Page 54 of Dangerously Yours

They all let out a sigh, as did Charlie who was on the other side of Nicole. The three of them had been selected as bridesmaids, and Harper’s childhood best friend was the maid of honor. I had known Charlene Mitchell all of her life. We had always been friends and nothing more, but as I stared at Daxon, I saw the way his hand rested a bit too familiar on her hips. I arched a brow. If I didn’t know any better, I would think the two of them had something going on which would be a surprising development.

Thinking about it, she actually was a perfect match for my best friend. Daxon was so straight-laced and serious all of the time. Charlie would bring that sense of fun into his world, and as I watched her tilt her head to look up at him, I grinned. It was very possible that she was already doing so.

I then turned to look over at Callum. His arms were wrapped tightly around Nicole, and I almost wondered if they would be the next to get married. It was very possible, and finally, I looked over at Romeo. He was standing behind Nina, who was Harper’s design assistant. It was obvious that neither wanted to be in close proximity with the other which meant there was likely a story to be told there. One of these nights, I would get it out of my friend, but today was all about love, and there was definitely something different going on between them.

Nothing else mattered right now because we were there to celebrate Gabriel and Harper. A lot had happened after she moved away from Gabe, and things ended horribly between them. It was then that I had come to a conclusion of my own. I didn’t believe in love anymore. If the two of them couldn’t make it, then no one else could. I was so glad to have been wrong about that because they belonged together. Back then, and certainly now.

The music finally came to an end, and her veil was raised. We all grew quiet as they prepared to say their vows. The minister was the first to speak. “Now, will you please turn and face one another, then join hands to express your vows of love and devotion.”

We watched as the couple did as they were asked, and I could not only see, but feel the happiness radiating off of them before either one started to speak. Their silence was short-lived, because Gabe cleared his throat, then began.

“Harper, I’m so lucky to be standing before you today in the presence of our friends, and those as close to us as family. Most men would start off by saying something about not being able to believe where they are, or what they are doing, but I’ve dreamed of this moment ever since I was five years old when I proposed to you in my backyard with nothing more than a freshly picked flower and a bracelet. I’ve always known that we were meant to be together, even if it ended up being more of a struggle than I ever imagined it would be. I sometimes wondered if I’d been wrong, but I later learned I’d been right all along. Remember that later on in our marriage. A man can be right at times.” The crowd all laughed, and the blushing bride smiled even wider. Nothing Gabriel was saying was news to me, or to Charlie. We had been there the whole time with them. “Does that mean that things for us will always be easy? No, but we have fought our way back to one another once, and I’ll never stop fighting for you, or for us, ever again. The day I thought I lost you propelled me into a darkness that only you could save me from. Your emergence back in my life was the light I needed. You’re what I needed. You’re what I have always needed. I love you as much now as I did then. I’m just so thankful that you said ‘Yes’ to me to begin with. I love you Harper Grimes. Then... now... and forever.”

Women always tended to get sentimental, but I still shook my head at the four women all dabbing at their eyes. I nipped Lulu’s ear, felt her shiver, and almost whispered something in her ear, but Harper started to talk so we gave her our undivided attention.

“When we’d started our journey all those years ago, I’d never wanted anything more. I’ve always wantedonlyyou. At times, it was hard to believe that we’d ever see this day because after all, the promises made to one another had been when we were mere children. I’ve come to realize that our ages didn’t lessenthe sincerity of the things we’d vowed to one another. Not then, and not now. Like you, I also found myself in a very dark place. Without you, I lacked purpose... drive... self-worth... but most of all, I lacked love. If someone would‘ve told me two years ago that we would reunite, and I would be standing here in front of all these people, I would’ve never believed it. Here we are, though. It is rare enough to find true love once in a lifetime, but to realize that it never actually disappeared is truly magical. Our entire journey has been a fairy tale, especially this second chance we’ve now gotten with one another. I love you, Gabriel Blake, and I can honestly say that there’s nothing more I want in this world than to officially become your wife, once and for all.”

When Harper grew silent, the minister looked to my best friend, then spoke once more. “Will you please repeat this vow to your bride, saying after me: I, Gabriel, take you Harper, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward... for better or for worse... for richer or for poorer... in sickness and in health... I promise to love and cherish you.”

Gabriel repeated those words, then the minister turned to Harper. “Will you please repeat this vow to your groom, saying after me: I, Harper, take you Gabriel, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward... for better or for worse... for richer or for poorer... in sickness and in health... I promise to love and cherish you.”

She also repeated those same words, and he continued. “You two have displayed the depth of love that you have in your hearts for one another, and you have chosen to symbolize the solemn vows you have made to one another today.” He then looked to Gabriel. “You may present your ring for Harper.” When he had it in his hand, the minister turned to Harper. “You may present your ring for Gabriel now, too.” She had hers in her hand, and hecontinued, “Rings are important in their significance. Not only are they made of precious metal and stone, but they are here to remind us of love. It is neither cheap, nor common. Instead, love is priceless, so may these rings be a constant reminder of the promises you are making to one another on this day.”

We continued to watch the ceremony, and Gabriel picked up Harper’s left hand, then slid the ring onto her finger. “With this ring, I seal my promise to be your faithful and loving husband, as God is my witness.”

Harper then placed her ring on the third finger of his left hand, and repeated the same vow to him. “With this ring, I seal my promise to be your faithful and loving wife, as God is my witness.”

“Gabriel and Harper, you have come here today before us, and before God, and have expressed your desire to become husband and wife. You have shown your love and affection by joining hands, and have made promises of faith and devotion, each to the other, then sealed these promises by the giving and the receiving of your rings. Therefore, it is my privilege as a minister, and by the authority given to me by the State of Illinois, to now pronounce that you are husband and wife. Gabriel, you may kiss your bride.”

“I thought you’d never get to it,” he said, then cupped the back of Harper’s head. He pulled her close, then tipped her chin up, before fusing his mouth to hers. She immediately grabbed at his arms, clinging to him as he kissed her breathlessly. When they finally came up for air, the minister addressed all of us in attendance.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my great privilege to introduce to you for the first time - Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Blake.”

The crowd erupted in celebration, and as the newlyweds rushed past us down the aisle, rose petals rained down upon them. When they finally exited the church, I spun Lulu around. Tears were brimming in her eyes, and after leaning in to kiss both eyelids when she closed them, I stepped back.

“This was a beautiful ceremony,” she said. “It was even better than planned.”

“You did a great job, Lulu. Everything was perfect. Work is now done for you, so it is time to party.”

I wrapped one arm around her, and followed the others as they also headed to the building’s exit. We were in a downtown church, and Lulu had reserved space in the hotel next door. It was actually quite cold outside, but we had left our coats in the entry closet. I loosely threw mine over her shoulders, then ushered her toward the hotel.

The ballroom had been set up, and it was as perfect as the church hall had been. I could see Harper’s influence in a lot of it, but there were some things I was sure that Lulu had suggested, too. My girl had a knack for events, and this wedding was living up to being as magical as advertised. Once inside, I put our coats in the other closet, then joined her. Most of the wedding guests were also here, and it didn’t take long to find out where everyone else had gone.

All of our Titan friends from Manhattan had flown in for the event, and as the girls joined Paisley, Elsa, Rhyann, Kenzie, and Alessia, I grabbed one of the offered cigars and took my place beside Caspian, Anton, Mason, Jonas, and Kristopher. It had been a few years since the whole entire gang had gotten together like this, and I realized it had been at a wedding, too. Only, ithad been Christmas, and New York City, and the newlyweds had been none other than Mason and Rhyann.

All of the Manhattan Titans had finally settled down and committed to their lady loves. Gabriel had followed in their footsteps, and it would only be a matter of time before Callum did, too. It seemed like the days of being a bachelor were coming to an end for most of us. While I had no plans to get married any time soon, I also didn’t plan to let Lulu go. She had been the most beautiful surprise in my life, and our struggles had only made us stronger. We had persevered through them all, and we were finally on top.

I glanced at her from across the room, and she turned as if she had felt my gaze. Her megawatt smile put one on my own face. I almost mouthed something to her, but Daxon nudged my elbow with his. “Are you ready to give your best man speech?”

I nodded, then motioned for the waiters to come over with the champagne. Once all of the guests had a flute in their hand, I tapped the side of my glass to get everyone’s attention.

“Good evening! Most of you already know me, but for those who do not, I’m Noah Capshaw, and it’s my great honor to have been chosen as Gabriel’s best man for this joyous occasion. Again. I had planned to use the same speech I gave when we ran through this ceremony when we were seven years old, but our vocabularies have improved a lot since then.”

I grinned at Gabe. “Well, at least mine has, but I digress. I‘d also originally planned to talk about how well I know the groom, and share a few stories from our youth, but there are ladies present, including my own. There’s no need to incriminate myself, but if you want to hear those stories later...” I purposely paused, thencontinued. “Just an FYI, if you laugh, this speech will be over sooner,” I added, and got a few more laughs from the audience.

When it quieted down, I continued. “Doesn’t Harper look stunning today? Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she is just as much on the inside, too. If I would’ve picked my flower sooner when we were five, it might’ve been Gabriel giving this speech instead of me. Harper deserves the best things in life, including the perfect husband. Thank God for my friend here, she agreed to marry him before she had a chance to find that perfect man. Life is funny, sometimes. While Gabriel gets to walk out of here with Harper on his arm, becoming the envy of us all, his gorgeous bride just gets to leave with her bouquet of flowers. It’s the equivalent of going out of town on vacation and coming back with nothing more than a T-shirt.”

I heard my friend growl, but he knew this speech was all in jest. I did realize that I needed to finish soon though, so I ignored him and kept on talking. “No, Gabriel obviously has great taste. After all, he did choose Harper as his bride, and me as his best man. It’s been a long time coming for him. All he’s ever wanted was to be Mr. Harper Grimes... oh wait.... he has always wanted Harper Grimes. Truthfully, the two of you are a match made in Heaven. You have shown us the meaning of true love, and I couldn’t be happier for the two of you. I’d like everyone else here to join me in wishing you both a lifetime of happiness, love, health, success, and joy. Gabe, you’re more than a friend. You’re a brother, and I love you, man. Congrats!”

---