Page 318 of Bride of Choice

“Thank you. Thank you guys so much.” I dragged Rosa into our hug, making her laugh at my exuberance.

“You like it, then?” Rosa asked hopefully.

“Like it? You dirty bitch, you should know I love it!”

Mal and Rosa laughed and hugged me back.

Another song started and it clicked then. They were playing songs from The Wedding Singer. My all time favorite, ultimate comfort watch rom com. Perfection.

Taking Rosa’s hand, snagging Mal up along with me, I gave them both a tug. “This is a wedding and these are my jams. Ladies, why are we not shaking it around enormous pots of food!” With another tug, I admitted, “This might be our only chance to hang tonight before Odix and Gopher wise up, and then I’m all theirs!”

Mal let out a raucous shout. “Let’s do this!”

Rushing to the middle holding hands, we grabbed Dorothy and even Red and Daisy, until we had a chain with Gopher’s sisters and Mamma joining in as well, and acted like complete asses dancing around the fire.

As foretold, Gopher and Odix claimed me after the first dance, taking turns slow dancing with me even if the songs were too fast for it. When Odix grew impatient for his turn, he latched onto my back like a clinger on and swayed along with me as Gopher slow danced with me in one spot.

When it came time to cut the cake, I had them both covered. In cake, that is. They never saw it coming. Odix scooped a thick chunk of icing off of Gopher’s forehead and tasted it, announcing that it was really goot, before Gopher’s shock wore off and he came gunning for me, fistful of cake at the ready.

“I’m the bride!” I shouted as he chased me around, to everyone laughing at our antics’ amusement. Odix sat down with a fat ol’ piece of cake and shouted pointers on catching me at Gopher.

“I’m supposed to look beautiful!” I shrieked. Passing Odix, I bellowed, “Quit helping him, hairy butt! What kinda groom are you?!”

“Hairy one with big butt but Jo likes the big butts,” he said with a shrug around a mouthful of cake.

I was pretty sure Rosa was going to bust a vein in her face, she was laughing at the karmic justice so hard.

When Gopher finally caught me, I bribed him with kisses and he promised not to shove cake in my face if I allowed him to feed me my piece by hand.

True to his word, he fed me my cake, between toe curling kisses and mumbled sweet nothings. By this point many a little one was passed out or their parents had taken them home to tuck into bed, so, yeah, I felt a little less guilty for licking cake off his fingers in front of everyone.

Afterwards, as everyone begged off and we were left with the soft glow of the fire and a sky full of stars, they snuggled me between them as we rehashed the day and their wonderful scheming. I was rather proud of them for managing to surprise the socks right off of me like that.

Honestly, it would have been perfect with Celuk and Tor here to celebrate and be a part of this, but nonetheless, today was magical.

Best. Wedding. Day. Ever.

My night was spent making Jo sandwiches with Gopher and Odix, who were excitedly uncoordinated in the best way possible and kept me up until the wee hours of the morning.

After a week of blissful honeymoon nights and days filled getting to know Gopher’s crazy, awesome family, the day had come for Gopher and Odix’s trip.

Rosa said Celuk and Tokre were due back any day now, and I was still too chicken to muster up the balls to pick my way through the woods and try and track down Tor, hoping he came back well before it came to that. I was a heap of emotions today as I took turns wishing Odix and Gopher a good trip and hoping they’d comeback soon.

“Don’t let anything eat Gopher,” I advised Odix. “Go Griz on their ass, make them regret the day they were born.”

“Odix protect Jo’s little Gopher,” he promised with twitchy lips.

Turning to Gopher, who was growling at Odix, I gave him a stern look he took as playful. “Don’t let my hairy butt eat too many stink berries. You know what it does to him,” I warned.

Gopher made a gagging sound and lifted his hand as if to wave away a bad smell. “Gopher know. No thanked you.”

“Exactly,” I chirped, trying to be chipper and upbeat when I felt anything but. “You two be good. Come home to me.”

They both grinned, nearly bumping heads as they both closed in on me, squishing me to them in a hug I was really needing.

“Love you,” I mumbled into Odix’s chest as I stared at Gopher.

Their rumbling purrs in reply were as good as an I love you too as I needed. My smile was crooked and just shy of goofy as they said those three little words back.

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