They shrugged and another nurse took us to put on masks and gowns. We both crept in to see dad as machines beeped and wiggly lines on monitors made me nervous. My poor dad was covered in wires and his eyes were closed. I didn’t want to wake him if he was sleeping. The operation would have taken a huge toll on his body.
But his eyes snapped open and he managed a wan smile. “My son.” I took his hand and squeezed. He looked so frail and I couldn’t wait to get him home and feed him lots of yummy food.
“The doctor said you did great.” I kissed his brow, his skin feeling papery thin.
“Feels like I’ve run ten marathons.”
“This is highly unusual. The patient is not dying,” someone hissed outside the door.
“I will die eventually, butnottoday,” Dad quipped.
The nurse came in along with a man, clad like us in a mask and gown. “I’m the hospital chaplain and I’m told you want to get married.”
He held up two rings. “A gentleman outside insisted you might need these.”
Dad looked up at me. “Tell me the truth, son. Am I dying because you getting married beside my hospital bed doesn’t sound like I’ll be around for much longer?”
I leaned closer to him. “No. This is a celebration of your life and our love.”
“All right. Bring on the vows.”
Vows? I hadn’t prepared anything. But if I said what was in my heart, that would be enough.
The chaplain murmured a few words, stumbling over our names before it was my turn to speak.
“Devyn, I love you with my heart, my soul and other parts of me I can’t mention.”
“Heston!” Dad facepalmed.
The nurse sniggered and even the chaplain managed a smile.
Now it was Devyn’s turn.
“My darling, Heston, you light up my world and I look forward to walking through life’s journey with you.”
We placed rings on each other’s fingers, the chaplain pronounced us married and we kissed.
I had my husband—and mate, though we’d have to discuss that later—dad had come through the surgery and it was paid. I still had some debts but they were nothing compared to the hospital fees.
Now if only the Sebastian problem was solved.
Chapter 30
Mark me.
Devyn
Our wedding might not have been elegant, but it most definitely was memorable. I worried that my mate would find it lacking. Human weddings were kind of a big deal. But when he looked up at me as we were pronounced husbands, the sheer look of joy in his eyes told me that this was the perfect wedding for us.
Things had really changed in a day. His father had his operation, my father was opening his eyes to the bullshit that surrounded him, and I was now legally bound to my mate.
I hadn’t expected our wedding to really feel like anything. I’d been such a fool. Assuming that because a mating bond was stronger than a legal one it would somehow feel less important. Yeah I so very much had that wrong.
After the wedding, we still had business in the hospital to attend to. We’d had multiple discussions with doctors about Heston’s dad’s treatment. And my father-in-law had told us numerous times we should go start our honeymoon and he’d be fine. As if that was going to happen.
Instead we stayed with him as a second and third set of ears during all of the discussions. It was a good thing, too, because there was a lot to process and coming out of surgery and thinking about important decisions weren’t compatible.
The nurses eventually shooed us away, saying my father-in-law needed rest and so did we. They were right, but rest wasn’t what I had on my mind. I was thinking more along the lines of something a lot less sedentary and a lot more naked. Or, if my mate needed it, I would just hold him until he fell asleep. I wasn’t going to push just because sex was the expectation on honeymoons.
