Everly
She yawned, reveling at being in the sweet day-dream place. The one that was neither asleep nor awake. The urge to pee was still low, and she was warm and comfortable.
Really warm.
And really comfortable.
Everly stiffened as memories tumbled in, one after another. “Zane?” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“Did I imagine yesterday?”
“You’ll need to be a little clearer. What part of yesterday?”
She held her left hand up and took in the sparkling plastic beauty. “We’re engaged.”
“Yep.”
“This is for real, isn’t it?”
“You damn betcha,” Zane said. He tightened his arms around her. “You ready to get married?”
She swallowed. It was time to cowgirl up. “I don’t have a dress or anything.”
“Do you want to wait until one of the shops opens?”
Everly thought about it for a minute before shaking her head. “No, the longer we wait, the more nervous I’ll be. Like jumping off the high dive. Let’s do this.”
Zane snorted. “There’s the romantic spirit.”
Everly wagged her ring finger. “To go along with my killer engagement ring.” She wrinkled her nose playfully at him.
Zane kissed her forehead. “Only the best for you, Sassy.”
She watched as he left her alone to get ready. Damn, he really did have a fine backside, she decided. Then another thought struck her. Their wedding night.
“Nope, not going there,” Everly muttered to herself as she swung her legs around the bed. She was determined to stay on course today.
After grabbing a few items and the one nice dress she owned, Everly stuffed them in her backpack. She paused to take a last look around her bedroom.
Since her parents had kicked her out, Granddad’s house had become home. She didn’t know what the future held. Didn’t know where she and Zane would live after they married.
Beginning to feel overwhelmed at all the things she didn’t know, Everly turned her back on her bedroom and headed downstairs. It would feel amazing to take a hot shower again.
There. She could concentrate on that. She headed downstairs to find Zane in the kitchen.
“Sassy? Did you know you have a mouse under the sink?”
“That’s Mickey,” Everly said. “You didn’t set a trap out, did you?”
“No, but I did set your fish free.”
Everly’s face fell. “I should return the cornmeal to the food bank.”
“We’ll get to all that later,” Zane said. He held his hand out. “Ready?”
Everly placed her hand in his. As their skin touched, she began to breathe a little easier. There was something comforting, almost calming, about his touch.
That was a good sign. It had to be. Everly wasn’t an expert, after all, on good marriages. Her own parents fought all the time. But having a partner whose touch soothed your soul had to be a good omen.
After the short ride to Zane’s rental, Everly headed for the second bathroom. “I haven’t had a hot shower since the electric turned off,” she told him. “I may be a while.”
“Ev?”
Everly turned, a little surprised at his serious tone. “Yeah?”
“It’s your wedding day.”
“Ours,” she corrected.
He grinned in response. “Ours. And I know we’re doing it a little ass-backward, but it’s still should be a special day for us. Take as long as you need. I’m going to check on Archer.”
Everly bit her lip and nodded. “Give him an apple from me,” she teased as he headed out toward the barn.
Appreciating the extra time, Everly wondered around his rental as curious as a cat. She admired the medals he had on display, proof of his prowess in the cage. Everly traced one with a delicate finger and made up her mind to look his fights up on YouTube.
The kitchen was large and serviceable. Everly tried not to compare it to Granddad’s house but kept preferring the worn-down hominess of her home to Zane’s rental. Everly still had a lot of questions, but for the moment, the anxiety was at bay.
One thing the rental had over Grandad’s though, was electricity and running water. Hands down, those were the things she missed the most.
After hanging up her dress, Everly turned on the spigot and laughed with child-like glee as clean, hot water poured from the faucet. Never again would she take the miracles of modern life for granted.
Everly sighed, letting the water cascade over her. She’d kept clean with sponge baths and washing her hair in a bucket but nothing compared to the glorious sensation of feeling clean for the first time in months.
Despite Zane’s claim, she could take as long as she wanted, Everly got ready with determined haste. Time was of the essence, and she didn’t want to give Fannie time to cause mischief.
Thirty minutes later, Everly left the bathroom with her hair still slightly damp and just a touch of makeup.
“Zane?” she asked as a billow of steam followed her out of the bathroom.
“You look amazing,” he said, grey eyes lighting with pleasure as he approached her.
She blushed and dipped her head. “It’s my wedding day. You didn’t think I’d wear my scuffed sneakers and jeans, did you?”
Zane stood next to her in the spare room and took her hand in his. “It wouldn’t have mattered to me what you wore.” He leaned down until his forehead touched hers. “But you look truly lovely today.”
Everly brushed her nose against his in a playful rub. “Let’s go get married.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As they walked out of the house, Everly took the time to admire her fiancé. Tall and lean, he was the epitome of a fighter. Perhaps not as broad as bear shifters usually were but he had a lean, wiry strength.
“You clean up pretty nice yourself,” Everly teased as he helped her into the truck.
A clean white shirt was tucked into dark washed jeans. His grey ostrich leather cowboy boots looked freshly polished. His hair was damp but neatly combed. He’d even shaved.
Zane lifted her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “It’s my wedding day, too, Sassy.”
Everly smiled and turned her hand, so it cradled his clean jaw. “I kind of miss the fuzz.”
Grey eyes darkened and for a moment, and tension grew between them. Everly felt sure he would close the distance and kiss her. But like two magnets, neither moved.
“I want to kiss you,” Zane said, his voice going growly. Low. Fierce.
Unbidden came thoughts of later. Their wedding night. Warm heat pulsed into Everly’s core. Her nipples tightened in reaction, longing to be crushed against his chest.
“But?” She was surprised by the breathy tone of her voice.
“I want to kiss you properly, Everly.”
She nodded, liking the sound of that.
But Zane continued. “Kissing someone properly takes time and effort. And Ev? When we start kissing, neither of us are going to want to stop for a very, very long time.” His thumb traced the curve of her bottom lip.
Everly swallowed, feeling the truth in his words. Once she kissed him, she didn’t think she’d want to stop, either.
Everly wasn’t stupid, she was just inexperienced. Maybe there was a certain freedom in not knowing exactly what was going to happen. She waited until he got behind the steering wheel before saying anything else.
“Zane?”
“Yeah?” The engine started with a low purr, and he put it in gear.
“I think you should know something else. You know. Before you decide and all.”
“Okay?” He glanced over at her, confusion clear on his face.
“I’m still a virgin.” Whew. It was out. That wasn’t too hard, Everly thought as she relaxed into the seat. Now he knew everything.
Or, almost everything. She still had one more secret, but that was going to be a harder reveal. What if he judged her the way her parents did?
Zane
He gripped the wheel a little tighter as her words shot straight to his heart and groin. Zane knew she was young and had suspected she was inexperienced. But as pretty and upbeat as she was, for the life of him he couldn’t imagine some fumbling boy in high school not being interested in her.
Not that he particularly wanted to dwell on that visual but still.
“Does that mean you want to wait?” Honor made him ask, but he dreaded the answer.
She gasped a little, eyes turning to him. “Oh. I mean. I thought.” Everly swallowed and looked back at the road. “Whatever you want to do, Zane.”
Zane didn’t know a lot about marriage or even healthy relationships. His own parents had divorced when he was sixteen and probably should have split about a decade earlier.
But what Zane did know is he didn’t want to start his wedding on a question of this magnitude.
He pulled into the parking lot at town hall but made no effort to move or get out of the car. Instead, Zane reached for her hand and held it until he had her attention.
“Everly Smith soon-to-be-Dixon,” he began slowly, looking deep into her beautiful green eyes.
She laughed, clearly startled. “I hadn’t even thought about changing my name.”
He brushed off her comment. Whatever she chose would be fine with him. “I am incredibly attracted to you. The way your cheeks flush when I compliment you.” Zane touched her cheek. “Like this.”
Everly ducked her head, letting her copper-colored curls to hide her face. “I’m attracted to you, too.”
Zane took a deep, cleansing breath. “I would like nothing more than to take you back to my place, strip you out of this pretty dress, and make love to you all day.” He traced the line of her soft, floral dress, imagining how beautiful it would look tossed over a chair while Everly was stretched out across his bed.
“Oh. My.” Her gaze flew to his, too surprised to be embarrassed.
“But.” He placed his finger across her plump, pink lips. “If you aren’t ready, we can take time to court.”
She smiled behind his finger. A playful little grin that was full of mischief and intrigued Zane. Everly kissed his finger before moving it away from her mouth.
“Being a virgin isn’t contagious. I’m not an idiot, just a twenty-two-year-old woman who never met anyone I wanted to make love to before.”
Zane tensed, waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t, he blurted out. “Do you want to make love to me?”
Everly pressed a delicate kiss to his cheek. “More than anything in the world,” she whispered before opening her door and waiting for him.
Zane couldn’t help the shit-eating grin he felt break out on his face. He got out of the truck and took her hand. “Let’s get married, Ev.”
“I’ve been waiting on you,” she teased, smiling up at him.
“Oh, you sassy, sassy, woman,” Zane said as they climbed the steps to the courthouse.
“Yeah?” Everly tossed her curls over one shoulder. “What do you plan on doing about it, Mr. BKB Badass?”
“That’s Hurricane, if we’re talking fight names,” he responded.
“Hey! Wait up!”
They both turned to see Jason Fox and his mate Luna jogging to catch up to them.
“What are you doing here, boss?” Everly asked even as she hugged Luna in greeting.
“You’re getting married. You need witnesses,” Luna said with a bright smile. “You’ll be there when it’s my turn, right?”
“Absolutely,” Everly said. She turned to Zane and tightened her hand around his. “Let’s do this, Hurricane.”
After a quick stop for directions, they found the right office and applied for a wedding license.
“Sure, could you fill out these forms?”
Zane took the papers, glanced at them, and handed one to Everly. “Do you have a pen?” he asked, reaching for one on the counter.
Everly, however, had paled. “Um. Yeah. About that.” She frowned in concentration at the paperwork as though she were performing brain surgery.
“What’s wrong?”
Everly tugged gently on his wrist so they could step away for a touch of privacy. “I can’t read it,” she confessed.
“You can’t read?” Zane repeated the words, frowning. “You’re in college. How did that happen?”
“I have help. Audiobooks and sometimes I get extra time to take tests. And my degree is in graphic art. I can see art.”
“You’re a waitress. You take orders. I’ve seen you.”
Everly tapped the side of her forehead. “I memorize everything.”
Something else slid into place. “You’ve never actually read your Granddad’s will, did you?”
“If I concentrate, I can work it out. But not a spur of the moment like this. The page is all jumbled, Zane.”
“You’re dyslexic.” Why hadn’t he seen it before? She never sent text messages, never wrote her orders down at the bar, and always had a lightning fast memory.
Everly lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “Yes.”
Zane ran his hands through his hair, thinking fast. “Okay. I got this.” He turned to Luna. “Could you help Everly?”
Luna smiled a little guiltily holding up her own application. She and Jason shared a smile. “Of course, I’ll help. You don’t mind sharing your special day with us, do you?”
Everly let out a relieved laugh. “A double wedding! That’s great, but won’t your family complain?”
Luna shrugged. “My mom is back in Maine. Nana and Grandpa Nick are on a honeymoon. No one is here to complain. Besides.” Luna smiled up at Jason. “We don’t want to wait anymore.”
While Luna and Everly were busy filling out their forms, Zane pulled out his cell phone and sent a text to Rafe Chamorro.
Do you have an attorney you trust? Rafe was a realtor who had lived in the area for a long time. If there was anyone with legal connections, it was him.
Yes. Come by my office this afternoon. The answer was instant.
We’ll be by after lunch.
<<<>>>
Twenty minutes later, the two couples stood in Mayor Holt’s office. “My assistant tells me you want to get married.”
“To each other,” Everly said. She laughed. “I mean, two couples. Not the four of us.”
Holt smiled in response and reviewed their applications and paperwork.
“You know we’re still waiting on a final hearing from the court on the Shifter Marriage Equality Act.”
Zane lifted an eyebrow. “You’ve got too many of us married to back out now, Holt.” Zane widened his stance a bit and held his fists out loose but ready. It was a clear intimidation tactic, and it registered in the mayor’s eyes.
Out of his side vision, he saw Jason fold his arms in front of his chest, creating an impressive six-and-a-half-foot tall wall.
Holt, like the politician he was, backed down. “I’m just pointing it out if the case is overturned.”
“Too many marriages have happened,” Luna pointed out. “You really need to read my blog. I have a whole board where people are posting their marriage licenses.” She pulled out her phone. “Would you like me to show it to you?”
“That’s not necessary,” Mayor Holt said. He cleared his throat. “Well, it looks like everything is in order. All y’all ready to get married?”