Once Alivia and Camilla reached Trestan and me, the minister began the very short ceremony. On my request, everyone was welcomed, a blessing was given, we were asked to repeat each vow she said, and I was instructed to slide the diamond band on Camilla’s finger.
Done.
Seven minutes.
Shouts of congratulations rang out as I kissed my bride with our kids squished between us. Trestan took the opportunity to wrap his short arms around Camilla’s neck and hold on for dear life. He was definitely a mama’s boy.
As everyone laughed at Miss Kitty voicing her own congratulations with a series of loud meows, I took my wife’s hand in mine, and with our kids in tow walked us down the aisle toward our forever after.
Dances were danced. Cake was cut. Pictures were taken. It was the greatest way to celebrate what had happened and what was yet to come.
Specifically, our honeymoon. Camilla and I would be heading for the same secluded island Jack and Leila had honeymooned on. Seven days, alone, on a beach, naked.
I couldn’t fucking wait.
The party was winding down. The kids were in bed, except for Shane and Alivia. Being the oldest meant they were allowed to stay up a bit later than the younger ones. They looked so grown compared to the others. Shane was now ten, Alivia nine, and they were both going on twenty.
Too mature for their own good… or mine.
They were best friends. Hey, I loved the kid… as long as he kept my daughter in the friend zone. While watching them sitting on the side of the pool, chatting about something, Jack and I sipped our beers with our wives on our laps.
I’d come a long way, being able to have a drink now and again without it causing the avalanche that accompanied addiction.
Laughter came from the beach, where Evan, Scott, Hunter, and their better halves relaxed with their own cocktails now that their kids were in bed. Even Debbie and Carson sat comfortably among my band. That first time Debbie and Hunter came face-to-face was comical, as they both avoided discussing the night they’d met backstage and what had transpired between them. Camilla and I knew those unfortunate details, though.
Lori and Cannon, the only married couple without children, changed into their swimwear to take advantage of the hot tub.
The entire married-off, family-oriented, love-conquered-all lot of us had sure come a long way since our early days. But at least we were still sexy-as-fuck, cool-as-shit rock stars… with the exception of Hunter.
Alivia’s giggling loudly at something Shane had said drew my attention. Our wives exchanged wide smiles while watching enthralled. Meanwhile, Jack and I looked panicked. With each year that went by, his son and my daughter grew closer and closer.
In a flash, visions of their teenage versions kissing in the back of a car, or sneaking off down the beach to do worse, knocked around my brain like a bullet in a barrel.
And then, as if my subconscious willed it to happen, I watched in slow motion as Shane leaned closer and planted a big wet kiss on my daughter’s lips.
What in the serious fuck?
“Lair!” I jumped up so fast Camilla had to stumble to gain her balance. “Get your kid away from my daughter!”
The End