A/N: So this is it. It's the last chapter. I do plan on making a sequel set a couple years after the wedding. To everyone who reviewed and supported me, y'all are awesome! I do plan on changing this a tad and publishing it for Kindle; I already have a short story for Kindle.
38: Magnus
Thursday, I follow Alec out to his car for our road trip to the justice of peace. We'll be coming back after the wedding to a hotel suite. I can't believe this is actually happening.
"Izzy's meeting us there, right?" I ask nervously.
"She's supposed to. Max is gonna stay at Kai's until Monday. Izzy'll pick him up," Alec replies.
"I've got the rings in my pocket."
The drive doesn't take us very long, which is nice.
"Ready?" Alec asks outside the court house.
"I've been ready for a while," I reply.
Catarina's already here.
"You look perfect together," she tells us, smiling warmly.
"Thank you. I've been waiting for this since he proposed," Alec replies, taking my good hand gently.
Izzy shows up five minutes later.
"Don't you dare break his heart again," Izzy whispers in my ear.
"I don't plan on it," I reply.
The justice of the peace smiles warmly when she sees us. She asks if we have vows for each other.
"I have something," I murmur, pulling the paper from my pocket.
Alec seems surprised by this.
"When I first met you, I didn't expect you to be the wonderful person you are. I didn't expect you to adopt me, date me, set me free, or accept my proposal, but you did. I'm glad you did. You're my gravity. You're my sun, and I'm your moon. I'm a reflection of the amazing type of person you are. I'll be your always if you'll be my forever. I love you, Alexander," I tell him, my voice cracking.
"I have something for you too," Alec murmurs.
I watch as he unfolds a scrap of paper.
"You've always been the best thing to ever happen to me. I never thought you'd tell me you love me. I would've been happy with just an 'I really like you.' You're a dream come true. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, Mags," he says, his eyes glistening as he looks up from the paper.
My hand trembles as we exchange rings. We got a Harry Potter wedding set with the Deathly Hallows symbol. One ring says 'After all this time?' and the other says 'Always.'
I kiss Alec hungrily to seal our marriage. His hands clutch tightly at the small of my back; my good hand cups the back of his neck tenderly. My broken arm twinges as it's pushed against my body, but I don't care right now. I get to keep Alec for good.
"Now what?" I ask, following Alec outside the court house.
"You guys are getting a reception. I already booked the place," Izzy informs us.
She's booked the party room at a sushi bar. One table is full of gifts.
"You guys deserve it," a woman says behind us.
Alec and I turn to see his mother standing in the doorway.
"I saw in the paper. I guessed this was the place," she explains.
"Why'd you come?" Alec asks, wrapping his arm tightly around my waist.
"Because, even if I disagree with you, you're still my son."
"You tried to kill Magnus when you knew how much it would hurt me."
"I know. And what I did was wrong. I admit that. I wanna be a part of your life again."
"Why'd you abandon us like that? Do you know how many nights I wanted my mother? Wanted her advice? Wanted her to come down on Jace for his stupidity?"
"Because you and Izzy look like your father. At the time, I still hated Robert, and I couldn't stand to look at either one of you. I'm sorry for hurting you. You'll always be my baby boy."
"Do you still hate us? Do you still hate Magnus?"
"No, I don't. I can get used to you being with another man."
I like how she's accepting the fact I'm basically human.
"Can we start over?" she asks me, offering to shake my hand.
"I'm doing this for Alec, not you," I reply coldly, accepting.
"Magnus and I have a son. His name's Max. Do you wanna see his picture?" Alec says.
"I have a grandson?" his mother asks, smiling.
"He's a neko. He absolutely adores Mags. He likes me, but he's more comfortable with Magnus."
"He's adorable. I'm happy for both of you."
"That means a lot."
"What happened between you and Jace? I asked him if he was coming to your wedding when I found out about it. He told me you're no longer speaking to each other."
"Jace caused Magnus to break up with me. He's been cruel to Magnus on several occasions, and nothing I've done has changed him. He also molested Max. He bailed out of jail."
"I'm sorry. I can try talking some sense into him."
"Don't bother. You'd have better luck convincing the wall to move."
"Jace always was stubborn. I saw about the trial."
"Dad was his lawyer. He attacked Magnus for defending me."
His mother's eyebrows arch in surprise.
"What made you defend him?" she asks me.
"I thought he was gonna punch Alec," I reply.
"Thank you for protecting him."
It's nice to sit and talk with her. I don't trust her at all, but I do sorta like her.
I'm very glad when we leave the restaurant. I love our family and friends, but I really just want some alone time with Alec.
"Who's carrying who over the threshold?" I ask in the car.
"You have a broken arm. I'm carrying you," he replies.
He carries our suitcases into the hotel suite before stepping back into the hall for me. I kiss him hungrily when he picks me up.
"You like carting me around like this, don't you?" I ask teasingly.
He's smiling as he sets me on my feet.
"I have a surprise for you," I tell him, kissing him lightly.
"When do I get it?" he asks.
"When you catch me."
With that, I take off running. He chases me to the bedroom. He wraps his arms around me tightly. We're both panting and laughing.
"Gotcha! Do I get my surprise now?" he says.
"Maybe. I'll give you a preview," I reply, easing my skinny jeans down just enough for him to see my see-through lace underwear before yanking them back up.
"You're such a tease!"
I turn around and press my lips to his.
"Running was a really bad idea," I murmur.
"Ribs?" he guesses.
"Yeah. Take it easy on me?"
"Of course."
Tonight, he runs a bubble bath for us in the massive bathtub. We might've had sex before, but this feels different. This is our first time as a married couple.
His lips brush mine heatedly as he unbuttons my jacket and slides it from my shoulders. His nimble fingers quickly work the buttons of my shirt loose. He leaves it alone for now. He breaks our kiss as his fingers reach my skinny jeans.
"I never thought I'd be letting you do this," I whisper, brushing my lips against the side of his neck.
"I never thought you'd be letting me," he replies, reaching his hand inside my jeans.
Tonight is incredible, even more so than the first time we did it. Being inside Alec is amazing! I never thought I'd be topping him, but I love doing it. I quickly lose count of how many times we do it. All I care about are Alec's soft, breathless moans, the way he pants my name as he comes in my hand or in my mouth, and the warmth of Alec's body against mine, his skin slick with sweat, as we make love.
Alec's still sleeping when I wake. He's the most beautiful creature on the planet, even with all the hickeys on his throat. His blue eyes flicker open when I start to get up.
"Good morning, beautiful," I murmur, caressing his face.
"Last night was amazing," he tells me, wincing as he sits up.
"You okay? Did I hurt you?"
"I'm okay. I'm just stiff and achy. Mags, you were wonderful."
He stretches like a cat before standing. As he turns to open the suitcase, I notice the red scratches standing out against his pale skin.
"Sorry about scratching you," I murmur, stepping close to him.
"I'm not upset about it. If I hadn't wanted it, I would've stopped you last night. Okay? I'm pretty sure I scratched you too," he replies, tickling my cat ears playfully.
"Okay. Can we just stay here today?"
"If you want to. Champagne and pancakes for breakfast?"
"Anything you want, darling. I love you."
Our honeymoon is easily one of the best times of my life. I never want to leave this little bubble of happiness I have with him. I can't believe how much my life changed in seven months. I might've had nearly every shred of my innocence ripped away, but, in Alec's arms, I found a love I didn't know existed for someone like me.