After

Stephanie

The next several months pass in the blink of an eye. I spent the holidays with Sebastian’s family, and I can’t believe the difference it makes. I used to hate the holiday season; now it’s my favorite thing in the world. I have a certain man to thank for that. The school year ended, and I transitioned into writing full time. It’s been interesting, to say the least, but I’m loving it. The Green Thunder dealt with a devastating loss that kept them out of the championship game, but they’ve already claimed that next year is their year.

Suddenly, August is upon us. I can’t believe how the months have flown. I can’t believe my best friend is getting married. Speaking of...I head into the back room where Brielle’s getting ready. The makeup artist finished a little while ago, and the hair stylist should be done soon. “Brielle,” I call out softly as I walk into the room. I smile at my friend. “You look gorgeous. Aiden’s going to stop breathing when he sees you.”

She turns towards me. “You think so?”

“I know so.” I step towards her and straighten out the back of her dress. The dress is so Brielle. It’s A-line with a scoop neck. The back is made entirely of sheer tulle with a few elegant white flowers sewn in and a long row of buttons all the way down. The sweeping train is elegant with more flowers delicately attached to the tulle. Her hair is pulled back in an elegant ensemble of braids and twists and held by a gorgeous hairpiece with flowers. She’s wearing tear-drop diamond earrings that Aiden gave her and a matching necklace.

“Do you think it’s all too over the top?” she asks nervously, pulling at the train behind her.

I snag her hand to keep her from messing up the dress... “You look perfect.” I step back. “Are you ready?”

She blows out a breath. “I think so.”

“Let’s go; he’s waiting for you. You just have to get out to the water.”

They chose a gorgeous beach in Hawaii to have their simple ceremony. They kept it private, opting to have a big reception when they return home. Brielle’s mom and sister, Amber, are here as well as Aiden’s grandpa. Amber and I are the bridesmaids, and Sebastian and Rico are the groomsmen. Gunner came along too. They hired a local minister, and that’s it.

I follow Brielle out to the living room of the home we’ve been staying in. Amber, Brielle, and I have become close over the years, like sisters. And of course, their mom has been like a mom to me, so spending this time with them has been so amazing. Sebastian and I have found time to slip away here and there when we can to go dip in the ocean or go into town for an early coffee before everybody gets going for the day.

“Oh, Brielle,” Brielle’s mom says as she wipes her eyes.

“No crying,” I say, trying to stop the inevitable. But it’s too late. Within seconds, we’re all a mess of tears. “Okay, that’s enough,” I say, wiping my eyes. “We have to go out there; the guys are waiting.” I take a deep breath. “Ready?” I get three nods. “Okay, let’s go.”

When I open the front door, I’m surprised to see Gunner standing there. “Hey,” he says nervously. Then he turns his gaze to Bri. “I didn’t know if you had anybody to walk you down the aisle. You don’t have to or anything, but I thought I’d offer. And if you don’t--”

“Thank you, Gunner,” Brielle says, stepping forward. She swallows hard, and I find myself doing the same thing. “I would love to have you walk me down the aisle.” Her voice breaks on the last word, and she wipes her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispers.

He smiles, and I almost fall over in shock. The man never smiles. He puts out his arm, and Brielle slips hers into his. “Let’s go find that man of yours. I’m not sure Sebastian and Rico can keep him down there much longer.”

“Why?” Brielle immediately asks. “What’s wrong with him?”

Gunner gives her a soft look. “He’s just anxious, waiting for his bride.”

“Oh,” she says softly.

“Okay, you two. Hold up.”

Rico comes toward us. “Mrs. Campbell,” he says, putting out his arm. “Can I escort you to your spot?”

Bri’s mom smiles and pats his arm. “Yes.” They walk down the aisle to the sound of the string quartet. Once she’s at the front, Amber turns to look at me. I give her a nod, and she starts down the aisle. When she’s about halfway to where she’s supposed to be, I turn to Brielle.

“Okay, I’m off. I’ll see you at the water.”

She gives me a tight smile, and I turn and begin my journey. I’m so thankful Brielle let us choose our own bridesmaids’ dresses. Ours are not nearly as formal as hers. She debated, but in the end, went with the kind of dress she always dreamed of. Aiden told her to do everything the way she’s always dreamed of. That’s why we’re doing the music, the ceremony, everything just as it would be done in a bigger venue. I love that about Aiden; he just wants everything to be special for Brielle. My dress comes just above my knees and is loose and flowy. The top is v-neck, and the waist tapers in before flaring out. The middle is belted and tied with ribbon that matches the sky-blue color of the dress. I paired it with dressy white flip-flops. My hair has been done in an elegant side bun with a few curls escaping to soften the look. As soon as I turn the corner, Sebastian comes into view. I can’t keep the smile off my face as I walk towards him. He’s wearing a matching sky-blue button-down with a pair of light tan slacks. His face is bronze from the sun he’s gotten while we’ve been here. The blue of his shirt makes his eyes pop, and I can’t look away from him as I make my way towards him.

He keeps my gaze the entire time. When I come to a stop next to him, he smiles down at me. “Hey, Gorgeous,” he whispers.

“Hey,” I whisper back. And then we both turn to face the house as the music changes, and Brielle and Gunner come into view. I watch Aiden’s face as he catches sight of Bri for the first time. His entire face softens, and I swear his eyes glisten, though he’d probably never admit it. I turn my attention back to Brielle, who is practically glowing, her smile beaming.

She stops in front of him, and he stares down at her in awe. Sebastian wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into him. We stand together and watch our two best friends commit themselves to each other. I wipe tears away more than once. As soon as the ceremony is over, and we’ve officially finished our part, he pulls me around to the side of the house. His lips are on mine a second later, and I melt into him. He kisses me with ardor, sliding his hand up to my hair. Within seconds, I feel my hair fall around my shoulders. “Sebastian, that hairdo took like forty-minutes.”

“And it was beautiful, but now I need to be able to run my hands through my fiancé”s hair.”

I smile at his words. He uses every chance he gets to call me that. Before I can say anything, his lips are on mine again. I sigh and give myself over to him. When he finally pulls back, he stares into my eyes. “Can you believe we’re next?”

“No,” I say seriously. Because when we decided to get married after Bri and Aiden, it seemed so far away. But it’s coming quickly.

“I can’t wait until you’re mine,” he says, kissing me again.

“I thought I already was,” I say with a grin. He runs his thumb down my cheek.

“You are. I just can’t wait until you officially become Mrs. Hart.”

The front door to the house slams, startling me so much, I jump. I look over and see Amber storming away from the door. My eyes widen, and I look up at Sebastian. “Give me just a minute,” I say, putting my hand on his chest for a moment. “Amber?” She stops and turns to face me. There’s a scowl on her face. “Everything okay?” I ask hesitantly.

“Everything is fine,” she says, but everything on her face is at odds with her words. I step a little closer. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

“Right. So you can lecture me just like Bri does? No thanks.” She storms off, and I stare after her.

A hand lands at my waist. “What was all that about?” Sebastian asks quietly.

“I have no idea.” I stare after her in concern. “Bri’s been worried about her, about her boyfriend, but I hadn’t heard anything in a while. I thought maybe things had gotten better; I guess not.” I sigh. “I should have checked in on her more often.”

“Hey.” Sebastian wraps his arms around me and pulls me against his chest. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

I rest my head back against his firm chest. “She’s so tough. She used to laugh more and be so...not how she is now. I forget that she’s only twenty.” I’m quiet a minute. “I need to spend more time with her.”

“Okay,” Sebastian says simply. He leans forward and kisses my neck. “We can have her over and try to invite her to things more often.”

I nod. “Thanks, Sebastian. You”re a good man, you know that?”

He nuzzles my neck some more, and I completely forget about Amber. “You look sooo good in this dress,” he says, still kissing my neck.

“You look pretty good yourself, Mr. Hart,” I say in as sexy a voice as I can manage.

“Yeah?” he asks.

“Hey, Guys.

I turn and see Rico approaching. Sebastian straightens. “Hey, Rico.” He looks a little down, and I glance at Sebastian. He”s frowning, so he must think the same thing.

“Everything good, Man?” Sebastian asks.

“Yeah,” Rico says quickly. “I’ll see you guys inside for the meal.”

We both watch him go before I look at Sebastian. “Well, that was odd.”

“Yeah.” He doesn’t say anything more, but he’s got a pensive look on his face.

“I know that face. What are you thinking?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nothing.”

I poke him in the chest and end up hurting my finger. “Ouch. You”re thinking something. Spill.”

He smiles down at me. “I’m not going to have any secrets with you, am I?”

“Nope.”

“Listen,” his eyes meet mine, and I see that he’s serious. “I might be totally off, so don’t say anything.”

“About what?” I whisper.

He glances around, like he’s making sure nobody’s watching. “I’ve caught Rico looking at Amber like...”

“Like what?” I prompt.

His eyes meet mine. “Like how Aiden looks at Brielle, or how I look at you. Like you’re my whole world.”

I’m at once both elated and crestfallen. “I love that you look at me that way, but as far as Amber...she has a boyfriend.”

Sebastian nods. “I know.”

“And he’s like what? Five years older than her?”

“Six,” he says, and I wince. He wraps his arm around me. “Come on; let’s go join the party.”

“Wait!” I say, stopping. “We can’t just go join the party, just like that. What about our conversation? What are we going to do?”

“About what?” he asks.

My eyes widen in exasperation. “Sebastian!”

“Stephanie,” he returns.

“Shouldn’t we do something?” I ask.

“Nope,” he says, popping the p.

“Why not?”

He wraps his arm around my shoulder again. “He’s a Green Thunder player, and we seem to have a pretty good track record going with getting our women.”

He does have a point. I nestle in next to him as we walk to the main building where the dinner is being served. “Besides, he’s the best goalie I”ve ever seen; and great goalies don’t react, they anticipate. He knows what’s going to happen before it happens and he’s ready for it. He’ll anticipate Amber’s every move if he decides to go after her; she won’t stand a chance.”

“Even if she has a boyfriend and is six years younger?” I ask, looking up at this man who is my everything.

“He’s beaten worse odds,” he says.

We walk into the dining hall where the music is playing, and the partying has already begun. I smile at my best friend who’s currently being kissed or mauled, depending on how you look at it, by her husband. When they finally come up for air, we cheer and whistle for them. We don’t even get a chance to eat before Sebastian has us all out on the dance floor. I spend the rest of the night wrapped up in the arms of my man. I can’t keep the smile off my face. Because this right here...this is everything.

“I love you,” he says when the music slows.

“I love you too.”

We watch Aiden and Bri feed each other cake a little while later, and I grin, because we’re next.

Not ready to be done? Want a bonus scene? How about when Stephanie lets Sebastian know he”s going to be a dad--in front of a packed Green Thunder arena?! Click HERE for a bonus chapter!