Charge Bonus Epilogue

Archer

“No, no, no, this is all wrong,” Ciel muttered under his breath. “Mon dieu, what are we going to do now?”

I narrowed my eyes at the flowers he held up, doing my best to figure out why he was so distressed. They looked fine to me, which was why I hesitated to find out what was wrong. Ciel had wanted to do everything himself, and he found fault in anything he hadn’t had a direct hand in deciding.

William put his foot down when it came to the flowers and catering, getting the wedding planner to take over.

We opted not to have a bridal party. Everleigh would sign our marriage certificate as our witness to make it official. Ciel had been pouting when we told him there wouldn’t be any dresses to design, but he’d thrown himself into making Thea’s wedding dress. He’d been stitching for nearly four months.

Thea had grumbled about having to get it fitted so many times, but I could tell that she’d been secretly pleased with the results. And I couldn’t wait to see her in her dress. Instead of eloping like I’d tried to talk her into many times, we were getting married in William’s expansive backyard with two hundred of our closest friends. I didn’t even know I had that many friends. Apparently, neither did Thea.

But William had insisted on inviting anyone we’d ever spoken to. The result was a more elaborate wedding than I could have ever imagined. There were flowers everywhere. On the chairs. On the ground. Wrapped around the gazebo where we’d be saying our vows. Floating in the pool.

A white dome-like tent was set up for our reception, the shape resembling a mini palace. But I didn’t care how I’d marry Thea, as long as I’d get to marry her.

The last year had been the best of my life. We’d had our ups and downs, but we always made sure to never go to bed angry. I’d never believed in that particular piece of advice, but it turned out it was one of the best I’d ever been given.

“What’s wrong with the flowers?”

Damn, I just couldn’t help myself, could I?

Ciel’s head whipped around, the movement nearly dislodging the hat he was wearing. “What’s wrong with the flowers?” His voice sounded slightly higher pitched than it had before. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong with them. I wanted a peach pink. These are a salmon pink.”

I glanced at the roses he was waving around, thinking they could be either. Salmon and peach looked the same to me. But what did I know? Turned out not a lot, because Ciel didn’t hesitate to educate me on the million shades of pink that existed.

The first guests arriving saved me from a lecture I wasn’t sure I’d emerge from in time for my wedding. And when the wedding planner dared to step foot outside, Ciel was on her like a heat rash in summer.

A hard clap on the back made me take a step forward. “How are the nerves?” Gunner grinned at me, looking at home in his suit.

Freya hugged me, a big smile on her face. “Can we get you anything? A drink? Valium?”

I felt surprisingly calm. I’d been waiting for this day for a year, and now that it was finally here, all I felt was excitement. “I’m good. But you might have to break out the Valium for Ciel. He looks like he’s about to faint.”

They both followed my gaze to where Ciel was wildly fanning his face while talking to the wedding planner. She was at least a foot shorter than him and about to burst into tears. But before I could decide if I was a good enough person to save her from Ciel, William stepped out of the house.

He spotted the duo immediately and didn’t hesitate to rescue the wedding planner.

“He’s done an amazing job,” Freya gushed. “The backyard looks like a fairy tale come to life.”

Gunner grunted. “Or an asthmatic’s worst nightmare.”

I laughed while Freya slapped him lightly on his arm. “Don’t make Archer regret inviting us. This is his wedding day.”

I smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I don’t particularly care what the decorations look like. All I care about is that I finally get to marry Thea.”

I spent the next hour greeting guests and willing the clock to move faster. When it was time to take our places, I sighed in relief. And when the band started playing “At Last” by Etta James, I watched in awe as Thea and William walked down the aisle.

Everything faded except for Thea, who came into sharp focus. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her hair fell in loose curls around her head, and she was wearing a flower crown. I couldn’t have taken my eyes off her even if I wanted to.

Her dress had no train but a lot of lace. Her back was exposed down to just above her ass. The sleeves went all the way down her arms, and she was wearing sky-high white stilettos.

Those would stay on all night, I decided. Thea in just her stilettos would be magnificent.

But what nearly brought me to my knees before she’d even made her way down the aisle was the blinding smile on her face. She looked happy and carefree. And I’d never felt prouder than being the man she was walking toward.

William put Thea’s hand in mine, a proud smile on his face. Pulling Thea close, I pressed my lips to hers in a chaste kiss. “You look breathtaking. I’m the luckiest bastard alive.”

A blush stole over her cleavage. “You look pretty amazing yourself.”

Clasping her hand in mine, I took a deep breath. “Ready?

“Always.”