Whipped (Hitched, #2)

"Looks like."

We're holding hands, grinning like idiots at each other as our friends begin to arrive. Zoe shows up first dressed like an elf, with ears, silver eyes and a silver gown that drapes her petite body. Her hair has been dyed silver to match the dress and her pale skin sparkles with silver glitter. She smiles and though I still see some sadness in her from her breakup with Douche, she's recovering. Regaining her happy.

"Zoe, you are gorgeous. You know, Lach's Aussie Posse are performing tonight. And most of them are single," I tell her with a wink. She could have any single man in this place tonight.

"Ha! We'll see. I'm just here to celebrate you two and have some fun."

The ballroom quickly fills with friends dressed in all manner of costumes. The alcohol flows, music plays, lights flicker over the room in a symphony of color and the joy here is palpable. Lach and I dance all night long, our bodies rubbing together as we kiss and sway to music.

When the Aussie Posse performs, everyone goes wild. Even the guys give a grudging respect to the group. And we threw in a surprise. Two of the female dancers Kacie and Tate employ for parties do a few numbers with the guys, and the resulting performance is sexy, hot and magical.

We don't get home and collapse into bed until the next morning, and I'm very glad we scheduled the actual wedding for Sunday and not today, because I would like to be awake for my wedding.

We sleep most of Saturday, and then I spend the night with Kacie so that we can hold to some silly but fun traditions of waiting to see each other until I walk down the aisle.

The aisle, in this case, is a long golden rug laid between seats set out in the park by a lake. We'd wanted the beach, but we'd also wanted Las Vegas. So the lake it is. It's strewn with red rose petals and leads to an altar with red roses and golden ribbon everywhere. It's stunning, and I feel like a queen when the music plays and I take that first step onto the rug, clutching my father's elbow.

"I'm nervous," I whisper to him, my heart pounding in my chest.

"It's good to be nervous," he says. "You're making a big commitment. But I think it's the right one. I've never seen you so happy, Vi. You glow around him."

"Thanks, Daddy." He actually put on a tux for the event, but I think I spy his Grateful Dead t-shirt peeking out underneath it. I laugh and squeeze his arm. My mom sits in the front row, beaming as I walk down, but my eyes quickly find Lachlan, and then, he's all I see.

When Lach sees me in my golden wedding gown, his eyes light up and his smile dazzles me. I melt a little and lean more on my father until we arrive at the altar.

We say our vows in a blur of nerves and laughter and love, and when we kiss it is magic, and I never want it to end.

As we walk back down the aisle hand in hand, Kacie's final surprise arrives.

It's a hot air balloon with "Just Married" written across it. I laugh and Lachlan smiles, and we board the balloon to the cheers of our friends and family and fly into the brightness of our future together.





THE END