28. Beckett
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
BECKETT
“I don’t know about this.” I brush my hands down the front of my suit shorts as I look at myself in the full-length mirror. Yep, you read that right.
My wedding day tuxedo came with shorts.
First, I want to point out that Claudia chose to get married the second week of July in South Carolina. It’s hotter than Hades right now, with a humidity index near one hundred.
Two, I’ve always been on the cutting edge of fashion, and apparently, these tuxedo short sets are all the rage. Mine happens to be the color of charcoal, and I like the dark gray. It’s got a vest and a jacket, which is short-sleeved as well, and a bow tie. It looks like I’m dressed up, but I can’t decide if it’s for my wedding or a clown party .
My aunt comes to my side, and our eyes meet in the mirror. “So?”
“I think you look handsome,” Aunt Jill says.
“But will Claudia?” I ask, because Claudia is the only thing that matters. I’ve never been married, but I’m smart enough to know that.
Liv arrives at my side, and my sister scans me from my shiny shoes back up to my face. “What’s the holdup?” she asks. “You literally have five minutes before you have to be at the altar.”
“I’m not sure this is the right thing to wear,” I say.
“Not the right thing to wear?” Liv screeches. “Beckett, you’ve been engaged for ages. What you’re wearing while your bride comes down the aisle should’ve been worked out months ago.” Her level of frustration and disdain comes through loud and clear.
“Do you think she’ll like it?” I ask, not sure why I’m so insecure all of a sudden.
“Becks.” Liv grabs onto my shoulders and turns me toward her. “Claudia is in love with you, and she knows who you are. If she doesn’t, then this is a problem way bigger than you wearing a pair of shorts for your wedding.” She says all of this in a saccharine-sweet, honey voice, which means I’d better get my butt down the aisle to the altar.
“You’re right,” I say.
“Of course I’m right.” She smiles at me. “Now, it’s time to get married. ”
I turn toward the door where the wedding planner is waiting. “What do I need to do?” I ask as I walk toward her.
She straightens my bow tie and makes sure the snowy white flower is magnetized perfectly in place, which, of course, it is. “We need you at the altar.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, heading down the hall made of tent flaps and toward the exit that leads to the outdoor wedding Claudia has been planning for months. We both used to work for the city of Cider Cove, and we did a lot of work in the parks department. In fact, I cleaned up this park as one of my major projects, and Claudia and I ran into each other while walking our dogs here. That set our romantic spark to ultra-hot and started our relationship.
The park is free, and anyone can use it at any time, even if there are tents and chairs set up for a wedding. Everyone’s left this area clear, though, and holy cow, a five p.m. wedding in the middle of July should be a criminal act. The heat’s been trapped all day in the ground, and it radiates into the air as I step onto the grass.
I make it to the aisle under the second tent with my sister and aunt, and we pause for a moment. Guests mill about, most of them in their seats, but some standing and chatting. I don’t care at all because this is not my show.
I walk down the aisle with my family and take my position at the altar. I hug my aunt and let Liv cry over me for a few seconds before she kisses her kids and grabs her husband’s hand. They have to go join the wedding party now that I’ve been parked at the altar.
So I face the tent again, where the aisle is marked with clear glass pillars at the end of every row, with a puff of flowers on top, and vines and petals spilling over the sides. Lights and flowers hang in the rafters of the tent as well, where a speaker system has also been threaded. Right now, fancy-frilly elevator music plays as everyone anticipates Claudia’s arrival.
I’ve asked to see her wedding dress a thousand times, and she’s denied me over and over. I brush my hands down the front of my tuxedo again, this time to make sure my palms aren’t too sweaty for when Claudia arrives.
Liam and Hillary begin their trek down the aisle, their faces shining with happiness and love. Hillary’s deep red dress also screams Claudia, and I’m not surprised by the color choice or the satiny gown.
Liam’s wearing a matching tie, with a white rose on his lapel. He grabs me in a hug, laughing as he slaps me on the back. “You made it here,” he says.
“I sure did,” I say, though I wish Claudia stood at my side.
Ryanne and Elliott come next, with Luna carrying a basket on her back with tons of red rose petals spilling out with every step she takes. I grin at the trio of them, give hugs all around, and face the aisle again.
Emma and Aaron come next, and while they look like a million bucks in their matching clothes as the other couples, there’s some serious— serious —tension between them. Emma smiles at me and hugs me, and Aaron leans in and taps his shoulder to mine before they separate.
My sister and her husband come next, and I grin and grin at them. Matt is my best man, and I laugh as he embraces me and his wife at the same time. Then they go to sit by their kids, and Aunt Jill leads Lizzie and Tahlia down the aisle, both of my dogs with her.
Duke and Rocky both wear tuxedos, and I crouch down to hug them when they arrive, panting so hard, it’s hard to hear the music. I straighten and hold my aunt, because she’s my lifeline in so many ways.
But I’m not going to cry. Not before I see my almost-wife.
Everyone moves to their places, and the whole crowd faces the top of the aisle, waiting. I feel like I’ve been standing there for half a year before the music twinkles into silence. The crowd murmurs as if they’ve sighted a celebrity. I swallow, my throat dry.
Though I’ve been waiting for this day for many long months, my nerves rattle. Claudia will move out of the Big House and in with me once we get back from our honeymoon. Then we’ll both have a commute to our jobs—hers about the same, just on different roads. I’m so excited to have her in my life, in my house, and in my bed.
I don’t see her, though, and I have the best view straight down the aisle. My feet shift. I clear my throat as if I’ll make an announcement that there won’t be a wedding today. A gasp comes up from the guests in the back row. I see movement there, and while Claudia isn’t short, she’s also not tall. I can’t see her past the standing rows of people.
Her brother appears at the end of the aisle first, smiling with pure love toward someone walking along the left-hand side of the congregation. Then Claudia appears.
Her gown is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before in my life. One look at it, and pure laughter flows from my throat. Joy explodes through me, and I know she won’t be mad about my tuxedo shorts.
Because her dress is black.
She’d probably call it Bohemian Black or Black Magic.
I think the color of it should be Black Beauty, because she’s simply stunning.
Every thread and every piece of fabric fits precisely to her body, her curves.
The dress has no sleeves and a scalloped bust line that gives way to what looks like feathers. If I could see them in full sunlight, I’m confident they’d shimmer with rainbow colors like gasoline. As it is, the fairy lights in the tent make the dress flicker in different colors— pink, yellow, green.
I can’t erase my smile as she links her arm through her brother’s and starts toward me.
She’s carrying an all-white bouquet with billowy flowers and plenty of greenery. The monochromatic color scheme simply suits her. She’s my favorite person on Earth, and I’m so glad I get to spend the rest of my life loving her.
She reaches me, her smile somewhat subdued. She sweeps a kiss along her brother’s cheek and then looks at me fully. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re the most gorgeous woman in the world,” I tell her. “With the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen.”
She ducks her head and smiles, and then we turn toward Winslow Harvey. He used to be our boss, and he retired at the end of last year. Claudia got his job, and I moved to the planning and zoning committee in Beaufort. Apparently, Winslow has the power to marry people.
He grins at us like he raised us from birth and says, “If there’s a more gorgeous couple anywhere, I’ll eat my hat.”
We laugh, and I tuck Claudia closer to me simply because I can.