Page 20 of Grey (Little River Stallions #2)
It was a relief to get to Saturday without any sign of Colton and his herd. Grey was happy about it, but there was a cautious edge to that happiness because everyone was fairly certain he would come after them again.
Grey had taken out his number-two, after all. And Colton was an unhinged bastard and definitely wouldn’t take it without retaliating in some way.
When or how was anyone’s guess.
But Grey couldn’t live in the limbo of something terrible happening because he was liable to go insane, so he kept his protective instincts up and made sure that Tatum was as safe as possible when she was at the library.
And that the herd was safe at the farm.
As he tended the livestock while Tatum was at the library for the morning, he saw movement near the farmhouse and smiled when he saw Dexter and Nancy hanging string lights over where the ceremony and dinner would be that night.
Once the sun set, he and Tatum would have their ceremony and she’d be a member of the herd.
Daisy butted his knee and bleated at him and he patted her head and walked into the barn, grabbing one of the carrots he’d brought from the garden for her. Returning to the pasture, he gave her the carrot, chuckling as she hopped happily around and crunched on it.
After finishing his chores, he walked over to Dexter and Nancy.
“I’ve got a couple hours before I need to get my sweetheart from the library, what can I do to help?”
Dexter smiled at him from the ladder. “The firepit needs to be cleaned and stocked for tonight, and the chairs brought down from the porch to put around it. Tris is in the house working on the ice cream, which has to churn for a few hours.”
“Perfect,” he said. Everyone was excited by Tatum’s menu suggestions.
He heard the rumble of an engine down the road and his heart clenched for a moment before an online store’s delivery van appeared and pulled into the driveway.
“Oh awesome,” Grey said. “I was hoping it would get here before I had to pick up Tatum.”
“You got her something special?” Nancy asked.
“You know it.”
“You guys are all such romantics,” she said.
“Hey! I’m romantic,” Dexter said.
“I was lumping you in with the others,” she said with an exaggerated wink.
Grey left them to their banter and met the delivery driver, accepting the box. He took it into the storage barn and opened it, finding the ring he’d ordered online. It was a simple white gold band with a center stone that sparkled. On either side of the stone were tiny horses carved in the metal.
It was perfect. Just like Tatum.
Putting the ring in the little pouch, he tucked it in his pocket and headed back out to work on getting the yard ready for their special night.
When the sun had set, they turned on the string lights over the yard and lit candles on the picnic tables. With the sky full of stars, the whole place looked magical.
Nancy, Tris, and Zara had spent the last hour with Tatum helping her get ready for the ceremony and giving her the herd gift of a necklace with a horse medallion that each female wore. He stood with Dexter, anxious to see his soulmate.
The females walked out of the house and took their seats, and then Tatum appeared. She was wearing a gauzy, pale dress that made her look like an angel. His heart nearly stopped beating at just how beautiful she was and how much he loved her.
She walked to him with a big smile on her face, her eyes shining with excitement.
They faced each other and held hands. Dexter smiled at them.
“We’re gathered tonight for Grey and Tatum—not just to honor their mating but to welcome her officially into the herd.
” He looked at Grey. “Do you vow to honor Tatum as your mate, to protect her, and love her for the rest of your life and into the great beyond?”
“I do,” he said. “Tatum, I promise to love and protect you forever.”
Dexter nodded and then looked at Tatum. “Do you vow to honor Grey as your mate, to love him and stand with him for the rest of your life and into the great beyond?”
“I do,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Grey, I promise to love you and support you forever.”
Dexter put his hands over the top of theirs. “By your spoken vows and the witness of the herd, I declare Grey and Tatum mates from this day forward forever.”
The herd cheered and clapped, and Grey leaned forward and kissed her.
Dexter lifted his hand and everyone went quiet. “Little River Herd, do you accept Tatum as a member?”
They shouted together, “We do!”
Grey grinned. He loved the herd. But not as much as he loved his soulmate.
“As it’s been spoken,” Dexter said reverently, “so it shall be. I present to you, Grey and Tatum.”
The herd cheered again and Grey drew Tatum close. “Mine,” he said softly, and then he kissed her.
“You’re mine too,” she said with a chuckle when the kiss was over.
He stared down at her, his heart swelling.
Releasing his tight hold on her, he dropped to one knee and brought the pouch from his pocket.
Taking out the ring, he held it up to her and said, “Tatum, you’re the most important person in my life.
You complete me in a way I never thought possible, and every day is better because you’re in my life.
Will you do me the honor of being my wife? ”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “Yes!”
He slipped the ring on her finger and rose to his feet, bending her back slightly and kissing her again. Hell, he was going to cry too, it was so damn sweet.
The herd cheered and clapped loudly, whistles echoing around them, and he smiled against her lips.
“This is the best night,” she said.
“I’m not done yet, sweetheart. First we eat, then I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A sexy one I hope?” she whispered.
“The sexiest.”
He righted her and said to the herd, “Let’s eat!”
Tatum wasn’t sure if the butterflies in her stomach as she and Grey climbed the stairs into the barn apartment were from nerves or excitement or arousal, or a combination of all three. But she felt like her whole body was vibrating from the fluttery feelings.
Grey gave her a sexy smile, all banked heat and wicked thoughts, as he opened the door to the apartment and let her in. He followed, closing the door behind them, and she gasped at the scene before her.
There were electric candles flickering on every flat surface, illuminating the space with a golden glow. He’d moved the screen that separated the bed from the rest of the space and placed an electric fireplace, which bathed the bed in reds and ambers.
Music played softly, and he took her hand and drew her close, turning in a circle and dancing her to the center of the room. She hadn’t danced since high school, and the feeling of being turned around the room and held close by the man she loved was the sweetest thing.
Was it possible to fall even more in love with someone?
To fall harder and deeper?
She knew it was, because it’s how she felt with Grey.
“Did you know,” he said as they danced around the apartment, “that lavender was cultivated by a goddess as a symbol of undying love?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“I read about it today,” he said, pausing near the kitchen table. He lifted a box, and underneath was a lavender plant. “I thought it was really fitting because it represents devotion and enduring love, and I think it’s pretty cool that there’s a legend tied to it related to a goddess.”
She leaned down and inhaled the sweet scent. “I love it.”
“I love you,” he said. “We can put it in the greenhouse and plant it outside in the spring.”
She stared up at him for a brief moment, amazed at how he once more showed her how he enjoyed her hobby of learning about legends and myths.
“You’re…so special to me,” she said. “I love you, and I’m so glad you’re mine.”
“I’m so glad you’re mine too, precious soulmate.”
They danced a little longer, the sweet scent of lavender in the air, and then they tumbled to the bed where the electric fireplace lit up the space as they drove each other wild, shouting their pleasure and holding each other close.
She fell asleep, well-sated and well-loved, with Grey’s arms around her and the warmth of his love making her feel like the most precious person in the world.
She was a stallion’s mate.
And their life together was just beginning.