Page 64 of A Bear's Secret

Epilogue Two

Sloane

“You’re doing fine,” whispered Austin, leaning over to Sloane and, past her, Trevor.

Sloane smiled and held his hand, while Trevor just nodded a little stiffly. Frankly, Sloane thought that Trevor looked like he was anything but fine. He looked uncomfortable in the deep blue three-piece suit, even though Sloane couldn’t help but notice how it set off his gray eyes, and he kept looking around the inside of the barn like he was afraid everyone was talking about him.

Someone probably is, Sloane thought. Austin brought a wolf to a bear wedding.

At least it’ll give the gossip machine something to talk about.

Sitting in front of her, Charlie turned around and hung one elbow over the back of her chair, anxiously looking at the back of the room.

“Have you seen her dress yet?” she said.

The girl next to her turned around too. Her red-gold hair was in a bun at the nape of her neck, and she had jade earrings that almost exactly matched her eyes.

“She wouldn’t show me,” Olivia said.

“Me either,” said Sloane.

She didn’t know Olivia, Austin’s cousin, all that well. For that matter, she didn’t know Charlie, Austin’s other cousin’s mate all that well either, but she was glad that both of them were at the wedding with her. It was good to have female comrades, especially since she was still relatively unfamiliar with how shifter stuff worked.

“Did she show anyone?” Charlie asked.

“I don’t think so,” Olivia said.

Sloane took a moment to look around the inside of the barn. There was lights strung up everywhere, and big bouquets of white flowers and evergreen boughs hung from the second story, filling the air with their sweet, spicy scent. At the front was a simple white arch, decorated with the same evergreen and white, and a row of tiny lights lit the aisle.

“She has more family than I’d have thought,” Sloane said, eyeing the opposite side of the aisle.

Charlie and Olivia glanced over.

“No, that’s us too,” she said.

For just a moment, Sloane closed her eyes.

I thought I was doing so well, remembering everyone’s names, she thought. There’s twice as many as I thought.

I’m going to have to make flashcards or something for when Austin and Trevor and I get—

She blinked and cut off her own train of thought.

Don’t get ahead of yourself, Garcia. It’s been six weeks.

“What does—” Olivia murmured, but then the music started. It was something classical that Sloane didn’t recognize, but she knew it could only mean one thing.

On cue, the three women sat up straight in their seats and looked over their shoulders toward the back.

The first to walk down the aisle, looking perfectly calm and collected in his dark gray suit, was Julius. He managed to keep a straight face, but Sloane could tell from the crinkles around his eyes that he was practically giddy, just about ready to do somersaults down the aisle.

Of course he is,she thought. He fought for this so hard.

Next came Hudson. He looked nervous, and even the slightest bit uncomfortable, but happy.

The two of them kissed briefly under the arch, and Julius whispered something in Hudson’s ear.

Hudson smiled.

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