Our three are the youngest of the Lyall grandchildren, but they’re keeping up with their cousins just fine. I spot Isla’s red fur flash past the window as she chases Conall’s oldest, Hawthorn, toward the creek. Her brothers are right behind her, Gavin’s black-tipped tail streaming like a banner, Graham bringing up the rear with his characteristic determination. They’re only a year old, but they’re already getting into everything and giving their mother and me more gray hairs.
I wouldn’t trade a single moment of it.
“It’s time.” Sean appears at my elbow, grinning his usual grin. “I’ve been informed that your bride is ready.”
My bride. Julia. My mate, my partner, my best friend. The mother of my children. And in about ten minutes, my wife.
The ceremony is small and simple, just the way we wanted it. Julia walks down the aisle between her daughters, radiant in a cream-colored dress that flows around her like water. Her dark hairis pinned up with flowers, the multiplying silver strands catching the light.
When she reaches me, I take her hands in mine and forget every word I planned to say.
“Hi,” she whispers, her dark eyes bright with tears.
“Hi yourself, pretty girl.”
The officiant binds our hands together, and then we share our vows. We wrote them ourselves, trading drafts back and forth for weeks until we got them right. Julia promises to keep me fed and keep me honest, to laugh at my jokes even when they’re terrible, to build a life with me that’s bigger than either of us imagined. I promise to protect her and cherish her, to support her dreams and share her burdens, to love her fiercely every single day we have together.
To make it official, we share a drink from my family’s silverquaich, the wedding cup that has been used by generations to mark the beginning of their lives together. Every couple who has sipped from the Lyall quaich has had a long and happy marriage, and I know ours will be no different.
Then we kiss, our families erupting into cheers and howls. The reception flows seamlessly from the handfasting ceremony, tables rearranged, music starting up, food being passed around. It’s a good thing Julia and I are still tied together, or I think I’d lose track of her as she’s swept up in conversationwith her daughters and friends and new sisters-in-law and our moms, all of them exclaiming over her dress and her ring and the way I looked at her during the vows.
My brothers and Pa find me eventually. Ben hands me a whiskey without being asked.
“To the last Lyall bachelor,” Sean says, raising his glass. “Finally off the market.”
“I was never on the market,” I remind him. “I was just waiting for my mate.”
“Glad you finally found her.” Will claps me on the shoulder, his grip warm and firm. “I know how much you wanted this.”
“We’re happy for you, Ian. Truly,” Marc adds earnestly. “And happy for her that her ex is behind bars. He didn’t deserve her.”
Greg nods, quiet as usual. He’s watching his own mate across the room, the soft look on his face one I recognize intimately. We Lyall men love hard and love forever. It’s written in our blood.
“Speech!” Conall shouts, climbing on a chair, glass raised high. “The groom owes us a speech!”
“Get down from there before you break something,” Meg calls from across the room, but she’s laughing.
Julia and I make our way to the front, our pups tagging after us. Isla hangs onto the back of her mom’s dress, yelling to be picked up. Gavin chewson the sleeve of his tiny suit jacket, trying to pull off the buttons with his sharp little milk teeth. Sturdy Graham, a head taller than the other two, is the only one behaving himself, his dark eyes taking in the crowd with solemn curiosity.
“I’m not much for speeches,” I begin, and someone, probably Sean, yells something uncomplimentary that makes everyone laugh. “But I want to say a few things.”
I look at Julia, at our children, at the room full of people who showed up to celebrate with us.
“A year ago, I walked into a bookstore and met the woman I’d been waiting my whole life for. She was reading a story to a bunch of kids who were entranced by her.” Julia reaches down to hold Isla’s hand, and I catch a glimpse of her smile. “I was captivated, too. I knew right then that she was special. I just didn’t know how special.”
I take a breath, steadying myself so I can finish what I have to say. She squeezes my hand, and I know that even after we cut the tie that binds us together ceremonially, she’ll always be there by my side.
“Meeting Julia taught me that it’s never too late. Never too late to find your mate. Never too late to start a family. Never too late to build the life you always dreamed of.” I reach out and cup her cheek, brushing away the tear that’s escaped downher face. “She taught me that sometimes the best things are worth waiting for. And she was worth every single day.”
The room is quiet now, even the pups settling.
“So thank you,” I continue, turning to address our guests. “Thank you for being here. Thank you for welcoming Julia and her girls into the Lyall pack. Thank you for loving our pups as fiercely as we do. This family, this pack we’re building together, it’s everything I ever wanted.”
I raise my glass.
“To Julia. My mate. My beautiful wife.”
“To Julia!” the room echoes, and then the pups squirm free and the music starts up again and Julia is in my arms, kissing me like we’re alone instead of surrounded by a hundred of our closest relatives.
