Page 37 of The Reluctant Siren (Texas Sirens: Legacy #2)

One Year Later

Harlow stood in front of the mirror and watched her mom.

Natalie Dawson looked gorgeous in her mother-of-the-bride dress, but she was obviously more concerned with her daughter’s.

It wasn’t like her mom hadn’t seen her in this dress before, but she cried every single time.

“You look so beautiful,”

her mom said, putting a tissue to her eyes.

She felt beautiful in the stunning sheath dress. She was fairly certain her grooms were going to lose their minds.

“She does,”

Greer said with a smile.

“Exactly as beautiful as our mom was on her wedding day. I told the photographer there are some specific shots we want.”

Greer and Gigi and Ruby were her bridal gang, and they had been with her every step of the way. One of the things they’d decided to use as inspiration was her parents’ wedding. They were going to do a couple of shots mirroring her favorite pics of her parents, but with her friends as stand-ins.

“Gabe is in the tuxedo I picked for him,”

Gigi promised.

“I had to fight to get him in it, but I swear he’s a young Julian Lodge. Getting Jack to stand in for…well, older Jack…was the real issue. Now that was a struggle.”

Jack had been through the ringer, but somehow she thought Ruby had a hand in getting that Special Agent in a tux. But that was another story for another day. Love seemed to be in the air for all of her friends. The members of The Hideout were all settling down, and she was here for it. She’d started calling the last year mating season.

“It’s going to be wonderful,”

she said, checking herself over one more time and thinking about how she’d woken up this morning. To men who snuck into her parents’ house and slept with her even though she’d tried to play the bad luck card. She hadn’t tried hard. She’d missed them even after a couple of hours. Jensen had promised they would be gone long before dawn.

And then she’d had to wake them up to kick them out so her dad didn’t find out how much Taggart was teaching her soon-to-be husbands about getting around security systems.

“It is,”

her mom said and kissed her on her cheek.

“We’ve been to a lot of weddings lately, but this is the best. I’m going to make sure everything is ready, and your dad isn’t talking to the pastor again.”

“About the three sniper positions he located? I clocked those babies the minute I walked in.”

What could she say? She was her father’s daughter. But both of them, which is why she was able to find a church she could get married in with windows and everything. If Dad had his way, they would be doing this in a bunker with security on every door.

“Seriously. It was the best of my options, Mom. The one I first wanted had twenty, and I didn’t think Dad could handle it.”

“You are so sweet to think of him, baby. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you being accommodating,”

her mom said as she brushed away tears.

“I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. You relax and get ready. We’re almost there.”

Her mom left and Ruby walked in looking gorgeous in her bridesmaid dress, and a bit irritated.

Ruby pointed a finger her way.

“You are a menace.”

She was. And she was perfectly comfy being that.

“Yes, but why? It could be many reasons.”

Ruby stared at her.

“You invited Lucy Flanders. You barely know Lucy Flanders.”

Oh, then the fun had started. There were certain feuds within the spy kids’ group, and it was always super fun to watch them blow up.

“I totally know that whole family. I spent several summers in Bliss with Aunt Georgia. Gigi did, too.”

Gigi gave her a thumbs-up.

“Gotta love Bliss.”

“Then you also know that Kala Taggart loses her damn mind when the woman walks in the room,”

Ruby accused.

Gigi giggled.

“It was funny. There was a lot of talk of finding holy water and how Lucifer isn’t allowed in a church. It’s the perfect amount of drama because her mom won’t actually let her try an exorcism. I don’t think she would know how to do that, but I could be wrong. Big Tag likes his kids prepared for anything.”

An exorcism at her wedding would be something to talk about forever. She had to laugh.

“I invited her because I knew she would be in town and we’re friendly. The drama is merely a nice side effect.”

The last year of her life had been nicely drama free.

Oh, not outside of her relationship.

Her family and friends were stock full of spectacularly juicy drama.

The spy kids delivered on that.

And her friends and family didn’t disappoint either, but her own life had become a well of peace.

Jensen had transformed into a man she could count on.

He’d put in all the effort since that day when he left her.

He was an excellent partner.

He worked with her and Ruby part time.

Sometimes he simply answered the phones and made sure their books were properly kept.

Sometimes he went undercover with her.

He was good in the field, and she liked having him watch her back.

He was pretty uncomfortable flirting for information though.

He usually ended up explaining that he had a girlfriend.

Jensen helped at the gym, too. He’d recently enrolled in community college and was planning to study business. He went to therapy twice a week without fail.

That first lunch had become a series of them.

A month of lunches and Saturdays playing together led to dinners and dates, and after six months they’d all moved into her condo together.

They were happy there for now, but someday they would look for a house.

Their relationship was as adrenaline free as it could be, and it worked.

They’d taken the incendiary fire that burned between them and now it was a well-tended hearth that would keep them warm for the rest of their lives.

Through it all Niall had been their quiet strength.

She had no idea what she would do without those men.

Ruby laughed and moved to pour herself a glass of champagne.

“Then I will cease playing peacekeeper. Besides, Kala won’t disrupt the ceremony. Any shit she pulls will be at the reception, and we’re all hoping for some crazy shit. That open bar is going to lead to some poor choices, bestie.”

“Yeah, but sometimes poor choices lead to something great.”

Harlow wouldn’t take back any of her poor choices. They led her to the exact right place.

“I hope so,”

Ruby said quietly and took a drink.

“I’m happy with all my bad choices,”

Gigi countered with a grin. And then winced.

“Oh, but you should know that Daisy Carter might have accidently knocked over one of the pillar candles when she tripped on… I mean I think it was air, but it might have been thick air.”

Harlow felt her jaw drop. “What?”

Gigi put up her hands, waving off the danger.

“It was a very small fire. Her husband apparently cased the place and knew where the fire extinguisher was. He was good at that. Like he’s had to do that before.”

Harlow could only imagine the heroics Nate Carter performed to save his wife from herself.

Damn, but she was happy for them. She was happy for everyone.

There was a knock on the door and then her dads were there. They looked absolutely dapper in their matching tuxedoes, but she could still tell them apart.

Even when they both got teary.

“Papa,”

she said, moving to him and giving him a hug.

“You look amazing.”

“Not as amazing as you, sweetheart,”

he whispered.

She turned to her dad, giving him a vibrant smile.

“Only three sniper positions.”

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.

“I appreciate that, baby girl. You should know I might have paid Taggart to put a guard on each of them. Though he’s already hit me with three lasers, and I’m pretty sure he brought water guns for the reception. I love that asshole. Keeps things fun.”

It was good to know everyone was going to enjoy her wedding.

She was going to enjoy her marriage. For the rest of her life.

“It’s time,”

her mom said from the doorway.

Greer stepped up and kissed her on the cheek.

“See you when you’re Mrs. Wiley-Jensen.”

Her dad frowned.

“I think they should be Dawsons.”

They were actually talking about it. She didn’t want to hyphenate her name, and she kind of was attached to Dawson. Her Uncle Lucas had given up his last name and changed it to O’Malley to match his partners.

“We’ll see about it. Hey, I’m just lucky I found the nicest most tolerant pastor in the world.”

She was sure her parents’ generous donation had a little to do with it, but she was getting the wedding she’d never even thought to dream of.

She followed them out of the bridal suite into the atrium. There was only the slightest hint of smoke left, and someone had reset those candles.

There was nothing so broken it couldn’t be salvaged in some way. Sometimes in truly spectacular ways.

She looked down the aisle at those two glorious men who stood there waiting for her. The music started and she felt her heart race. Not out of fear or cold feet.

This was happening. It was finally happening.

Gigi went down the aisle, with Gabe resting a hand possessively on her arm as he led her away.

Ruby and Jack were next, and then Greer and Travis Taggart, who’d oddly become one of Jensen’s best friends.

Then it was her turn.

“Are you sure?”

her dad asked out of the side of his mouth.

“There’s still time to run.”

“She’s not leaving,”

Papa said with a smile.

“She knows what she wants.”

Her dad offered his arm.

“Well, they’ve grown on me. But Greer is going to be married to her career.”

Papa huffed, an amused sound.

“Sure, she is. Let’s go. I’ve been looking forward to this since the day you were born.”

She threaded her arms through theirs.

Jensen and Niall looked up at the same time, and their smiles lit up the whole church.

“You’ve been trying to marry her off since she was born?”

Dad returned.

“And I’m the asshole dad?”

“I wasn’t trying to marry her off. I was looking forward to her wedding,”

Papa argued.

“Not what I heard. I heard I’m the good one,”

Dad continued.

They could argue all the way down the aisle. It would be fitting.

“Hush. I love you both. Now get me down this aisle,”

she said with a smile.

Her dad took a long breath.

“Just because you’re getting married, you should know you’ll always be our girl.”

“Always,”

her papa agreed.

Always. And always theirs.

The music changed, the wedding march beginning, and Harlow started the walk into her happily ever after.

Olivia Barnes-Fleetwood, Tanner McNamara-O’Malley and Kade McNamara-O’Malley continue the legacy in The Temporary Siren, coming in 2026.