The Gender End by Bella Forrest (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📕

Elena lives, Viggo. We’d have to be idiots to assume this is anything short of a suicide mission. I am not going in there prepared to die—I am going to fight until my last breath to get us both out alive. But we know the risks, and you know as well as I do that if that’s the price we have to pay, then we’ll pay it. Just… give me this, please.”

“Violet… I want you to look at me.” He released my fingers as I spoke, reaching up to touch my cheek and place his other hand on my hip, gently coaxing me toward him. “We’re not going to die in Matrus, and this is not a suicide mission.”

“I want to believe that. But Viggo, war is—”

“Chaotic?” he cut in with a teasing grin, and I smiled, nodding my head. His expression grew thoughtful again, and he sighed. “Violet, we don’t have to rush this. There’s no reason to do it right this minute. We still don’t even have a fully formed plan yet—we need more intel on the palace, Alyssa Dawes, where Sierra might be. Even with Thomas finally in their system after the heloship raid, it could take days.”

“Which are days that I could spend as your wife, not as your fiancée,” I replied. “I understand what you’re saying, but I’ve thought about this a lot. I don’t want to wait anymore. I told myself I’d find the right moment, and it’s now. Not to mention—everyone is here! All of our friends and family, under one roof. I mean, who knows when that will ever happen again, or how long we’ll have that for?”

Viggo’s face fell, and he nodded. “That’s a good point,” he said, and from the pained look on his face I realized he was probably thinking about all the people we had lost so far. Those deaths were still fresh, still a hole inside me every time I stopped to look back, and I knew they tore at Viggo every day. Still, he met my gaze and offered me a small smile. “So have I completely shattered my masculine image yet by acting like a nervous bride?”

“You’re not nervous,” I pointed out. “You’re a traditionalist. But these are untraditional times, Viggo, and I’m ready. So unless you’re not…”

He gave me a droll look, and then dipped his head down and pressed his lips to mine. “You know I am,” he breathed. “But… ask me again.”

“Dork,” I teased. “So… will you?”

“Marry you?” he questioned.

I pressed my lips together to keep from screaming in frustration and looked up at him, bringing my hands up slowly to his neck and pretending to choke him—just enough to let him know he was driving me crazy.

He chuckled and took my hands in his, removing them from his neck. “Calm down—before I even say yes, which we both know I’m going to, I still want to know who you are planning to have preside over it. I mean… Maxen is really the only officiate who could be legally recognized at this point.”

I shuddered, even though I knew Viggo was joking. Taking a moment to consider his question, I finally just shrugged. “I-I don’t know. And I don’t care. It could be Ms. Dale for all I care. I mean, really, all we need are a few witnesses and an exchange of vows and rings. We got the rings, we can wing the vows—”

“Wing the vows!” he sputtered, and I fought back a laugh at the alarm on his face. “Violet, the vows are the most important part. What are you planning on saying… ‘I promise to share my cookies with you’?”

“Okay, A: I’m not sharing my cookies with you, and B: do you really think I’d come up with something that lame? C’mon, give me a little credit here. I’d at least be generous and say something about massaging your shoulders once a year.”

The glitter in his deep green eyes was resplendent with humor, a bemused smile twisting the beautiful lines of his lips. “A year?” he asked. I shrugged, and he shook his head at me. “So romantic.”

I gave him the look—an unamused one—and he chuckled, “I’m sorry, love.”

“Forgiven. Now are you done stalling? Because I would really like to get married to you.”

He snorted and then nodded. “I would really like to get married to you too, Violet.”

“Is that a yes?” I needed to hear it, needed to hear the words coming from his mouth.

“It’s a yes—I will marry you today.”

I let out a whoop and broke off from him, my mind moving rapidly as I began ticking off the things we needed to do.

“Okay, I’ll go get a dress, I’ll tap Amber to find a location so everyone can be there—we’ll probably have to get married in the hospital, so Alejandro, Quinn, Solomon, and Jay can be there—I hope he wakes up, but even so… You’ll need to find something nice to wear, too… Oh! And flowers, and some food!”

“Violet, slow down,” Viggo called quietly. “We still need to find someone to marry us!”

An idea flicked through my mind, and I grinned. “Don’t worry about it,” I announced. “You just tell all the guys what’s going on, and I’ve got the girls, okay? Let’s meet up in two hours!”

I began moving back up the stairs, excitement coursing through my veins as I realized that in a few short hours, I would be married to Viggo.

There was so much to do before he and I could be… Oh crap—we’d never discussed the names! Oh well. I supposed we could just keep our own (or trade). I certainly wasn’t giving up my name… and Viggo wouldn’t either. Either way, we’d figure it out, I thought with a grin.

OceanofPDF.com

18

OceanofPDF.com

Viggo

When Violet puts her mind to something, she really goes out of her way to make it a reality, I thought to myself as I tugged at the sleeves of the stiff, formal warden’s dress coat I was wearing. It wasn’t