Page 153 of Knot All is Forgiven

He kisses me again before spinning me into Cyrus's arms.

Cyrus stares at me intensely, holding my face in his massive hands. "Jay, you are infuriating."

I choke on a laugh, and many of our gathered loved ones gasp quietly. He shakes his head before dropping my face to run his fingers through his hair. "I mean it. You are so bullheaded sometimes it's hard to have a conversation with you."

"You're one to talk, Stargazer." I push my fists into my hips.

"Oh, I am aware I am no better. Sometimes, it's like us being in the same room is a powder keg. It's always been that way. I'm sure there are quite a few people here today who are full of stories of Cyrus and Jordan screaming at each other in their backyard."

"I've got a few!" Momma Fran shouts from the audience. Cyrus points directly at her.

"See! We've always been each other's biggest challenger. And to some people, that may not make sense for a romantic relationship. But for us? I mean, could you imagine it any other way?"

"I couldn't," I say, stroking his cheekbone.

"I think it's part of what makes us so perfect for one another. We won't let each other get away with anything. And the moment I forced you out of my life, I lost that. I didn't realize how much I needed you there pushing me, challenging me." He takes both of my hands in his, and when he looks at me with eyes full of love and devotion, my breath catches in my throat.

"We will disagree, argue, and fight for the rest of our lives. You will tell me when I'm being pig-headed, and I will show you when you're being stubborn. But I promise you one thing,Jordan. I will love you more every single time you tell me I'm wrong. Which I am sure will happen a lot. All I ask in return is that you love me, too. That you never let yourself forget for one day that you are my reason for being."

"I love you, you big oaf," I sob, pulling his lips to mine. "Even when you're stupid. Even when you tell me I'm wrong."

He kisses me so deeply I nearly bend over backward before handing me off to Icarus. My doctor Alpha brushes my hair from my face, smiling so softly it almost hurts.

"Vick," I say with a sigh.

"Vick," he scoffs, shaking his head. "Icarus Valentine became Vick in your mind, and I have been Vick since. It's a great example of how much knowing you has rewritten my very being, Jordan."

Trying to stop my tears at this point is pointless, and Icarus must know that because he hands me a pale pink handkerchief before continuing.

"Being an Alpha was never something I cared for, if I'm honest. When I realized a pack bond wouldn't happen for me, I gave up hope for an Omega. And I was happy. Or, rather, I lived in a facsimile of happiness. I have no doubt my mother and sister have filled you with pathetic stories of me on my own." He looks over my shoulder with a faux-glare. "So when I called my mother and told her how you came to me for medical assistance and finished the day as my Omega, I was sure she'd have to be hospitalized."

He wraps a hand around my waist and pulls me closer to him, a hand resting possessively on the small of my back. "Suddenly, I went from a bachelor with a cat and no prospects to an Alpha with an incredible, unique, gorgeous Omega. I was so concerned that I was going to mess it up. But every time you called me Vick, I realized even if I did mess up, it would be okay. Because thatname came from an incredible mistake, and that mistake helped me find you."

When he kisses me, it's not gentle. It's deep and full of the passion that Icarus hides behind many layers. I pull away, panting, and rub my nose against his. "I'm so glad you're not a murderer, Vick."

"Statistically speaking, someone here today probably is, though," he responds with a straight face.

"Woah, Russ," Simon says with a laugh, pulling me from his arms. "Don't be a narc."

A few loud laughs drift up from the audience, who I had nearly forgotten were there, watching these incredibly intimate moments.

"Simon," I say, placing a hand on his chest.

"Peaches." He smiles, covering my hand with his. "It's no secret I'm obsessed with you. I have been obsessed with you since the first time I found you on the playground in the third grade, knees scraped, and yelling at some kid for beating you in four square. I cannot pinpoint one moment where I knew that we were meant to be together. I've always known."

He scrubs a hand down his face, a way of disguising the tears that are spilling over. "I may or may not have participated in some light stalking just to make sure you were okay after I made the biggest mistake of my life."

"Sure, that's why," I tease, gently pushing his chest.

"Look, I missed you, okay? And when I found out you were mine, but you had Icarus already, I thought my life was over. I thought there was no way you'd forgive me or love me how I loved you." Simon pulls me to his chest, resting his chin on my head. "But when we were thirteen, you told me you'd decided never to watch a movie without a happy ending again. You said you couldn't see anything the main characters couldn't overcome if they were truly in love."

I snort, remembering the idealistic teenager I had been. I know now that even if you're in love, there are some things you can't come back from, but at the time, the world was so black and white.

"I knew you'd always fight for your happy ending. So I wasn't going to give up fighting, either. I know this isn't our happy ending. That will be decades away when we're old as dirt and Cyrus is senile and yelling at the neighborhood kids."

"Ass," Cyrus mutters.

"Thanks for making me a part of your happy beginning, Jordan." He steps back and kisses me, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "And to celebrate this new beginning," he says when he pulls his lips away from mine.

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