“Room for two more?” I looked up to see Iola, hand-in-hand with Asher. He steered her to the couch opposite us, where they settled down together. Grabbing the cushions from both sides of the couch, he arranged them behind Iola’s back, fussing over her in a way I never dreamed I’d see my taciturn brother doing.
“We can’t stay much longer,” Asher said when he’d made sure she was comfortable. “Iola needs her rest.”
Iola rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips. “I’m perfectly fine. Honestly, if you’re like this now, what will you be like when I’m three times this size?” She put a hand on her rounded belly, smoothing her dress over the bump. They both seemed ecstatic she’d fallen pregnant so quickly. Iola had always craved a family of her own.
Carlotta came into the room, crossing to Mason. She sank onto the arm of his chair, then let out a laugh as he reached up and tugged her into his lap.
“It’s been a beautiful wedding,” Nat told her with a sigh. “I’ve had the best time.”
“I’m still reeling from Dad’s speech.” Mason shook his head. “I expected he’d work people with tails into it somehow, but including their alien genealogy and a full description of their secret underwater cities? He excelled himself.”
“He looked like he was having a lot of fun explaining it all,” said Iola with a laugh. “I think he could have talked all night.”
“It’s a shame Mom wasn’t here to hear the speeches,” I murmured to myself. I’d been thinking about Mom a lot lately. If she’d gotten the help she so obviously needed, she might not have suffered the way she had, or died alone. Now that I’d started talking to Nat about her, the things that had happened seemed different. Sad, instead of shameful. And not quite so dark and painful. I was slowly starting to forgive Mom for everything that had happened. And I was forgiving myself.
Nat must have heard my murmur, because she turned her head to kiss me, then snuggled closer. “I’m so happy, I never want tonight to end,” she whispered.
I smiled at her, silently agreeing. Who knew life could be so good?
“Where’s your father?” Iola asked Nat. “Did he head home already?
She nodded. “Dad left after eating two slices of wedding cake. He said he needed his beauty sleep to look his best. Ever since he was promised his own show, he’s been quite the diva.”
“Look over there.” Jolting up in Mason’s lap, Carlotta pointed at the still-crowded dance floor. “My mom and your dad are dancing together.”
I jerked my face to look, my jaw loosening. Sure enough, Trixie and Dad were doing an old fashioned waltz. Their hands were clasped together, and Dad had his other hand looped around Trixie’s waist, resting on her lower back. As we watched, he said something to her, and she let out a cackle.
“Is that some kind of illusion?” whispered Nat. “Is it really happening?”
“Love really must be in the air,” said Asher dryly.
I was blinking, still not entirely convinced it wasn’t some kind of group hallucination.
Trixie was wearing a gown with a full, hooped skirt, like something that had probably been the height of fashion at the turn of the nineteenth century. And I had to admit, Dad looked rather dapper in his suit. He’d even combed his eyebrows, because they weren’t as wild as normal.
Asher stood up suddenly. “There’s something slippery on the floor over there.” He pointed to a small puddle next to the wall. “Dad’s steering Trixie toward it.”
Nat looked at me, her eyes wide, then let out a laugh. “No wonder he asked her to dance.”
Iola clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes creased with amusement. “Your father’s so bad!”
“Whatever excuse he’s telling himself, they’re still dancing,” said Mason. “He has his arms around her. And she doesn’t look unhappy about it.”
He was right. Dad and Trixie were dancing closer than they strictly needed to. Slippery puddle or not, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“I’ll ask one of the staff to clean up that puddle before they can get to it.” Asher headed away.
Nat turned into me, kissing my neck, then resting her face on my shoulder. “This has been such a nice evening. How can we make sure our wedding’s this much fun?”
I moved my mouth to her ear, nuzzling her earlobe until she shivered. “This is nice,” I whispered back. “But our wedding will be a whole lot better.”
She pulled back a little to raise her eyebrows at me. “How can you be so certain?”
I lifted a hand to touch the face of the woman I loved more than words could ever describe. The answer was obvious. “Because I’ll be marrying you.”
She kissed me for a long time, then let out a sigh and lay back against me. Asher returned, settling next to Iola and taking her hand. Carlotta said something to make Mason laugh, and I put both my arms around Nat, smiling at my brothers.
They smiled back at me, both of them looking as content as I’d ever seen them.
Yup. Whatever trials or challenges life might bring, there was one thing I knew for sure. All three of us Lennox brothers were pretty damn lucky in love.
Dear Wonderful Reader,
Thank you for reading Kade and Nat’s story! I hope you enjoyed it.
I’ve loved creating the town of San Dante and the weird and wonderful people who live in it. I hope to bring you more books set in San Dante, so you can meet up with the Lennox brothers and their loves again sometime soon.
If you’d like to hear more, please join my newsletter for updates on new books, giveaways, competitions, and other fun stuff. www.taliahunter.com/newsletter.
And another big thank you to you, dear reader. I couldn’t write books without your support.
- Talia. x
Also by Talia Hunter
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