Page 210 of Three Irish Kings
My shoulders are broader, chest bigger. Still not as wide as Liam or Cillian, but at this point, that has to be genetics.
My surgery is a distant memory other than the jagged scar on my side.
Cillian smiles. “I just want to call her ours and let the world know who she belongs to and that we belong to her.”
Both Liam and I smile and nod.
Colleen stands on the other side of the makeshift altar, made of orchids, Isla’s favorite flowers. She flew in just to be maid of honor, and she’s currently holding our son, Ryan, who turned seven months old just yesterday.
He babbles and gurgles and rests against her shoulder, always the sweetest baby.
Irene sits in the pews with Isla’s mother. Isla had insisted on going back for her, and we’d all understood. We placed Irene with a nice Irish family in the countryside and fly her out to visit every few months.
She wears a lovely blue dress today, looking younger than her seventeen years with a bright smile at Ryan on her face. She plays peekaboo with him.
Liam adjusts his tie. “Has Isla seen her mother yet?”
I pat him on the back. “Not yet, but don’t worry. She’ll love that you managed to fly her in.”
I have no idea what kind of strings Liam pulled to do it, but I’m sure Isla will be over the moon.
This can’t be an official wedding, since our kind of union is not legal, so we asked Felipe, an Italian we befriended shortly after arriving in Italy, to officiate. He’s well-versed in Catholicism, and since we’re all Catholic, it’s just what we need.
My eyes are on my friends when Isla comes into view. I know because Liam’s face has a wide smile on and tears in his eyes as he keeps his eyes glued to the end of the aisle. He’s not the stuck-up billionaire boss he once was.
Cillian has tears streaming down his face, and he doesn’t even attempt to wipe them away. Gregarious and happy-go-lucky now, Cillian is a different man, too.
I guess we all are.
I turn my eyes to her, and everything else disappears.
She is walking down the aisle, looking unbelievable in an off-the-shoulder white dress with a long train, a slit up the side, showing off those long legs.
We have all come a long way from that night at the gala.
Isla changed us.
Ryan changed us even more.
We’d all thought we were happy before he came into our lives, but now?
Now every time I make him laugh, my heart swells so much I think it might burst.
I had just thought I loved Isla above all else, but this sweet little boy has become the center of my universe.
And it’s funny to watch the way Liam grins when Ryan grabs his finger, or how Cillian hums Irish ditties when he gets up with him at night to let Isla sleep.
Isla’s already been wearing our ring—a magnificent alexandrite stone that changes color from deep green to light green to blue depending on the light— which represents the way our love grows stronger when we are together, howweare stronger together. Surrounding it are three gems, each a perfect echo us: an emerald to represent me, a sapphire to represent Liam, and a mint tourmaline to represent Cill.
And tonight, she’ll get the band to go with it. And we will each get our counterparts, chosen for us by our girl.
I can’t wait to see what she came up with.
And then, she is here, standing in front of all of us, looking at each of us.
“You’ve prepared your own vows?" Felipe asks, knowing damn well we did, and I grin at him.
“I'm going first."
