He stood up and took the bowl, but she could barely see him for the tears gathering in her eyes. His words healed the remaining dark spaces inside her and she knew the past wouldn’t bother her anymore. She had a feeling her panic attacks were gone forever, too.

   He put the bowl back on the table and took both her hands. “I vow to you today, in front of our friends that I will protect you, love you, cherish you, and pamper you.” The corner of his mouth lifted up with just a hint of smile. “I also promise to correct you when needed, push you when called for, and to ensure you never have trouble falling asleep. Knowing this, do you consent to be my submissive and to wear my collar as a symbol of my dominance?”

   “Yes, Sir,” she managed to get out.

   Cole nodded to Fritz and the German Dom took a pillow from under the table and placed it on the ground beside Cole.

   “Though I once told you about why I would ask my submissive to kneel on rocks,” he said so low she knew no one else could hear. “Tonight it would please me more for you to use a pillow.”

   When she knelt down before him, it felt right. Sure, she’d enjoyed walking in beside him and standing face to face holding hands, but it was when she knelt for him that her world felt like everything was in its place.

   He briefly touched her hair, the small act filling her with even more peace. But it wasn’t until she felt the collar being placed around her neck that she understood exactly what peace was. Though less than an hour had passed since he’d taken off her old collar, the feel of her new one caused her entire body to relax. And when he fastened it into place, she muttered a soft, “Yes.”

   His chuckle told her she hadn’t been as quiet as she thought she had.

   “I’ll admit,” he said, “I feel better with it around your neck as well.”

   She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say anything or quote her own vows. Obviously, Cole had been planning this and would have had time to come up with something. She didn’t have a way with words like he did, and she didn’t think she could come up with anything meaningful on the fly. She hoped he didn’t ask her to say anything.

   But, of course, he knew her better than she knew herself, it seemed.

   He held his hand out to her. “Come stand by my side, little one.”

   She rose slowly to her feet and found herself facing Cole, once more in front of Fritz. For some reason the big German Dom didn’t seem as scary when he was smiling.

   “Cole,” he said, “I’ve known you for a long time. Probably longer than anyone here. I was with you as you discovered and defined your Dominant nature. You probably don’t remember and you’ll probably punch me for bringing it up, but there was a certain night when you were just starting out. We’d just finished a training session, it had been awkward, the chemistry wasn’t working, the sub had left, and we were talking. You looked at me and said, ‘Fritz, one day I’m going to find the One. And everything’s going to click. She won’t be perfect and we know I’m certainly not. But together, we’re going to be pretty damn close and when we’re together, sparks will fly.’”

   Cole didn’t move his gaze from her as he answered, “You’re right. As soon as we finish, I’m busting your nose.”

   Around them, their friends laughed.

   “Hold on,” Fritz said. “I’m not finished. You’ve had some rough times. You never quite seemed settled. I think that’s why you were always off traveling the world. You thought you had what you wanted, but deep inside, your heart was still searching.”

   Cole squeezed Sasha’s hands.

   “Sasha,” Fritz said to her, “I don’t know you as well, but I know you’ve had some obstacles to overcome. And I know what I see before me now is a strong, independent woman who knows with her head and trusts with her heart. It’s a beautiful and precious thing that you offer to my friend and I thank you for not being perfect, because he’s certainly not. But together, you two are pretty damn close.

   “So, Cole and Sasha, I don’t have any earth-shattering words of advice. I can’t promise you that life will be smooth. I can’t even promise that you’re going to like each other all of the time. But I can tell you this, those sparks? They’re so bright, they’re blinding. And you have a circle of friends who are delighted and honored to share in this moment with you.”

   Sasha wiped a tear from her eye and she heard either Julie or Abby sniffle.

   “Oh right,” Fritz said. “You can kiss now.”

   Cole’s lips came over hers, and she no longer heard sniffles and she was no longer aware of Fritz or the candles or anything other than Cole. He filled her and in those seconds when he held her, she knew she filled him, too.

   “I love you, my Sasha.” His voice was rough and hoarse.

   “I love you, Cole.”

   It was only Fritz’s cough that finally pulled them apart. She found herself surrounded by Julie and Abby, both of them oohing and ahhing over her collar. Nathaniel and Fritz brought out food that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. Daniel passed out champagne flutes and everyone toasted them.

   It was the happiest day of Sasha’s life.

   She took Cole’s hand and was about to tell him that very thing when suddenly, everyone got quiet. She looked around, trying to find out what happened. Her gaze wandered up the path she’d walked down with Cole not long ago to find it wasn’t a what, but a who.

   ***

   “Damn it all to fucking hell and back.” Cole knew he should have stopped by Mary Catherine’s house after her interaction with the women. But he’d put it off because he didn’t want to see her and he knew if he went by her house, she’d get the wrong idea.

   All that would have been preferable to the look on Sasha’s face when she saw Mary Catherine standing at her collaring ceremony.