Our wedding went off without a hitch, probably thanks to Tom’s military-style management. As Hugo and I made our way into the reception, Simon came rushing up to wrap his arms around my waist. “Now that you’re my other parent, can I call you something besides Mr. Todd?”

My eyes watered as I knelt to hug Simon and talk to him at eye level. “Well, you already have a mom and dad, but I’m not exactly your uncle. And I know that your dad doesn’t like you to call adults by their first names. Hmm. What would you like to call me?”

His immediate answer told me that Simon had given this a lot of thought. “I would like to call you Papa Todd, if that’s okay.”

I blinked back happy tears and hugged him again. I spoke in a choked voice as I hugged my new stepson. “I would love nothing more than for you to call me Papa Todd. I like the sound of that, Simon. And you know what I like even more? I like knowing that I get to be your stepdad. Marrying your daddy was the best thing to ever happen to me, but getting you for my son? Now that is just the icing on the cake.”

I rose and took his little hand in mine as Hugo slid an arm around my waist from the other side and the three of us made our way to the head table. Our friends took turns toasting our happiness while we waited for our meals. Hugo groaned when Victoria got her hands on the microphone.

She looked around at our guests before focusing on our little family. “If you’d asked me several years ago how I’d feel about sitting at my husband’s wedding, I would have had a much different answer than I do today. Hugo and I go way back, and I’m glad that we could remain friends after we divorced—although, if I’m being honest I’m a little sad that I had to say goodbye to certain magical parts of him, if you get my drift.”

Vicki forged on, oblivious to the slightly horrified and completely amused gasps of everybody listening. “But if anybody deserves to enjoy that certain magical part that I had to say goodbye to, I can’t think of a better person than Todd. He has been a good friend to me since we became besties six months ago when my son’s baby sister was born.” She paused and gave a wry grin. “Wow, say that three times fast. Anyway, Todd is a good man and a good fit for my Hugo and an even better bonus parent for my son.”

Thankfully, she finally raised her glass as she wound down. “All of that was to say, congratulations to Hugo and Todd. I hope your marriage lasts longer than ours did, because the two of you are too cute for words.”

Tom reached over and snatched the microphone from her hand and motioned for the servers to start bringing the food out. He shot me a what the fuck? look as Victoria sat down, but I just rolled my eyes.

Hugo chuckled uncomfortably. “That was awkward. Just remember that you already signed the marriage license so there’s no backsies after my ex gave that crazy toast. And I’d also like to point out that I’m not the one who invited her today.”

Simon scrunched his nose as he peered at us curiously. “Daddy? What part of your body is magical? Will I have a magical body part too someday?”

Hugo looked stunned, and obviously had no idea how to respond to that one. I just shook my head and reached for my glass of champagne. “Simon, you’ll find out as you get older that not everything grown-ups say is serious or meant to be said in public. Forget what your mommy said and focus on the part where she wished our family every happiness.”

Simon beamed from ear to ear. “We are going to be very happy, aren’t we, Papa Todd?”

“We sure are, Simon.” I smiled and exchanged an amused glance with my brother. Thankfully, Uncle Scott had taken over Gretchen duties for the day so I was free to enjoy the wedding. He was snuggling her against his chest as he tried not to laugh at the whole Vicki scene. I knew I’d hear about it at a later date. And yeah, I’d probably—maybe—be able to laugh about it by then.

Vicki and her husband came walking over after dinner. I reminded myself to be pleasant because it was my fault they were here. Yeah, they’d been my suggestion to the guest list, much to Hugo’s surprise. My whole be pleasant thing went out the window when Victoria pushed my boundary rules right off.

She must have either had too much champagne or completely forgotten everything we’d discussed at the hospital because her first move was to plop down on Hugo’s lap and plant a big lipstick-print kiss on his cheek. I stood and grabbed her arm and firmly pulled her off his lap.

Hugo was shaking his head and staring up at the ceiling as if trying to calm himself—something I’d recently realized was his go-to when it came to her. It wasn’t that he didn’t get angry, it was that he chose to calm down and not address everything she did. That’s okay, he didn’t need to. Not anymore. He had me now.

Victoria winced and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as she whined out an attempt at an apology. “I’m sorry, was I being inappropriate again? I didn’t do a mouth kiss, I only kissed him on the cheek. And like I’ve always said, he’s my oldest friend. Before we ever got together, we were always best friends first and it’s hard for me to forget that I’m not allowed to be affectionate with him anymore.”

I counted backwards from ten before I spoke. “Victoria, you’re allowed to be affectionate. What you are not allowed to do is plop your ass on my husband’s lap. Yes, you were very inappropriate and went way past my boundaries. Now keep your ass off my husband and your lipstick off his cheek. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. Oh, and as much as I appreciated your toast? Can we never mention certain magical parts again? Especially when Simon is in the room.”

Her eyes widened in horror. “I’m such an asshole, I didn’t even think of my little pumpkin when I said that bit. Thank you for putting up with me and giving me a chance at being your friend and remaining part of your family. I promise I’ll try and do better—wait, scratch that. I’ll do better because there is no try, right?”

There was nothing else I could do but laugh at her complete inability to understand her own faux pas. Instead, I gave her a hug and a pat on the back. “Listen, I told you my requirements for my friendship and even if you skated really close to the line today, you’re still in there. As for being a part of the family, you’re Simon’s mother. You will always be a part of this family; there is nothing that can take that away. It’s just a matter of you being respectful and still being welcomed to family gatherings, if you get my drift.”

After she finally walked away, Hugo stood and pulled me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me as he chuckled against my ear. “You have got to teach me your ways, because you are truly a wizard.”

I snorted. “It’s not a matter of magic. It’s a matter of knowing how to deal with spoiled people. Vicki isn’t a bad person, she just needs to be called on her shit from time to time. I know she means well; she’s just never had anybody tell her no before. But as it turns out, I kind of enjoy that particular little chore.”

We were still chuckling when the DJ called us out to the dance floor for our first dance. While Hugo spun me around the dance floor, I couldn’t help but smile as I looked around at all of our friends and family who were here to support us and cheer us on. Hugo tipped me over his arm and whispered in my ear, “When we stand up again, I’m gonna spin you out and I want you to look in the east corner. There are three girls standing there watching us. Tell me if those aren’t the ones from the picture.”

Before I could entirely process what he’d said, he had me back up and spun me out. I glanced over toward the corner he’d pointed out and sure enough, there were the three girls from the picture. They waved at the two of us as the distinct sound of girlish giggles flooded the room, clearly heard even over the music.

When Hugo pulled me back against his chest, I shook my head. “That was crazy. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe you—it’s just different to see them for myself.” We both glanced back to the corner, but the girls were gone.

Hugo saw me looking around the room and started to laugh. “You won’t find them. Once they’ve taken off, you never see them again until they want you to. And if Liam is right, I think that was them saying goodbye.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pressed a gentle kiss to Hugo’s lips. “It was nice of them to come to the wedding, I suppose. But let’s forget about our ghostly guests. How soon do you think we can escape and get out of here? We are free to go whenever since Victoria has Simon for the week and Scott and Justin are staying here to watch Gretchen while she and Heather spend time together, right? And I don’t know about you, but I think we should get a head start on that honeymoon.”

Hugo spun me again, then pulled me back against his chest and kissed me. “Have I ever told you that you have the best ideas?”

“You didn’t think that when I invited Vicki to our wedding,” I couldn’t help but tease him.

“Let’s make a deal, hot stuff. You can be friendly with her, but let’s not be besties. That whole best friend thing she says about the two of us is mostly in her head. Yeah, we’re still friends, but that’s for Simon’s sake. As far as I’m concerned, you’re my only best friend—now and forever.”

I quirked a brow. “I thought you wanted to make a deal? That was just a statement. A good one, but yeah, still just a statement.”

“Oh, I forgot the deal part. I got carried away thinking about how much I love you. The deal involves you not becoming her bestie, and in exchange, I won’t let Tom or your brother know where we’re going for our honeymoon until after we get back.”

I threw my head back with a laugh. “Now that sounds like a good deal. I don’t know that Colin or Justin would let them, but I could definitely imagine either one of them trying to crash our honeymoon. Or at least try to get some stealth pictures of us to tease us with later.”

As we finished our dance, I couldn’t help but think of Tom, and all the rest of my Hollydale friends. I’d moved here a few years ago wanting to reconnect with my twin and hoping to put down roots. Even though my twin didn’t end up staying here in town, I had not only stayed, but I’d put down those roots and I’d flourished. I couldn’t help but be grateful for all the blessings in my life. I had a husband who loved me, a family of my own at last, and beyond that, I had good friends, a flourishing business, and a great community.

Yeah, moving to Hollydale was probably the best decision I’ve ever made. Second only to deciding to take a chance on Hugo. Hugo, Simon, Gretchen, and I had nothing but happiness to look forward to… even with Vicki in the picture.

Hugo got my attention, pulling me from my thoughts as he wrapped his arms around my waist and nipped at my neck where we stood on the sidelines and watched everybody dance in a stolen moment of privacy. I leaned against his chest, savoring the feel of his strong arms and the knowledge that he was mine to keep.

“How upset will Tom and Scott be when they hear that we went to Germany for our honeymoon?” His lips vibrated against my neck as he gave a quiet chuckle.

“My brother will be bummed that I got to see the Franconian landscape and our ancestors home village of Colmberg without him, but Tom is going to freak out when he finds out we stayed in the fancy bridal suite at Hohenzollern Castle.” I rested my head against his shoulder and turned to kiss the soft skin right where his neatly trimmed beard ended on the underside of his jaw. “You think we’ll actually see any of the surrounding area or take advantage of those fancy spa packages you’ve planned?”

“That depends on how hard it is to get you out of bed.” Hugo grinned. “I mean, I’m not just a piece of meat, hot stuff. There’s more to me than magical body parts, I’ll have you know.”

I snorted. “Say magical body part one more time, I dare you. Go ahead, you can do it. But maybe keep this in mind. If I hear those three words come out of your mouth? You won’t have to worry about prying my horny ass out of bed, because I won’t be there.”

Hugo hugged me tighter, burying his lips into the crook of my neck and suckling on an open patch of skin he found under my collar. “And where would you be, hot stuff?”

“Seriously? Hmm. I’d probably be eating my feelings and checking out the local cuisine. I’m sure I’d get lots of ideas that I could bring back for improving my menu though, so it wouldn’t be a total loss. Actual German sausage? Yum. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.” I bit back a laugh when my new husband ground his prominent bulge between my ass cheeks.

“I’ve got your German sausage link hanging, so quit being a brat,” he growled playfully, nipping at my jaw.

“Ugh!” I laughed. “No sausage jokes right now. Let me be frank and say that German sausage puns are the wurst.”

“Aww, come on, Todd. You know you’ll want me to slide my fat, juicy brat in your glazed bun when we’re lying in our honeymoon bed. In fact, I’d say you’d probably relish the chance to ketchup on our alone time.” He lifted his head to catch my gaze and waggled his eyebrows for effect.

I burst out laughing, I couldn’t help it. Turning in his embrace, I wrapped my arms around his neck to press our lips together for a gentle kiss. Our lips were barely brushing as I spoke. “I love you, Hugo. Bad puns, ghostly guests, bestie exes and all, you’re a keeper and I’m not letting you go.”

Hugo smiled against my mouth. “That’s pretty handy, because I’m holding on tight to you too, Todd. We go together like sausage and beer.”

I thought about giving him crap for that metaphor, but he was right. Instead of wasting my breath on any more joking around, I put my lips to better use and kissed the hell out of my husband.

Husband. Was there a better word in the entire world?

Hugo was my husband, the father of my children, and my best friend. It couldn’t possibly get any better than that. Unless…

I pulled back and smiled at him excitedly. “I should make you my business partner and then we can look into bottling your cider and beer. Just think of all that we could do together if we combined…”

“Later, hot stuff. Wait until after the honeymoon to talk about business. Right now, I have much better things in mind.” He took my hands and spun me into his arms, effectively ending that conversation for now as he pulled me back onto the dance floor as a slow number began to play.

I shivered with arousal as we danced cheek to cheek, my mind turning to the more important things again. Things like how soon we could sneak out of this reception and get that head start on the honeymoon. Now that I thought about it, my buns really did need to get a certain long and girthy German sausage slid between them…