Mel sniffed, blinking rapidly as Raz took the mic and ring next.
“What can I say, steluta, that I haven’t already promised you before?” His Romanian lilt was low and thick with emotion. “You have my loyalty, my love, and my trust for the rest of my days.” Looking at Hunter, he continued, “And you’re just as much my mate as Melody is. I’ll light up any motherfucker stupid enough to come near either of you.”
A few laughs, gasps, and wide-eyed looks from children came over the crowd as he passed the ring and mic to Arjun. But it just wouldn’t be a Razvan wedding without some expletives and threatening to set something on fire.
“I’m going to be a massive pain in your arse,” the tiger shifter smirked. “I’ll take the piss out of you every day because that’s how I show I love you. But I’ll also make you a proper cup of tea and purr you to sleep every night. I’ll love you to the end of my days, dove, and I promise you’ll never have a dull moment with me.”
The vows of each man seemed to soak into everyone attending as the mic was handed to Melody. She drew a shaky, emotional breath before her voice rang musically from the speakers.
“I would make vows to you all individually, but our guests need to eat and drink before the day is over,” she joked. “So my promise to you, the four loves of my life, is that my heart will always have room for each of you. I’ll never pick favorites or pit you against each other. I’ll always make time. I’ll always listen and give you someone to lean on the way all of you have done for me. I have a unique story with each one of you, but the greater story of us is just beginning.”
Barely any eyes were dry by the time Mel finished speaking. Even Gabe sniffed in front of me and wiped his eye as if the wind blew something into it.
“You may now exchange rings,” the officiant said when the mic returned to him.
Arjun, the last to hold the ring box, slid a white gold band onto Mel’s left ring finger. Miriam and Jeanie then stepped forward, holding two rings each on velvet pillows. One by one, Mel took a band and slid it onto the ring finger of each of her grooms. When she finished, Arjun and Raz clasped her left hand while Connor and Hunter held her right. “I now pronounce you husbands,” the officiant smirked at the pluralized word, “and wife. Y’all may kiss your bride.”
There was a moment of pause followed by a giggle from Mel. In the next instant her four husbands surrounded her, playfully shoving and fighting each other to land a kiss first as the crowd stood and gave a roaring applause.
5
Miriam
After another hour of pictures, hugs, and happy tears, we were finally able to sit down.
Colt and Gabe wolfed down their food and guzzled drinks until they were talking excitedly with the other guests at our table. Seeing Gabe laugh and smile was a rare treat.
I ate slowly, sipping my champagne while keeping my eyes sweeping across the entire reception hall. We moved from the ceremony in Mel's backyard to a banquet room in the neighboring campus of the FDR Center for Disabled Veterans.
After retiring from carnival work, Connor worked for the Center as a counselor. He moved so flawlessly on the dance floor with his bride, some of the wedding guests would never know he had two prosthetic legs.
The banquet hall had open, slanted ceilings with exposed beams, floor-to-ceiling windows, and was nestled into the surrounding woods. It gave the reception an outdoor private party feel, which seemed to put many of the shifters at ease.
The bride and grooms couldn't stop smiling at each other and kissing. Guests got a kick of tapping their silverware to their glasses for more kisses, while poor Mel tried her best to be fair and kiss each man an equal amount.
The pure love and happiness was palpable in the air, especially when my two wolves finished their conversations and sandwiched me between their firm bodies. Still, no matter how much they made my pulse speed up, or how infectious Mel's smile and happiness was, I couldn't shake the feeling of something being off.
And it had something to do with him, the powerfully built man with odd-colored eyes chatting at a neighboring table.
"You're quiet lately," Gabe murmured in my ear, his fingers skimming along my waist while Colt kissed the shell of my opposite ear.
"I could've said the same to you this morning," I replied icily.
Colt stifled a chuckle while his younger brother pulled away from me in surprise.
"Are you upset about something?"
"Are you, Gabe?" I retorted. I must have drank more champagne than I thought, because I wasn't normally so quick to pick a fight. "I never know if you're going to be sweet to me like this or a stone wall like this morning. I'm kind of sick of it, frankly."
He pulled even further back, brow furrowed in disbelief. "You really want to get into this now?"
"Yeah, why not?" I pulled my napkin off my lap and whipped it onto the table. "It's a beautiful night. Love is in the air. But I already know. For how much you're going to be all over me tonight, you're going to ignore twice as much tomorrow. I feel like a guilty pleasure to you, Gabe. A dirty little secret that everyone already knows about."
"That's not true," he choked out.
"It's what you act like." I shoved my chair back abruptly and rose to my feet. "I'm going to the ladies' room."
"Mir--"
I ignored him while fighting to keep my cool. Thankfully, most guests were fixated on watching the dance floor to notice me. Hunter and Raz slow-danced together while Connor and Arjun swayed with Mel sandwiched between them. Peals of laughter made me look before entering the restroom. The guys had switched places and now Arjun danced with Raz, holding the dragon shifter an arm's length away.
I spent a few minutes in front of the mirror, just taking calming breaths. The last thing I wanted to do was make a scene at Mel's wedding. Gabe was right about one thing, now was not a good time to talk about us. I should've waited until I was more sober and there were less people around.
But deep down I was glad that I told him. Those feelings had been bubbling since we met and now they were out there. He knew without a doubt how I felt about him. If he wanted to keep me, he needed to realize his actions had consequences.
I touched up my makeup and straightened my spine before returning to the reception. Mel wouldn't accept this from any of her men, so why the hell would I?
"Excuse me," said the deepest, most masculine voice I ever heard in my life.
I turned to see a large, looming figure leaning casually against the wall right outside the restrooms. His jacket was gone and his tie loosened, but there was no mistaking him. He towered over me, gazing at me curiously with two different colored eyes.
"Yes?" my voice unintentionally came out a breathy whisper as my heart lodged in my throat. There was a cruel, masculine beauty to him. I didn't know whether to be afraid or intrigued.
"I was wondering if you'd like to dance." He straightened, moving away from the wall and closer to me.
My gaze slid to the dance floor, now filling up with tipsy guests as upbeat pop music filled the room.
"Yes, I would."
I didn't know what made me say it. Maybe because I knew it would get under Gabe's skin. I also needed to know why I saw flashes of this man in my mind. And anyway, why the hell not? He was hot and it was a party.