Page 15 of With This Ring

“You’d be the last person I’d ask for water if I were on fire,” I tell him calmly. He glares at me before he storms out behind his son.

Sighing, Dad watches him leave, shaking his head. “Wanna not piss off your father-in-law?”

I bark a laugh and throw my arm around his shoulder. We walk out together. “Fuck that guy. You see how he treated Kai?”

Dad looks at me in surprise. “Almost sounds like you care.”

“Not likely,” I grunt. “This marriage isn’t about me caring about him. It’s about our survival. Kai and I will interact only as much as we need to. How his father treats him ain’t my concern. But how Charlie treatsmeis. I won’t allow it. I’ll fucking bury Charlie St. Clair before I allow him to disrespect me.”

“Agreed. Let’s just get past this war before you think about offing your father-in-law, okay?”

I chuckle. “No promises.”

CHAPTER 7

CARTER

Bright lights shine down on me and Kai as we stand in front of a bunch of motherfuckers we don’t know. His face is set in a mask of indifference, though the sweaty palms that he keeps rubbing on his pants says differently.

The wedding venue is decorated to within an inch of its life, flowers and other adornments choking off every square inch that’s visible. The pews are packed with men dressed in sharp suits and women with elegant dresses and jewelry on their wrists, ears and around their necks that can be seen from space. Anyone that is anyone is here, and I hate it.

After taking a glance around the room, my eyes land on the man I’m set to marry. I can’t deny it, Kai looks good. His black suit and crisp white shirt—the same thing I’m wearing—is more fitted than mine, his muscles on display. His arms look as if they’ll burst the seams of his jacket. I won’t lie, that show of his form is hot as fuck.

I’d rather eat a bullet than tell him that.

His long blond hair is pulled back into a sleek ponytail, which shows the high contours of his cheeks and brings out the gray of his eyes. His plump lips are set in a hard line, making a dimple I didn’t know he had pop out.

If it were up to me, Kai and I would have gone down to the justice of the peace and signed the paperwork and been done with it. But Dad and Charlie said having a large wedding would send a bigger message. Some rival families are here out of respect to witness our union. Any one of them could be the ones after my family. I don’t trust any of these bastards that are seated here today, but we prohibited guns, and everyone was searched at the door. We all also have on bulletproof vests. We’re as safe as we can be.

The wedding officiant’s words cut through my musings, and I have to keep my snarl to myself. I can’t wait for all of this to be over so I can go back to ferreting out who the fuck is after my family.

“We are gathered here to recognize the union between these two men, Kaison St. Clair and Carter Whitlock. If there is anyone here who do not want to see these two together, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Kai raises an eyebrow at me, and I mirror it, daring him to say he’s not going to go through with it. In this, I would follow his lead. But he just smirks and looks pointedly at the wedding officiant.

After a respectful pause, the officiant continues. “Do you, Carter Whitlock, take Kaison St. Clair, as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, through sickness and in health, from this day until the end of your days?”

I swallow past a dry throat. “I do.”

“And do you, Kaison St. Clair, take Carter Whitlock, as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, through sickness and in health, from this day until the end of your days?”

“Yeah.” I raise an eyebrow at his flippancy, and he glares at me. Through clenched teeth, he says, “I do.”

The officiant looks at him for a few beats but continues quickly when Kai shoots him a death glare. “Can we have the rings please?”

Declan hands me the ring as Nico hands Kai his. They’re black titanium rings that Dad gave me, saying he commissioned them just for us. Whatever. One less thing I have to pay for, I guess.

“Now repeat after me,” the officiant says. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Grabbing Kaison’s sweaty hand, I slide the heavy ring on the third finger of his left hand. “With this ring,” I say looking up at him, “I thee wed.”

Once the ring is on his finger, he slides the ring on my finger, not breaking eye contact. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

“By the power vested in me by the state of New Jersey, I now pronounce you husbands. You may now kiss the groom.”

I wrap my arm around Kai’s waist, wanting to get this over and done with so I never have to touch his lips again. It’s already too much that we can’t skip this part. I’m willing to admit that I tried to find any reason not to kiss Kai, but Dad just looked at me, told me to stop being a bitch and kiss him to seal our union. My pride stung at Dad thinking I was a bitch.

He stiffens in my arms, but I don’t care. I lower my lips to his and peck him lightly.

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