Uncut (Unexpected Book 4) (69 page)

Once I go through the patio walk along Jacob’s, Mason’s, and our grandparents’ yards, I reach my destination. Sliding the glass door as if it weighs a ton, I let myself in. Christian Decker leans against the wall. Gabe stands next to him and both are looking at their phones. Their eyes find mine, and both of them give me some kind of pitiful look.

“The offer stands, boy. Stay here until you find your way home,” Chris says, as if my home is only a few steps from here.

Gabe opens his mouth, but his phone rings and he takes the call. “Yes? Of course, it’s Sunday dinner, family time. He’s a Decker, Mattie.” Those crystal blues so similar to his son’s find me, giving me a wide smile. “I’ll see you soon. Love you too, Son.” His smile widens and I don’t lose time.

As I jet out of the house toward their home, my legs feel lighter and my hollow heart starts to beat again. My soul awakens the moment I spot them walking toward me. But the rigid look on Matt’s face makes me stop short.

He assesses me for a moment, seemingly in absolutely no hurry to put me out of my misery. “So, just how open are you to this relationship, Coop?” Matt asks skeptically, remaining only steps away from me. “We’re done hiding.”

I release a huge breath that has nothing to do with the way I just bolted and ran out here. “I’m not playing around. In fact, I never played around or pretended to love you two. My feelings have always been real. I fucking love the two of you, and I wish my reaction had been different. But the past is behind us, for us to learn from and never repeat. Am I ready for us to be out in the open? Of course. And I wouldn’t ask you to hide any part of who you are, Matt,” I respond holding his gaze.

“Coop, I’m glad you found your way back.” I hear the sweet, happy tone in Thea’s voice, something I haven’t heard during the last couple times we’ve spoken. It makes me realize how much I missed it. “Being a triad does have challenges, but I’d rather face them than to not have you two in my life.”

I walk closer to them. We’re only inches apart, and I dare to take their hands in mine. I’m filled with joy when they don’t immediately yank them away.

“Coop, this is forever.” Matt raises his other hand, reaching around my neck and pulling me to him. His lips touch mine and all the air leaves my body. “No matter what, we stick together.” I slightly nod and I snake my arm around Thea’s waist and bring her body against mine. Our foreheads all press together and I feel like I’m home. Really and truly home. I’m overwhelmed with emotion and it’s all I can do to reel myself in before I lose it out here in front of the two of them. Not that I would even care. Matt takes my lips. It starts as a tender, slow, searing kiss where we bond, we become one.

Thea’s head rests on the crook of my neck, while she holds me tight. “We’re having a ceremony in a couple of weeks, to bless our marriage.”

“Would you marry us?” Matt adds.

I angle my head, and my eyes find those beautiful crystal violets that weaken my knees and make me want to conquer the world.

I smile and it feels light, carefree, and fucking gleeful. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. Of course I’ll marry you,” I say, bending closer and sealing the answer with a kiss. Our tongues meet and tangle, dancing that old tango as we taste each other. It’s gentle, yet intense, possessive.

When our lips part, she jokes, “Don’t you dare leave again or I’ll hunt you down.” Her vibrant smile punctuates her little threat.

“What she said,” Matt confirms, enveloping us into a big hug.

I
n front of me stands the sweetest, most beautiful woman in the world as we seal our union with a blessing. Thea looks just perfect, with her loose hair adorned with a flower crown she made. She’s wearing a white dress with delicate violet accents. Next to me is the man we love. The sight of him makes me as hot as the sight of my wife does. His lean muscular body wrapped in a tuxedo—at the wife’s request. A little luxury for a simple wedding to celebrate our love.

The small ceremony is at the Silver Moon, which is still under construction. Illuminated by twinkle lights and candles, decorated with flowers throughout the room, we’re celebrating our love. The decision on where to have this private affair happened as Coop showed us how close it was to being done. Thea suggested the idea as this place means everything to us. This is where we came together, where our lives shifted and our souls combined with each other. Reed, an ordained minister among his many talents, is officiating the ceremony, and only a few close friends and the Decker clan is here.

“Matt, you’ve been my rock, the whisper that reminded me I wasn’t as terrible as I thought I was.” I squeeze Thea’s hand as her voice trembles. “Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve experienced in my life. You make life fun, safe, and loving. You’re my best friend—my best friend for life.” Her eyes shift to Tristan. “Coop, since the first time I met you, there’s been this thing between us. We recognized each other as soulmates the moment we laid eyes on each other. And how lucky for us to find our way into one another.” She squeezes our hands. “From this day forward we become partners, and I promise to endure and laugh at Matt’s terrible jokes, but also to always be by your side. To be patient when Tristan needs that extra time to talk out his feelings, to be there for you both, no matter what unexpected surprises we encounter on our way. I promise to love you even when I don’t like either one of you, to walk alongside you both. Always and forever.”

I love you,
I mouth.

“Matthew?” Reed prompts me.

“Thea, my beautiful butterfly. You’re this mystical creature, half-fairy, half-butterfly. A creature with magical powers who came into my life and opened my heart, taught me to love and to live. You’re the light of my life, the thump of my heartbeat, the cream to my Oreos, the chocolate ice cream of my favorite shake.” That cute chuckle-whimper sound makes me want to stop and kiss her, and I do. I kiss each eye, her nose, and her lips. “Tristan, you’re this complicated puzzle that from day one intrigued me. My soul knew you belonged to me, but didn’t understand it fully until Thea came into our lives.” Then I look at her. “You’re our glue, Thea, the one who brought us together, who’ll keep this family alive.” I stop for a minute to take a deep breath, and try fruitlessly to control my emotions. “From this day, and for eternity, I promise to work hard to be the man you both deserve. To make you fall in love with me every day. And as much as I’ll make you laugh with my terrible jokes, I’ll make sure, every day, that I’m supportive of who you both are. Because that’s what love is about, accepting each other and loving our best and worst qualities. Thea Bradley, please be my wife, and Tristan Cooperson, be my husband, my partners in life, parents to our children, and my eternal companions. In exchange, Thea, I’ll love you forever and will always keep you safe in my arms. Tristan, I’ll be your partner, the man to walk alongside you, that person who you can lean on when you feel alone and need strength, but never forget, you’re not alone. No matter how close or far you are, I’m with you. Forever.”

“Tristan?” Reed prompts him.

Tristan’s chest visibly expands as he takes a deep breath before beginning. “I never believed in soulmates, or love for that matter. My life was insignificant and lonely, until I met you.” He looks from Thea to me. “Thea, you told me one night that I wasn’t alone. Back then, I had no idea how important or essential you’d become to my life, but you began to transform it just with those words. The same night I found my first real friend, my lover, the man who understands me, and I want to think that you had something to do with it. That fairy inside you, or destiny finally setting the three of us together. Whatever it was, every day I’m thankful because even when I only spent months with the two of you, they were the happiest, the best of my life.” He slips her wedding band on her right hand. “Thea, you entered into my life to teach me everything I needed to learn and I could never find any other woman who would be more perfect for me. You understand everything about me, and push me to become a better person, to be myself. Butterfly, you defined love to me, and let me tell you, it has many more meanings. It also means sacrifice, understanding, sharing, and you. You mean love, Thea.

“I vow to keep you happy, and protect you from any harm—or your father and brother will kill me.” The audience releases a laugh and Thea gives us one of those eye-rolls that I love.

He wipes Thea’s tears with his thumb. “I can’t promise that I won’t make more mistakes. It’s clear I’m not perfect when it comes to relationships. But I can promise to love you and Matt with every cell and every breath—until the end of time. Every day I’ll work hard to deserve your love, to deserve his love. And I know these are only words, but they are promises that my actions will speak louder and that you’ll never doubt what I feel for you again.”

Thea’s eyes glimmer bright as the tears continue to fall one after the other. “I love you, Thea.” Then he turns to look at me. “I love you too, Matt. Thank you for being patient, for this second chance.”

Reed clears his throat. “Agatha, Matthew, and Tristan, in the presence of your family and friends who have joined you to share this moment of joy, you have declared your deep love and affection for each other. You have stated your wish to live together, always open to a deeper, richer friendship, and partnership. You have formed your own union, based on respect and honor. Therefore, it is my joyful responsibility to acknowledge your union as husband, husband and wife. You may now seal your marriage with a . . . kiss.”

It’s a chaste kiss—because after all, there are children around—that turns into a hug, as we stand there, holding each other—my solid unit. I find Jacob’s gaze and he nods. With a quick kiss and a few words, he leaves his wife and heads to the next room bringing back the acoustic guitars while Mason carries the chairs.

“Before we head to the next room, everybody,” I speak loudly enough to interrupt the excited whispers, “I have a present for my husband and wife I’d like to share.” Taking a seat along with Jacob, I say, “This is called Uncut, like our love.”

The day you walked into my life,

It was the beginning of the endless tale,

It was the mysterious eyes,

The enigmatic personality that hid who you were,

A tormented soul and a fragile heart,

(Chorus)

And so it began

The uncut story

Untold, unpredictable, unexpected

That not many will understand

A tale where three hearts collide

This story didn't take off the way every story does,

No, we almost missed this big love,

Or our love was missing one more soul,

One more heart,

We needed her sweet, beautiful, broken heart.

(Chorus)

And so it began

The uncut story

Untold, unpredictable, unexpected

That not many will understand

A tale where three hearts collide

This love isn't easy,

But I can promise both