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“I love you,” she murmured. “Can we get married now?”

“Impatient, are we?” Brushing his lips over hers, feeling them soften and heat, he embraced the next step in their journey with open arms. There were no nervous jitters, no doubts, no random little last minute regrets about kissing goodbye to his single life. “Yeah, we’re getting married now.”

It wasn’t the most elegant wedding procession in the universe—being escorted by his friends to make sure he didn’t fall flat on his face was pretty undignified, but there were worse things in the world to complain about, wasn’t there? He was just grateful to have the kind of friends he could count on, who were family on the deepest level.

With Tamsyn’s fingers curled around his forearm and Evander to his right, Merrick followed Levi’s lead, confused when they stopped beside the photographer’s personal golf cart. It was mainly used for ferrying his clients back and forth to the studio in bad weather.

“We figured you wouldn’t be up for walking far, so your chariot awaits.” With a fanciful wave of his hand, Levi gestured for them to climb aboard. “Violet asked that you be blindfolded, if you don’t mind. Something about preserving the integrity of the surprise.”

“Can I just keep my eyes closed?” Tamsyn asked.

“We’ll both just keep our eyes closed.” Although that was pretty damn risky. He might fall asleep before they reached whatever destination Vi had picked out for a shotgun wedding.

Levi pursed his lips. “Promise?”

“Maybe they should pinky swear it,” Evander suggested with a chuckle.

“I like that idea. Pinky swear it is.” Thrusting his little finger toward Merrick, Levi lifted an impatient eyebrow. “Chop, chop. Time’s a-wastin’.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Heaving a sigh, Merrick hooked his finger around his friend’s, then waited as Tamsyn hesitantly did the same. When the mighty pinky swear was invoked, he urged his little owl to take a seat in the cart. “Have we finished being teenaged girls now?”

Evander gave him some help to squeeze in next to Tamsyn, then crammed himself into the front passenger seat. He was so freakishly tall, he had to lean to the side to fit in. “You’ll feel better after your mani-pedi, Merrick. Ford picked out a pretty shade of blue for your nails.”

Snorting, Levi dropped into the driver’s seat, firing the engine, then declared, “Eyes shut, people. Please keep all limbs and valuables inside the vehicle while it’s moving. The emergency exits are to the left and right, although we don’t advise trying to disembark while in motion. Our estimated travel time is twelve minutes. As always, your driver appreciates a tip.”

The cart took off like a rocket as Merrick hooked his arm around Tamsyn and tugged her close to his uninjured side. He checked she had her eyes closed before shutting his own—a pinky swear was sacred, after all.

He sensed sunlight flashing over his face, enjoying the breeze fluttering around him. It was funny how being incarcerated in a hospital bed refined a man’s appreciation for the tiny details like sunshine and wind, the press of a woman’s body and the scent of her skin. Even the electric whine of the cart seemed to merge perfectly with the whole picture.

Tamsyn’s hand slid over his thigh to find his, linking their fingers together. Her palm was dry and steady, her grip firm. It was a relief to know he wasn’t the only one who felt secure in this decision.

He was getting married.

He was getting fuckingmarried.

In an hour, he wouldn’t just be Merrick Cole, Master and mentor. He would be a husband, a Dom, the provider and protector for his lovely, beautiful, amazingwife.

A grin stretched his mouth. “Drive faster, Levi.”

“Huh?”

“Drive faster.”

“Uh, the path gets rocky, Merrick. Tossing you around—”

“I know where we’re going,” Merrick interrupted. “Don’t worry about me. The pain won’t mean a thing once we get there.”

“Guess you’re the boss today. Sorry, boss,” Levi muttered to Evander. “Might as well see how fast this baby can go.”

“If he starts bleeding, I’m ratting you out,” Evander responded exasperatedly, then whooped when the golf cart picked up speed.

Yes, it hurt. Despite being the off-road version used for rougher terrain, the cart wasn’t really designed for hauling around wounded passengers at speed over bumpy ground, and the quarter-mile track leading from Serenity’s main grounds to Levi’s home and studio was definitelyrocky.

Merrick suffered through every bump and bounce with gritted teeth, fisting his hand on his thigh to contain his grunts of pain. Luckily, he didn’t feel anything rip or tear, but it wouldn’t have mattered regardless; someone would patch him upafterthe ceremony if his body refused to hold up under punishment.

When the interminable ride came to a stop with a crunch of tires on gravel, he was beyond ready to get off the damn party bus and his feet back on solid ground. His side was throbbing in time with his heartbeat, his skin was clammy with sweat, and Tamsyn’s hand was still clutching his like a lifeline.

The latter was all that mattered.