Raven’s smile was full of love. “Whatever you want, baby.” Taking her daughter’s hand, she looked me over. “You really do look beautiful, Quinn.”
As she opened the door to exit, Colt came into the room. Dressed in a suit with his cut thrown over it, he looked as handsome as ever. As soon as his eyes landed on me, he stopped, gulping hard. “Holy Christ, Quinnie. You look stunning.”
I did a little twirl. “Do you think so?”
“I would never lie about that, sweetheart.” He opened his arms to hug me, then thought better of it. “I better not wrinkle you. Kelli is glaring at me like she’s going to slit my throat.”
Kelli stood, pushing between my best friend and me. “She’s been getting ready for over an hour. If you fuck up this perfection before she says ‘I do,’ you better believe I’ll do some slicing and dicing.”
He grinned, kissing her lips. “I guess I’ll just have to muss you up instead.”
She snorted, shoving him back. “Just walk the girl down the aisle, dummy. You can muss all you want later.”
That was enough to have my heart racing. My palms began to sweat, and I suddenly didn’t know what to do with myself. “Oh my God,” I whispered as he offered me his arm. “I’m getting married.”
He tilted his head to the side curiously. “I’m a little concerned you’re just now realizing that, Quinnie.”
“Shut up,” I cried, slapping at his arm. “It just feels real all of a sudden.”
“Well, let’s make it official now that it’s real.” He grasped my hand gently and pulled it through his arm. “Time to get you hitched.”
Every woman in the room rushed me, pressing their lips to my cheek lightly so as not to smear lipstick on me, then hurried out of the room to take their seats, leaving me with just Colt and Kelli when it was over.
Kelli made one last glance-over to make sure my gown was still in order and unwrinkled before opening the door once again. I was so nervous, I was trembling by the time we got to the cue point where one of the brothers was supposed to start the music.
But as my maid of honor headed down the makeshift aisle and we moved into position to start down the same path, a sense of calm washed over me. I closed my eyes, wondering if it was my mom’s spirit telling me everything was going to be okay. That thought brought me peace.
Opening my eyes, I couldn’t stop my gaze from going straight to Raider, who was standing at the arbor with Jet as his best man. Those green orbs caressed me from head to toe, and the look in his eyes made me feel like the only woman in the world. As I watched him watching me, I saw his throat work, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he waited for me to come to him.
Our gazes locked as Colt and I started up the aisle, but I honestly couldn’t remember taking a single step until I was right in front of Raider, less than a foot away from the man I’d loved since before I even knew what that word really meant. The entire moment felt surreal until Raider stepped forward and took my hand from Colt’s.
He tugged me close, bending his head to brush his lips softly over mine. The small caress was so sweet yet incredibly intimate. Happy tears stung my eyes, my heart nearly bursting from how perfect this moment was.
When he lifted his head, Raider’s eyes were glassy with his own tears, but he didn’t try to hide them. “I love you, Quinn,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear.
My chin trembled, but I smiled up at him. “I love you too.”
A throat clearing had us both turning our heads to find the minister standing there with his cheeks pink. “Do you two still need me? You seem to be doing a pretty good job on your own.”
Raider’s shoulders shook as he laughed. “Sorry, Reverend. I got impatient.” His hand dropped to my waist, turning us to face the man. “Please, begin.”
--
The only downside to having a princess-style wedding dress was going to the bathroom. It was at least a two-person job, so I held off until I couldn’t hold it any longer.
Flick and Raven were both free, thankfully, and they helped me to the bathroom. It felt so good to pee that I actually moaned as they held the skirt of my dress up on either side, causing the two other women to laugh.
“It’s the little things,” Raven said with a grin as she passed me some toilet paper. “When I was pregnant with Max, it was just short of orgasmic to empty my bladder.”
When I was done, they fixed my skirt for me while I washed my hands. “I’m so tired,” I confessed as we walked into the bedroom and headed for the door. “I feel like today has lasted a week, but in a good way.”
“It was a beautiful wedding,” Flick commented.
“As soon as you and Raider cut the cake, you can make a break for it,” Raven assured me. “Your car is already packed, so you don’t have to worry about getting your things. Then you can go to the hotel and crash before you have to fly out in the morning for your honeymoon.”
She opened the door and started to walk out ahead of Flick and me when she stopped dead in her tracks, causing me to bump into her back. “Hey,” I grumbled, trying to see what the problem was. “What’s going on?”
Raven muttered something savage under her breath that I didn’t catch and moved so fast, I nearly stumbled forward. Seconds later, I heard a shriek and looked down the hall to find my sister Whitney on the floor at Raven’s feet. Raven’s heel was on her stomach, pressing into her.