Page 212 of Charlie

"Thanks, Dad." I squeeze him tight, blinking hard to keep back the tears.

"Are you ready?" He links his arm with mine, ready to lead me down the aisle.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my life."

I can't believe this is real life. Tiny fairy lights strung high in the trees fight off the twilight, lanterns illuminating the cascading hydrangeas spilling along the edges of the aisle. Only a couple more steps and I'll be able to see the guys standing there, waiting for me. Holy shit. I gulp lungfuls of air, trying to calm my nerves.

"Hey," Isla frames my face with her hands, locking eyes with me. "You've got this. Three men are standing at the end of that aisle that have been waiting their entire lives for you. You could be wearing a potato sack and they wouldn't care."

I know what she's saying is true, but my heart still feels like it's trying to gallop out of my chest. Lorna grabs my hand, squeezing it before heading down the aisle. Isla takes one last look at me and grins. "I'm so excited to call you my sister." She turns and sashays down the aisle, smiling and whispering greetings the entire way.

The music fades as the notes from a solitary bagpipe drift through the trees, bringing tears to my eyes.

"That's our cue, Charlie." My dad draws me to the head of the aisle, goosebumps racing over my body as strings accompany the bagpipe for a full rendition of "Red is the Rose." As we step past the trees blocking our view, everything comes into focus at once. A soaring arch at the end of the aisle is dripping with billowing hydrangeas. Moss and lichen tucked around the blooms make it look like it's been there for centuries. Arty is standing underneath it, wearing his best Harris Tweed suit, cheeks creased with a wide grin. I take a deep breath before swinging my gaze to the right, blinking back tears. Nothing could have prepared me. They're standing side by side, dressed in the MacLeod tartan, matching jackets hugging their frames. But all I can see is how they're looking at me, the tears in their eyes, the looks of disbelief passing between us, like none of us can quite believe this is really happening.

Lach staggers back a step. "Fuck, Charlie," he mouths, his gaze raking over me. Cam slowly shakes his head, his throat bobbing as he wrestles for control. Tears streak down Jack's cheeks, lower lip trembling, hands flexing at his sides like everything would be right in the world if he could just touch me.

My heart is in my throat as we reach the end of the aisle. Standing beside Isla, I kiss my dad on the cheek, and he joins my mother in a pew. Jack's luminous golden gaze traps me like a fly to honey. I can't look away as emotion devours us, the realization that our hopes and dreams are coming true finally hitting. Lach is standing at his shoulder, the joy pouring from him palpable. He reaches back, enfolding Cam's hand in his own as Cam clears his throat, his lips twisting as he struggles to contain everything he's feeling.

"I would like to welcome everyone to the handfasting ceremony for Charlotte, Cameron, Lachlan, and Jack," Arty begins, his voice ringing loud and clear. "I am honored to know all of them well and am thrilled that they found each other and asked me to perform their ceremony. Through this symbolic act of hand binding, they express their dedication to each other. The intertwining of their hands symbolizes the everlasting ties that will keep them united in matrimony." He holds up a cord that Isla and I wove together of ribbons we gathered from shops all over the island. "This cord serves as a continual symbol, a reminder of the unbreakable connections they establish today and the solemn promises they exchange."

He draws us around him, Jack across from me, Cam to my right, and Lach next to him, placing our right hands together. He begins weaving the cord around our hands and wrists. "As this knot is tied, so are your lives bound. All the dreams of love and happiness you have wished for are woven into this cord, infused into its very fibers. May this first binding serve as a firm foundation for your marriage, providing strength in times of struggle and a constant source of light during the darkest of nights." He squeezes our hands as he comes to the end of the ribbon. "Now it's time for the vows. Who would like to go first?"

"I'll go first if that's all right?" Jack fumbles around with his free hand, pulling a sheet of paper from his breast pocket. "As we stand under these ancient canopies, autumn leaves crumbling beneath our feet, I can't help but be reminded of you." He looks up from the paper, holding my gaze as he continues. "The sky is the exact color of your eyes when I told you I love you for the first time. The blush of the rowan tree reminds me of your freshly kissed lips. The gentle breeze against the nape of my neck is like the tender caress of your fingertips. Our love feels as old as the roots stretching through the dirt beneath our feet, as strong as the trunks reaching toward the warmth of the sun, like I find myself reaching for your hand day after day. You brought me back to life, mo chridhe." He pauses, his gaze encompassing all of us. "I am forever in debt to the force of nature that brought the four of us together, and I promise I will spend every day of our lives proving I'm worthy of this love."

Cam nods at Lach to go next. Lach sniffs, clearing his throat before beginning. "I'm not a wordsmith, so this will be simple and straightforward," he says, hazel eyes stealing the breath from my lungs. "I'm in awe of you, Charlie – of your bravery, your courageousness, the depth of your love. You've inspired me to be a better man since the day I met you, and I will spend the rest of my life attempting to deserve even a fraction of the love you give us." He looks around the circle, "I promise never to take what we have for granted." I give him a tremulous smile and then look at Cam.

The tumult of Cam's midnight gaze drags me under, drowning me in the depths of emotion radiating from him. He angles himself, our shoulders touching, his face only inches from mine.

"My nights belong to you, little witch," he begins, the rasp of his voice barely above a whisper, making the moment intimate, precious. "My days, too, of course, but God, nothing will ever compare to the gentle puff of your breath on my cheek while you sleep, the soft murmured words when it's only the two of us awake, or the way our legs tangle because we can never seem to get close enough." He cups the back of my head with his free hand, his thumb sweeping over my jaw. "You're my end and my beginning, the music to my words, my supernova. I'm nothing if you're not by my side, Charlie. Thank you for choosing me. For choosing us. For loving us for exactly who we are, nothing more, nothing less. I promise I will be here for you – for all of you—" he looks around, his gaze encompassing all of us, "—until my time on earth runs out."

I take an unsteady breath, not sure how I can possibly do my vows justice after they've poured out their hearts and souls so eloquently.

I steel myself so my voice comes out steady and true. "If I had known the pain I felt all those months ago would lead me to this – to the three of you – I wouldn't have wasted a single tear. My only regret is not jumping in head-first from the moment we met. I didn't understand at first, but I've come to realize I don't need to understand, I just need to accept your love. Jack, thank you for being my rock, the lighthouse that guided me to safe shores. Lach, thank you for being my ultimate hype man. For believing in me before I could believe in myself. For your unfailing belief that I would figure it out eventually. Cam, my poet, thank you for your quiet words and unfailing love. For your unquestioning faith that we could somehow make this work. And will you look at us now." A tear runs down my cheek when I meet his gaze, the poignancy of it all crashing into me like a tsunami. "I will never have the right words to tell the three of you how happy and fulfilled you make me, so I'll just have to spend the rest of my life showing you."

Arty begins winding a second cord – this one ancient, handed down through generations – around our joined hands. "Just as your hands are tied in unity, so too are your hearts, minds, and souls intertwined. Bound by love, trust, and companionship, these knots symbolize a lasting connection. May the bonds of this handfasting strengthen with every hurdle you overcome and success you achieve. May your love shine as a guiding light, inspiring all who cross your path."

"As a representation of your everlasting love and unwavering commitment, please exchange rings."

I turn to Cam, pulling one of four identical rings from the bodice of my dress. "With this ring, I give you my heart and my forever." I push the ring onto his finger and kiss him on the cheek, my heart swelling as he turns to Lach.

"This ring signifies my eternal commitment and love for you." He slides the ring onto Lach's finger, both of them exchanging a grin before Lach turns to Jack.

"With this ring, I pledge my unwavering devotion and a lifetime of happiness together." Lach pushes the ring onto Jack's thick finger and then squeezes his hand, slapping him on the shoulder.

I'm holding my breath as Jack turns to me, the final vow officially closing our circle of love.

"As I slide this ring onto your finger, I seal a promise transcending time and space. Through the highs and lows, I vow to be your rock, companion, and greatest advocate. This ring symbolizes not just our commitment to each other, but our shared dreams, our shared joys, and our shared future."

Our hands stay joined together as Father Callum takes Arty's place. "Jack, repeat after me." I hold Jack's gaze, his words washing over me.

"I, Jack, take you, Charlotte, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. This is my solemn vow."

"Charlotte, repeat after me."

"I Charlotte, take you, Jack, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. This is my solemn vow."

Arty switches places with Father Callum. "I now pronounce you—" Arty stops abruptly, all of us realizing at the same time that we didn't discuss this part. "—husbands and wife," he finishes, shrugging his shoulders, his eyes sparkling. He takes his time undoing the cords, a smirk pulling at his lips. "Kiss if you must," he grumbles, giving us an exaggerated wink. All three of them are on me before I can blink, kissing me until my toes curl in my shoes.

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