Chapter 19
KY
It took us two months to finally put together a wedding we both wanted. Bea was not pregnant, much to my disappointment, and she convinced me that we needed to wait a bit before we tempted fate and had a baby. She wanted to be officially married before she got pregnant, and she also wanted for us to have a little time together as a couple before we brought a tiny person who would be completely reliant on us into the world. She wasn’t wrong. The more she talked about it, the more I saw the validity of her points.
We’d waited so long to be together. It only made sense to enjoy it for a little while. Plus, I wanted us to find a house that would fit a growing family better than my apartment did. My place had three bedrooms, but I used one as an at home office/gym. When we eventually had a baby, we would need a nursery and a guest room for the family I knew would end up crashing at our place to help out during the initial months of having a newborn around. We definitely needed more space for that, maybe even a second floor.
“What are you lost in thought about?” Flynn asked. “It better not be that you’ve finally come to your senses and decided not to marry my sister.”
“Fuck no! That thought never crossed my mind.” Flynn grinned at me as I offered up my denial.
“No hesitation. I like it. Always knew you’d be good with Bea.”
“Thanks. I was thinking about how we needed a bigger place before we have a baby.”
“Is she pregnant?”
“Not yet,” I told him as I smirked his way. “But we won’t have too much time alone, if I can help it.”
“Jesus. I don’t need to hear about how you’re planning to knock up my sister.”
I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to the mirror to adjust my tie. “She is the woman of my dreams. One day, when you find yours, you’ll understand.”
“Already found the woman of my dreams and she chose to be with someone else because she knew him longer.”
I cocked my head to the side and thought about who he could mean. “You talking about Beckett’s fiancé?” I asked.
“She only saw Beckett. I only saw her. He… Well, fuck knows what Beckett saw back then, but I’ve noticed his eyes aren’t only for her anymore.”
“You can’t interfere in that. It won’t end in your favor if you do.”
“Know that.” Flynn grumbled. “Let’s get you down there before people start to worry.”
“I’m not the one they need to worry about.”
“My sister sure the fuck isn’t going to get cold feet. I found one of her diaries when she was younger, and swear to God, she had her name and your last name written together on every other page. Bea has always wanted to marry you.”
I chuckled. “She may have mentioned her habit of signing my name back in the day. I think it’s cute. We each always knew we should end up together.” I clapped him on his back. “Maybe, things will work out for you too. If you’ve noticed Beckett’s eyes wandering, chances are Courtney has noticed as well.”
“Yeah, but even if she does, I’m probably the last person she would look at to have a potential future with. I’m the asshole’s cousin. She’ll probably think we’re two rotten apples from the same tree.”
“As long as the tree has branches, I think you’re good,” I joked.
“Shut up, asshole, before I lock you in the basement and sabotage your wedding day.”
“Nuh-uh. Nothing is messing with this day. We have already dotted all our Ts and crossed our Is.”
“I think you got that backward, dickhead.”
“Whatever,” I called out to him as he ran over to open the door to his parent’s backyard. “Wow!” I came up behind him and took in the spectacle. The Robeson women had gone all out to make sure mine and Bea’s day went off without a hitch, including the way they turned the backyard into a fantasyland. There were twinkling lights somehow strung up overhead that led all the way to a pergola that was draped in white tulips and some sort of tiny yellow flowers with green vines. Whatever they were, they smelled really sweet.
“She’s going to love this,” I mentioned as I took in the way the chairs were arranged on either side of the lit-up walkway. There was a white runner carpet down on the ground that led to the altar we created on the other side of the pergola where the two of us would stand to take our vows.
Flynn and I got into place, since he was my best man. Once we were in place, Bea’s mom called for everyone to take their seats. We only had close friends and family there for the event. There were less than fifty people, but it felt like our whole world was in attendance as I stood there and waited for the one person among them who I couldn’t live without. Mina made her way down the aisle first and stood at the end on the bride’s side as Bea’s maid of honor. Then the music shifted, and Bea and her dad marched down the aisle toward me. She wore a gorgeous, fitted dress that hugged her curves and made my mouth water. It looked like a silky material and boasted spaghetti straps and a bit of lace and beading detail that made the bodice stand out a bit more. She opted to come down the aisle barefoot since we were doing an at-home wedding.
As soon as her dad placed her hand in mind, I pulled my soon-to-be-wife - for real this time - into my space and kissed her lips.
“Son, we haven’t gotten to that part yet,” the pastor we hired to officiate stated. Our audience laughed along with him, but I refused to give my woman once I had her in my arms. I kept her locked in close to me as we each recited our vows. My arm stayed wrapped around her waist until it was time to place rings on our fingers. Then, and only then, did I release my grip on her. It wasn’t that I thought she was going to run. It was more like I had to touch her to make it all real. We were finally here. Finally saying “I do” for real.
“I will love you with every bit of my heart from now until I take my last breath,” I promised along with my “I do.”
“I will also love you with every bit of my heart from now until I take my last breath,” she repeated as she placed my ring back on my finger. I’d never taken it off while we waited for everything to be fixed, so that Bea was legally able to marry someone who wasn’t Lawson Gregory - the fucking prick.
“This is the part where you get to kiss the bride,” the pastor leaned forward and whisper-yelled it as if we were in cahoots. I ignored him, the laughter of everyone gathered to watch us become man and wife, and I took my woman in a smoldering kiss that promised things would only get more heated later on when we were able to spend our first night together as husband and wife - for real.
“I’d marry you again, if you asked me tomorrow,” Bea whispered in my ear as everyone we knew and loved cheered our new union.
“Maybe I’ll do just that.”