Chapter 12
TWELVE
Layla
“Can you believe this?” Arianna stands behind me, her hands on my shoulders as we look into the floor-to-ceiling mirror in our suite, the ocean breeze outside fluttering the white curtains.
“Not in a million years.”
Her dress is cream and mine is white. Hers is high neck and lacy, mine is gauzy and loose. I’m in little gold sandals while she’s full-on glam with sparkling rhinestone-covered strappy heels.
“It’s crazy, but it’s perfect.”
After the incident at the dock, Jack and I spent the next couple days at the house, talking everything over, including the phone call he got from Carter explaining that he and Arianna were together.
It was a moment of shock, but I recovered faster than Jack. He was pretty touchy about it and when Carter and Arianna came back for a visit, Jack took him for a long ride. I’m not sure what exactly was discussed, I just know they came back both looking a little disheveled but their friendship was intact.
Carter proposed to Arianna that next day and Jack proposed to me. They’d already discussed having a double wedding and none of us wanted to wait very long, so here we are. A month later, dressed and ready to walk down the aisle.
“Are you ready?”
My stomach flutters and flips. “Yes. I’ve dreamed of this for a long time.”
“Me too.” We smile at the other and Arianna looks at the clock on the wall. “We have about five minutes. Hey, did you get Jack a present? It all got planned so fast…I was just wondering.”
Heat bursts onto my cheeks. “Yes, I got him something.” It’s been hard not to tell my best friend the news, but I really wanted to tell—well, show—Jack first, but I’m ready to explode with excitement. “I’ll show you.”
I step over and slip my hand down into the front pocket of my suitcase, and pull out a black leather box.
“A watch?” Arianna asks, but I shake my head.
“No. It was just the right shape box.”
I step closer, my heart pounding a thousand beats a minute, and flip open the top, watching Arianna’s eyes snap wide.
“Oh my god,” she says, bringing her fingers to her lips. “I can’t believe it. You’re pregnant?”
The white plastic stick with two blue lines sits on the black velvet interior of the box and I nod.
“I was going to wait, but this morning…I wanted to know. I couldn’t stand not knowing. My period was supposed to start two days ago. I figured it was just stress and excitement about everything, but I had to check.”
“You’re not going to believe this.” Arianna turns and grabs her purse, and I already know what’s coming.
Thirty seconds later, we’re jumping, hugging, laughing and crying when there’s a knock at the door.
Harper Higgins works here at the hotel and is also the pastor’s daughter calls through the door. “It’s time.”
“Coming,” we say at the same time, holding hands as we face each other.
“To best friends and soon-to-be sisters.” Arianna hugs me so tight I feel my vertebrae popping. I nod, pulling away but not completely out of the hug. “Let’s go.”
We walk out of the suite, down the hall and into our future, holding hands.
Jack
“Well, best man…”
“No, you’re my best man…”
“This is fucking nuts.” I shake my head, but I’ve never been happier.
“Listen,” Carter says as he finishes knotting his bow tie. “You know, there’s got to be some ground rules. You’re marrying my sister—”
“You’re marrying my fucking daughter. So…”
He waves his hands and turns toward me. “I just…I’m happy for you, man. I’m happy for me.” He slaps his chest. “But, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to take any sort of…” He blows out a breath, thinking before he finishes. “Don’t ever tell me anything about you and Layla’s…you know. Bedroom life.”
I nod. “Fair, and not a fucking word about anything you do with, or to, or even think about with my daughter.”
Carter shoves out his hand. “Deal. Shake on it.”
I grab his hand and we seal that moment but it’s way more. We’ve had some tense moments since we found out the deal, but we’ve mostly handled it like gentlemen, and things are back to solid between us.
“Ready guys?” Harrison Higgins comes to the door. “The girls are heading down.”
We both nod, looking at the other. “Ready,” we say in unison.
As we walk down the hall at the Manor House Hotel, and take our places at the double doors leading into the aviary, I glance around at the white and pink roses and lilies. The girls had so much fun planning this day, even if they didn’t have very long.
It’s extravagant but simple. It’s just the four of us and the pastor and his daughter. The girls had no budget, but in the end, they had more fun putting most of it together themselves.
A minute later, it’s time. We turn to see the girls walking our way, smiles beaming, and I think my heart is going to ram through my chest as my eyes start to burn.
“They’re so beautiful.” I hear Carter’s voice crack and I look to see him swiping the back of his hand over his eyes, and I chuckle as he shoots me a look. “Oh fuck, don’t act like you’re not crying too, you big fuck.”
“It’s true.” I slip my fingers under my eye and wipe away my own tear as Arianna comes to my right arm, looping her hand there and giving me a smile.
“Dad. Are you crying?”
“No,” I grit out as I see Layla give me a wink, taking her place to Carter’s right just as the music starts to play.
“Here we go,” Layla says, and we all take our first step forward together.
We walk up the aisle, pausing in front of the pastor who nods at each of us.
I lean down, lifting Arianna’s veil from her face and giving her a soft kiss on her cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
We exchange our girls, handing the most important possession we each have off to the other.
Carter leans in to whisper in my ear. “You better make her happy.”
“And you better make her happy.”
We nod at each other, the girls pulling us back to the moment, and as I look down at Layla, the tears start to flow.
The next few minutes go by so fast, I hardly even notice what’s happening. You think your wedding is going to be this big deal. And sure, it kind of is. But for me, my life with Layla started already and the ceremony is only to confirm to the whole world what I already know: that I’ll never let her go, or let her down, or let a thing happen to her. I think I sob through the whole ceremony, but I don’t fucking care.
I’m Layla’s husband.
Her lover.
Her best friend.
Her confidant.
Her everything.
And, most important of all…her Daddy. Forever.