Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

KESTER.

Again… Who said men don’t cry?

Because, fuck. I was doing all I could to hold back the tears. This was unreal. This was a dream… And I didn’t want to wake up from it.

Reading my vows to Mine made me more emotional than I thought I was capable of. And seeing her cry that way? It ripped me open. Never knew I could be a romantic. But, hell, Kasmine brought all

that out of me.

She looked even more perfect than I thought in that wedding dress. I knew it’d be perfect on her, but nothing prepared me for the kind of perfection standing before me.

She looked so fucking perfect today.

Ain’t I a lucky bastard?

The priest turned to her.

“Kasmine, do you wish to share your vows?”

She took a slow breath, her fingers tightening in mine.

“Kester…” She said my name, and I swear something inside me twisted. My name had never sounded so delicate. “If you had asked me years ago if I could ever stand here… I would have said no. Not because you didn’t deserve it, but because I was too scared. Scared of you.”

Her voice wavered, but she kept going. “I almost let that fear rob me of the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I almost let my doubts and people’s opinions take you away from me. But I didn’t. And I will thank the moon every single day for the rest of my life that I didn’t.”

I swallowed hard as I felt my chest tightening.

She squeezed my hands. “You’ve loyed me when I didn’t deserve it. You’ve fought for me when I wasn’t even fighting for myself. You held me when I was too stubborn to admit I needed it. And even ked at me when I was convinced I would only break your heart… You never let go of mine. You’v

like I was your world… even when I was trying to run from you. And now-” her voice cracked “-now I want to spend the rest of my life giving you that same love back. I will love you the way you’ve always deserved to be loved. Without fear. Without hesitation. Without holding a single thing back.”

My throat burned.

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Chapter 409

Back

promise to be the hands that hold you when you’re tired of holding the world up. I promise to be your mother when you need comfort, your mistress when you crave sin, your anchor when you’re lost, your wings when you’re ready to fly. I will be every single thing you ever need in this life, Vester Hamilton, for as long as

Stop.

Her

of my very

you like you’ve fought for me. I will protect you, love you, feed every part of you–your heart, your soul, your ego, and even the darkest corners you’ve

to ever live. And I will make sure they know that

now. My vision blurred, and my jaw locked, because if I didn’t hold

dropped to a whisper that still somehow

Kester Hamilton. Always. And I will spend the rest of my life making

doubt it again.”

My knees almost buckled.

about the priest, either. I leaned forward, pressing my forehead to hers because I needed her close.

kill me, Mine,” I murmured, my voice shaking so badly it barely

her tears, and I broke. One tear slipped free, then another. And when she reached up to brush them away with her trembling fingers, I caught her wrist and kissed the inside of it like

ache in my chest, worth every fight I’d ever bled through

–

way her lips trembled from her sobs,

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Chapter 409

maybe that was the

name again so softly, something inside

the priest and

moved before my brain could even pretend to argue. My hands were on her face, cradling her cheeks, my thumbs catching the tears as they fell. Her gasp was small and barely audible, as I tilted her head and crashed

as I kissed her harder, until I felt her melt into me, and until she was breathing me in

us, the priest cleared his throat awkwardly, but

erupted in

I kept my forehead

and cleared his throat again. “Well… I suppose you may now kiss the

and applause again, but I didn’t take my eyes off