Page 47 of For the Promise

Eli whistles. “We need to go.”

I offer Blossom my elbow. She hesitates. “Are you sure about this? You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m doing what I want to.” She stares at me for a long moment before finally threading her arm through mine.

“I’m sorry,” I say as we walk.

She rears back. “Sorry about what? Being a perfect gentleman? Riding in on a white horse to save me?”

“Technically, it wasn’t a horse.”

“A mustang is a horse.”

I nod to acknowledge her point since I do drive a Mustang. “I’m sorry this isn’t the perfect wedding you imagined. You have to wear shoes. There’s no beach. And the flowers aren’t your favorite.”

“Jaxon Raider.” She glares at me. “Don’t you dare apologize for helping me out or I’ll consult Paisley for a prank.”

Paisley, standing next to Eli, clears her throat. “I am always available for consultations with a member of the sisterhood.”

We arrive at the mayor’s office, and Eli knocks. “Come in,” Lana, the mayor of Smuggler’s Rest, replies.

“Show time,” Blossom whispers before Eli opens the door and we file into the office.

“A last-minute wedding,” Lana cheers. Her gaze drops to Blossom’s stomach. “And not a shotgun wedding. Love this!”

Lana is a bit of a romantic, which is probably why she’s been married five times. She hurries around her desk to stand in front of us.

“The lovebirds stay here. Who are the witnesses?”

“Eli and Dakota.”

Blossom mock glares at me. “Stop being perfect.”

“I want to make you happy. This one’s easy.”

“That’s what she said,” Miles mutters behind me. Rhett smacks him upside the head. I nod at Rhett in thanks.

“Dakota, you come stand next to Blossom. Eli, you stand next to Jaxon.” Once everyone has rearranged themselves, she asks, “Who has the rings?”

“We don’t have rings,” Blossom says at the same time Eli says, “I do.”

“It appears we’re ready,” Lana says. “Jaxon and Blossom, are you ready to proclaim the foundation of love for one another in the sight of these witnesses and all the smugglers and mermaids who have gone before you?”

I lift an eyebrow at Blossom, and she nods. “We are.”

“Jaxon Raider, do you take Blossom Nelson to be your lawfully wedded partner – your lobster in the trap of life, your moonshine mule, your co-captain on this possibly doomed but definitely entertaining voyage?

Will you promise to love her even when she steals the blankets, honor her even when she forgets to do the dishes, trust her the way a smuggler trusts low tide, and commit to her with the same reckless devotion you’d give to a bottomless jar of Smuggler’s Hideaway moonshine?

Will you stand by her side through smooth sailing, shipwrecks, suspicious mermaid sightings, and family dinners with the full crew – until death or a very dramatic sea curse do you part?”

I meet Blossom’s gaze. Her burnished whiskey colored eyes are filled with wonder and a bit of mirth. I want to witness this look in her eyes every day for the rest of my days.

This is fake, Jaxon, I remind myself.

“I do.”

“Blossom Nelson, do you take Jaxon Raider to be your lawfully wedded partner – your lobster in the trap of life, your moonshine mule, your co-captain on this possibly doomed but definitely entertaining voyage?

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