AUGUST

MIRA

“You look so beautiful.” My mom, Camila, clasps her hands over her heart as she stares at my reflection in the full-length mirror before me. “I can’t believe both of my babies are getting married in one summer.”

My mom’s brown eyes—almost the same shade as Maddy’s—sparkle with unshed tears as I turn to her. She looks lovely and elegant with her dark hair pulled back in a loose chignon, a stylish lilac dress hugging each of her curves.

“Mom, you’re going to ruin your makeup,” I say. But my chastisement lacks any real conviction since my own voice cracks. I fan my face. I will not ruin the exquisite job the makeup artist did.

“Oh, sweetheart.” As Mom pulls me into a hug, I’m transported back to all the times she’s held me just like this. Times of celebration, of pain, uncertainty, and hope. She’s always been the constant in my life. She and Maddox.

Now, I have a third constant. My husband. The man I’m marrying again in less than fifteen minutes.

It’s not a legally binding ceremony—the wedding in Vegas was very real and very legal—but it’s a chance to exchange our vows the way we should have in the first place. Sober, and in front of all the people we love most in the world.

Maddox and Isla were married last month.

The Rogues won the Western Conference Quarterfinals and advanced through the playoffs but ultimately fell short of making it to the finals and a bid for the Cup.

The guys were obviously disappointed, but not going all the way meant Maddox and Griffin had more time to help Isla and me plan our respective weddings in a very tight timeframe.

A knock on the door has my mom pulling away and dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

I squeeze her hand and call, “Come in!”

A familiar head of dark hair peeks around the door. My brother used to be a perennial grump, but ever since he found Isla, he’s been softer. Happier. And now that they’re married, the man never stops smiling.

“Mi-Mi. You look…” He steps into the room and runs a hand along his jaw as he takes me in. “You look beautiful.”

As soon as Griffin and I decided to throw a wedding, I went back to the bridal shop where Isla tried on dresses and bought the gown that had made my heart flutter. It’s somehow both dramatic and elegant with its plunging neckline, beaded lace, delicate straps, and slightly flared skirt.

I do a little twirl, and the modest train sweeps along the floor as I spin. “You like it?”

My brother grins. “It’s all right.”

Our mom chuckles, no stranger to our antics. But despite my brother’s teasing, I don’t miss the emotion in his eyes as he takes me in.

“I’m happy for you, Mir. It may have taken me a while to come around to the idea of you being married to my best friend, but you couldn’t have chosen better. He loves you.”

Smiling, I cross the distance and throw my arms around my big brother. “I know. I love him too.”

“That being said, if he ever hurts you, I’ll still bury him in a shallow grave in the woods.”

“Maddox!” Mom appears scandalized, but I just laugh.

“Noted.”

My brother grins. “Now, are you ready? Your husband is about to wear a groove in the floor of his room.”

I nod, butterflies taking flight in my chest. “Ready.”

Bending down, Maddox kisses me on the forehead. “We’ll get into position. See you out there in a few. Don’t trip.”

Mom shakes her head, and as Maddox leaves, Lexi and Isla walk into the room. They look stunning in their lilac chiffon dresses, and even though they were in the room when I got my dress on and had my makeup and hair done, they both still let out little squeals of happiness.

Griffin has Maddox, Sebastian, Logan, and Ryder acting as groomsmen, but I didn’t feel the need to find two other women to act as bridesmaids.

Lexi and Isla are the best friend and sister-in-law I could ask for, and they’re enough.

They’ll both just get to be escorted by two hulking hockey players after the ceremony.

It should make for some fun photos.

“You’re getting married,” Lexi cries.

“Again,” Isla adds with a snicker.

“I’m getting married.” We may have thrown this wedding together quickly, but it’s exactly how Griffin and I pictured it.

Despite being the height of the summer, we’re getting married outside in the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in front of a beautiful floral arch, surrounded by trees and flowers and so much beauty I can hardly stand it.

“Let’s get you to your groom.” Isla hands me my bouquet before grabbing hers.

“You ready to walk me down the aisle, Mom?”

“I’m not sure any parent is fully ready to walk their child down the aisle, but I suppose since you’re already married…” My mom chuckles, offering me her hand.

I grab hold of her like I did so many times as a little girl, and with Lexi and Isla leading the way, we walk out of the bridal suite and onto the stone path that will lead me to the man I love. The man who is my future.

Music swells as Lexi walks toward the altar, followed by Isla. Then it’s my turn.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, sweetheart. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.”

I try to hold back the emotions that clog my throat. “It’s all thanks to you.”

My mom makes a choked, emotional sound just as the music changes. “Ready?”

Always .

“Ready.”

It’s almost golden hour, and the sun casts a diffused, warm light over the garden, making it look less like we’re in the Twin Cities and more like a faerie wonderland.

We pass the smiling faces of our friends and family, but I don’t even notice them.

I’m too busy drinking in the sight of my husband.

Griffin wears a charcoal gray suit with a lilac tie. It fits him perfectly, showing off the lean lines of his muscular body. His dark blond hair is styled away from his face, and he looks so, so handsome.

Tears shimmer in his eyes as I walk toward him, and my own fill in response to the tremble of his lower lip. No one besides Griffin Wright has ever looked at me this way, and I could wear a burlap sack and he’d still make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the room.

As we come to a stop in front of Griffin, our closest friends, and an officiant dressed as young Elvis in a nod to our first wedding, my mom kisses my cheek, places my hand in Griffin’s, and pats him affectionately on the cheek.

“Oh, sunshine,” he murmurs, eyes full of love. “Look at you.”

GRIFFIN

“It’s time.” Maddox gives me a knowing grin as he enters the room I’ve been pacing for the last twenty minutes. “You ready to get out there and get married again?”

Am I ready? I almost sprint out the door.

The guys’ laughter floats behind me, but I barely hear it. I only have eyes and ears for her.

Things with Mira have been amazing. We spent too much time away from each other during the postseason, but if we weren’t together, we were video chatting or texting nonstop.

Being without her for those few weeks was more than enough distance for me, and I’ve become a stage-five clinger.

I’m just careful how I show it. So far, she doesn’t seem to mind.

And every week that goes by makes me feel a little more settled and less worried that she’ll change her mind about us.

As I walk the stone pathway leading to the massive floral arch and the officiant dressed like Elvis, I know that exchanging vows here, in front of our friends and family, will settle me even more.

Soft music begins to play, and the crowd shifts in their seats. I can’t be the only one who feels this buzzing sense of anticipation. I swear, the whole world is holding its breath with me while we wait for the woman I’ll love for the rest of my life to appear.

Maddox, filling the best man role for me, just like I did last month, gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“I don’t know how I didn’t realize sooner that you’re perfect for her.

” He clears his throat. “There’s not another man in the world I’d entrust my baby sister’s happiness to.

I’d tell you to take care of her, but you already have been.

So I’ll just say that I love you, man. And I’m glad you found each other, despite my meddling. ”

“Love you too, bro,” I say, pulling my best friend and now brother-in-law in for a hug.

Then the music grows louder as Lexi walks down the aisle, and all my focus goes to the stone path that will offer the first glimpse of my wife in her wedding dress.

Ryder stares at his girlfriend like she’s the most beautiful woman in the world, and when Isla walks down the aisle next, Madds does the same. At least I’m not the only lovesick fool on this team.

When the music changes and swells, so does my heart. I don’t even care if it’s cheesy to say; it’s the truth. That fucker expands like a balloon full of too much helium, and I may just float away. Or I would, if she didn’t keep me tethered to the earth.

Mira is a vision in white as she steps onto the pathway, hand in hand with her mom. The way the sun hits her, I’d swear it was waiting for this moment too. Ethereal light washes my bride in a warm glow that makes the beadwork on her dress shine and the light shimmer on her cheekbones gleam.

Her hair is half down in loose curls with a braided crown framing her face.

Little pearls are interwoven in the braid, along with small flowers.

Her green eyes find me and widen. Those dark lashes that have tickled my body so many times as she kissed me flutter.

Her gown accentuates every sexy curve, and I can’t wait to peel it off her body later.

She’s stunning. I’ve never seen anything or anyone more beautiful.

And she’s mine.

I’m in a daze as Camila places Mira’s hands in mine. Completely lost in my wife’s eyes as we stand in front of Elvis, our friends, and family and promise to love and support one another, to be faithful and true, and to spend the rest of our lives together.

The tears in Mira’s eyes make them glitter as she speaks.

“Griffin, I promise to love you and choose you every day for the rest of my life. To cheer you on louder than anyone else. I promise to laugh at your jokes, no matter how bad they are, and hold you when you cry. You are my best friend and my greatest love, and I will spend the rest of our lives feeling so incredibly lucky that you love me back.”

“Mira—” I have to clear my throat because her name comes out choked with emotion, and I’m not ashamed to admit that a tear slips down my face when she reaches out to cup my jaw.

“Mira, you are my sunshine, my light. Just like you chase away the darkness for me, I promise to be your shelter in every storm. I vow to love you, encourage you, and be your biggest supporter in everything you do. I promise to be there in good times and bad, and to never, ever leave. You’re my person, my everything, and I love you so much more than I thought humanly possible. ”

Even though we’ve both been wearing our wedding bands ever since the press conference, my hand still shakes when I slip it onto her ring finger.

There’s a weight to this moment I didn’t feel when we were drunk and impulsive in Vegas.

Some part of me must have realized Mira was it for me that night, but all of me knows it now.

Elvis smiles brightly at both of us and holds up his hands. “And now, by the power vested in me by the King himself and the state of Minnesota, you may kiss your bride.”

The audience erupts into cheers and applause as I close the distance between Mira and me, cup the back of her neck with one hand and her jaw with the other, and kiss the hell out of her.

It’s not a chaste kiss, and our friends cheer even louder when my wife’s fingers grip the lapels of my suit jacket and our tongues tangle.

We’re both breathing hard as we break apart, and I take a moment to memorize her expression in this perfect moment. Eyes bright and glistening, lips parted, her cheeks flush with happiness.

It’s everything. She’s everything. And now, she’s all mine.

“And now, for the second time ever,” Elvis says with a wink, “I present to you as husband and wife, Mira and Griffin Graves-Wright!”

Our friends and family stand and cheer, filling the evening air with so much love and support. It’s everything I ever could have asked for and more.

“Happy?” Mira whispers as I take her hand and soak it all in for a moment.

“So fucking happy.”

“I love you, husband.”

Lifting her hand, I kiss it reverently. “I love you, wife.”

Then I pull her down the aisle toward the sunset, a party that will last late into the night, and the rest of our lives.

I used to believe I was cursed. But now?

Now I know I was waiting for fate to intervene with a drunken night in Vegas, a little bit of blackmail, and a whole lot of love.

Not ready to say goodbye to Griffin and Mira? Sign up here to get a free bonus scene.