She laughed thickly as her vision blurred with tears.
“You’re everything good about me,” Denison said, searching her eyes. “Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Danielle drew her hands in front of her mouth to stifle her crying. This was way better than the front seat of the Bronco. Unable to talk, she nodded her head and caught his hug as he launched himself against her. Her shoulders were shaking, and she couldn’t drag enough air into her lungs. She was crying all over his shirt as he lifted her up and spun her around, but she didn’t care.
This was it. This was her mark. He was here, telling her he didn’t need to bite her or change a single thing about her. He was here telling her she was enough, just the way she was, and she loved him deeply for it.
“She said yes!” Denison crowed as he slid the ring onto her finger.
She yelped as he lifted her over his shoulder like a sack of flour while the Ashe Crew cheered and whistled and catcalled.
“Denison Donovan Beck! I’m in a dress,” she admonished, trying to keep her butt from hanging out for all to see.
He had his hand over the fabric, though, so she needn’t have worried.
“That’s right. A white dress. Your wedding dress.”
“Wait, we’re doing this now?”
“Hell yeah,” he said, strutting like a proud rooster. “We’ve been planning this for weeks.”
She twisted and looked at the smiling faces of her friends. “All of you were in on this?” she called out.
“Trust me,” Brooke said. “You wanted us to be involved.”
Danielle snorted and imagined what kind of good old country boy antics the crew had probably planned before Brooke and Skyler stepped in. No doubt this would be followed with copious amounts of boxed wine, slurred singing, skinny dipping and night muddin’. She loved it. She couldn’t have planned a better wedding that suited her and the man she loved.
Denison smacked her soundly on the backside and settled her upright again. “We’ve just been waiting for Tagan to finish getting ordained.”
She beamed up at the alpha and couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled from her throat. “You’re going to marry us?”
“We figured it would be fitting,” he said, blue eyes dancing. “You’ll be one of my crew now.”
Her smile fell, and she stared at him as hope bloomed in her chest. “You mean it?”
The alpha tipped his chin up and smiled. “Skyler set the precedence for change by joining us as a falcon shifter. It wouldn’t be fair to deny you because of what you are. Human, bear or pterodactyl, it doesn’t matter what you are to us, only that from this day on, you’ll be officially mated to Denison, which makes you one of my people.”
She bit her lip hard against the onslaught of happy tears that fell from her eyes. Denison was claiming her tonight in a way they could both live with, and the Ashe Crew was initiating her as one of their own. The scar on her shoulder didn’t matter. The years of insecurity and pain over the misunderstandings with Denison didn’t matter. All that mattered was right here, standing in front of the people who meant the most, and reciting vows that would bind her to them for always.
And as Skyler and Brooke stood for her, holding bouquets of wild flowers and wiping damp lashes with tissues, she knew she’d stumbled upon a place as close to paradise as existed in this world. And her bliss was a rundown old trailer park in the valley of wild mountains with a timberman werebear who made her feel stronger than she ever imagined she could be.
Denison’s nostrils flared, and he canted his head, ear to the woods. A slow smile crept across his face. Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear. “There’s one last thing.”
Danielle followed his gaze.
Brighton approached from the woods, back straight, chin up, eyes clear and looking much better than the last time she’d seen him at the battle on the landing. He made his way through the hugs and slaps on the back, then gripped the back of Danielle’s neck and pressed his forehead against hers. He moved onto Denison and did the same thing to his brother. Then, he took his place beside her mate to stand in as his best man, and the Ashe Crew was finally whole.
Her heart was overflowing as Tagan began the ceremony.
Denison gripped her hands, steadying her, and mouthed, I love you.
His face was half in shadow as the glowing light from the bonfire illuminated the other side. His eyes were steady on her, full of adoration as he drank her in. Her strong, unwavering mate who’d waited years for her to come back to him.
Her heart was tethered to him so completely she would never feel like an outsider again.