"Who'sgot the rings?" Jimmy started patting down his suit jacket.
"Ido." Ellis handed the two bands to Jimmy and Chief, respectively.
Notonly were they walking them down the aisle, they were the maids of honor andthe best men, too. When Candy and Josie asked them, they both cried. Then Icried. Then we all laughed. It was very cute. I threw up a little.
Iwaved at Marge and Herb as I walked down the aisle to the altar. They lookedragged. I'd offered to cater the wedding from any restaurant in the state, but thebrides had insisted on diner food. Herb and Marge had been flabbergastedand honored. The only condition was that they, themselves, attended the weddingand the reception, not serve food. Tabby and the other crew were doing that.
"Lookinggood, Dot!" Dwight whistled as I passed.
Ismiled when I recognized him. Gone was the scruffy witch who had been Jason'sboss at the factory he used to work at. He was clean shaven, his hair wasstyled, and he had a bounce in his step that had never been therebefore. "Not so bad yourself, Dwight." I winked at Cedar Falls'newest police officer, still kind of mad that Chief hadn't said anything whileDwight attended the academy. He'd kept the whole thing a secret, "Just incase it hadn't worked out," he'd said. I hated surprises that weren't ofmy planning. At least I understood why he turned down the job at the bookstore.
Jasonstepped out from behind the altar and handed me the ancient leather tome thathad come straight from the museum in Ashville. Every Blackwell that had everbeen married or handfasted had done so to the rites inscribed in the tome.Mother had mentioned it, Miranda insisted on it, and Josie loved the idea. Whowas I to argue?
"Thanks,handsome." I slipped him a quick kiss after checking to make sure nobodywas watching.
"Showtime,"he said and wiggled his eyebrows.
Inodded to Shea.
Theelves started playing The Wedding March and everybody drew silent. Candace andChief were first, and they glided down the runner elegantly. Chief looked alittle nervous but held it together quite nicely. Once they reached the altar,Chief bowed low and lifted the veil to kiss Candace on the cheek beforesettling beside her and crossing his hands.
Thetempo of the music changed, and I stared in shock as the elves stood and proceededto pound upon their instruments. The drummer pounded the bodhran and twirledthe beater over his head between beats. It took me a moment before I recognizedit as the opening to Thunderstruck, and my jaw dropped open as Jimmy and Josie steppedonto the runner. There was absolutely nothing elegant as they dancedmerrily down the runner in time with the music. It was gawdy, it was funny, andit suited them perfectly. Josie was laughing and crying as he danced herdown the aisle. Even Candace was giggling beside me. Just before they reachedthe altar, their dancing died down, and they returned to a normal march as themusic switched gears and once again the elves played the traditional weddingmarch.
Justas I was about to start the ceremony, the Lord and Lady appeared by theentrance to the grove and a dome of golden light sealed us inside. A springbreeze wafted through dragging the scent of flowers through the air, pushingaway the chill in the air. Everybody sat straight as the magic coalesced aroundthem. I bowed in thanks.
"Ladiesand gentlemen, we gather today to join these two together in matrimony. Ifthere is any here who thinks they should not be joined, please speak now orforever hold your peace."
Itwas the only concession to normal tradition in the entire ceremony. The restwould be held in Irish. Every person in the audience was holding a printedtranslation in their hand to follow along the ceremony. I'd practiced everynight in the mirror for two weeks until I felt comfortable enough to do it. Ithad been beyond nerve wracking, but if it was what my sister and Candace wanted,I was sure as hell going to do it. I spoke Irish fluently, but the ceremony wasarchaic. But it was beautiful.
Iopened my mouth to start, but Jaeren caught my eye standing beside Shea. Hesmiled and blew me a kiss.
Reactingwithout thinking, I caught it with my hand and pretended to stick it in mypocket. A few resounding coughs around me brought me back to reality and Iblushed harshly as I looked back up and winked at Jaeren.
Butthat was a story for another day…
THEEND
Author's Note
Reviewsare important for new authors, and I greatly appreciate everyone who takes amoment to leave one, even a line or two! Thank you so much for reading my book!I'm writing away, and more books will be out soon!
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Flipthe page for my bio and all my other stalking links.
For18+ readers who like a lot more steam and don't want the girl to need to choosejust one guy, check out my reverse harem series, Lovin' the Coven!
About the Author
Alate comer to the writing game, Jacquelyn had always been a fan of romancenovels and lately become addicted to the reverse harem category. I meanseriously, who wouldn't? Sitting alone one night she flipped open her laptopand said, "I'm going to give this a whirl." And thus, the Lovin' theCoven series was given life. She has designs on other series as well, but onlytime shall tell.
Asfor her, she is five-foot-something, with graying hair, wicked eyes, an eagersmile, and an annoying laugh. She lives at home with her dog, a cat, and thatis about all she is comfortable sharing.
Connectwith Jacquelyn
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Other Works
Lovin'the Coven Series
(Reverse Harem– 7book series)
First Moon
Second Blood
Third Charm
Fourth Rite
Fifth Essence
Sixth Sense
Seventh Seal
TheFox and the Hounds
(Reverse Harem–trilogy)
A Tail of Woah
A Tail of TwoKitties
The Tell Tail Heart(Coming Soon!)
Other
GirlFiend (standalone YA ParanormalRomance)
Succubus SoccerMom (Reverse HaremStandalone)
