Page 348 of Conquered

“Isn’t that my line?”

Laughing, we walk out of the front door into the late afternoon sunshine, and the feel of it caressing my skin has me sighing in bliss. Butterflies start flying around in my stomach as we walk down the floral-decorated path to the clearing, and the sound of a piano being played reaches my ears. My breath catches when we arrive and I see Ash sitting at the instrument dressed in a beautiful, light grey linen suit that showcases all his glorious ink.

He looks up, and just like that first night at the cabin, he starts to sing. I recognise the song asInfinityby Jaymes Young, and the world stops spinning as he holds my gaze, telling everyone in the clearing how he feels. My breath catches, and I just watch enraptured as he serenades me with his beautiful, husky voice.

I don’t know how we arrive at the end of the aisle, only blinking when the song comes to a close as I realise that the others are all there too. Loki in a floral shirt covered in lilies, suit trousers, and a waistcoat, the shirt and waistcoat unbuttoned to reveal his delicious, inked chest, his nipple bar twinkling in the sun. Jax is next to him, looking positively delicious in his signature black; black shirtsleeves rolled to the elbow, black trousers, and black boots, laces undone. Kai is on my other side, gorgeous in mustard chinos and a green, chequered shirt with a forest green waistcoat. Ash comes up next to him, his gaze intense as he takes me in. I do the same to them all, drinking them in as if for the first time, my heart thudding in my chest as I realise that this is really happening.

“Take care of her,” Tom tells them, pressing a kiss to my cheek and stepping away.

“Always,” they reply together, and I would giggle if they didn’t look so serious. Kai takes one hand, Loki the other, and we turn to face Oleta, our celebrant, the sounds of the woods tickling our ears.

“Gentlemen, Lilly, shall we begin?” Oleta asks, and my cheeks ache with my wide smile. We all nod. We decided that we’d use my real name, I just couldn't stand the idea of doing this under a false name, and we trust everyone present, they all know who I am after all.

“I’d like to start with a poem by Rev. Daniel L. Harris. It’s one that Asher suggested as it encapsulates what he, Loki, Jax, and Kai feel for Lilly and what this ceremony means to them. It’s called The Blessing of the Hands.

‘These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.

These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future.

These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other.

These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.

These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.

These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.

These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.

These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.

And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.’

Tears fill my eyes at the words, and I have to swallow hard to stop them from falling, my grip on Loki and Kai’s hands tight. My whole body feels alight with feeling, my heart so full that it’s a wonder it’s not exploded.

“And now, your vows and the handfasting,” she continues, smiling broadly at us.

Loki lets go of my hand, Kai using his grip to turn me to face him. We place our hands between us, and Oleta brings out a beautiful woven rainbow cord, made up of ribbon, the colours matching my dress perfectly.

“You were my light when there was only darkness, Sweetheart,” Kai begins, and my eyes stare into his honey brown ones, the image wavering at the edges with my unshed tears. “You showed me that there was something to hope for, that I could be loved. You are my soul, my heart, and my light.”

As he speaks, Oleta wraps the cord around our hands binding us together. The tears fall by the end of his speech, tracing a hot path down my cheeks, and he reaches up with his spare hand to wipe them away, his smile beatific.

Loki steps up next to us, placing his hand over the top of ours.

“I knew that you would change my life, our lives, from the first moment that you stepped out of that shower,” he tells me, his emerald eyes glowing in the sun. “I just never knew how much you would become a part of me. You are buried so deepinside, Pretty Girl, that if they were to cut me in half you would be there too, in every part of me.”

I bite my lip, my breath hitching as he speaks, the cord wrapping around his hand and binding him to us. Jax is next, the massive bastard stepping up behind me and reaching around to lay his huge palm on top. He’s so close I can feel every ridge, every outline of him, and it sends a heat searing to my core when he leans down to rumble in my ear, letting only me hear his declaration.

“You are mine, Baby Girl, and I am yours until we draw our last breaths on this cursed earth. And even then I’ll fucking hold your soul to ransom and I dare anyone to take it away from me.”

Gods, this man. When he makes a love confession, he doesn’t do it by halves. My body aches for him, my heart soaring, and I don’t know if I’m more emotional or turned on right now. Grey eyes capture mine, as Jax’s hand is bound to mine, Loki’s, and Kai’s. Ash steps to the side of Kai who shifts a little so that my dark Knight can stand in front of me.

“You are the best part of me, Princess. You taught me how to love again, how to live again, how to breathe again. You arrived like a shooting star, burning all the bad that came your way and leaving only good. We were destined, it was written in the stars that we would be together, and I will never stop worshipping you, never stop thanking whatever god decided that I was worthy of you.”

Ash always had a way with words, and he’s just proven it to all our friends and family. I stare into his intense eyes, full of swirling emotions, and feel a completeness deep in my soul. His hand, too, is wrapped in the cord.

And then it’s my turn. Taking a deep shaking inhale, I look at each of them in turn, my lashes dotted with tears.