Page 95 of Falling for the Orc All-Star
Forget beating normally, my heart feels like it’s sprouted fluffy wings, and it’s fluttering around like some derpy canary. She loves me. She loves me like this—simple, broken me, or rich, maybe famous me. Just me.
“Doyou get it?” Ingrid demands with a soft shake. “You’remytrophy.MyAll-Star. Not because of some title, but because of your heart.”
I swoop Ingrid up and kiss her, whisking her around to sit on the kitchen counter. “You areallmy stars, all the stars in the sky and the universe that holds them. I love you, Ingrid. I just want my main job to be being the man in your life, and I don’t care what happens next as long as we’re together. Will you still marry me?”
She kisses me back, hands in my hair, her bags now dropped off her arms and scattered on the floor. “Of course.”
“Will you marry me... tomorrow?”
Her eyes fly open as her lips are pressed to mine. “What?” she asked in a surprised, muffled voice.
It would be comical except for the desperate need I feel to have her with me, to have those vows that declare “for better or for worse” binding us together.
“Tomorrow. Would you marry me tomorrow, and marry me again, later, with a big fancy wedding if that’s what you want? I just...”
Ingrid pushes me back. “What? Where? I... I don’t have a dress or flowers or—”
“I don’t think any of those things matter. If I have your wedding rings, and you have your dress, will you marry me tomorrow, before I get back out on the ice?”
Her face softens. “Okay... but if you break anything that impedes us from having a proper wedding night, I’m going to be one very sulky bride.”
“As long as I don’t break your heart, I’m happy. I gotta call my parents and see if they can fly over, I gotta go to the jewelers, and see if Bryce is well enough to be my best man, and—” I stop with a deep breath. “I’m being selfish again? Impetuous? You want a big summer wedding and you’ve already told your Mom that it’ll be in June.”
Ingrid gathers up her bags, a thoughtful look on her face. “Well, we’ll still have that big, beautiful wedding. We could invite our families for that one. Tomorrow could be a small, intimate wedding—and I’d like the people we consider our real family there.” She lists names. “Chip. Daisy. The gang from Hilltop, the team, Kev and Marina...”
“You won’t mind?”
“Having a chance to be the bride twice in my life, but to the same wonderful man each time? No, I won’t mind that. That’s the kind of guy I’m marrying. He gives me more than I ever expected. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go to work and immediately take off so I can kidnap Marina, hit the mall, and tell Kevin to get his suit out of mothballs. Where will this wedding be held?”
“Uhh... Give me a minute.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven: All the Stars
Hilltop Home’s lobby glistens like a winter wonderland. I worry Mrs. Y crocheted herself into a coma when I spot the white bridal runner leading between rows of chairs lined with red Lumberjacks’ Tushy Cushy stadium pads and draped with sparkling white yarn doilies. “Who?” I ask, pointing to the rows of red vinyl pads.
“Coach and a couple of guys from the team came over this morning with all the overstock from last season’s Tushy Cushy night. Is it tacky?”
“No. Actually. They’re red and white, and those are our colors. Those were always going to be our colors.”
“And they’re damn comfy. You can take them away over my lumbago’d ass.” Lester says, sitting defiantly.
King nods as cars pull in. “Most of the team is here. Ian and Farrah are back in Steve’s room. The orchestra sent over the concert master, principal second, first viola, and first cello, so we have a string quartet to play us in and out. Uh... All the dogs have been given complimentary bowties or bandanas by Pet Village, and Fia is snapping away. Bryce is in a tux that could cover a limousine, and sitting next to the “altar.” Jasper Wainwright and his cameraman are unloading... Should I tell them to go?”
“No. The more I look around... The more perfect this is.”
I’ve been to a lot of weddings—always a bridesmaid, never the bride. They didn’t have this amazing feel. Everyone here is working together, everyone here is happy, excited, part of something bigger than themselves. Everyone here wants to be here, is honored to be here, celebrating with us.
All of the friends here are King’s trophies—and all these people now hold me dear because of him. After years of carefully managing my peace by keeping people out, I have an abundance of joy and contentment by letting them in.
Neither of our biological families will be attending tonight, by our choice. “It’s like Friendsgiving. This is the wedding you enjoy and relax at. The stressful one will be in June... And you know what? It’s not going to be that stressful. I’ll already be Mrs. Silverbow, married to the best guy ever, and we’ll just be showing off our dance moves.” That’s one thing we’ll be skipping tonight. There won’t be a big reception, just champagne and a simple three-tiered cake made by Cakes by Claire.”
“We have to change.”
I look at King, startled. “No. We don’t. This is perfect. We’re... We’re perfect, not to brag, but together, with all of our flaws and all of the ways we lift each other up—we’re perfect, babe.”
“No. Oh, honey, that’s so sweet. But I meant I need to get into my kilt. You need to put on your dress.”
“Oh! Oh, yes. Mrs. Felice is letting Marina and me use her room. We’ll be back soon.”