“You look so good,” she said with a broad smile.
My lips curved up at the corners. “And you look perfect as always.”
She slipped her arm through mine as the door closed behind her. “Ready for the rehearsal dinner?”
The warmth of her beside me made my heart race. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I’m excited about Asher and Faith.”
“Oh, I know it.” She snickered. “Those two were such a mess a couple of years ago.”
Asher and Faith made the same stupid mistake. They’d slept together before Asher and I left for college, and when we left neither of the two reached out. They went for seven years with me as the middleman between the two. Asher took a job at Faith’s elementary, and the rest was history. I didn’t really believe in love until them. I wasn’t sure if I could ever be a part of something so special, but with Mags maybe I could.
We walked into a dark, dimly lit room with a sign on the door that indicated the rehearsal dinner was to be hosted here. It was a grand space, to say the least. A huge mahogany table took up most of the ample space the room offered. It was bare, teasing the guests to ruin the varnished shine with grimy fingerprints. Two tall, silver candle holders sat in the center, holding smooth rose-colored candles.
Mags’ eyes scanned the room, and a smile appeared on her face as she noticed Eve sitting down in one of the velvet chairs. She pulled me with her, and we took our designated seats beside Eve.
“This is beautiful.” Eve motioned around the room.
Mags nodded. “It is, but also looks hella expensive.”
“I’m sure Uncle Joseph could afford it.” I shrugged as the man himself entered the room with both of my parents. A shiver ran through me as I saw how carefree my father looked. I turned my gaze toward the girls.
“That’s for sure.” Eve sighed.
We sat in comfortable silence as the guests started to pile in. Faith and Asher arrived and mingled with the family they hadn’t seen yet. Jamie and John took seats next to us while people started sitting down by their name cards. Asher’s side of the family arrived last, consisting of his parents and an uncle I had met once before. While the guests were getting situated at the table, the staff brought out drinks and food to place in front of us.
Joseph stood up and clinked a spoon against his wine glass. “Thank you all for coming. As you know, my daughter and her fiancé are getting married tomorrow.” He paused, staring at Faith and Asher with a brilliant smile. “I couldn’t be happier with the man she chose to become her husband.”
“Aw, Dad!” Faith’s eyes teared up as she leaned her head against Asher’s shoulder.
“I love you, sweetheart. I’m very proud of the woman you’ve become!” He held his glass up, and we followed suit, toasting to his speech. The wine was bitter but went down easy. I was most definitely a beer man.
I must’ve made a face because Mags gave a light laugh as she stared at me.
“Enjoy your meals. After dinner we are going out to the beach to run through the sequence of the wedding.” He smiled before taking his seat.
“Are you all ready for the wedding?” Jamie asked.
Eve grabbed her drink and swirled the wine around. “I’m excited for Faith and Asher to finally get hitched.”
Mags giggled. “I am too. It’s about damn time.”
I nodded in agreement with the girls. “Have you guys been in a wedding before?”
John nodded. “My best friend was married last year. I was his best man.”
“And I was a bridesmaid for that wedding,” Jamie said.
Eve and Mags shook their heads.
“Well, hopefully, there won’t be much to it.” I took a bite of the creamy pasta they put down in front of me. “Fuck, that’s good.”
“It really is though. I ordered the same.” Mags shoved a forkful into her mouth.
I chuckled. She was something else. About an hour later, I was stuffed. The food was delicious, and I loved every bite. We followed Joseph to the beach to rehearse for tomorrow. You could feel the buzz of happiness radiating off of my cousin and best friend. Their love was blinding.
The warm evening air hit me as we stepped onto the sand. The orange-gold on the horizon stretched far and wide. The resort had been set up for the ceremony in the morning with bright white chairs lined in rows, leaving an aisle way open with a white stretch of fabric laid out. An archway made of sea-shells and some kind of wood stood at the front of the aisle way. I glanced over at Mags whose eyes were wide as she gazed around the beach.
“This is breathtaking,” she said. The color of the sunset rested on her skin, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. “Luca?” Her eyes found mine.
I smiled and shook my head.
Joseph waved over Asher’s uncle. “This is Victor. He will be the officiant.”
Victor grinned and waved. “I’m Asher’s uncle. Let’s do a rundown of this ceremony so we can focus on just celebrating tomorrow.”
The next hour, we rehearsed the ceremony. It took at least five times until we got it right, and then we had to do it two more times. Asher and Victor would go stand underneath the arch, the parents of the bride and groom walked down the aisle, the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk down and took their spots, Mags and I would walk down being that we were the maid of honor and best man, and then Faith and her dad walked down the aisle. Once Joseph gave Faith
