After washing and drying his hands, Theo said, “Okay, Q, lead the way.”
“Oh, my gods, you’re going to love it,” Quin bubbled. “C’mon, Norm and Kieran are waiting for us.”
Following his friend through the great room to the front door, Theo’s mind filled with possibilities of what could be awaiting him but couldn’t figure it out. “How about a hint?”
“Uh-uh.” Reaching the front door, Quin pulled it open and, waving his hand, exuberantly cried out, “Ta-da!”
Shifting his gaze from his friend to the outside, Theo saw Norm and Kieran standing next to… “Oh my gods! It’s gorgeous! I love it!” Flying down the front steps, Theo skidded to a stop in front of a gazebo made from slender, white, Aspen limbs. Staring at it in awe, he tentatively reached out a finger, stroking the smooth, silky bark on one of the posts while letting a soft moan escape from his lips.
“Honeybunch,” Norm purred, hugging him, “Kieran designed this for our wedding ceremony and Logan got Slate’s crew to build it. Now all we have to do is find a spot in the forest for it.”
“Thank you, Ki,” Theo said, beaming at his friend, his eyes filling with tears. “It’s absolutely perfect…just perfect! I…oh my gods…how did you know…I love it…. you are so good to me and pooh bear.”
“I can’t wait to see you and Norm standing under it, saying your vows,” Kieran said, clasping his hands to his chest. “I can just see it now, the two of you decked out in matching suits, with matching flowers in your lapels, music softly playing, the Alpha walking Theo down the aisle and Norm waiting for you under the gazebo decked out with your favorite flowers…which, by the way, you have to let me know soon what they are so I can order them otherwise I’ll just have to guess and you might not like the color and then your wedding would be ruined…well, not ruined really, but you know, not perfect and I so want your wedding to be perfect…so maybe you should tell me right now so you don’t forget and then I’ll order them right away so I know they’ll arrive in time.”
“There are going to be flowers?” asked Theo.
“Oh, yes,” replied Kieran, “Quin and I are going to wrap the gazebo in your favorite flowers.”
“And don’t forget the flowers for the tables,” Quin added.
“That’s right,” Kieran said. “So, we need lots of flowers and the sooner we can order them the better it’ll be, so we can make sure you have the wedding of your dreams...so do you want to think about it or can you tell me now?”
Theo looked at Norm. “What do you think, pooh bear?”
“I think you should have anything you want, honeybunch,” Norm replied. “Go ahead, tell Ki what you’d like.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” Theo said and, after getting a reassuring nod from Norm, continued. “There’s a wildflower in the rain forest where I was born…I always loved it because it was one of the first signs of spring, but it’s more than that…pooh bear gave me a bouquet of them right before we were kid…”
Quickly realizing Theo couldn’t finish, Kieran interjected, “Oh, I remember you telling me about them when we were in Tajikistan. They were blue, right?”
“That’s them,” Theo replied quickly, “pale blue. That’s what I want… pale blue flowers representing our love and white flowers for our fur along with green ivy for our home. There’s a lot of ivy…and moss…lots of moss in the forest we grew up in.”
“Oh, that sounds so romantic,” Quin said. “Ki, can you imagine how gorgeous it will look? I can just see it now. You know, maybe we should become wedding planners? Do you think Fionn wants a wedding, too?”
“Maybe,” Kieran answered, giggling. “But I think everything would have to be fire-proof.”
“Why? Just because he’s a dragon?” asked Quin.
“No…well, yeah,” replied Norm, “but not for the reason you think. It’s because he tends to snort fire…usually when he’s upset or angry, but it happens at other times too.”
Batting Norm’s chest, Theo said, “Hey, he’s getting better.”
“I know, but it still happens,” Norman smirked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Kieran said, “Hunter loves him…fire and all.”
“He really does,” Quin said. “I haven’t seen my brother this happy for a very long time. I wonder if they are enjoying France?”
“Of course, they are,” Theo said. “Ooh la la…Paris is the City of Love.”
“Oh, maybe that’s where you and Norm should go on your honeymoon,” Quin said, excitedly.
“Oh my god, that would be fantastic!” exclaimed Kieran, pulling out his phone and googling Paris. “Oh, wow, there’s so much to do.”
Theo giggled. “I don’t think we’d be doing much outside of our hotel room, right, pooh bear?”
“Right, honeybunch,” Norm replied, kissing his fiancé’s cheek. “I want to ravish you day and night.”
