divorced again, right?”
This utter madwoman. I love her. I did say I would do it all over again, and I mean it. Marrying her again is going to be such an adventure, and I can’t wait for all of it.
“You sure can try,” I tease, stepping into her space and cupping my hands around her face. I brush a speckle of dirt off her cheek, and dip down for a kiss that is more grinning against her face than it is anything else. I pull back for just a second.
“You’ll still be mated to me though, right?”
She clasps her hand over mine. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Clearly. It barely worked the first time.”
27
Elise
I will admit I am far drunker at my second wedding than I was at my first. The evening is a blur.
“Uh, hey, guys,” Shawn said as he gathered the remaining guests, his extended family. “So, um, a lot’s happened, in the last day or so. I know some of you guys were invited to see my little brother get married; he’s a little indisposed at the moment. I guess we’re going to have to reschedule that one. But uh...we’re still going to have a party. There’s lots of food, please, enjoy yourselves.”
Laura said the Carringtons are upset, to be sure. Apparently, Deanna tried to smooth things over the best she could, but Logan will have to make things right with them when he comes back. But that’s something to worry about another day.
We got cleaned up and Laura pre-heated the ovens for the food that never made it out yesterday. Something to do with the caterer sprinting off into the woods, leaving the couple of waitstaff I’d hired for the day to flounder and pass out the hors d’oeuvres that they did have. I’m going to have to email them an apology, but it’s going to wait just a bit.
My vows might have consisted of wiggling my eyebrows and giggling, “Round two, baby!”
It was worth it to see Shawn try so hard not to laugh, and ultimately fail.
Not all of his relatives stayed, in fact the older lady who gave me the stink eye earlier made it very clear she was leaving. Everyone who remained at the house is still pretty toasted. Aiden mentioned something about werewolf weddings and funerals, that the aconite consumption does need to be some next level shit to pacify the inner wolves.
Deanna is at least a little wine drunk, but maybe that helped, because she’s given me a number of hugs and said that I’m her favorite daughter-in-law. Which, honestly, kicks ass, even if I’m the only one.
I think she and Shawn might even be on somewhat better terms now, because immediately after, she flicked him on the forehead and only said, “Grandbabies.”
“Considering that Mom’s not giving me shit for the whole ex-wife thing”—Shawn shrugs, rubbing his forehead—“it’s an improvement. And you don’t need to worry about the grandbabies thing, we don’t need to—I’ll ask her not to—”
