Page 97 of Of Pranks and Passion

I pretended to think about it for maybe point two seconds before wrinkling my nose. “No thanks. I’d rather have no family at all than be associated with any of you. Have a nice life.”

Security ushered her away and off the property, and we had to take a few minutes to make a statement to the police, but eventually, the drama died down, and I finally felt like I could breathe again.

Mr. Warner joined us after talking to the police, a deep scowl on his face. “I can’t believe them. Who in their right mind would let their daughter walk down the aisle at their son’s wedding? Were they out of their minds?”

Pressing my lips together, I offered him a shrug. “They always saw her as the golden child. In their minds, if she asked for it, she deserved it. Including my wedding, apparently.”

“Well, they failed at that. And we’ve still got a ceremony to get to. What do you say we have a drink, take a moment to reset, and get back on track?” Ben suggested, beckoning a server with a tray full of champagne. More servers spilled from the house, weaving through the crowd as they handed out drinks. Ben was excellent at redirecting everyone’s attention, and when he handed me and Easton our glasses, he winked at me. “You showed them. Great job.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

GARY

Even after thevery public confrontation with my family, basically guaranteeing things couldn’t get any worse, I was still nervous to walk down that aisle. Not because I didn't want to. I was happy to pretend with Easton for just a little while longer. But I still felt nauseous about saying my vows.

“Deep breaths. You can do this. You already kicked someone’s ass today and told your parents to shove it. You can do anything,” Ben coached as he lint rolled my tux for any speck of dust or dirt he might have missed.

All that seemed vastly easier than facing that crowd. At least until the door opened and Easton turned, offering me his hand. Even Ben looked confused.

“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at the altar!” he hissed under his breath.

Easton shook his head. “I’m not letting him walk down that aisle alone. He’s not doing anything alone anymore. He’s got me.”

Swoon. Seriously. This guy couldn’t be more swoon worthy. I was head over heels in love with him, and for a minute whenhe took my hand and kissed the back of it, I could’ve sworn he loved me, too. He laced our fingers, squeezing supportively, and together we walked down the aisle. And when we got to the altar, he never let go.

He made faces while the minister spoke, testing just how strong my self-control was. I heard a few snickers, because he was in no way subtle about it, and when it finally came time for me to say my vows, I wasn’t nervous anymore. I shook my head with a smile.

“Easton. I can’t tell you how many times I wrote and rewrote my vows, trying to think of the right thing to say. I copied quotes from my favorite books, watched so many rom-coms my eyes crossed, and made Google my best friend. But then I realized I was going about it all wrong. Because Google isn’t my best friend. You are. I’m not marrying just anyone. I’m marrying my best friend. You make me laugh when I want to cry. You remind me to rest when I’m up to my ears in study notes and can’t focus anymore. And when it feels like my life is turning upside down, you’re there to catch me. You’re everything I need. I promise to do everything in my power to make sure our relationship is just as full of fun and adventure decades from now.” It was what he wanted. For things to stay the same. And since the same was damn near perfect, I wanted that to. I shrugged, wrinkling my nose with a smile. “Tag, you’re it.”

He barked out a laugh, dragging me closer for a kiss, only to be interrupted by the minister, who coughed out a clear, “Not yet.”

Easton swung around to glare at him. “Hurry up.”

His impatience made everyone laugh. The minister chuckled and made a go ahead gesture. “You heard him. Your turn.”

Easton made a face, pointed at me, and raised his eyebrows. “What he said.”

“Easton!” I laughed, shoving his shoulder. He grinned like a mad man, tugging me into his arms again.

“What? You took all my ideas.”

I crossed my arms, giving him a mock scowl, though it was really hard not to laugh. He sighed like he was bent out of shape but ruined it with a wink.

“Alright, alright, fine. Gary. I promise to keep making people jealous with just how awesome we are together.”

The not so subtle dig at my sister had my shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. I could hear everyone else laughing, but my entire world was focused on Easton as he kept going, playful teasing in his eyes.

“I promise to cover your eyes whenever our friends sucker you into watching horror movies.” His tone softened, going from teasing to sweet. “I promise to relinquish all rights to my hoodies. They look better on you anyway.” He drew me in closer, until we were wrapped around each other, his forehead pressed against mine. “And I promise, no matter what, I’ll always have your back.”

He pressed his lips against mine, ignoring the minister’s heavy sigh.

“Well, we’re doing things out of order, I guess. Guys? We’ve still got the rings, you know.”

Easton groaned, dropping his head onto my shoulder dramatically. I snickered, stepping back to grab the ring from Angel. Easton tipped his head curiously.

“I was going to get you a ring pop, but you’ve got no self control and it would be gone by the time the cake was served. So I got you this instead.”

He wasn’t a diamond ring kind of guy to me, so instead, I got Easton a ring that was pitch black and textured to look like lightning was coursing through it. Easton’s smile grew, and he pointed at it, raising his eyebrows at me.

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