Remington
Somehow, two years had passed in the blink of an eye, and now I was standing on a raised platform in the middle of a clearing on our pack lands, dressed in a suit and waiting for my beautiful, blushing bride to walk down the flower-strewn aisle.
So much had happened in the three years since that night at the ice rink when Addy had taken a spill and found out about her phobia of blood. Sometimes it was hard to believe that we'd gotten here. I could fill an entire library full of stories even though we were only just beginning our journey.
While some of my family was shocked at how long our engagement had been, I wasn't.
They didn't understand that it had taken us more than six months to drop the L bomb, so rushing into things wasn't exactly an issue for either of us.
It wasn't that we were scared, but we had a lot on our plates, and our priority was always going to be our kids.
And what wonderful kids they were.
Addy was officially a teenager. Thirteen years old, and she knew everything about the world and then some.
Although her competition with Symphony was ongoing, she had continued to branch out and joined the same drama club as Max, albeit as a stage director and occasional improv performer.
She definitely still leaned heavily toward chorus, really blossoming into a true soprano, but I was happy that she was trying her hand at so many different arts.
As for Max… Other than being a bit short for his age, nobody would have guessed that he had nearly died of cancer.
His hair had grown out, and the auburn length was so thick and healthy that I'd taken to braiding it into various styles that were appropriate for his hair type.
At first, I had been worried that the ones I knew would be far too feminine, but such things clearly weren't a concern to my son, because his two favorites were French braids like Addy's or Viking plaits that I was sure were inspired by some Norse comic books he liked to read.
Two pretty opposite ends of the feminine-masculine spectrum.
But whatever floated his funky little boat; I was just happy to spend time with him.
And we were spending more time together than ever. After a year of him in public school, Jeannie and I asked if he'd prefer to go to Addy and Eva's school, and he had agreed quite enthusiastically. I was covering the tuition, and it was one of the best investments I'd made in ages.
Then there was Eva. Little Evangeline, who didn't like to talk that much and occasionally blurted the strangest things. She had blossomed in a way I never expected, and I believed with my whole heart it was because of Max's candor and Jeannie's unconditional kindness.
She still didn't have the gift of gab, but she was much more willing to share her thoughts with others besides her immediate circle.
She was playing more with other kids in school and even participating in group art projects.
I largely attributed that to the fact that she was bitten by the acting bug and was in drama club with her two siblings.
She was also in chorus and on the marching band.
That last one had been a surprise to me, but when she'd calmly told me that the drum line was the best legal way to beat something violently every day, I let her get on with her bad self.
"You okay?" Ana murmured softly from behind me, no doubt able to scent the swell of emotions in me as I looked over the crowd.
She was my best man—so to speak—and had walked down the aisle by herself.
Given Jeannie's situation, she didn't really have any family or friends on her side for a bridal party, so we'd settled on my sister-in-law for me, and Jahmoni as Jeannie's maid-of-honor, with Max as the ring bearer and my daughters as flower girls.
A small party, for sure, but perfect for us. Especially since my entire clan was seated on both sides of the aisle, a sweet way to let my darling fiancée know that there was no my side and her side. There was only our side.
"I'm good," I whispered back, although that word felt woefully inadequate.
Because I was so much more than that. Quite literally every aspect of my life had improved.
Not that it had been miserable or lesser with Zara.
I just liked to think that she had been a beautiful first season of my life that would never be diminished.
So, even though I was entering an entirely new chapter, she was always my first love. Always my origin.
It helped that Jeannie always treated her memory with the utmost respect, even hanging Zara's picture in the big photo collage on the wall of her kitchen. She'd often ask the girls for stories, as would Max. Although that might not work for everyone, it was right for us, and that was what mattered.
"A little anxious for things to get started," I continued after a beat when the cue for Jahmoni to walk down the grassy aisle played.
Even though I hadn't seen my soon-to-be wife yet, as was tradition, just knowing that she was at the large, white tent at the end of the walkway, just behind the trees, had me getting caught up in my emotions.
I couldn't believe that I had found another soulmate.
And although I knew her lifespan was a lot shorter than mine, it didn't make it any less worth it.
Besides, there were a few ways to extend her life.
Not quite as long as the shifters, but definitely longer than the human average.
Between sharing a mating bite, specifically, my blood and hormones entering her body once she pierced my mating gland, and magics we could seek out from other species, there wasn't the same deadline on our journey as there had been with Zara.
So yes, I would cherish every single day like it was the last, but that ending would not be for a good long while.
"Don't worry. She looks stunning!"
Of course she did. I couldn't think of a single moment when Jeannie hadn't looked like an ethereal creature gracing the earth with her presence.
And that wasn't what I was worried about.
No, I was eager to jump into the next phase of our lives with both feet.
I didn't know exactly what it would bring, but that was half the fun.
I shifted from foot to foot as Jahmoni took her place, and the music transitioned into Max's theme.
He emerged from the tent, holding a tray with two shining cloches, flowers and vines surrounding each dome and trailing off the sides.
He looked very sharp in the emerald suit we'd picked out together.
It was similar to mine in style, but with a bow tie and no cummerbund.
It made us look like we truly were father and son.
Because he was my son. Our skin color might be different, and we didn't share a lick of DNA, but none of that mattered to me.
He paused slightly, and I had a brief spike of anxiety that something was wrong, but then his gaze locked with mine, those hazel eyes so much like his mother's brimming with emotion.
Fuck, I was going to cry, wasn't I?
I didn't want to be a snotty mess before my bride came into view. I breathed deeply through my nose and out through my mouth, which helped stave off my tears.
Max did the same, then marched forward. He was such an amazing kid, and I couldn't wait to see who he was going to grow up to be. And now that I was taking his mother's hand in matrimony, I was going to get to.
I was pretty sure that I was the luckiest man alive.
He made it to the end of the aisle, only sniffling a couple of times before assuming his spot to the side.
I gave him a thumbs-up, which he returned with a grave nod he must have picked up from Addy.
It was funny to see what little idiosyncrasies they'd adopted from each other, firmly uniting the three as a certified trio through and through.
But then the music was shifting again, and my daughters stepped into view, Addy in a dress of gold—our other wedding color—and Eva in one of green.
Goodness, my eldest daughter was growing into a young lady.
She'd shot up two inches—she'd gotten my height in the gene pool—and was quite graceful for what was usually the most awkward growth stage of a person's life.
As I watched her reach into her basket and drop flower petals on the ground, it felt a bit like I was watching her walk out of her childhood into her burgeoning adulthood.
She still had a long way to go, but she was taking her first steps so elegantly.
And then there was Eva. My littlest wasn't so little anymore.
She was eleven, officially a preteen, and really coming into her own.
She was still her sister's number one cheerleader, but she had her own things now.
And although Miss Belle Savannah Caroline Scarlett Genevieve the Third and the death pit was gathering dust now, she still had that wild imagination that led her and her siblings on some wild adventures.
Emotions continued to build within me, and I was sure I would be a real mess once my darling walked out of that tent.
I could practically see it in my mind now: her face flushed, her eyes teary as my parents and in-laws escorted her on either side.
It wasn't exactly orthodox, but what about us had ever been?
Early on in our planning process, we'd decided that they wouldn't be giving her away so much as they were walking her into our family.
Although our clan had already unofficially adopted her, this solidified those bonds in both our world and hers.
The girls were nearing the end of the aisle, and I readied myself for seeing Jeannie. Suddenly, Addy stumbled forward. My head jerked in her direction, away from the tent, and the more logical side of my mind said that she just tripped on an errant rock.