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“But you— You said you didn’t want to,” the man says, pulling at his white collar. He’s probably second-guessing all of his reasons for pledging himself to Jesus right now.
“I don’t want to marry Keegan Forbes. I want to marry him.” I nod at Leo. “And these two.”
The priest’s eyes bulge. “Three men?”
I lift my chin in the air. “Yes, three men.”
“Marriage can only be between a man and a woman.”
“In your ideals, marriage can be between an unwilling man and an unwilling woman, so you’re going to stand there and marry the four of us or—”
Oliver chuckles. “I wouldn’t piss her off, mate. I’ll give her one of those rocks again.”
The priest curses. “Fine.”
My heart thumps in my chest. There are two men bleeding behind me, but I don’t care. All I want is what’s right in front of me, and I want it now. Anything could happen. I learned that from Delilah’s death. She was taken far too early, and for all I know, the four of us could get in a car accident on the way home, and I’d never be tied to the three of them like I want to be.
“Seriously?” Alaric asks. “Right now?”
He meets my gaze, and for a moment I freak out, wondering if he’s having second thoughts, but as he searches the area around us, I realize it’s not that at all. “They don’t matter,” I tell him. “Nothing else matters.”
Keegan speaks up. “If I could take everything back, I’d marry Dee as soon as possible. Nothing would get in my way.”
“Are you in?” I ask, peering at Alaric first, then at Leo and Oliver. “All of you?”
Oliver squeezes my hand. “I’m ready.”
Leo bites his lip. “You’re crazier than me.”
“Highly doubtful,” Alaric responds, then nods at me. “I’m ready, too.”
Keegan moves closer. “I’ll walk you down the aisle.”
“For fuck’s sake,” the priest grumbles.
“That’s enough out of you,” Alaric rasps, pushing the priest to the center of the trellis.
Keegan wraps his arm through mine, and we turn away, making our way back to the beginning of the gabled structure. “Dee loved you so much.”
“I know,” I tell him. And for the first time, I don’t want to cry when I’m being reminded of her. I want to enjoy all the memories I have of her. The times we laughed. The times we fought. The times we lived. I want them all.
“I’m pretty sure my dad killed your dad,” he says as we face the huge house. Peering up at him, I find a frown on his face.
“I’m pretty sure, too.”
He waits a few moments before looking down at me. “You ready?”
I want to giggle. My dress is a dirty mess, and I’m pretty sure the hem is torn. I probably have blood on me somewhere, but I’m about to do the one thing that I’m most certain of. “One hundred percent.”
“Don’t keep me waiting, Little Miss Astor.”
“Are you sure about that one?” Keegan asks.
I smile. “I’m positive.”
He shrugs and then turns me around as if I’m some great reveal. I stare at the ground, my stomach suddenly tight, nerves skating up my body.
Keegan leans down and grabs an orange mum out of a planter and hands it to me. “If Dee could see us now.”