“When I married John, we were like rabbits. Seriously, enjoy all the newlywed time!” Jamie took a sip of her drink.
I grinned. Would I be lucky enough to have an epic love with someone. With Luca? I could only hope. I had to find a way to tell him how I really felt without scaring him off. We hadn’t even labeled our relationship yet. A pit began to form in my stomach, but I refused to let it dampen this day. My best friend was about to get married to the love of her life.
Day Six
9 AM - 9:30 AM - Getting Ready
The black suit brought something out of him, a self-respecting pride and confidence that I’d never seen in the man in all the years I’d known him. Asher had a perpetual smile on his face since we woke up this morning. He loved my cousin, that was for damn sure.
I grinned as I stared at my own suit. A black suit like Asher’s except instead of a black tie, I had a light blue one to match the bridal party. “Big day, are you sure you’re ready?”
He punched my shoulder. “You already know the answer to that.”
I rubbed where he hit, a small pain radiated. “Hell yeah I do. Let’s get you married.”
His eyes softened. “You know, you could have this too. Just admit to yourself that you’re in love with Mags.”
I scoffed. “Listen, don’t worry about that right now. You’re about to say I do.”
His eyes twinkled. “I wonder what her dress looks like.”
I chuckled. “You’re so whipped.”
“And I’m proud of it.” He shrugged. “You can’t tell me you aren’t wondering what Mags is wearing today.”
How’d he even know that? I knew the color would be a baby blue like my tie, but other than that I didn’t know. I knew she’d look beautiful no matter what she wore.
“Yep. That face right there. Explains it all.” His laughter roared through the room, and I rolled my eyes.
My father’s words rang out through my mind, reminding me of what I could become, a cheater like him—someone who couldn’t be tied down. Someone who would break Mags’ heart.
I shook the thoughts away. I wouldn’t be like him. I had control of myself, he didn’t. That wasn’t my problem anymore. I thought back to Mags’ words and let them fill my body with a sense of calm. She trusted me. She believed in me. I blew out a steady breath of air. I could do this.
“Fuck.” My eyes widened, and Asher glanced over at me with a wary expression.
She never left my mind. She’d become my one stability in my fucked up head filled with self-doubt, and I needed that in my life. I’d been in love with her since high school. I must have been. It was why no other woman could compare. It was the whole damn reason I’d compare others to her.
I was in love with her.
A warmth spread throughout my whole body in an overwhelming gush. My head was light as if I was on top of the world, but my heart constricted, and my lungs were void of oxygen. Fear crept up my spine. How could I go from avoiding the woman to being completely entranced by her? More importantly, how could I imagine living life without her now? The answer was simple.
I couldn’t, because I loved her.
My mouth dropped. “I’m in love with her.”
Asher clasped my shoulder hard, my body jolted from the impact. “About damn time, man. Best wedding gift ever.”
A smile spread on my face. Asher was my best friend. He knew how I felt about her before I did. “Thanks, Asher. Really.”
He shrugged. “You pushed me toward Faith when she was engaged to that piece of shit. I owe you.”
My mind buzzed with excitement. I couldn’t wait to tell Mags.
Day Six
10:30 AM - 11 AM - Finishing touches and photos
The stunning white dress clung to Faith’s petite form with elegance. It had refined flowers embroidered into the lace. The dress straps supported the sweetheart neckline and extended to an opening that exposed her back. From the waist down a pocketed skirt billowed from the hips and ended with a romantic train. Her long brown hair was pinned up to a wreath as her veil hung behind her. She made a gorgeous bride.
“You’re breathtaking!” Jamie’s mouth dropped.
“I’m going to cry!” Eve sniffled. “Just wait until Asher sees you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at her. “You make a perfect bride.”
“Guys!” She tilted her head back and laughed, showing off her bright white teeth. “You’re too sweet. Thank you all for being here. Your dresses look beautiful.”
Faith did amazing with our dresses. Delicate lace embedded the baby blue fabric, and it hung off the shoulders, exposing our collar bones. It was floor-length and had an effortless flow, which I loved because I wasn’t suffocating. We wore a crown of jasmine, the tiny white flowers glowed perfectly with the blue of the dress. All three of us wore our hair loose in simple curls. All of us, including Faith, were barefoot. This was a true beach wedding, and I loved the simplicity of our looks.
Faith answered a phone call, and after a few seconds she hung up. “Asher and Luca are finished with their photos. Ready?”
We nodded.
“What’s the photo schedule again for this morning?” Eve asked.
Faith smacked her glossed lips together. “Right now, we’re going to do the bridesmaid photos. Then, Asher and I do a first look and couple portraits.” She ticked off her fingers as she spoke. “We’ll do photos of Asher and I with you guys and Luca, and lastly, close family photos.”
“That’s a lot of photos,” I grumbled, grabbing our bouquet.
She laughed and grabbed hers as well.
Faith’s dad hired a florist and the flowers were an inspiring mix of blues and whites.
We stepped onto the beach
