My eyes flit to Galen, and I smile at my dark prince. He’s wearing a tight-fitting black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showcasing the ink on his arms. The top few buttons are undone, highlighting his toned chest and the colorful ink running up one side of his neck. Black fitted pants and new black boots complete his sexy look. His hair is artfully styled in a mess of tumbles on top of his head, and his green eyes radiate happiness as he stares at me in awe.
Saint steps forward, and I suck in another gasp. Our eyes connect, and I stop breathing again. He is the epitome of sex on a stick in his fitted black suit with black button-down shirt. Unlike Galen, his shirt is buttoned to the top, hiding the ink on his chest.
He closes the gap between us, standing directly in front of me. “Princess.” His voice is all choked up, and it inflames the messy ball of emotion churning in my gut. Lifting his hand, he gently touches my face, tipping my chin up. His tattooed fingers lightly hold me in place. Adoration and something much deeper swim in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes as he stares at me. “You are breathtaking and we’re the luckiest bastards alive.” He takes my hand, lifting it to his mouth, and kissing across my knuckles.
“Wow.” Caz steps forward and Saint passes my hand to his, stepping aside. “You look so fucking hot. I want to live inside you and never resurface for air.”
I giggle, peering into his fiery brown eyes as he too kisses the back of my hand. “Thanks. I think.”
Theo is up next, and he can’t contain the ginormous grin lighting up his face. “Madonna’s got nothing on Harlow Westbrook.” He presses a feather-soft kiss to my cheek, careful not to smudge my makeup. “You’re stunning, babe.”
I’m fighting tears by this point, and we haven’t even gotten to the ceremony yet.
“You’re a knockout, angel,” Galen agrees, threading his fingers in mine. “And you couldn’t be any more perfect.”
Saint hands me a simple bouquet of white roses, the short stems securely wrapped in white ribbon, and I almost lose it. “Stop it!” I smile through my tears. “You’re going to ruin my makeup.” I laugh to deflect the potent emotion consuming me. “And you are all so handsome and so fucking hot. If anyone’s lucky, it’s most definitely me.”
We snap a few pics, including a group selfie, before we head out. We guzzle some more champagne in the limo en route to city hall, and I’m grateful when Theo passes me a bottle of water, because I’m feeling a little tipsy, and I want to be fully coherent when I say my vows.
The justice of the peace we booked is waiting for us when we reach the designated room in city hall, and he wastes no time getting started. I hold Saint’s hands as we face one another with the guys standing close behind us.
Much of the ceremony is a blur because I’m transfixed by the man unraveling before my eyes. I’ve never seen so much emotion on Saint’s face before, and to know it’s all for me is mind-fucking-blowing.
He stumbles over his vows, and tears well in my eyes as I watch my brave, broken, sexy boy commit himself to me. My vows ring out confident and clear, and I keep my eyes on Saint, as I recite the words, until the very end when I purposely lock eyes with Caz, Theo, and Galen too. We exchange rings, and I get tingles sliding the black band on Saint’s finger, knowing he’s mine for life.
Saint kisses the shit out of me when the officiant confirms we are husband and wife, and I’m barely breathing when I finally come up for air.
The poor officiant almost keels over in shock when I kiss each of my guys in turn, and I’m waylaid as a fit of giggles accosts me. I double over laughing, because the look on his face is priceless, and I’m betting this is one wedding he won’t forget in a hurry.
Saint clutches our wedding certificate in one hand, and me in the other, as we make our way out of the building with matching wide smiles.
We pose on the steps for some official photos, and then Theo gives the photographer and our driver the address for the commitment ceremony, and we get back in the limo. I cannot believe they went to such lengths to ensure today was special, and it only makes me love them more.
“Ready to get married again, wifey,” Caz teases, as we pile out of the limo at the small private building where our group union is being celebrated.
“You betcha,” I say, looping my arm through his and letting him lead the way.
Tamara, the female celebrant, greets us when we arrive, ushering us into a cozy waiting room filled with colorful couches and an assortment of beanbags. She runs through the ceremony with us, explaining a few things, before stepping into the room next door, giving us a few moments alone.
Saint and Galen are on either side of me, and I fling my arms around them, urging the other two to join us with my eyes. We stand in a circle, with our arms locked around one another, and no words are spoken, because none are needed. Emotion is thick in the air and in their eyes, as my gaze meets theirs, one at a time. My heart pounds as the magnitude of what we are about to do truly sinks in.
This is it.
The moment we bond ourselves together for life, because there’s no doubt we’re in this forever.
The strains of my favorite Paramore song waft from under the door, and we break apart with matching smiles. Saint and I slip our wedding bands off, adding them to the box Theo holds open with the other three bands. Then Saint opens the double doors to the main room, and one by one, my handsome guys walk up the aisle, carpeted in a purple-and-gold-patterned rug. The quaint little room is adorned with large, vibrant prints on the wall, an abundance of floral arrangements, and cute little wooden chairs decorated with white ribbons.
I have no nerves as I follow last, singing along with Hayley Williams, clutching my bouquet in my hands, grinning as my guys watch me walk toward them with various adoring awestruck looks.
We hold hands in a circle as Tamara conducts the ceremony, and this time, I hear every beautiful word. My smile is so wide it threatens to split my face, and my heart is so full I half-expect it to burst from my chest.
She speaks of a commitment of the heart and the soul and how love transcends all. One by one, we speak the vows we each wrote, and I can’t hold my tears at bay any longer. I have to repeatedly pause when reciting my vows, overwhelmed with the love pouring into me from my four men.
“When I was young, I aspired to a love like my parents had,” I say, smiling at all of them. “I wanted to find that one person who owned half of my soul and bond myself to him for life. After I was kidnapped, I lost the part of my soul that believed in good things and I struggled to hold on to the notion that I deserved love. I couldn’t believe love was strong enough to mend the splinters in my heart and the damage to my psyche.” I smile through my tears at Theo. “You helped to restore my hope, but when we ended, I fell into a deeper well, and I did what I needed to, to survive. I shut off my heart to protect myself from ever feeling heartbreak again, and I closed myself completely to the notion of love.”
My chest heaves as I stop to draw a breath. “And it worked for a long time. I existed by numbing myself to all feeling, but I wasn’t really living. I never thought I’d find anyone worthy enough to crack through the shell I’d erected around my heart. Until I met all of you.”
My lower lip wobbles, and tears spill down my cheeks. “Just look at how far I’ve come,” I add spontaneously, laughing through my tears.
