“Holy Jesus fuck.” Charlene slaps a hand over Skye’s eyes.
“Was that an optical illusion?” Skye pries at Charlene’s fingers while Violet clues in and yanks the covers back up.
“Okay. Now I get your issue with Area 51.” Charlene coughs.
When I’m covered again, Charlene drops her hand and Violet climbs over me, holding the edges of her robe together. I don’t even know what she’s wearing under there. She drops a kiss on my lips, no tongue. She pulls back and smiles. “I’m going to go get pretty so I can marry you!”
I fold my arm behind my head and return the grin. “I’d marry you right this second; you’re gorgeous just the way you are.”
Skye makes an aww sound, and Charlene pretends to gag. Neither of them seems to be able to look me in the eye as they mumble goodbye and usher Violet out of the room. I’m about to take care of my hard-on when my dad busts in, eating a muffin.
“All right, son, let’s get you ready to walk your ass down the aisle.”
My phone gets confiscated, so I’m not able to contact Violet for the rest of the morning. We have breakfast, and then a stylist—apparently hired by my mom—comes up to the suite to do our hair and make sure our nails look nice.
Lance bites his, so they don’t have anything to work with. Darren has lovely cuticles, according to the manicure girl, and Randy refuses to let the chick near his beard. He’s really attached to it. A photographer, magically hired by my mom, comes in to snap a bunch of pictures, then disappears—probably back to where the girls are.
At one-thirty, we get into a limo and head to the church. And then we wait for the girls to show up. Darren passes along a message that they’ll be here soon, and suddenly I’m nervous. I wipe my hands on my pants and make Darren check his breast pocket for the rings for the millionth time.
“You got this.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze.
Ten minutes later, he gets another message letting us know they’re here. We don’t have to wait for anyone else to show up, or for people to get seated. Lance stands at the front of the church with a Bible tucked under his arm. It’s surreal, to be honest.
The organist, who showed up five minutes ago, starts playing wedding music. It’s go time. My dad comes down the aisle with my mom on one arm and Skye on the other. Skye’s dress is low-cut for a wedding, but that’s Skye. My mom is beautiful.
Next Charlene and Darren come down the aisle, followed by Miller and Sunny, and Lily and Randy.
The entire world seems to stop when Violet appears in the church doors, her arm hooked through Sidney’s. They pause in the doorway. It’s like a damn postcard. She tilts her head up to look at him as he says something to her, and she nods.
She stands straighter, but on the first step she stumbles a little.
Lance puts a hand on my shoulder before I can make a move.
“He’s got her. Be patient. She’ll come to you.”
It’s true. I chased her from the beginning, and in the end I’ve realized it’s always about me letting her find her way when she’s ready. And she is now. I can see it in her excited smile, and the way she tries to make Sidney walk faster to get to me.
When she’s a few feet away, they stop. Sidney whispers something, and she hugs him hard and then, because she’s Violet, she pulls a tissue out from between her boobs and dabs under her eyes. Stuffing it back in, she turns to me and smiles.
I extend a hand, and she takes it. “You’re the most gorgeous woman on the face of the earth.”
Her hair frames her face in soft ringlets. Her dress is perfect, highlighting her insane curves. If I wasn’t as nervous as I am, I’d have a serious hard-on.
“You look superhot.”
I wink. “Ready, baby?”
“So ready.” She leans in to whisper, “And I don’t mean that in a pervy way, yet.”
Lance coughs.
She cringes, and we both look to him to start the ceremony. I try to pay attention, but I find myself staring at Violet. And then all of a sudden it’s my turn to say my vows.
“I, Alex Robert Waters, take you, Violet Marie Hall, to be my wife.” I pause to smile, because I love the way that sounds. “I promise to love you with the same depth and intensity as the moment I first fell for you, to treasure you and every moment we share, whether it’s full of laughter or tears, or both. I promise to take care of you and to let you take care of me.” I pause to wink at her wide eyes and stifled snort. “I promise to be the man you need and not just the man you want.”