He looked at me with tears in his eyes as he spoke. “Kara.” He stopped and cleared his throat, but I knew he was holding back tears. We’d been together over a year now, and I’d never been closer to anyone in my life. I turned the gigantic diamond engagement ring around on my finger under my bouquet as I waited for him to get it together, smiling encouragingly. “I never thought this would happen. Hell, I never thought I’d be in a place where I’d live amongst family, much less have a m—” He cut off and cleared his throat again. He’d almost said mate in front of the big crowd of humans. “Fiancée and soon-to-be wife. I’m so very thankful that you came into my life. My boss.” He chuckled and looked down at the notes in his hand. “I forgot I had these.” The crowd tittered with laughter, but he still didn’t bother reading them.
His gaze returned to me. “Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for being so excited when I shared all my secrets with you.” He winked at me, reminding me of how giddy I’d been to find out he was a dragon shifter. “Thank you for being you, and lastly, thank you for being mine.” He growled out the last word, and the crowd chuckled once again. A little reminder that Valor was a part of this, too.
The tears were absolutely pouring down my cheeks by then. Rico pulled a hankie out of his inner pocket and handed it to me. I dabbed and turned toward the Rico’s grandfather, who was acting as our officiant, to delicately blow my nose. The crowd chuckled again, but I wasn’t embarrassed. I knew most of them and they wouldn’t have laughed out of cruelty. Besides, when I turned back, I noticed quite a few of them dabbing their own eyes.
My turn. I didn’t have notes either. I’d memorized my vows word for word; I was pretty sure they’d be engraved in my mind forever. “Rico Kingston. Boy, I never thought I’d be marrying a Kingston.” I turned to the crowd for my only joke. “Sorry, ladies. I got the last one.”
Rico’s Uncle Perry stood halfway out of his seat and raised his hand. “Uh, I’m still available. This town seems to breed gorgeous women, so yeah. I’m available.”
The crowd really laughed then, and Rico’s cousins from Arizona all clapped him on the back. I laughed with them and waited for the crowd to go silent again before continuing. “We’ve both had crazy, not always great, lives. We both know what it is to be lonely, to be left behind.” He smiled sadly at my words. “But we don’t have to feel that way anymore. We’re going to be together for a very long time, and I think we both mean forever when we say these vows.” Rico took my hands under the bouquet, wrapping his fingers around my closed ones. “I promise to give you a chance to explain when you say things all wrong. And I promise to try not to get pissed all the time…only when you really deserve it.”
Okay, maybe I had one more joke in there. “And I love you, Rico.” I leaned in and pressed my cheek to his with my face away from the crowd. “And I love you, too, Valor,” I whispered. The humans wouldn’t be able to hear me, but all the dragons suddenly got something in their eyes. I glanced at the crowd in time to see them all shift and wipe at their faces.
I love you too, my mate. Even if you do need this odd human ritual.
I stifled a giggle.
“By the power vested in me as the leader of the Kingston clan,” Gramps said. The humans would just have to wonder why the Mavericks called themselves a clan. Maybe we could say they were Scottish. “And by the World Wide Web and State of Colorado, I now pronounce all of you, separately, husband and wife!” He chuckled as we watched his face, waiting for the big moment. The photographers were strategically placed to get the kisses without capturing each other as well.
“You may kiss your brides!” He threw up his hands and as Rico bent me backwards in a dizzying dip and pressed his lips to mine, flashbulbs went off like crazy and the guests hooted and hollered.
And then we were one. In mind, body, soul, and now, by law.
Have you checked out The Dragon’s Fake Fiancée of my friend Sadie Sears new series Dragon’s For Hire?
Available Now!
The Dragon’s Fake Fiancée
Have you checked out The Dragon’s Fake Fiancée of my friend Sadie Sears new series Dragon’s For Hire?
Available Now!
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Her Dragon Rebel
Black Claw Dragons: Book 6
Roxie Ray
© 2020
Disclaimer
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and events are all fictitious for the reader’s pleasure. Any similarities to real people, places, events, living or dead are all coincidental.
This book contains sexually explicit content that is intended for ADULTS ONLY (+18).
