Rini, but the blush that mantled my cheeks was telling. “It’s something we have talked about, and it’s definitely in the cards… someday… but right now we just want to focus on making our society a stable entity before we start talking about adding kids to the mix, other than Emy of course.” I squeezed Em’s hand before she pulled away and rushed off to show off her gown to Grandma Angela.
“I get it,” Rini said, but she bit her lip, a rosy hue staining her cheeks.
“Rini…” I gasped, grabbing her shoulders and gently turning her to look at me. “Are you?” I didn’t even finish the question before I saw the gleam in her shy gaze. Rini had never been shy a day in her life, and I squealed, jumping up and down before I wobbled on my heels and had to settle for a happy dance instead. “You’re pregnant?”
“Yes! You have no idea how hard it was to wait to tell you. I was trying to keep it a secret until after the wedding,” she admitted.
“Are you happy?” I asked, smoothing my hands down her arms affectionately.
“Endlessly so.” Her hands fluttered over her still flat stomach in a loving caress. “Are you?” she questioned, her gentle brown gaze searching my face.
“I’m in love, and I have my mates and family by my side. I don’t need anything else to be happy,” I murmured, knowing in my heart it was true. As long as I had Damien, Theo, Killian, Hiro, Ryder, and Joshua, I would be happy. I’d be able to face whatever came our way in the future. I just needed to be surrounded by their love, their hearts, and their souls. “Not even a wedding could make me more content.”
Rini leaned in and whispered a kiss across my cheek before taking my hand and tugging me out of the door where the other women in my life were waiting for me. I took in their smiling, beaming faces. Angela held Emy in her arms while Li Min clapped her hands together and cooed over how beautiful I looked. Even Molly’s lips twitched into a semblance of a grin as she tried to join in the fun, though her eyes remained flat and dull.
The music flared in the distance, and together, all the women in my life walked me toward my future before taking their places and heading down the aisle before me.
Ciarán misted to my side and offered me his arm.
“Shall we try this again, little sister?” He gave me a goofy grin that made me giggle, especially given how gallant he looked in his crisp tuxedo.
I placed my hand in his without hesitation. “Take me to my mates, Ciar.”
And he did.
The music was a beautiful melody, but it fell away as I took in the scene around me. Everywhere I gazed there were reds, purples, yellows, pinks, and oranges splashed against the greenery, from the leaves on the trees to the elaborate arch that stood at the top of the aisle. Flowers decorated every surface in pops of color that reminded me of my Phoenix’s feathers, filling the air with the sweetest fragrance. The stark contrast to my last attempt down the aisle was vast, and my heart swelled with love for how hard my mates had worked to make this day special and different. It honestly looked like someone had let Ryder and Hiro loose to create a scene directly out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, only with more color. Crystals hung from the trees’ delicate branches, glittering beautifully thanks to the twinkle lights interspersed around them and the late afternoon sun on the horizon. Even Killian’s Puca had gotten involved in the fun, as butterfly illusions fluttered around the outskirts and candles displayed along the aisle.
Yet as beautiful as it was, all I could focus on were the six men waiting for me at the end, each one wearing a tux with different colored ties, adding to the majestically colorful display around us.
“Nix.” Damien’s voice was nothing more than an emotional rasp as I reached the end, kissed Ciar on the cheek, and joined the semi-circle of my mates.
“You look—” Even Ryder was speechless, which was saying something.
Each one let their gazes roam over my body, studying the intricate woven gold threads that decorated my champagne colored dress.
“Is that...” Joshua trailed off into an awestruck gasp.
“Do you like it?” I asked, turning this way and that, allowing them to study the pictures the golden