Page 62 of Well Played

The celebrant stepped forward and began his opening address, but I couldn’t have repeated a word he said. I was lost in the vivid green eyes of the man who was becoming my husband.

“Do you, Oscar Cavanaugh, take Mia Maddren to be your wedded wife? To have and to hold. In sickness and in health, so long as you both shall live?”

A fine tremor passed through Oscar’s hands where they held mine. His excited energy was at a level he visibly struggled to contain as he cleared his throat and said “I do.”

The celebrant then asked me the same question, and I felt the answer in every fiber of my being as I said those two little words.

“You may now kiss the bride.” A cheer went up through the crowd. Oscar leaned close and took my lips in a soft, barely there kiss that held so much love and affection, I felt it all the way down to the bottom of my soul.

“Hello, Wife,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine.

“Hello hus?—”

Before I could finish the greeting, the heavens opened up with a downpour that had our attendees scrambling for handbags and jackets in a rush toward the shelter of the house.

A laugh burst out of me. It was freedom and happiness and absolute acceptance of the absurdity of the day.

Oscar gaped at the sky as rain flowed over his face in runnels.

“Of course,” he laughed, dropping his eyes to me.

I pushed a piece of wet hair off my forehead, grinning like a mad woman and happier than I’d ever been in my life.

“Dance with me.”

Without question, he wrapped me in his arms and swayed us to a beat only we could hear.

“Always.”

EPILOGUE

Oscar

After our impromptu first dance,we returned to Coach’s house to find most of our guests had made their way toward the yacht club for our reception. Coach offered towels to dry off while Luca ran back to our house and brought us fresh clothing for the party.

An hour later, dry and freshly changed, we once again pulled up to the yacht club.

The rain clouds had passed, leaving the sky a brilliant canvas of pinks and oranges where sun was low on the horizon. A cool breeze blew in off the water and brought a salty edge to the fresh smell of wet earth. I slipped out of the passenger seat and circled the car to offer Mia my hand to get out of her side, pausing at the sight of my ring on her finger.

We were officially married.

I brushed my finger over the simple gold band, happiness bubbling inside of me as she folded her fingers over mine.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

I met her beautiful silver eyes, still feeling like we were in a dream I’d wake from at any moment. How the hell had I gotten so lucky?

“Let’s do it.”

Her red painted lips spread into a smile that cut through me every time I saw it and together we headed in through the front door. At the direction of the concierge, we turned down several corridors before Mateo met us at a set of double glass doors that barely contained the thumping of music inside.

Pushing them open, he strode confidently into the space, put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. The DJ cut the music instantly, and in the ensuing silence he announced “Ladies and gentlemen! I give you Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Cavanaugh!” The roar from the crowd was deafening. Burlesque dancers, hockey players, and everyone who had touched our lives crowded forward to congratulate us en masse.

Over the heads of the crowd, I found my mom and Tia patiently waiting their turn to say hello, and in the corner, Elle yelling at some dude I hadn’t met before. I silently encouraged her to give him hell and turned back to find Mia watching me.

“I love you,”I mouthed at her. Her lips turned up in a secret smile before forming the words back to me and I wondered if it would be bad form to leave already so I could fuck my wife.

“Oscar!” Cian’s voice broke through the salacious ideas forming in my mind. He held his phone aloft, ignoring the frowns of several well-wishers as they were jostled aside in his haste to get to me.

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