FIFTEEN
Layla and Quin fought freezing winds all the way to the coast, but then they entered a weather shield that turned the wintry climate tropical.
Layla hadn’t put much thought into what the wedding would look like, assuming the ceremony would be simple given the rushed timeline, but as she descended onto a pink sand beach lined with giant wisteria trees, the impeccable decorations took away her breath, leaving her to gawk at the scenery in awe.
She’d never seen a more perfect set-up, not in movies or magazines, and every detail, down to the place settings, reflected Brietta’s vivacious personality. Happy tears welled up in Layla’s eyes as she imagined her cousin’s wedding dreams coming true, so she knew Brietta’s reaction would be powerful, but Kegan seemed blindsided by the suggestion that his thoughtful surprise would thrust his unsuspecting bride into a sea of emotions.
“You really think she’ll cry?” he asked.
Layla nodded as she scanned the decorations, and she was further convinced when she learned Brietta wouldn’t see them until she walked down the aisle. “You should see what Meara and Kellyn think,” Layla suggested, turning the decision over to his mom and sister.
Once everyone agreed Brietta would cry upon seeing what he’d done, Kegan hatched a plan to ease her into it, and Layla was forced to leave Quin and Benzio so she could join the witches in the bridal tent.
Brietta had just arrived and was a ball of nervous energy as she speculated about the surprises to come, but Meara didn’t make her stew for long. After pouring a glass of champagne, Meara insisted Brietta drink it while leading her to the back of the tent. Then she nudged her through an exit that had materialized in the canvas.
Turning away, Meara looked at Kellyn and twisted her hands. “She’ll love it,” she asserted, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
“She will,” Layla encouraged. “I can’t imagine a more perfect ceremony for her, and people say I have a good imagination.”
The assurance seemed to soothe Meara’s and Kellyn’s anxiousness, so Layla moved to a corner and claimed an oversized armchair, determined to keep her negativity out of the way. Skyla and Morrigan followed. Then they held babies while Layla dressed in a sleeveless, pink and yellow ombre gown with a modest V-neck and empire waist.
“Is that a new ring?” Skyla asked, using one hand to scatter pink and yellow gemstones throughout Layla’s curls.
Layla lifted her left hand, growing emotional at the mere sight of a ring on her third finger. “Yeah. Quin gave it to me right before we left home. I guess he made it years ago.”
“What’s the material?”
“Coral.”
Morrigan braced two babies in one arm and demanded a closer look. “Solid coral?”
Layla nodded, trying not to get irritated by the shimmers Skyla added to her cheeks and shoulders. “He said it was harvested in Maganthia.”
Skyla handed over a pair of bejeweled armbands. “It must have cost him a small fortune to get a chunk of coral big enough to carve that.”
Cordelia smiled as she moved in for a glimpse of the ring. “It’s better spent on precious coral than drugs, booze and D.O.V.s.”
Morrigan had released Layla’s hand and was bouncing two babies. “It’s a lovely ring. Is there a special reason he gave it to you today?”
Layla closed her eyes so Cordelia could get rid of the puffiness. “He didn’t want to miss his chance.”
Everyone fell silent, and Layla wondered if she should have answered with a simple no, but as quickly as sorrow had engulfed the tent, it was swept away by Brietta’s entrance.
Skyla passed Kaedan to Layla, turning as the others got to their feet and stared at the bride, who radiantly smiled while scanning the room through a film of tears. “Could he be any more perfect?”
Layla’s heart warmed and softened, inspired by her cousin’s immense joy, but when other witches crowded around Brietta, Layla settled in the armchair and dropped her bodice. If she didn’t fill up the triplets now, they’d fuss through the ceremony.
~***~
While Kegan had revealed half of the decorations to Brietta, Quin and Benzio sat in the reception area, hidden from the bride by a wall of fog. Wedding helpers and servers bustled around them, and Quin remained anxious with Layla and the babies out of sight, but he and Benzio hadn’t spent time alone in a while, so he took the opportunity to spoil his oldest. Pretending to be mischievous, they’d swiped some candy off the cake table. Then Quin perched Benzio on his knee as they dug into their plunder.
Once Kegan returned Brietta to the bridal tent, the veil of fog dissipated, and a small bar opened on the northern shoreline, ready to satiate guests with cocktails as they waited for the wedding to start.
Kegan had plenty of help, so Quin stayed seated with Benzio, taking note of the new arrivals while responding to the toddler’s never-ending chatter.
“Where does the sun go?” he asked.
Quin smiled at his curiosity while unwrapping two pieces of candy. Then he held them up as examples of the sun and earth. “It doesn’t go anywhere. We’re the ones moving. As the earth spins, the other side sees the sun.” He hovered the candies and mimicked the planet’s rotation, but as soon as he found comprehension in Benzio’s gaze, he snatched the smaller piece from the air and popped it in his mouth.
Benzio gasped and pointed. “You ate the earth!”
Quin chewed as his hand crept toward the sun, but Benzio recognized his game and lunged for the candy, yanking it from the air and gobbling it up. A grin stretched across his face as he chewed, proud of himself for being so quick and clever, and Quin couldn’t help but laugh as he ruffled his hair. “Any more questions?”
“Yes.”
“All right.” Quin summoned a flute of champagne and a glass of punch, passing over the latter. “Let’s hear them.”
Benzio took a drink before getting down to business. “What’s a wedding?”
“Good question. A wedding is a special event to celebrate the union... or the… partnership between two people who love each other so much they want to be together forever.”
Benzio’s features pinched as he tried to work out what that meant, but he struggled with the concept. “Does everyone who loves someone like that get a wedding?”
“Well… no. A wedding takes place when two people want to get married. Usually they invite some of the other people they love, like their friends and family, and they promise to love and support each other forever as man and wife. Then they all celebrate the marriage, sometimes with a party called a reception.”
“But… what if you don’t have a wedding? Does that mean you don’t get to be together forever?”
“Not at all,” Quin assured, deciphering the catalyst of Benzio’s discomfort. “A wedding is just one of many ways to show how much you love someone, and it’s not a guarantee that you’ll be together forever. The forever part happens because of the love, not the wedding.”
That seemed to soothe Benzio’s worries, but Quin could tell he had more questions. “What’s up, buddy? Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“My other mom and dad didn’t get married.”
“Because the guild wouldn’t let them. They loved each other, Benz. Our angel told me so, and if anyone knows what love looks like, it’s her. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Benzio gave a small nod, still trying to unravel his feelings. “Did you have a wedding with her?”
Quin’s heart squeezed, but as much as he could relate with Benzio’s concerns, he couldn’t spill his guts to a toddler. Pulling him closer, he hugged his shoulders and kissed his head. “No. Your mom and I aren’t married. She isn’t just our angel. She’s everyone’s angel. I’m sure you can imagine how busy that keeps her. Between that and taking care of the triplets, she barely has time to breathe, so she definitely doesn’t have time to plan a wedding.”
“We could plan it for her,” Benzio offered. “Like Kegan did for Cousin Bri.”
“We could,” Quin agreed, more than willing to add wedding planner to his résumé if it meant she’d marry him. “But I think she’d rather wait until she has time to relax and enjoy it. Maybe once we return from our journey and the triplets are older we’ll consider getting married.”
“I think you should.”
“Oh, yeah? Why?”
“So you’ll be together forever.”
“But it’s not the wedding that keeps two people together, remember? It’s the love, and Layla and I share a love that’s so powerful it wraps us in gold and silver lights that get brighter and warmer when we touch each other. A wedding can’t do that. Getting married is special, but it’s not the only way to express everlasting love. Even if I never marry your mom, I’ll love her forever. I promise.”
“Okay,” Benzio conceded. “Can I marry her?”
Quin laughed while finishing off his drink. “You’d probably have more luck getting her to say yes than I would. But I think you should wait until you’re older to get married. You have to be able to take care of a family before you take that leap. You still have a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do.”
“Okay. I’ll work on that while you’re on your journey.”
“Good idea,” Quin encouraged, determined to maintain his positivity for the sake of his family.
Dozens of guests had arrived, filling the atmosphere with chatter, so Quin decided to be social and teach Benzio a few lessons on how to greet people like a gentleman. They received confused looks nearly every time Quin introduced Benzio as his son, and a few people were bold enough to ask who’d mothered him. Quin wasn’t about to go into the long and dramatic explanation, so he gave the simplest version of the complex situation. “Layla and I adopted him.”
Several children from other covens had arrived and were hatching plans to play a game of tag, so Quin hugged Benzio and let him run off to be a kid. Only then did Quin summon a second glass of champagne, and he took his time drinking it while mingling with the crowd. Most people kept their gossip and curiosity about his unconventional family to themselves, sticking to topics like the weather or recalling anecdotes about the bride and groom. Armed with a lifetime of memories of both Brietta and Kegan, Quin had plenty to talk about and could easily steer the conversation in their direction.
By the time guests began filling the chairs by the aisle, Layla’s grandparents had emerged from the forest with the triplets, so Quin showered them in kisses before heading for the bridal tent.
Banning and Weylin walked ahead of him, the former far more serious than the latter as they discussed the looming trip to Maganthia.
“How old were you the last time you were there?” Weylin asked.
Banning plucked a pink petal from a wisteria vine as he thought back. “Fourteen.”
“So you’ve never experienced low-tier’s happy hour.”
“No, and I doubt I’ll get the chance to party on this trip. We’re hoping to train in the Arena.”
“No shit? You’re petitioning the council?”
“As soon as we get there.”
“Fuck happy hour. I’m training with you.”
They halted near the tent, and Quin shifted his focus, feeling Layla on the other side of the canvas.
“Think they’re dressed?” Banning asked.
Weylin grinned while moving forward. “Let’s find out.”
The ladies were clothed and waiting, so Weylin moved to the bride, but Quin followed his heart to Layla.
He paused a few feet away, his hands itching as he scanned her from head to toe. He’d missed her while she was away, but the brief void enhanced her beauty. Or maybe it just made him more aware of it. Whatever the case, she was a heavenly vision of grace, love and hope.
“Stunning,” he whispered, stepping into her lights. Then he slowly reached for her shimmering face, desperate for the feel of her. She didn’t move away, and she wasn’t on the brink of tears, so he closed the distance between them, soaking up soft skin, magical tingles and soothing warmth. “Suddenly, I’m whole again.”
Her aura reacted, growing brighter and prettier, and an elusive smile curved her lips as he kissed the tip of her nose. He didn’t want to release her, but he needed to congratulate the bride, so he tore his gaze from his angel and acknowledged the rest of the ladies in the tent.
Once the pleasantries were out of the way, the bridal party lined up, and Quin offered Layla his left arm, pleased by the way she embraced it. He couldn’t stop stealing glimpses of her profile as they followed Alana and Shaylee from the tent, and his obsession paid off when her face and eyes lit up under the romantic glow of thousands of floating flames.
“Wow,” she breathed. “This is, by far, the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever seen. It’s perfect for Bri.”
Quin read between the lines, fully aware what was perfect for Brietta wasn’t ideal for Layla. As much as she admired the lavish details of the large wedding, they didn’t match her modest style and humble personality.
Shaylee and Alana took the curve in the path, steadily sprinkling moist moss with shimmering, pink petals, so Quin led Layla forward, wishing he could slow time and memorize everything about every step.
“Are you nervous?” he asked, recalling the way she used to shrink away from curious stares. Now she was about to walk down a path bordered by hundreds of magicians.
She shrugged her sparkly shoulders. “Not really. If I were alone, I’d probably be anxious.” She slipped one hand around his bicep, hugging it as she found his eyes. “But it doesn’t seem so scary when I’m walking with you.”
He halted before the bend in the trail, listening to mellow music hum through the forest as he expanded his mind and located the flower girls. They had a few more yards to travel, so Quin stayed put, content with the opportunity to extend the moment. He may never again get the chance to venture among his family and friends with the love of his life on his arm, and this may be the only time they walked down a wedding aisle together. He would savor every second, extract every drop of nectar and relish how sweet it was, and he’d carry the memories with him when he left home, a reminder of a time when he was the most important person in her world, the man she clung to through good times and bad, the man who made her as brave as she made him.
Once the flower girls neared Kegan, Quin skimmed Layla’s aura and smiled. “Ready?”
She filled her lungs and straightened her spine. “Yes.”
They continued around the curve, and Quin darted his gaze down the glowing aisle, estimating the time he had left with her. “What do you think? About fifty steps to the dais?”
Her forehead wrinkled as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “Give or take a few. Why?”
“I’m going to spend them counting the ways I love you.”
Her cheeks flushed as the palm on his bicep warmed, and the atmosphere around them brightened, a striking culmination of her extraordinary aura and their bonded lights.
Speaking into her head, he started the list while escorting her forward. ‘I love the way you light up when you’re happy, and the way your skin feels against mine. The scent of your hair, and the sparkle in your eyes. And the way you move when you walk or fly.’
His brain registered more perks than his mental message could convey, but every time he shared one, her colors reacted, reaching out to reward him with heartfelt acknowledgment and stimulating tingles.
All too soon, they’d reached the steps to the dais, and Quin came out of the clouds as he faced letting her go.
Taking her hand from his arm, he turned and pulled her knuckles into a kiss. ‘I love the way you smile when you hear my voice.’
Her lips curved toward pink cheeks, granting him the strength to release her, but before letting her walk away, he nuzzled through silky curls and whispered in her ear. “I could count my way to the bottom of the sea and still not list them all.”
The fingers of her right hand stretched, softly sweeping across his heart as her warm breath fluttered over his shoulder, but then they broke the spell and took their assigned positions on opposite sides of the platform.
Layla turned her gaze on her children, but the first time she looked at Quin, she found him looking back, so they spent the ceremony sharing stolen glances and secretive smiles.
As soon as Kegan and Brietta were pronounced man and wife, Layla jumped in line to hug and kiss them. Then she beelined through the throng to her kids, holding as many as she could while kissing the others. She stayed glued to them as she picked a few bites off her dinner plate, and though she allowed Benzio to play with the other kids after dessert, she kept the triplets on her lap or within arm’s reach.
When they got hungry, Quin started to suggest they return to the bridal tent, but she’d already altered her bodice and offered her breasts to Kaedan and Farrow, unconcerned about the hundreds of people around them. She didn’t even seem to notice them. As soon as her babies began nursing, she retreated to a blissful bubble nothing could puncture. Quin scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hoping his hold on Lilyana would grant him access, and the bold move paid off when Layla leaned into him.
Nearly everyone else was on their feet, including Brietta and Kegan, who’d already shared a slow dance and demanded more upbeat music. The moonlit dance floor had filled with guests, and the drinks liberally flowed, keeping servers busy.
“I didn’t dance with you,” Layla realized.
Quin kissed her head while playing with a shiny spiral falling over her shoulder. “It’s okay. Maybe I’ll get the chance to take you dancing in Maganthia.”
“If they play another slow song after I nurse, I’ll make good on our deal.”
“Only if you want to.”
“I do.”
He couldn’t see her eyes, which remained fixed on her children, but nothing in her aura conflicted her claim.
Once the triplets were full and Layla had repaired her gown, she and Quin toted around the babies while mingling. Layla had met many of the guests at Banning and Skyla’s graduation party, but there were several she didn’t recognize. Quin didn’t go out of his way to introduce her to strangers, and she’d gotten good at ignoring their stares.
As she struggled through an attempt to thank Natalie for agreeing to sell them breast milk, a slow song started up, and following three seconds of hesitation, Layla passed her babies to the nearest family members and grabbed Quin’s hand.
His eyes lit up as she steered him to the dance floor. Then he took the lead and twirled her to his chest. “When’s the last time we danced?”
She moved close enough to rest her ear on his heart, overwhelmed by emotion as his arms and aura wrapped her in a love as physical as the sand beneath their feet. It was always like that when they danced, as if swaying to music added a layer of glue between them.
“Our second cruise,” she answered, vanishing the moisture clinging to her lashes. “My belly was so big we couldn’t get this close.”
“That’s right. No wonder it feels so good to be back here with you.”
“It feels heavenly.” But tonight’s euphoria would make tomorrow’s crash more difficult.
He must have sensed her turmoil, because he remained quiet for the rest of the dance. Then the music shifted to a dramatic combination of string instruments and percussion, electrifying the atmosphere.
Layla left her warm sanctuary as someone swept by, thrusting a stein of booze into Quin’s hand, and before she could ask what was happening, they were near the center of a clustered throng. Brietta and Kegan stood in the middle with them, along with most of the men from their covens, including Banning, Weylin, Kegan’s dad and Brietta’s grandpa. Some of the wizards had a witch at their side or a small child on their arm, but the majority of those who’d congregated on the dance floor were male, and Brietta was the only woman who’d gotten a drink. The rest of the steins were given to wizards, dozens and dozens of them, and as Layla looked to Quin for an explanation, a deep thrum vibrated across the beach.
The men toward the outside of the crowd raised their voices with their drinks, captivating Layla with a baritone harmony. Then she jolted when the nearby wizards joined in with a powerful chorus of musical chants. Their astonishing synchronization and confidence proved this was something they’d done countless times, a tradition that spanned generations and stretched beyond the coven’s borders. The energy they produced demanded Layla’s focus and sent chills down her spine, charging hair follicles as she watched the masculine performance in awe, rendered speechless and momentarily cleansed of worries.
At times, the collaboration gave the impression of a fight song, as if they were psyching one another up for battle, but the lyrics weren’t antagonistic or focused on power or glory. They sang of honor and purpose, and their drinks stayed up as their auras blazed with beautiful colors. They were simply expressing their culture and values, but the collective enthusiasm in their delivery made it clear they’d fight and die to protect their way of life. They wholeheartedly believed the words they were chanting. They lived by them, raised their kids on them, and apparently they used them to celebrate marriages.
By the time the men threw back their booze and the music faded into cheers and hear, hears, Layla grinned from ear to ear, and she was pretty sure her panties were wet. Considering most witches didn’t don underwear, she figured the next breeze that drifted their skirts would alert the men to a feminine wave of arousal, rewarding them for an outstanding performance.
“Wow,” she breathed. “That was fantastic.”
Quin vanished his stein and pulled her closer. “It was worth every syllable to get a glimpse of that smile. Plus, it’s fun.”
The enchanted band began a different song, so he led her toward the seating area. Then he thanked her for the dance with a deep, lingering kiss before dutifully returning her to the triplets.