Page 188 of The Beta's Blind Date

He nods and then walks over to where Wesley stands under the peach tree, talking with him as I make my way to the entrance. I pass Haven, Blake, and Maya as they enter the garden, but I don’t stop to chat with any of them. Today is about me and my mate and our declaration of love for each other in front of our family and closest friends.

Taryn’s sweet scent hits my nose and I pick up my pace, turning the corner and exiting the garden, where I stop in my tracks, breath stolen and words failing me.

She gives me a demure smile, and my eyes scan every inch of her, memorizing the way she looks in her dress. The crocheted ivory lace is layered over thin layers of almost sheer chiffon, and the deep V of the bodice stops at the bottom of her rib cage, giving me a tease of her gorgeous breasts. The top is held by two thin straps, and as she turns around in place, looking at me over her shoulder, my eyes trace those two straps as they extend down to meet in the middle at her waistline. With her natural dark curls up in a gorgeous, full, low bun, it leaves all of her back exposed, all of it available for me to kiss, touch, and tease all night long.

She finishes her slow spin, and I close the gap between us, the gap that feels miles long but is only a handful of steps. My hand slides to the small of her back, where those two strings of fabric disguised as straps meet, and I pull her against me, moving Savvy to the side to make room so I can hold both of my girls at once.

Taryn’s arm drapes around my neck, and I sigh at the fireworks that erupt everywhere I touch her bare skin. Our foreheads rest together, and her other arm wraps around Savvy, the three of us forming a tight-knit little family unit.

“You’re so beautiful,” I say, my nose brushing against hers. “Both of you,” I add, glancing down at Savvy as she reaches her little hands for Taryn’s face.

“Hey there, Sour Patch!” Taryn says, taking her from me and cradling her against her chest.

My arms stay around her, guarding and protecting my girls. My wolf and I are both on alert and ready to defend our precious jewels. Not that we’ll need to today. But that’s our job, and we’ll always be prepared to defend what’s ours.

“Mommy missed you.” She kisses the top of Savvy’s head, then her nose, and then both of her chubby cheeks, and Savvy gives a raspberry and a laugh. “You’re as silly as your dad, you know that?”

Savvy’s eyes flick to me. “That’s right, she’s talking about me,” I say, bopping her nose with my fingertip, eliciting another of her adorable baby giggles. One of my favorite sounds in the world.

“Is everyone ready?” Taryn asks.

“Yes. They’re all waiting for us. Are you ready?”

“I am,” she says, smiling up at me. “Are you?”

My smile widens into a goofy grin that has my eyes watering and my cheeks hurting. “I’ve been ready since our blind date.”

She laughs, her eyes squeezing shut, and she covers her mouth and shakes her head. “Don’t lie.”

“Okay, okay. I’ve been ready since the day you pinned me in the gym. Better?”

She nods and reaches up to kiss me—a sweet, tiny kiss. “I love you, Beta.”

“I love you too, Cadet.”

I link my fingers with hers, and she adjusts Savvy on her hip, the three of us making our way into and through the garden. The warmth of the sun shining down on us mirrors the warmth in my soul as I hold hands with my mate, and she holds our daughter, as we walk towards where our alpha—my best friend—will perform our ceremony.

Everyone waits for us—everyone important to us, anyway, as is the tradition for most werewolf mating ceremonies. Wesley and Haven will perform our ceremony, and Sebastian, Nolan, Blake and Dawson, Maya, Levi, Aunt Gigi, Wesley’s family, and of course, my dad, make up the rest of those in attendance. We’d extended an invitation to Dominic, but he’s still on his mission for the king and is unable to attend.

There are no decorations—the garden itself is decoration enough—and there will be no gigantic party or reception after. It’s how both of us pictured and described it when we asked each other if we wanted a mating ceremony.

Everyone smiles at us as we approach, my dad’s eyes shining with pride and with tears. Taryn squeezes my hand when she catches me looking at him, sending a jolt of love and peace through me, pure and strong.

Wesley waits for us under the peach tree, Haven at his side, the sleeves of his shirt under his gray vest rolled up, and her wild red curls tumbling down her back and over her scarred shoulder. As we reach them, we face each other, clasping our left hands together, Savvy still hugged to Taryn’s chest with her right arm, and we smile at each other as tears fill both of our eyes.

Wes turns to our gathered guests to start the ceremony. “I am honored to stand before you today to perform Reid and Taryn’s ceremony, a symbolic, outward declaration of the commitment they made when they gave each other their marks.”

Taryn squeezes my hand again, and Haven moves between us and Wesley, holding the cord of colored ribbons we chose for our ceremony: blue for devotion, black for strength, and pink for romance and happiness. She begins wrapping it around our wrists and hands, tying and binding us together as Wesley continues his speech.

“As their outward declaration to their friends and family, Taryn and Reid will have their hands bound, symbolizing how their love ties them together, now and forever. They are two werewolves who are the halves of a whole. Two souls, coming together to form one single being; two hearts, beating in a single rhythm.”

A lump forms in my throat and I swallow against it, sniffling and flexing my fingers at my side so I don’t scratch at my nose or swipe at the tear threatening to fall from my eye. I know as soon as I wipe it away, as soon as I acknowledge it, the tears will flow from me like water from a broken dam, and I’m not ready for that. Not yet.

And it doesn’t help that from Taryn’s end of the bond, there is a flood of swirling emotions flowing towards me, as strong and uncontainable as mine. But neither of us hold back or shut the other out. We made a promise to each other—no lies and no hiding.

“Handfasting is an old tradition,” Wesley continues. “With each wrap of the ribbon, you deepen your commitment to each other, vowing to respect and support one another.”

Haven smiles at us as she finishes the knot, placing her hand over ours and sending a pulse of her starlight aura over us and through us, the breeze picking up around her and playing in the cords tying Taryn and me together. It’s the same breeze that surrounded us the night the five of us took over the pack, and my wolf and I both puff up our chests at the approval we feel from the powerful essence floating within the wind.

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