Everyone finished filing into the church, and the first strains of the wedding march filled the air, played by a string quartet. A saxophone added a sexier vibe. The sax had been Val's idea, naturally.
We all twisted around to see the doors, waiting for Eve to emerge.
She moved into the doorway on her father's arm, revealing her dress that was a gorgeous combination of sleekly modern and lacy traditional, with a neckline that managed to be both sexy and modest. Her strawberry-blonde hair fell in loose curls around her face, and her makeup enhanced her natural beauty without overpowering it.
Eve looked so beautiful, so happy, so ready to join her life with Val's.
Her groom stood at the altar, waiting for his bride. He and Eve had decided not to have groomsmen or bridesmaids, since they had so many friends and relatives that it would've been impossible to choose who should stand up there with them. Besides, all they needed was each other.
Larry Holt led his daughter to the altar, kissed her cheek, and winked at Val. Then he took his seat in the front row beside his wife.
I clutched Ollie's hand tightly while we listened to the minister recite the opening lines. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."
But I stopped listening then. I watched the expressions on Eve and Val's faces, fascinated by the joy and love they evinced and the commitment they were making to each other. It was beautiful, magical, emotional. Some people might've said marriage was irrelevant these days, but the looks on this couple's faces told a different story. They loved each other with everything they had and pronounced their intentions to love and honor each other with so much conviction that it made my heart swell.
Love was real. Marriage meant more than words spoken before an officiant. It touched something deep inside everyone in this church.
Eve and Val exchanged rings, and then they kissed.
Cheers erupted inside the church. A few people whooped or whistled.
I started to cry.
And I wasn't alone. While Eve and Val walked back up the aisle, heading for the doors, I noticed other people crying too---including Ollie. He hid it well, but I saw the way his eyes glistened and he swallowed visibly. I loved that he could get choked up by seeing two of his closest friends tie the knot. I loved him, period.
Everyone walked across the street to the restaurant that would host the reception. I met Val's parents and his sisters, and I danced with so many men that I lost count. Ollie got the first dance with me, but Damian waited until much later, after I'd taken a whirl with everyone else, before he asked me for a dance.
While we glided across the floor, Damian said, "I've been to weddings before, but this one has made me rethink whether I want to get married."
"Have you been against it until today?"
"Yeah. It seems like a silly tradition, but now..." He shrugged. "Maybe it's not so silly after all."
Wow. Eve and Val had made a convert without even trying. Well, a potential convert.
"I've known Ollie for a long time," Damian said, "and I've never seen him so happy. You did that. So thank you, Mara."
"You don't need to thank me. Ollie did the same thing for me, and no words can describe how grateful I am to him."
"Ollie has an idea for how to express his gratitude." Damian nodded toward something behind me and stepped back. "She's all yours, man."
I turned to see Ollie standing there, holding out his hand to me.
"Come on," he said, "let's go for a walk. There's a nice little park a couple blocks away."
"Not sure my shoes are good for walking. They're strictly designed to look pretty."
"That's okay. I've got your sneakers in the car. We'll grab them on the way out."
I settled my hand in his, letting him lead me out of the restaurant. We both grabbed our sneakers from the car and strolled down the sidewalk past cute, touristy shops, until we reached the little park. Flowers overflowed concrete planters along the asphalt path that led through the park, beneath a canopy of trees.
Ollie stopped in a secluded spot and dropped to one knee.
My throat went thick. I knew what he planned to do, but still I couldn't breathe from the anticipation.
"I love you, Mara," he said, pulling a small velvet box out of his pocket. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. After all the bad break-ups and 'you're like my gay best friend' bullshit, I finally found the one woman in the whole world who understands me and makes me feel like the best version of myself."
He flipped the lid open on the little box, revealing a sparkling diamond ring.
The tears flowed, trickling down my cheeks, and my lips trembled.
"Mara, will you marry me?"
I nodded, because I couldn't speak.
"Should I take that as a yes?" he asked with a lopsided smile.
"Yes," I managed to say, though the word came out choked and almost inaudible.
He slipped the ring onto my finger.
Then we just gazed at each other, with me crying, both of us too overwhelmed by the emotions of this moment to move or speak. I swiped at my eyes and sucked in a big breath.
"Oh Ollie," I said, "I can't wait to marry you."
"Good." He surged up to crush me in his arms. "Because I'm not letting go of you, not ever."
I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Not letting go of you either."
We kissed, and we didn't stop kissing until I was lightheaded from lack of oxygen. I loved kissing this man, and I could do it for the rest of my life.
"Let's go," I said. "We need to celebrate our engagement the right way."
"You mean
