Page 91 of His Atonement
Goddamnit.
My mate is wearing fishnets and fuck me heels to our wedding, and all I can do is envision them thrown over my shoulders while I plow into her.
That has to wait, though.
Those thoughts, the actual plowing, all of it has to wait because when I meet her eyes and see the unbridled joy, the tears formed along her lower lashes as well as the brilliant smile and arched brow that absolutely saysdown boy, I feel nothing but an urgent need to see this through to keep that happiness right where it is.
"You look incredible,” I whisper as Frankie stands across from me, her eyes shining as brightly as her smile. "Bloody incredible, my darling."
She peruses my appearance, eyes scanning me head to toe as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth for a beat. "You're not so bad yourself, baby."
Gods, what this female does to me with the simplest of words.
Kai begins with the customary prayers, the blessings of Old to ask for protection and guidance, of great love and peace over our bond. The ceremony continues with the repeated words of eternal binding, the words Frankie and I say to each other, the words I find myself getting choked up over as they roll off my tongue.
And those emotions slam to the forefront of my mind when Kai says Frankie has requested to share a small surprise.
She turns to Allie who hands over a velvet box—a ring box by the looks of it—and when she faces me again and I catch her hands beginning to tremble, I'm totally unsure if it's a symptom or nerves.
Until my darling mate speaks.
"I know we decided not to exchange wedding bands because we couldn't find any we could agree on, but the more I thought about it the more it didn't feel right.” Frankie opens the box and pulls its contents free. "So, I decided that since you gave me such a beautiful and meaningful symbol of your love for me, I wanted to do the same."
She opens her palm and takes one small object from her hand just before she lifts my left one. "I mostly saved photos of my parents, maybe a few other little things that held sentimental value, but for some reason I also saved their wedding bands. I don't know why I did it, I really didn't have a plan when I kept them, but now I know that I saved them to use at this exact moment." Frankie slides a simple, wide white gold band onto my ring finger with a watery smile. "My parents had the kind of love I knew I wanted, the kind of love you read about in books. For a long time I wasn't sure if I'd ever have that, and then one day I met you and it was game over.” She holds out the smaller ring for me to take then lifts her left hand. "You are everything to me, Zan. You gave me your heart and with it you gave me the kind of love I've always wanted, the kind of love that lasts a lifetime and beyond, so what better way to represent that, what better symbol to show that love than the rings that belonged to the people who taught me not to settle for anything less than forever."
If it were possible, my heart would expand to the point of bursting before it shot out of my chest entirely in order to crawl inside this woman and remain there for all time.
The most meaningful material possessions Frankie has, the last remaining pieces of her parents, and she chooses to share them with me.
Fuck, I don't deserve her, not in the least, but she is mine no less, mine for keeps.
So with a very shaky hand and a few of my own tears, I don't even bother hiding, I slip that ring on her finger right beside her engagement ring and don't even wait for Kai to give the ok.
I snatch my mate, mywife, around the waist and pull her to me, capture her lips by force and kiss the hell out of her for all to see.
Frankie starts to laugh as the group catcalls and whistles, hollers and cries. "I love you, baby.” She giggles against my lips that refuse to leave hers. "So much."
I just growl and flatten my body to hers, and keep kissing her because goddamnit, I don't ever want to stop.
And my darling girl, because she is in fact my perfect match, fists the front of my dress shirt so tight while she kisses me back that Frankie actually pops the top two buttons right off.
"Ok! Jeez!" Cora shoves me from behind with a giggle. "Now I totally get why you always look away when I smooch Havok."
I smile, and with one more hard kiss to my mate, I take her hand and face my sister. "Love is a disgusting thing, is it not, my gem?"
"Let's hear it for the newlyweds!" she yells in lieu of a response. "Frankie and Zan forever!"
Forever isn't long enough, not even fucking close.
* * *
Afew hours later I find myself sitting at a table with my mate as we take a much needed reprieve to chat with Allie and Andrej.
We've dined and danced, carried out each of the traditions that pertain to dragon mating ceremonies as well as human weddings, posed for more photos than I'll ever be comfortable with, and socialized until my head was about to explode.
I have never been more ready to peace the fuck out and get Frankie alone than I am in this moment, but she is enjoying this, enjoying it so much that I haven't been able to successfully pull her away from the festivities yet.
But I've never been one to back down from a challenge either, so it is merely a matter of minutes before I am victorious in obtaining my mate’s—my wife's—undivided attention.
