Total pages in book: 218
Estimated words: 212458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1062(@200wpm)___ 850(@250wpm)___ 708(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 212458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1062(@200wpm)___ 850(@250wpm)___ 708(@300wpm)
“It’s a technicality, Ty. Not to worry,” Stan cheerfully says.
The crowd laughs. Tyson’s expression says he doesn’t find it funny, but then Ivy jiggles his hands and as his eyes settle back on her, the anger vanishes, love shining in his eyes.
As she makes her promises, it looks like the man is washed in love, totally drenched with it. My sinuses are burning as I watch this beauty in front of me.
The moment Stan pronounces them husband and wife, a chorus of wolf howls fills the air, startling me and my sister and probably Mom, too, who sits between Lorenzo and Cade in the first row behind me.
Nobody has shifted into their wolf forms, but every male in the yard is making that sound, including my man, who also sits in the front row beside Catrina and her sister Lucy, along with Tyson’s grandparents, Atticus, and the other alphas from the council. And damn does Mason look good in a suit. And he has more than stubble, which is incredibly hot.
I missed him this morning when I woke. A lot. I didn’t have a chance to miss him at bedtime because I fell asleep in my sister’s bed where we drunkenly giggled, talking in Pig Latin until Mom came in and told us to go to “leep-say” (sleep) so we wouldn’t have “ags-bay” (bags) under our eyes today.
But when I woke this morning, I felt a niggle of panic when I realized he wasn’t beside me. Mom made us pancakes and café mocha shakes and it was a perfect morning together.
At the declaration and the invitation for Tyson to kiss his bride, Tyson looks at Stan, confused. Maybe because he’s not used to being given permission to kiss his woman.
Ivy is the one that goes for it first. She grabs Tyson’s jaw with both hands and hops up. He catches her by the thighs and Riley has to move back to avoid being taken out by my sister’s feet as they have a movie-worthy kiss.
The music’s volume quickly goes up, courtesy of Cade, who has the tablet to control the speaker. He’ll man the music again at the reception tonight, and the song Celebration by Kool and the Gang (my choice!) blares through the speaker. All of us in attendance throw eco-friendly wildflower seed confetti and birdseed up in the air, and then me and Riley rush to the side table to start pouring the mead that Mason’s parents supplied.
After a glass, we’ll take some photos, and then everyone will walk to the town hall for the dinner and dance with the rest of the pack lining the streets all the way, ready to gratulate them.
***
Ivy and Tyson have danced their first dance to the UB-40 version of I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You and now many couples, dozens, are up on the dancefloor, moving together to To Make You Feel My Love by Garth Brooks, including me and my shifter.
I scrub his jaw with my purple nails.
“Couldn’t shave this morning. My personal face groomer wasn’t there.”
I smile wide. “I like it. But I’ll shave you tomorrow.”
“I’ll like that,” he returns.
His eyes are warm and happy as he looks at me and I’m not trying to hide how I feel, at all. It feels like I’m floating as we dance together, looking into one another’s eyes.
In fact, all day I’ve been basking in my feelings. Must be the wedding. Must be the people surrounding me. Must be the way Mason looks at me. Love is in the air.
It was a beautiful wedding, and the reception is promising to be a fun night. The hall is a converted barn at what’s known as the four corners of the village, across the street from the gas station where my journey started. The entire indoor space is decorated with twinkle lights. All the tables are covered in white linen with purple accents and with oodles of people. There’s been a mountain of food. Delicious food.
A bunch of the ladies have just set up the most massive dessert buffet I’ve ever laid eyes on and I’m looking forward to digging in.
Unlike a traditional wedding with the receiving line (the parade to the town hall from Tyson’s house negated the need for that, I suppose) and all the speeches, this has just been a non-traditional party, but I’ve gotten in Cade’s ear a couple times about a few things that need to be done with him as the emcee.
Very soon, the bride and groom will be cutting the cake, then a few other traditions like the garter toss and bouquet throw. Tyson has been told he and Ivy can leave any time after the bouquet gets tossed and a few minutes ago, the groom jerked his chin at me, asking if it was time for that.