Page 37 of Protecting Bree
Blink stared at her for a long moment, as if trying to regain his equilibrium. Then he spoke. “Josie, I’m yours. You come first. Always. You need me, I’m there. No matter what it takes. I love you.”
Then he looked at Wolf and nodded.
“Short and sweet. Not surprised, but damn if that wasn’t the most heartfelt vow I’ve ever heard,” Wolf said. Then he looked at both couples. “If you canplease face each other, hold hands, and repeat after me.”
The two couples did as he requested.
“Remi, Josie, do you take Vincent and Nate to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect them, forsaking all others and holding on to them forevermore?”
“I do,” both Remi and Josie said at the same time.
“Vincent, Nate, do you take Remi and Josie to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect them, forsaking all others and holding on to them forevermore?”
“Hell yes.”
“I definitely do.”
Smiley wasn’t surprised at his friends’ enthusiastic agreement to the vows.
Wolf grinned as he continued. “The couples will now exchange rings as a symbol of the vows they made here in front of all of us today. A ring has no beginning or end. It’s a promise of endless love and respect for each other. By placing these rings on each other’s fingers, you are vowing to not only love each other, but to honor, be compassionate, patient, and understanding as you build your futures together.
“Josie and Remi, if you’d each place the ring on your partner’s finger and repeat after me. I give you this ring…asa symbol of my love…with the pledge to love and support you…today, tomorrow, always, and forever.”
Wolf paused as he spoke, giving the women time to repeat his words.
“Kevlar and Blink, each of you place the ring on your partner’s finger and repeat after me. I give you this ring…as a symbol of my love…with the pledge to love and support you…today, tomorrow, always, and forever.”
Both couples turned to face Wolf once more.
“And now, by the power vested in me by the State of California, it’s my honor and pleasure to declare you husbands and wives. You may seal this declaration with a kiss!”
Both Kevlar and Blink had bent their newly wedded wives over their arms before he’d even finished speaking. The kisses they shared were passionate and deep. The room broke out into raucous catcalls and whistles as the kisses went on and on.
“It’s not a contest,” Wolf finally said dryly.
Kevlar and Blink were both grinning by the time they straightened. Remi and Josie were blushing, which only added to their beauty and the perfection of the moment.
“I’m pleased to present to you, Remi Stephenson-Hill, Vincent Hill, and Josie and Nate Davis.”
Once again, everyone cheered and clapped. The newlyweds were swarmed as people were eager to be among the first to congratulate them.
Smiley stood back with Bree and looked down at her. She was beaming as ifshe’dbeen the one getting married. If he could bottle this moment, he would. He always wanted to see his woman this happy. She’d had a hell of a time recently, and giving her this, this opportunity to be completely relaxed and happy for her new friends, was something Smiley would always cherish.
“That was awesome,” Bree said as she looked up at him.
“Yeah.” It was a lame response, but Smiley was feeling tongue-tied. It was difficult to think about anythingother than how badly he wanted to keep that smile on her face.
“First round of drinks are on me!” Remi’s dad shouted.
The rest of the night was nothing but pure happiness. Everyone was overjoyed for the two couples, and for Kelli and Flash, who’d recently gotten married at the courthouse themselves. Jessyka had mock cocktails for the women who were pregnant and for those who didn’t drink alcohol. And the champagne and beer flowed as everyone celebrated soul mates and love.
The music was loud and Smiley’s ears were ringing by the end of the night. But he couldn’t deny that he’d had a great time. Hanging out with the older SEALs and their women was fun, and he enjoyed spending time outside of work with his own friends. The Night Stalker crew was the life of the party, and Smiley approved of how they went out of their way to interact with all the women, asking them to dance and generally acting as if they’d known everyone their entire lives.
And while Smiley had heard stories about Remi’s infamous grandmother, he hadn’t really believed half of them. But he’d be the first to admit that the woman was a firecracker. Said what she thought without any kind of filter. It was hard not to love her, and he could see where Remi got her sense of humor.
Smiley’s feet hurt—hell, his face hurt from smiling, which was definitely a new thing for him. And most of those smiles were because he’d watched Bree all night. Without a threat hanging over her head, she blossomed. She danced, drank, and laughed with everyone.
Thankfully, he and his team had the next day off, so they could sleep in for once. As Smiley led Bree to histruck at two in the morning, he didn’t forget to check his surroundings. To his relief, he saw no one suspicious. No one lurking around in the parking lot. No strangers sitting in a car watching the bar. He had no doubt Castillo or his goons were still out there, but for tonight, it seemed as if things were quiet.
