Page 38 of An Enhanced Wedding and other stories

Gregory coughed and clearly muttered.“Quantico.”

The whole team laughed. Now that the teams were established they’d gotten suggestions that new enhanced members should go to Quantico to start their FBI training. Talon had treated that with the contempt it deserved.

One day when no one cared about a scar, Finn knew Talon would revisit it. But they weren’t quite there yet. The enhanced needed training they would never get at Quantico. They needed acceptance first above everything else.

“I want to say one last thing, T.” Finn never took his eyes from the blue ones. “You didn’t just give me your love and your forever, you gave me a family. Not sure anything could top that.” Finn whispered the words, but he didn’t care if everyone else could hear them or not. So long as Talon did. Finn pressed his palm against Talon’s chest, right where he knew that big strong heart would be beating. “I think we’ve got this.”

Talon laid his own hand over Finn’s and drew him in. He bent his head down but just before they kissed, he whispered. “Yeah, I think we do.”

The happy couple remained mostly oblivious to the rest of the words Gregory said, but no one, least of all the man himself, minded very much. And when Talon and Finn finally heard all their friends cheering, they came up for air and realized that somehow, despite there not being any “I do’s,” they were finally married.

“I tried my best to give you everything you wanted today.”

Finn gazed at his husband and mentally went through their day. “Well,” he said quietly. “I didn’t ask for a guest appearance from a homicidal maniac so I suppose in terms of surprises you could say you were in front.”

Talon joined in the laughter, but as if they had agreed beforehand, all the kids stood up. Liam took Derek’s chair and wheeled it into the aisle.

And every adult stared at them.

Kai stepped up with Elijah. They looked at each other and Kai shrugged at Finn. “You wanted a white wedding. We know you don’t mean the color of your suit. We both know you meant the weather.”

Finn took both their hands. “It was more important to marry where you could all join us.” And it had been. A million percent.

Elijah nodded. “This was Kai’s idea, but it’s from us all. We know our future is up to us, but we also know you gave us the chance to start one.”

Finn gazed at him silently acknowledged he clearly wasn’t done with tears, and brushed his cheek idly at the sudden cold spot. He looked up, then stilled. The whole garden fell completely quiet as clouds that hadn’t been there a moment ago quickly formed. He turned his puzzled look on Talon, but out of the corner of his eye saw someone else.

It was Marie.

The talented enhanced girl could control barometric pressure and make the weather do pretty much what she wanted. Marie was standing, eyes closed, a look of utter concentration on her face.

Finn looked back at the sky and felt the second damp touch of something on his face.

“Well, damn me,” Vance said in awe. “It’s snowing.”

And it was.

Finn pressed a shaky hand to his mouth. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so he decided to just stand in the circle of Talon’s arms while the snow fell all around them.

After a few minutes, Marie’s mom put her arm around her daughter and said, “That’s enough darling or not even Eli will be able to get that barbeque lit.”

Talon didn’t have words, but he guessed he really didn’t need them. One by one all his family had left. His four children were all safely tucked up in their beds, and he was finally lying with Finn in his arms. “I feel like I should say something profound,” he admitted.

Finn grinned sleepily. “Pretty sure you can think of something soon.”

Talon turned and kissed Finn until they were both breathless. “Maybe,” Talon admitted and cuddled Finn in close. “But I might just needanother five minutes.”

A Five Minute Second Chance

AnthonyRolandGregory—namedforhis grandfather—blew out a tired breath as he eyed the stairs leading up to the medical bay. He shouldn’t take the elevator. He’d gotten his latest numbers from his doctor last week and they weren’t great. Okay, they weren’t exactlybadeither, but his blood pressure was a smidgen too high, his cholesterol was up there with it, and he needed to lose a couple of pounds.

Make that twenty.

At least, apparently.

And he wasn’t here to see Dr. Natalie, as she only saw the team and he technically didn’t count. He was here for a much more frivolous reason. An insane one that probably was another indication of approaching senility. He clutched the birthday card in his hand, knowing the team were taking Christopher out next week to their favorite restaurant, and that they would give him their cards and gifts then.

But he wanted to give Christopher the card from himtoday.

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