Page 66 of Possessed By the Mountain Man
Devil’s Peak Lodge looks like a gothic fairytale exploded across the clearing. Twinkle lights hang from the trees. Floating candles—my idea—drift on invisible fishing lines thanks to Fox and Cal. Grady built the giant arch we’re about to get married under. Hunter brewed a potion cocktail that is almost definitely illegal. And Thorne?
Thorne just turned around at the end of the aisle and looked at me like I’m the only thing worth believing in.
My wild, impossible, grumpy mountain man waits there, big and dangerous and heartbreakingly handsome in a black suitwith an undone tie and a fresh haircut that makes him look like my personal ruin in human form.
Zane is next to him, holding a leather book, smirking like this is about to be a disaster.
Which is fair, because it absolutely is.
I reach Thorne at the altar, and the moment his hands close around mine, all the nerves vanish. There’s no fear. No doubt. Just us.
“You look dangerous,” he murmurs.
“You look like a bad decision.”
His mouth curves. “Too late to run, witch.”
“Wasn’t planning to.”
We don’t break eye contact as Zane clears his throat dramatically.
“Ladies, gentlemen, chaos creatures of Devil’s Peak…”
There’s laughter across the audience.
“…we gather today because these two individuals decided to terrorize each other emotionally until love happened.”
I groan. Thorne growls. Zane beams like Christmas came early.
“Aspen showed up, glitter-bombed Thorne’s life, ruined his quiet existence, and taught him how to smile again—somehow without sacrificing her own throat in the process.”
The crowd laughs.
“Thorne—well, he tolerated her. At first. Then he fell like a pine tree in a storm and now refuses to let her walk more than six feet away from him—very healthy, very sexy, totally normal behavior for a grown man.”
More laughter. Thorne flips him off. Zane continues.
“They’re fire and gasoline. Fangs and glitter. Rage and joy. They make zero sense—and somehow, they’re perfect.”
He gets serious then. Voice softer.
“Thorne once told me joy wasn’t made for him. That some people are built for loneliness. Aspen proved him wrong. She didn’t just love him. She woke him up.”
My eyes burn. Thorne squeezes my hands.
“And now,” Zane says, eyes shining, “they’re starting forever. And a family.”
A beat.
A pause.
My head jerks up. Wait.
WHAT.
My mouth falls open. So does Thorne’s.
Zane freezes. Goes pale. Then blurts: “Oh fuck–I wasn’t supposed to say that yet.”
