The Consequence of Loving Colton (Consequence 1)

I leaned in and whispered to Jenna, “How’s that for karma?” Then I cleared my throat. “His balls are probably the size of watermelons, you must be so proud.”

“That child is a walking disaster. Oh, and I gave him Benadryl. Though I wasn’t aware he’d consumed so much alcohol. Max is absolutely certain Jason’s still breathing, so there’s that.”

I raised my hand. “Max isn’t a doctor.”

“No?” Mom asked. “Oh, well, he seemed so informed on the topic of allergic reactions.”

“One time Max shaved his head, took a vow of silence, and told people he was a Tibetan monk. Believe me, he can make anyone believe anything.”

Mom looked behind her, then back at me. “Should I be worried?”

“Did you get Colt? He’s a paramedic, you know.”

“Well, he was helping Reid out of the tree!” Mom threw her hands into the air. “What was I supposed to do?”

“The tree?” I repeated. “Why was Reid in the tree again?” Hadn’t that already happened?

“And that woman,” Mom spit, “will be the death of me!”

“Wait.” I shook my head. “I thought Jayne was gone!”

“Your grandmother,” Mom said crisply, “is either high on blood pressure pills or smoking hallucinogenic materials.”

“Mom.” I exhaled. “Calm down. It’s not like Grandma’s growing pot or something.” I laughed nervously, then made a mental note to check my grandma’s basement—the same basement she spent all her time in because, she claimed, it was temperature-controlled. Well, crap.

“I don’t have time to worry about this.” Mom smiled as she walked around me. “You look beautiful, and we can’t wait any longer. Let’s go.”

She grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hall. My dress swished as I moved with her. Where was Dad anyway? Maybe at the end of the aisle? I wasn’t really sure how a vow renewal ceremony went but—

My thoughts froze.

Lights. There were hundreds of lights in the giant oak trees; they looked like fireflies.

And the aisle? It had lanterns lining the white cloth runner as it led all the way up to Max and Colt.

Wait! Max and Colt?

Colt was beaming. Next to him were pillars with lights wrapped around them and then tulle wrapped above that, causing a canopy effect under the tree—it looked like a fairy book castle.

The music started.

I looked to my left.

With a wink my dad took my arm in his and whispered, “You look beautiful. I’m so proud to be giving you away.”

I opened my mouth—but the wedding march started. For the first time in my life, I didn’t want answers.

I wanted to walk down the aisle.

Toward Colton.

Because if this was a dream—I never wanted to wake up.

And if it was real—I was going to enjoy it. Because the little boy who had slain all my dragons when I was little—had grown into a man.

And I loved him.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

COLTON

In all the years I’d played dragon slayer with her, in all those stolen moments when I’d pretended to be injured as I threw myself down onto the ground and my wooden sword clattered down the stairs—I’d always secretly wondered what it would be like to be kissed by the fair maiden.

To be rescued by her.

It’s funny: as a little boy I’d always had it in my mind that my job—my responsibility—was to run toward danger, show I was tough enough to withstand it, and then earn my reward.

But now, as I watched Milo emerge from the house and start walking toward me with her father, everything became so ridiculously clear that I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit and then smile at my bride.

Just because we’d stopped playing together when we were kids, didn’t mean I gave up my job of protecting her, of fighting danger.

There was the time her date abandoned her at her first dance and I stayed with her the entire night.

The moment she accidently crashed the car and I helped her fix everything before her parents found out.

The summer she almost drowned and I gave her mouth-to-mouth—only to find out later—when I was done freaking out—that I loved the feel of her lips against mine.

All her life—I’d been there. Sure, I’d hung up my sword and cape. She’d put her princess hat away.

But our relationship had never changed. The dynamics of who we were as friends had slowly been molded into what we would become as a couple.

A partnership where I imagined I was rescuing her—when in the end, she rescued me.

Just by smiling.

By breathing.

By trusting me.

By kissing me back.

She was mine as much as I was hers.

The music faded as Milo stopped in front of me, tears blurring her eyes, making them look that much more beautiful.

“You did this?” she whispered.

I nodded and took her hands. “I had help.”

“But—” She stepped into my arms and leaned up to whisper in my ear, the fabric of her dress sliding against my suit. “Are you sure?”

Chuckling, I pulled back and tilted her chin up, the way I’d done her whole life when I was about to give her a very important speech where she had to listen carefully.

“You’re brother’s face is covered in ant bites, Reid nearly fell out of a tree, Max was going to drug Grandma, and we finally did have to slip something into her drink to sedate her. I wouldn’t go through all of those things, if I wasn’t sure I wanted to be attached to this family for the rest of my life—if I wasn’t sure I wanted to be your husband for an eternity.”