Page 74 of Prayers for the Prickly

“Go forth now and start your new life together among friends and family,” Aunty Eunice said, grinning when I turned back to look at her.

“And try to leave a little seafood for the rest of us,” Aunty Clara teased with a wink, before she made a shooing motion, prompting us to head down the aisle our family created when they parted for us.

Hands reached out, touching our shoulders, patting us on the back, occasionally forcing us to pause for hugs. We wound up crushed between our siblings at one point, with Ever pressing our heads together so he could be heard without shouting.

“Proud of you, little brother,” he said.

“Little by just a few minutes,” I reminded him the way I always had when we were kids.

“Still little.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

We laughed together before he turned me loose, but I only made it a few steps before Olly pounced and several people giggled, because as soon as he’d tackle-hugged Gregor, he much more carefully hugged me, too.

“I’ve got a new brother,” he exclaimed, giving me a little squeeze. “And I’m so glad it’s you. We are gonna have so much fun together.”

“Yes, we will,” I told him as he turned me loose.

He was smiling like he’d been the day I’d met him, something I hadn’t seen much of lately. At least today, he’d been able to put aside everything and just be in the moment with the rest of us, despite how hard it might have been. Right before I stepped past him, I saw his grin grow, as Gregor’s folks stepped in front of us and opened their arms, hugging us together, which soon became a gentle crush of arms joining in from every direction.

I could only imagine what we’d have looked like to a plane flying over, this big crowd of people, all embracing, with us at the center, receiving of all that love. Inhaling, I let all those mingled scents wash over me, some impossible to completely make out. Gregor’s, though, I could smell over everything—sea salt, cedar, driftwood and wolverine.

My wolverine.

Slowly, the hands fell away and we were swept forward again, onto the stone patio, the rectangular trellis arch above it covered in warm yellow fairy lights and brilliant purple wisteria. At this point, we knew the drill, and stood still for photos. All the photos. So damned many photos that I was beginning to wonder when the pictures were gonna stop because damn. We did ones with our grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, just the aunts, just the uncles, and then big group ones that required photographers to stand on chairs and even a small hydraulic lift platform that I’d forgotten the name of.

Gregor had told me what it was earlier, and joked about how his old man would have had a conniption about his lawn if he’d seen something like that rolling over it. Having spent time in his company, and witnessed it come out full force when Gregor and two of his brothers had started tossing around a football the moment they got out of the car, I now understood why that was such a family joke.

One minute he’d been grousing about it and waving his arms around, the next he’d been out on the lawn with them, firing off a wobbling spiral the three of them had rushed after, nearly colliding as they raced to be the one to catch it.

I was going to love seeing him with the whelplets. Like his son, he was all heart and bluster, a wonderful combination of tough and tender, just what our little ones would need as they were growing up. Those brothers of his, equally snarly and grumpy in appearance, had brought their little ones along that day. Right in front of my eyes, I’d seen that gruff exterior melted by bubbles, flower crowns, and the quest to find the perfect shell for Grandma. All of these people who’d turned out today, as well as the ones on video, would play important parts in our children’s lives one day, the same way they were playing in ours right now.

The fates had been kind, truly kind to this happy little hedgehog. As I stood there, grinning with our hands clasped together and bound, I knew that the best was yet to come.

Chapter 29

Gregor

“Are you sure you’re up for this after all the peopling we did on Friday?” I asked as we pulled up outside of the skating rink on a record high summer day.

Man was I glad the temperature had waited to rise until after our handfasting ceremony. Even with the air conditioning running in the SUV it was warm with the sun beating on us through the window. I’d closed the sunroof completely to block out the light after the third time August glared up at it, the sun was that oppressive.

Forecasts called for cooler breezes to sweep in by midweek but that was still days away. Even my suggestion of a day spent poolside had been met with narrowed eyes by my mate, who’d propped himself up on one elbow so he could whack me with a pillow for even suggesting such a thing.

“Am I sure I’m up for an afternoon in the coldest place in town?” August said, eying me after I’d parked. “Hell yeah. Between the shrimp cocktail you packed for me and the cold crab spread for my crackers, I will be the happiest hockey husband in the whole damned arena.”

“Hockey husband, huh?”

“I prefer that to hockey widower, which would imply that I was sitting home twiddling my thumbs while I waited for you to finish playing your game.”

Slipping my hand beneath his hair, I cupped the back of his neck and drew him as close as I could, leaning over the console so I could kiss him.

“I can’t see you ever sitting around twiddling your thumbs and waiting for anyone.”

“Glad to see you already know that.”

“Uh huh,” I murmured as our lips met and parted as we melted together.

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