Playing You (Omega's Luck #3) - Claire Cullen Page 0,61

few times. It’s just, with my heats being so infrequent, we figured even if I came off my injection now, it could be a few years before we got pregnant. If it happens sooner, great. But we know it might take some time.”

Harper grinned. “And you’ll enjoy all the practice.”

“Harper!” Mrs. O’Brien exclaimed from the doorway.

“Sorry, Mrs. O’Brien.”

He didn’t look sorry as he grinned at Riley with mischievous eyes. The two of them giggled, and she raised eyebrows at them. Riley suddenly felt a lot more like a boy than a man, until she spoke again.

“Calm yourselves. It’s time, gentlemen.”

Riley’s heart was suddenly racing, anxiety seizing him for one long moment. Until Harper’s hand slipped into his and squeezed tightly.

“Just breathe, okay?”

They turned toward the door, just in time to see Mateo almost bowl Mrs. O’Brien over in his haste to enter.

“Oh, good. I thought I was going it miss it.” He hurried across the room, throwing his arms around Riley. Riley hugged him back tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I almost wasn’t. The train broke down, and then it was a nightmare getting a cab but… Oh, Riley. You look gorgeous. I can’t wait to see Brendan’s face when he sees you.”

“If we don’t get a move on, Brendan will come looking,” Mrs. O’Brien warned, shooing them from the room.

They spilled out into the corridor that led to the door into the garden. Riley had never really pictured what his wedding might look like, but when Brendan had mentioned ‘summer’ and ‘outdoors,’ he’d fallen in love with the idea of an open-air wedding. It was very fitting for two shifters. Even more fitting that it was taking place in Brendan’s family home, where they’d shared his heat that first time, where they’d truly come to understand what they meant to each other.

Riley stepped out into the light, blinking as his eyes slowly adjusted. A niece and nephew of Brendan’s were waiting to escort him, both almost bouncing on their heels in excitement. It was a short walk from the cottage toward the river where their guests were gathered. Riley heard them all before he saw them, but as he stepped into view, the music started up.

The crowd fell silent, all eyes turning to him. But there was only one pair of eyes Riley cared about at that moment. Brendan stared back at him, his blue eyes bright and full of excitement. There was no mistaking the heat in them as his gaze raked down Riley’s body and back up to his face.

The tempo of the music changed, and Brendan’s nephew prodded Riley.

“It’s time to walk.”

“So it is,” he said with a laugh. “Lead on.”

He and Brendan weren’t too big on formality, so it was a pleasure to see the kids taking part, free spirits flitting about them as Riley walked to Brendan. As he reached the alpha, Brendan held a hand out, and they laced their fingers together. Riley sighed in contentment, not wanting to take his eyes away from his soon-to-be husband. He hadn’t had a lot of luck in his life, until the day they met. And now it seemed his luck would never end.

Brendan woke early to the bright sun shining into their hotel room. He glanced around, taking a moment to let reality sink in. They were married, their wedding had been a party to remember, and their wedding night… well, they’d both been too tired to do anything except collapse into bed.

He laughed at the recollection, startling Riley, who was dozing beside him.

“What?” the omega asked, lifting his head to peer around blearily. “Are we late?”

“No, it’s still early. Go back to sleep,” Brendan told him, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

“Too late, I’m awake.” Riley stretched and smiled. “Yesterday was good, wasn’t it? Though I guess we might need a do-over on the wedding night.”

“We have two weeks in a private villa on an island that is all sun and beaches. We can have our wedding night as many times as you want.”

Riley laughed throatily. “I can hardly wait.”

“We don’t have to wait.”

He sidled closer, slipping an arm around Riley’s warm body. The omega snuggled against him, catching and holding Brendan’s hand against his belly.

“Are you sure about this? You don’t think it’s too soon?”

“If you told me we’d have a baby in our arms tomorrow, I’d be ecstatic. But if you want to wait…”

“I don’t.” The omega smiled and squirmed against him. “I’m so excited, I feel like I could burst. Though I