Evin's Fight (Southern Charmers 3)

I want to ask more, but he passes me going inside.

Fifteen minutes later, Lou Ann has custom bouquets made for Poppy and Ryanne. She’s pinned flowers on Dante’s and my chest and we’ve met her husband, Irv. I hand over my ring to Dante, wishing like hell we’d had time to get Poppy a real wedding set. It’s on my agenda first thing in the morning.

Ryanne pokes her head inside. “Everything ready?”

“Yes, dear, we’re all set,” Lou Ann answers.

“Evin, go out back. You can’t see her yet. Dante, she’s waiting for you.”

He slaps my back, leaving me with Irv and Lou Ann, who promptly usher me back to the garden and my place.

“You nervous, son?” Irv asks.

“No. And when you see her, you’ll know why.”

He chuckles as music fills the area. Ryanne comes out first, smiling wide and looking radiant. Lou Ann snaps pictures until Ryanne is standing a few feet across the grass. She mouths ‘prepare yourself’ as the music changes and Dante steps in the doorway, offering his elbow, and Poppy slips her arm through.

My heart stops and everything else fades away.

Radiant, exquisite, luminescent… everything about Poppy is breathtaking.

She’s wearing a new crown of flowers, her hair in loose waves and sparkling. The white lace dress hugs her body but flares at the bottom, giving me a glimpse of the glittering crystal sandals.

She locks eyes with me, and the world shifts. The trip takes an eternity and I force myself to stay planted. Dante finally stands next to me, and Poppy smiles shyly.

“You’re stunning,” I whisper the phrase used so many times since the night she walked out of the theatre.

“So are you.”

Irv clears his throat and starts speaking, but I barely hear a word, lost in her. Dante speaks up, giving her away, and I snap back to attention. She kisses his cheek and he and Ryanne move in front of us.

When it’s time for the vows and rings, I’m forced to turn to Dante while she hands Ryanne the bouquet and gets my ring. Dante doesn’t hand me the diamond ring I gave her. Instead, he places a circle of diamonds and rubies so brilliant it glimmers in the light.

“It was my grandmother’s,” Poppy whispers.

Rubies and diamonds. Representing each of their birth months.

My head snaps between her and Dante and his words from earlier sink in.

“… you’ll get the understanding that Poppy doesn’t need to be kept in the dark on anything. She’s all in on this.”

Her grandmother’s ring. Something Poppy treasures and would only wear on her finger if she knew it would always represent the same commitment and love meant for a lifetime.

My throat closes and I shut my eyes, breathing deep. She will never need my band as long as she has this. Suddenly, the impulse to get it on her intensifies.

“It’s perfect.” I take her hand in mine and jerk my head to Irv.

He continues, and the moment I repeat his vows, slipping the ring on her finger, she lets out a small cry. Ryanne does the same, and a rush of emotions jolt through me.

Poppy rasps her part, shaking when she slips my ring on.

I flash Irv a look that tells him we need to get this over with because I want my wife in my arms. He smiles in understanding, reciting the rest, and then finally says the words.

‘Husband and Wife.’

Tradition flies out of my head, and I lift her, crushing my mouth to hers. She giggles, gripping the back of my head and parting her lips. I kiss her until we’re fighting for breath and Irv is openly chuckling.

“Mine.”

“Ditto.”

I place her on her feet just enough to get my arm under her knees and swing her back up. Loud claps surround us, and I twist to Ryanne for Poppy to get her flowers. Lou Ann waves us back down the path to the door, snapping shots.

When we get inside the chapel, I lower my mouth back to hers. “Any chance I can march us to the waiting limo and disappear to our room?”

“Very tempting, but we only get one wedding night celebration.”

“Exactly, let’s not delay.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a man in a tuxedo rolling a cart loaded with iced champagne buckets, flutes, and a small cake to the outside.

“That’s for us. One reason this place is an exclusive spot in Vegas. They are full-service.”

“Remind me to thank Ryanne.”

She laughs, placing her hand over my heart, and tilts back to face me. “Evin, we’re married.”

“We are.”

“You already know this, but I need to say it. I love you.”

For the second time tonight, the world shifts as the impact of her words and the glimmer in her eyes pierce straight to my heart. “I love you, too.”

“That requires a celebration all in itself.”

I spin, taking us back. “We celebrate your way, then we do it mine.”