Fergus nodded and stood up to examine his tux, making sure it was all in order. He needed to stop and pick up his boutonniere and get it pinned on properly before taking his place to walk into the church to wait for his bride. He still felt nervous, but Olcan had reminded him of what was truly important here. Niall and Ronan came tumbling through the door, laughing.
Niall let out a low whistle and walked around him, examining him carefully. “Well, don’t you shine up like a new penny. I mean, you’re still not as dead sexy as me, but you’ll do for your lass, I guess.”
“Have you seen her?” Fergus asked.
“Aye.”
“How does she look?”
“Well, last time I got a gander at her, she looked like our feckin’ Nan. She had a head full of curlers and one of those big kerchiefs on her head. Good luck waking up with that in the mornings.”
“She doesn’t look like that in the mornings,” Fergus grunted.
“Well, she does this morning,” Ronan added, pulling a flask from his pocket, and taking a nip.
“What’s in that?” Fergus barked at him.
“Bushmill’s finest whiskey,” Ronan told him, holding it up in salute.
“Give it here. You’ve had enough.”
“No way. I’m not giving you my liquor,” Ronan told him.
“I’m your Alpha and you’ll damned well do as I say,” Fergus roared at him.
Ronan scowled and handed over the flask. Fergus took it and turned it up, taking a deep swig from it. He held it back up in his own salute and smile, “Thanks, you gullible little prick.”
“Aye. You’re a gobshite, you are,” Ronan laughed.
“Get back out there and keep an eye on my bride. What are you doing over here anyway?”
“Fucking a bridesmaid in the utility closet,” Niall said with a mischievous smile.
“Bridesmaid? What bridesmaid?”
“A gentleman doesn’t fuck and tell,” Niall teased.
“Get out. You’re both a couple of nasty little feckers. Go keep an eye on the hallway from Eimear’s dressing area in case she needs you. You two little gobshites let anything happen to her and I’ll have both your heads for it.”
“Grumpy bear,” Ronan teased, snatching his flask back out of Fergus’s hand and running from the room dramatically.
“Those two need to grow up,” Fergus said with a scowl.
“They will, someday. We didn’t get a chance to truly have fun, you and me. Let them have their good times while they can,” Olcan told him.
Fergus sighed and nodded his head knowingly.
“You ready to go?” he asked Olcan, who was to serve as his best man.
Typically, weddings were much larger in clans, but theirs was a small clan compared to what they’d once had in Ireland and Eimear had not wanted to go overboard with some lavish event. She’d demanded a simple wedding and huge reception afterward, opting to spend the extra money on the party rather than the ceremony that would be over in a matter of minutes.
It was all part of what he loved about her. They had plenty of money, but she was always practical with it. She wasn’t afraid to spend her own money rather than relying on his and had become active in the community, helping with a project that had become close to both their hearts, helping kids escape abusive situations and giving them chances to do something that would better their situation.
She’d even begun to embrace her mother a bit more, seeming to realize how easy it was to make a mistake that landed you in a dire situation. It was nice to see her not only embracing his family, who all loved her, but rekindling her relationship with her own.
“It’s time to go,” Olcan told him.
“Do I look okay?” Fergus asked.
“You look like a beautiful princess,” Olcan teased.
“If I weren’t about to walk down the aisle, I’d take you out back and kick your ass,” Fergus told him.
“Aye. I love you too. Let’s go get you married to a woman you absolutely do not deserve before she comes to her senses and changes her mind.”
Eimear laughed and walked to the door, opening it for Olcan and following him out. They made their way down the hallway. Olcan remained outside the doors, waiting to escort Bronagh, the maid of honor, down the aisle. Behind him appeared Niall and Ronan, along with a couple of Eimear’s cousins, one of which couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t hard to figure out who’d gotten lucky with his brother in the closet.
“All right, I guess this is me. I’ll see you all on the other side.”
“Aye,” came a chorus of McNally voices. Fergus walked through the doors and made his way down the aisle to take his place in front of the priest, smiling at the guests gathered in the pews as he made his way past them.
He could hardly breathe as he waited for the procession to begin. It seemed like he stood there forever before he finally heard the music begin and the doors at the end of the aisle opened. Olcan and Bronagh made their way toward him, both smiling politely at guests and moving slowly toward him.