My gaze scanned the room, but my attention was on the woman sitting beside me. Most of the people I saw I’d known since childhood. A few were friends I made over the past few years, here to share in our joy. I glanced at the dance floor and saw my parents as they moved together and looked deeply into each other’s eyes. I saw myself and Red in them. I knew that would be us one day. I couldn’t wait to dance like that when our future children got married.

A purr rumbled through me and Red squeezed my hand. Her laugh washed over me, and I gave in to the temptation and looked at her. I couldn’t believe she was finally mine. No more sneaking, no more hiding. There were times I had despaired of making it to the wedding date.

She turned and looked at me, and my breath caught in my throat.

"What?" she said as her eyes danced with laughter.

"I avoided going to weddings," I told her, "all this time."

Her eyes grew wide but the laughter didn’t fade. "Why?"

I grinned. "The only wedding I’ve gone to since we got together was Meghan’s. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I couldn’t go to any others because I was too jealous." She tilted her head to the side. "Of what?"

"They found what I was searching for. But now I have it." Satisfaction curled through me.

Her smile was soft. "So do I," she said.

"Rose," Meghan said with laughter in her voice. She sat on the other side of my bride, a giant stroller behind her. Somehow, my niece and nephew were soundly sleeping through all the reception noise. Red winked at me, then turned her attention back to my sister. But she didn’t let go of my hand.

"Congratulations, man," Sam’s deep voice rumbled as he walked up and slid into the empty chair next to mine. "Didn’t think you’d ever get around to it."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

He chuckled. "Buddy, your scents have been entwined for years."

"So you knew we were together?" I was starting to think we were the only people who never realized it.

Sam clapped a big hand on my shoulder. "Every shifter who knew the two of you could tell. Couldn’t miss it."

"Why didn’t you say anything?"

"Why would I say anything? You seemed to have fun sneaking around. By the time I realized you didn’t know, I couldn’t figure out how to tell you."

If I hadn’t been so happy, it would have bothered me that I hadn’t known our scents were so entwined. I should have realized sooner. It would've saved us so much heartache. But Red was mine now, and in a few short hours, we’d be celebrating our first night as man and wife. A thrill went through me that every shifter knew we were mated and that everyone else could tell by the bands around each of our ring fingers.

"I’ll be back," Sam said abruptly as he pushed back his chair. I followed his gaze and saw he headed on an intercept course with Rhonda. Her eyes lit up when she saw him—more than I had ever seen from Rhonda before. My lips quirked up at the corners as I discreetly sniffed the air.

Red’s laughter drew my attention back to her. My breath left me once more. She was so beautiful. We’d planned the wedding in a few weeks. I had no idea how she managed to find the perfect gown at the last minute. Or maybe it was more that she would have looked perfect in anything. Either way, I couldn’t wait to peel it off her.

Her shoulders were bare, with a thin line of lace above the sheer fabric on her chest. It almost looked like there was nothing between the lace and her bodice. I never thought about wedding gowns before, but there was something arousing about the way it fit her curves.

Lace covered the front of the dress in a tight pattern that gradually got wider. It ended just above her knees in front, and then gradually got longer until it hit the just above floor in the back. I’d been relieved she didn’t have a train. I knew one of us would have tripped over it. Most likely Rose, if I was being honest.

Suddenly, I needed to be alone with her. I knew we couldn’t leave the reception yet. It was for our wedding, after all. But I figured I could swing a few minutes. I had to touch her, kiss her. The need gripped me and held me tight. I wanted to take advantage of the short front of her dress and run my hand up her smooth thigh.

I studied Red. She threw her head back and laughed at whatever it was Meghan had said. She was having too much fun for me to pull her out of her own wedding reception. I had nearly convinced myself to be patient when Joseph said something that drew Meghan’s attention. I couldn’t help myself and leaned in to whisper in Red's ear.

"Tonight," I said, barely able to contain my anticipation, "we’ll spend the whole night in the same bed, and every night after that. No more racing to get you home before dawn."

Her smile warmed my heart. "I can’t wait," she said. She cupped my cheek and I leaned into her hand. "Thank you for being so patient."

"I didn't mind waiting. I know your grandmother is old-fashioned." I smiled at her, my heart overflowing. How I missed exactly what she meant to me over the years was a mystery.

She nodded. "It would have broken her heart if we moved in together before the wedding."

"Family is important," I said and glanced at our family throughout the reception hall. "It gave us a chance to get everything perfect in the house anyway." We’d had such fun shopping and mock-arguing over everything. Red had surprised me over how gaga she went over the fridge. I never expected her to get so excited over the mundane.

"Right," she added, a teasing gleam in her eye, "it gave those super fancy appliances you just had to have time to arrive."

I narrowed my eyes in warning. She had teased me endlessly for agonizing over ovens and dishwashers. "I’ll show you my appliances," I growled, my fingers running over her ribs.

She giggled and twisted as she tried to escape my tickling fingers. She’d been as excited as me when we were shopping. I never knew it could be so much fun to shop for appliances and furniture. Her twisting rubbed her body against mine, and my thoughts careened back to where they were moments ago. I stopped tickling her, and her gaze met mine. She clearly read the desire in my face and licked her lips. I saw the same fire in hers, but I also saw the sheer joy of the moment. It did something to me, knowing I made her that happy. I felt the same way.

She flushed and pulled her eyes from mine. "Behave yourself," she said with a hint of amusement, "everyone can see us."

"We don't have to hide anymore, do we?" I teased back.

She pursed her lips as she tried to hide a smile. "That doesn't mean you can have your way with me in the middle of our reception."

"Doesn't it?" I purred as I gave into temptation and placed my hand on her exposed knee.

She grinned and batted a hand against my thigh. "No!"

I flashed her an even bigger smile. "That's a shame."

* * *

My heart felt like it was going to burst. I could hardly believe my eyes as I looked out at all the people eating and laughing at our reception. I had never dared to so much as dream about having a wedding. Especially not with Maddox. But if I had, this would have been it. The perfect wedding, with Maddox beside me as my new husband. He kept on looking at me as if I was his everything.

We had been together for so long, and now we were surrounded by family and friends that we both loved. They were all relieved that we were going to stop trying to hide our relationship. Apparently, the only people we had fooled were ourselves. I smiled to myself at the thought.

"You've been grinning like a chipmunk all day, Red," Maddox said with a chuckle beside me. He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek with a big, loud smooch that turned heads. I couldn't keep him from touching me, although I couldn't say I really wanted to. Our wedding had been a whirlwind of hurried planning and papercuts from folding one too many invitations. I was still getting used to being able to be with him this openly.

I felt a flush rise in my cheeks, not for the first time tonight, but I continued to smile. My heart melted into a little puddle inside me. I looked over at Maddox and that gooey puddle quivered with delight. I was a goner.

There was nothing that could keep me from smiling, I realized. It would be grim if someone were to keel over right now because I'd still be smiling even as the paramedics arrived.

Maddox noticed me staring and grinned at me, and my smile tried to split my face again. I knew I had everything I wanted. I didn't need to have sneak previews into the future to know that my life was going to be a beautiful one filled with love. How could I not be over the moon?

As I was turning into a big pile of mush beside him, Maddox placed a hand on my knee and rubbed the bare skin exposed by the soft silk and lace of my dress. I looked down at his hand, then up at him with a smile and a raised eyebrow. He couldn't control himself today.

He arched a brow back at me, then leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Meet me in the lobby."

I shivered, his breath still warm on my skin, as Maddox got up from the table after I nodded. He quickly left the reception hall. I watched the door shut behind him and bit my bottom lip. He knew I couldn't resist an offer like that.

Anticipation curled in my stomach as I waited 'til the count of ten. We had a whole wedding night and honeymoon ahead of us, yet I knew he wanted me now. I wanted him just as badly. Plus, we had been sneaking around for so long that it just felt natural. It felt so right to be doing it again.

As I got up to follow him, I thought of all those secret meetings in the back of The Peach's quiet gift shop. His lips hard against mine as we stole quick kisses and touches. I couldn't count the number of times I snuck back into Grandmother’s house after a night out with him, and all the nights he climbed the tree outside my window as a lithe panther. Those were good memories. I couldn't wait to see what else we’d have in our future. Until then, I fully planned on kissing his face off while hiding away from everyone in the lobby.

That was Maddox's plan, too. I knew for sure when I pushed through the doors and his arms immediately came around me and crushed me against his hard chest. I felt his hand run up my back, and before he could kiss me, I whispered against his lips, "Hair."

It took hours to get my hair in this updo, and I knew Maddox and his kitty claws would destroy it if given the chance.

His hand slipped up the back of my neck like it had countless times in the past and his lips came down on mine. I tried to keep up with him and kissed him back with equal fervor, but this was his kiss. As if he needed to mark me as his. I let myself melt into his arms. Suddenly, he pulled back from me to look over my shoulder. There was amusement on his face.

"What is it?" I asked hazily as I tried to blink my eyes back into focus. Maddox had really done a number on me this time.

"Look," he replied quietly and tilted his head behind me.

I turned around and did a double-take. Alex was there, and Sophie was, too. Sophie looked livid. I wondered what had pissed her off. She was normally so calm. Alex held his hands out in a placating gesture. He looked really worried as he spoke, but I couldn’t hear what he said. I had never seen either of them quite so worked up. I felt the fog of a vision roll in, then a moment later, I smiled up at Maddox.

"Those two have no idea what's coming," I said with a laugh. "But they're going to have a lot of fun."

"Are they?" Maddox asked, but his tone was indifferent. His hands slid up and down my sides and paused here and there to brush small circles over my skin.

"Mhm," was all I could manage in reply. I was too focused on his touch for anything else to matter.

Maddox touched his lips to my earlobe and whispered, "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for our fun to start." His voice was so thick with desire that it made me tremble.

"Me too," I whispered back.

I leaned up to kiss him and his mouth met mine. As he made those sparks of desire inside me burn like a wildfire, I wondered if there was a coat closet we could hide in for a bit. I wasn't going to be able to keep my head straight if we didn't. I already struggled as it was. Before I could organize my thoughts enough to mention it, I heard someone clear their throat behind us.

"Maddox, Roselani." My grandmother's stern voice crept through the fog in my brain.

I squeezed Maddox's arm when he didn't immediately pull away, but I couldn’t seem to stop kissing him either. He finally lifted his head after another squeeze. I almost thought that he wouldn't stop. Some part of me was glad that he had, because I wasn't sure I would've been able to.

"Sorry, Henrietta," Maddox murmured as a flush stained his cheeks. I stifled a giggle—it was rare to see him so embarrassed.

"Now, Maddox, what did I tell you to call me?" she chastised.

"Sorry, Grandmother," he amended.

"That’s better." She smiled. "Now, I know you two have gotten it in your heads that you need to sneak around, but you’re married now. It’s time to stop these shenanigans. You have a wedding reception to attend to, so get back in that room. You’ll have the rest of your lives for funny business."

"Yes, Grandmother," I said with a smile. "Come, my husband, let’s go back to our reception."

Maddox grinned. "Yes, my wife."

I could tell the words pleased him as much as they did me. He held my hand until we reached the door. As he opened the door to the reception hall, I could've sworn I heard my grandmother say, "Now I can finally cut that damn branch."