Page 56 of Only You
I nod. “Yes. And when he comes back, I’ll remind you to keep your hands off him. No matter what, Cason. I can’t have it in the school.”
He nods his head appreciatively and stands up. “Can I go back to class?”
“Yup.”
He starts toward the door, but stops, turning to me. “I’m glad you and Tatum moved in together though.”
I smile at him, my fondness for the kid only growing. “Me too.”
He smirks and then heads out of my office, while I sit back in my chair.
Today feels like a victory for the bullied, and all I feel is a deep satisfaction at that.
TWENTY-TWO
“Okay, so Cason was right. An outdoor wedding in December is a little much,” I say as I cling to my coat with my glove-covered hands.
Remy, who’s sitting next to me, wearing his parka, a stocking cap, gloves, and sporting a little red nose, doesn’t seem to be complaining at all as he watches Kellan and Phillip recite their vows to one another. He just takes my hand in his and watches in awe.
It is beautiful. I can’t lie.
Kellan and Phillip skipped the whole best-man thing, since the only guests here are Cason, Raegan, Kieran, Braylen, Remy, and me, and then a couple of people from both their places of work. Oh, and the social worker who took over for Phillip, along with her husband, are also here. It’s a small, intimate affair, with folding chairs in their backyard and a beautifully decorated arch.
The grooms stand with one officiant in front of us while it literally snows on all our heads, but the ceremony is beyond perfect. When they’re declared married, we all cheer and then race inside their house for a quick reception before Kellan andPhillip take off for their three-night honeymoon, scheduled to be back just in time for Christmas Eve.
We pop open a bottle of champagne and a bottle of sparkling grape juice and toast the happy couple. I wrap my arm around Kellan, pretty much putting him in a headlock. “Happy for you, man.”
He laughs heartily at that. “When are you popping the question?”
Both our eyes drift over to Remy, where he’s pouring more grape juice for Braylen as he lets out a loud belch and giggles like crazy. “Maybe take it easy on the bubbly juice,” Remy says but fills up the glass anyway.
Braylen just starts to chug it down again, and Remy looks adoringly at the little boy. I turn back to Kellan. “Soon.”
He grins knowingly at that, not at all surprised. “Good. Who would have thought?” he wonders, looking around the room at our friends and family. “Never thought when I walked into that rehab center, I’d end up here.”
“No?” I look around too. Braylen is jumping on the couch with juice sloshing in his cup—thankfully, he drank it down quite a bit. Kieran is reading—of course. Cason is laughing with Chelsea and her husband, both mechanics at our shop. Phillip is trying to clean up messes—the guy can’t relax, even on his wedding night. Raegan is happily chatting with one of Phillip’s coworkers. It’s total chaos—but beautiful chaos. “I did.”
He looks over at me like I’m full of shit. “No, you didn’t.”
I laugh and release him from the headlock. “I did. I could tell how much you loved your siblings from our first talk. I had no doubt you’d make this happen.” I shove him playfully because feelings are gross.
He chuckles and then shoves me back. “Yeah well, that had a lot to do with you.”
Emotion creeps up, but I clear my throat quickly and just shake my head at him. Both of us shift around uncomfortably from foot to foot until finally the awkwardness is broken when we’re joined by our better halves.
An hour later, they climb into their car to head for a cabin on the lake, a cabin I’m pretty sure they won’t leave for the next three days, and Remy works with me to get all the kids to bed before we head into Phillip and Kellan’s room.
Phillip assured me they changed all the bedding this morning when I repeatedly asked him that. I love Kellan, but I don’t need to sleep in his jizz-covered sheets.
We strip down to our underwear, and Remy gets comfy under the covers before I grab the lube I brought from my bag and flip off the light, walking over to join him under the covers.
I lean over and kiss him softly, the kiss intensifying almost immediately, but his hand pushes against my chest all too soon. “We can’t.”
“We so can,” I say with a grin. Even though it’s dark, I’m betting he knows exactly what my face looks like. “Aren’t you turned-on with all the romance of the day and shit?”
He laughs quietly, keeping his voice in a low whisper. “I am, but the kids...”
“Are sleeping,” I say, and he huffs.
