Shattered (The Protectors 11)

Caleb had also started making some decisions about his life beyond therapy. He’d already begun the process of getting his GED with the hopes that he could go back to college to study computers. He was particularly interested in web design. It wasn’t something he’d ever given a lot of thought to as a career, but one afternoon when he’d been visiting Aleks at the flower shop with Willa, he’d helped the woman who owned the shop fix a problem with her webpage. She’d gone on to ask him if he could redesign it, and while he considered the changes he’d done mediocre – a sentiment not shared by the grateful shop owner or Aleks – it had stirred an interest in him to learn more about the business of designing websites. It fed both his creative side and his intellectual side.

As Eli’s brother Tristan began playing a small piano, the wedding guests got settled into the pews as the minister took his place at the front of the aisle. Dozens and dozens of strings of white lights strung across the ceiling lit up the dim interior of the church. When Tristan switched to the typical wedding march song, everyone shifted in their seats to watch the procession.

I felt my heart expand at the sight of Caleb walking next to Brennan. My man looked amazing in his tuxedo, but I also couldn’t wait to get him out of it tonight when we got home. Caleb flashed me a smile as he passed, then he put his fingers out. I was sitting along the aisle, so I lifted my fingers to trail along his and I felt the familiar jolt of electricity that went through my arm and straight to my balls. But along with it came the rightness of it all. I knew this would be us someday – we’d have a big wedding like this one so that all the people who’d accepted us so willingly into their family could celebrate with us. But the honeymoon? I already knew what we’d do for that. I’d just have to see if Dalton would lend me his boat again.

Up next down the aisle were several little girls in dresses throwing flowers all over the place. After that came Eli. He was flanked by his father, Dom, and his mother. I automatically scanned the crowd to see where Willa was and was pleased to see that Aleks had her. He was standing near the doorway leading to the back rooms. He was pointing Caleb out to Willa and Caleb sent the little girl a discreet wave. I had no doubt our daughter recognized him.

Warmth spread through my chest and I instantly thought of Maggie. Moments like these were always bittersweet for me – I knew in my heart that it was best for Willa to see me and Caleb as her parents and that it was what Maggie would have wanted, but I would’ve gladly played the role of doting uncle for the rest of my life if I’d had any kind of say in it.

Mav came next down the aisle. His best men accompanied him. Following closely behind the men were the ring bearers.

To say they stole the show was an understatement.

Jamie, the youngest of the three boys, was holding one of Matty’s hands. In his other hand was the Spiderman doll. In Matty’s free hand was a pillow with one of the rings tied to it. Right behind Matty was his best friend, Leo. Even if I hadn’t remembered him as Matty’s bestie, he was hard to forget because he was still wearing the Spiderman pajamas. I had no clue what the significance of the outfit was, but I couldn’t help but notice how relieved little Leo’s fathers, who were sitting on the opposite side of the aisle from me, looked as they watched their boy make his way down the aisle, pillow with the second ring on it in one hand, Baby’s leash in the other.

Once the boys reached the front, they handed the pillows to the best men closest to them, then went and found their seats in the front row. Mav and Eli couldn’t take their eyes off one another throughout the entire ceremony and both cried at different points as they spoke their vows to one another. I felt myself choking up by the end, and when the two men were pronounced as husbands and kissed, I joined the rest of the guests as they got to their feet and cheered. It took a good thirty minutes for the church to empty as the guests made their way to the hotel ballroom Dom and his husband, Logan, had rented for the occasion. I was feeling pretty restless by the time Caleb made his way to me, but when I saw that he had Willa with him, I was able to relax.