Nikoli groaned and reached for his phone to shut off the damn alarm. His head was killing him. Unfortunately, his hand hit air, and he rolled, landing on the floor with a thump.

"Shit." He opened his eyes and promptly shut them when daylight blinded him. The rays had been daggers digging into his cranium. What the hell had he done last night? Tied one on or something? He hadn't gotten this drunk since he and Lily broke up right before Thanksgiving.

"Don't yell."

Adam? What the fuck was Adam doing in his apartment? Or was he in Adam's hotel room? Either way, it wasn't where he was supposed to be. And where the fuck was Lily?

"What time is it?" Mason groaned.

"Time to get the fuck up, fuckers."

A large shadow blocked out the sun, and Nikoli cracked an eye. Viktor and his twin brother, Conner, stood over him. Neither of them looked too happy.

"You all went out and got wasted the night before your wedding?" Viktor barked. "Lily is going to have all your asses."

Oh, God, the wedding... "What time is it?"

"It's only ten, so calm your shit down." Conner moved, allowing the sunlight to flood back in, and Nikoli clutched his head as pain lanced through it. Conner did that on purpose.

"Dimitri's bringing breakfast," Viktor informed him. "Where's Kade?"

"Somewhere."

"He went upstairs and never came back down," Mason told them. "Close the damn blinds, or do you want us to look like we got fucked last night? I think the eye trauma will be a dead giveaway."

"That's what Visine is for, asshole." Viktor did go and close the blinds, though.

"Papa said he'd meet us at the church. He has to drive Mama and Babushka."

At this point, he couldn't care less, but he did sit up. Conner was poking around in the fridge, and he saw Viktor disappear up the stairs. Kade probably passed out on the bed and left them down here to fend for themselves. Fucker.

"I think I have alcohol poisoning." Adam groaned and clutched his stomach where he lay curled up by the TV, his head on a throw pillow.

Conner lifted a bottle of cheap rotgut whiskey out of the trash can. "No wonder you all feel like shit. You were drinking shit."

"Mason's fault. We sent him to get the beer."

"I'm a poor college student, asshat. Did you think I had the money to buy top shelf liquor?" He yawned. "None of you complained last night while we were drinking it."

"After a couple shots of this, I doubt they'd remember to complain." Conner pulled four glasses out of a cabinet and started dumping shit into the blender.

"Nooo!"

All three of them clutched their heads when Conner turned on the blender. He cackled like the evil witch.

"Turn it off!" Kade groaned as he followed Viktor down the stairs.

Three swift kicks at the front door heralded Dimitri's arrival. "Someone open the damn door. My arms are tired."

Viktor let him in, and Dimitri set the bags on the kitchen island. "What the hell happened to you lot?"

Dimitri was the only brother who inherited their mother's blue eyes and blond hair. He stuck out like a sore thumb in pictures. Kade always told him he was adopted. He'd probably have believed it too if he hadn't been the spitting image of their father minus his dark hair and eyes.

"They got dead dog drunk." Conner started pouring his vile concoction into glasses.

"Are you stupid? Mama and Lily are going to murder you."

"They know." Conner handed him a glass. "Drink this. It'll cure your hangover."

Nikoli sniffed it. It smelled like ass. He drank it, though. Conner never lied about hangover cures.

Tasted like ass too.

"What is this shit?" Adam spat it out and right onto the white rug.

"Dude, that rug costs more than your rookie salary can cover."

"Shut up, motherfucker. Your brother is the one who gave me this shit. Make him pay to have it cleaned."

Boy Wonder was picking up his bad language. Lily wasn't happy, but a man needed to express himself in a man's way.

"Shit, my tux!"

"Taken care of. Lily said she'd text Luther to bring it over."

"You talked to Lily?"

"I did." Viktor nodded. "Called our new sestra and wished her a happy wedding day."

Leave it to Vik to remember to do something nice.

"Speaking of Lily, we need to talk." Nikoli yawned and gratefully accepted the cup of coffee Dimitri handed him. "She has this asinine impression she could embarrass me in front of you."

"More like we'll embarrass you in front of her," Dimitri snickered.

"This is serious." Nikoli leaned his head against the couch. "You guys know about her phobia. She's afraid she'll have an episode around you or Mama and you'll think she's weird."

"Never," Dimitri said, his gaze somber. "We understand PTSD better than most. None of us would judge her for it."

"I know that, and you know that, but she doesn't. Do me a favor, and before any of you assholes try to hug her, make sure she's not overwhelmed."

"Of course." Viktor nodded. "We'll all be careful of her."

"Not to the point she thinks you're going out of your way to avoid her, though."

"Of course not, brat." Conner sat beside him on the floor, sausage biscuit in hand. "Now, what's this I hear about you wearing trashy hooker gear?"

"Mason..."

"It wasn't me!" Mason rolled over to face them on the couch. "I swear."

"It was Kade." Conner nodded to where Kade sat in a chair, his head in his hands.

"I'm going to beat you."

"I was going to tell him at the wedding today, though." Mason begrudgingly sat up and drank down the Conner's hangover remedy. "That tastes like ass."

"It works, though." Adam crawled to where the food was. "I don't feel like puking anymore."

"Dude, we're eating!"

"Get over it, assholes." He snagged a biscuit and crawled back to his throw pillow.

"Who is this fucker again?" Viktor eyeballed him like he was considering tossing him out the window.

"Texas's newest quarterback," Mason said. "So, whatever you do, don't screw up his throwing arm."

All the brothers regarded him in a new light. They were all football players.

"No shit?" Conner asked at last.

"No shit," Nik confirmed. "He's also Lily's best friend, so we can't bruise him too much."

Adam lifted both middle fingers then rolled back over.

"He'll fit right in," Conner decided.

"Eat up, fuckers. You all stink, and you need to get showered. We have a wedding to get to." Viktor slapped Kade on the back, and he moaned.

His wedding. Nikoli finally smiled.

Lily was finally going to be his in every single way.

***

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Janet trilled as she waltzed into the bedroom. Lily and Angel had passed out last night binge watching Love After Lockup. It was their secret obsession. Neither of them understood how the people on the outside fell for some of the bullcrap that was pulled on them. There were a few couples who made it, but most had just been using the other person to get money while locked up. But it was fascinating, nonetheless.

"It's your wedding day!" The tiny, pixie-like woman threw open the curtains and let the light in.

"That doesn't mean you can get me up at the crack of dawn," Lily complained.

Angel yawned beside her. "What time is it?"

"It's nine. Now, get up. The hair stylist will be here at ten, so you both need to be showered by then."

"Did you bring my dress?"

"I did. Does the hotel have room service?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because you need to eat something, or you'll be sick all day."

Janet was really taking her maid of honor duties seriously, Lily decided as the woman ordered two full breakfasts to be delivered ASAP.

"FYI, the guys got drunk last night."

"How do you know?"

"Because Nikoli drunk dialed Luther at three in the morning. He was slurring to the point neither of us could make out what he was saying."

"Well, at least they stayed in while they did it," Angel said. "Pardon, ladies, but I need the bathroom."

Janet came over and fell down on the bed. "Are you excited?"

"I will be once I wake up. We were up until really late. I'd have invited you, but I figured you were busy with Mikey."

"I missed him so much while he was in North Carolina."

"Did he tell you about this mystery girl who's gotten under Adam's skin?"

"Oh, yeah. Said he's laughed his ass off since Adam met her. Her name's Shay Lloyd, and she's got his dad's office running better than ever. It's taken a lot off his dad's plate."

"I can't wait to meet her. I think I'm going to have to take a trip down one weekend."

"Ohhh, I want to go too. She has to be better than Sue."

"Anyone's better than Sue," Lily said dryly.

The toilet flushed, and the bathroom sink turned on.

"So, before Angel comes back out," Janet whispered, "are you sure about this?"

"Sure about what?"

"About today? About marrying Nikoli? I know she's a fan of his, so I wanted to ask before she came out."

"I'm sure, Janet. Nikoli's proven to me over and over again that he loves me and that I can trust him."

Lily was so aggravated with everyone asking her about this. It wasn't just Janet either. Several of her friends from college had questioned her choice to marry him too. Yes, he'd broken her heart, but he'd also put it back together again. People needed to step off.

"I had to ask, Lils. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't."

"All right, bitches, are you ready?" Angel strode out of the bathroom, an intense look on her face. "The mothers are going to be descending soon, and I need coffee, lots and lots of coffee, to face Nikoli's mother."

Lily's eyebrows shot up. She thought she was the only one with anxiety when it came to Irinia Kincaid.

"You've already met her. Why do you need coffee to prepare yourself?"

"Because the one time I met her, she walked in on me and Kade fucking on his office desk at work."

Lily gaped at her horrified. "She didn't!"

Angel nodded. "At least she won't see that every time she looks at you."

A giggle escaped Janet. She put her hands over her mouth but couldn't contain it. Full laughter erupted out of her, and she curled in on herself, her arm wrapping around her stomach as she laughed.

Angel's grin creeped up, and before they knew it, they were laughing along with Janet.

"It is kind of funny," Angel admitted. "But terrifying too. If she gives me the stink eye, I'm hiding behind you both."

"Please, my mother will keep her busy. She's been talking to her every day on Skype, apparently. They're both mad I took my wedding into my own hands. They wanted this big, lavish event, but that's not me."

"Oh, I know. Kade's heard it, so I've heard it. If something happens to one person in this family, they all know it within ten minutes."

"That's a good thing." Janet sat up, wiping her eyes. "I have a big family, and I know what it means to have family when you need it."

"True, but wait until you have to deal with Mike's mom after she's walked in on you two having sex."

Janet took on her own horrified expression. "Bite your tongue."

Lily shrugged. "It could happen to any of us."

"That said, let's get showered and dressed before the mothers really do descend. We have too much to do today to let them sidetrack us."

Lily agreed and headed to the bathroom.

It hit her as she was turning on the shower.

It was her wedding day.

She was soon going to be Mrs. Nikoli Kincaid.

He was going to be hers in every way.