Page 93 of Crushes and Confections

“It wasn’t,” Riley agreed with a chuckle. All of us had our own reasons for resisting at first. Now it was second nature to trust my pack with my heart.

“Build the walls and seal the seams, fill thy Hollow up with teams. Now this one was a bit different than most. Some interesting visitors popped in, giving us the perfect way to show you that you aren’t alone here. All of Holiday Hollow has your back, especially your new family.”

“I’m grateful for that,” Adrien said, turning and bowing toward mine and Riley’s family’s, acknowledging publicly how much their support meant to him. Vance stood by his side, holding his hand and doing the same. My chest warmed as they all returned it.

“Is it just me, or is it getting misty in here,” Riley muttered. Autumn laughed and shook her head, not surprised in the least by his commentary.

“One or two, milk, no cream, straight black, or just a steam, it’s time to learn the little things. You not only chose to appreciate the little moments with your pack, but you went out of your way to include the things that mean the most to them, like family. That little gesture did not go unnoticed.”

She gestured behind her and I nearly choked on a cry as both mine and Riley’s family walked forward with a single flower in their hands, giving our alphas a gesture in return.

“Welcome to our family, mijos,” Riley’s mom said, giving them both a kiss before mom threw her arms around them and squeezed the life out of our alphas.

“And we love you two,” she promised, giving Riley and I both a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek before everyone went back to their seats and Autumn could continue. Now Jack and Hunter had joined her, each holding the pieces we’d given Boone along the way, only now they were cut down into something recognizable.

“And finally, the last piece. All that’s left is the heart, a moment in time, never to part. You’ve got your picture, now let’s put it all together.” Her pack came together to piece together the picture frame for us. It was handmade and incredibly thoughtful, but the meaning behind it all left me speechless.

They invited us over to add the photo Autumn had given us, the moment that had been captured by the photographer earlier, and I slid it into place before each of my mates took turns locking the hardware that held the backing together.

When it was done all I could do was hug it to my chest as my pack surrounded me. I’d never felt more loved than in that moment.

I’d forgotten about the courting gift with everything else going on today. I had my bonds and a ring on my finger. But in a way, that crazy list helped us come together just like the town we called home. Holiday Hollow magic always had an unexpected way of changing your life. I guess this time it was our turn.

Epilogue

Afew months later, on a gorgeous late spring day, I married my best friend in the very gazebo we had our courting ceremony in.

Adrien and Vance were there of course, standing right by our side, as our friends and family gathered around to watch our vows. Their happiness and pride radiated through our bonds the entire time.

Of course, Riley and I had naturally conspired against them, making the reception we’d held under a big white tent in the green a full pack bonding celebration. Front and center, next to our cake, was the courting gift we’d received from the town, our pack picture.

Riley, in true fashion, had picked out all of our outfits. Yes, that included the dress. Although, to be fair, he narrowed it down to three options and from there I had a fitting with both of our moms, Autumn, and Lindsay to pick which one I wanted. The damn beta was so good I had a hard time choosing which one was my favorite.

Ultimately, I went with one with an off the shoulder sweetheart neckline that clenched around my waist before dropping dramatically into a flirty high low situation. By the looks my pack had given me all night, I knew it had been the right choice.

“What are you thinking about, Peach?” Vance asked as he led me around the dance floor.

“Everything,” I said with a happy sigh. “I never thought I’d have this. And now that I do, it’s beyond my wildest expectations.”

He hummed happily, pressing a kiss to my temple. “That’s what you deserve every single day. Even on the inevitable hard days, we’ll always find our way. Together.”

“I love you, Vance,” I said once the song had ended. “Let’s go find our pack.”

I found our men at one of the high tables, drinks in hand, ‘Ol Beatty just leaving.

“You’ll never guess who is coming back to town?” Riley hissed in a low voice, looking over his shoulder.

“Do I want to know why it’s such a big deal that Beatty’s granddaughter is moving back to Holiday Hollow?” Adrien asked. “Has she been on one of those shows you’ve been having us watch?”

A laugh escaped me. As much as our refined Frenchman could admit, we had totally corrupted him with reality competition shows.

“It’s about time Summer came home,” I said, scanning the crowd for a particular face I knew I wouldn’t probably find before saying in a lower voice. “Does Cole know?”

“There’s no way,” Riley said. “Beatty just found out today.”

For Hollow’s sake that was going to be one hell of a show when he found out.

We’d grown up with them both, although they were a bit younger. Summer was almost like a younger sister to me. Instead of staying in town like Riley and I opted to do, they both chose to go to college in the city. Only Cole came home less than a year later, and Summer never did. Of course she had one huge secret that I’d tried multiple times to get her to confess.

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