Chapter Twenty-Five
Ripley
My best friend is getting married today. I’m so excited I want to stick my head out the window and vomit into the bushes below. It has nothing to do with the bottle of champagne Thea and I split as she was getting ready earlier or the fact I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.
Nothing. At. All.
This is just excitement.
And stress.
I haven’t told her, but the florist called at the ass-crack of dawn and said he had a flower issue and wasn’t sure he’d be able to get as many peonies as they needed here in time.
Why this is an issue the day of the wedding, I’m not sure.
I—in no uncertain terms—told him he better be there on time with a solution, or I’d sic Brooks on him.
Even from a couple of towns over, Brooks’ reputation holds weight, and he immediately backtracked and hung up.
That was four hours ago, and I’m praying he pulled a miracle out of his ass in the time since.
Thankfully, there haven’t been any more hiccups. Checking the time as I slip into my white dress shirt, I see I have about an hour and a half before the start of the ceremony. My fingers tremble on the buttons; I really should eat something.
I’m still struggling when Seth steps into my room without knocking. He cuts the distance between us in a few steps and shoves a plastic shaker bottle into my hands before proceeding to do up my shirt for me.
“I can do that,” I say, but I’m already downing the protein smoothie. It’s disgusting, but I feel better almost immediately, so I finish the whole thing.
“I know,” he murmurs, as he finishes up and grabs my tie from the bed. There’s a furrow between his brows and a tightness to his mouth as his deft fingers twist and knot the silk around my neck.
“Can we put the tie to good use later?” I ask. He doesn’t answer, but his lips kick up on the side as he continues to work.
I suppress the shivers that want to skitter down my spine when his skin brushes mine as he folds the collar of my shirt down. I’m enveloped in his expensive scent, and it smells so good I just want to rub up against him to get it all over me.
We should have fucked before I climbed out of bed this morning.
For once I was up before him, and leaving him sleeping in my bed, tangled in my sheets, still naked from the night before, unlocked something primal in me.
I want him, and I get to have him. We haven’t talked about what the plan is after the wedding—not that there’s been much time for it.
If we’re not working, we’re fucking or sleeping.
I don’t linger on the uncertainty long. All I know is, for now, he’s mine.
Unfortunately, all my ideas of ripping ourselves out of these clothes are squashed when he slips my suit jacket on me and turns us toward my mirror.
My breath hitches at the sight. We look good. So fucking good. His blonde hair is coiffed just right, and he’s looking sharp in a sage green suit with a pale pink tie. It’s perfectly tailored, accentuating his trim waist and making the blue of his eyes pop more than ever.
I’m his complete opposite with my mess of dark curls, pale pink suit, and sage tie. Opposite but complementary.
I think he’s as caught up in our reflection as I am because his eyes roam over us, hunger clear on his face.
My phone glares, pulling us out of the moment. I check it to find a “GET YOUR ASS TO RED ON TIME” alarm Thea must have set to make sure I don’t miss her wedding. God, doesn’t she know by now I’m only ever late for work?
With one last longing look at the two of us in the mirror, I say, “Let’s go watch our best friends get married.”
It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. The space looks exactly how Thea imagined.
Everywhere I look, something new makes my breath hitch.
Fairy lights twinkle in the gauzy linens draped elegantly across the wooden-beamed ceiling.
Ballet slipper pink and white peonies—miracle of miracles they made it—litter every surface, giving the space a hazy softness and making it smell incredible.
It all complements RED’s sage green decor and gold accents perfectly.
The center pieces are where the florist got creative.
Instead of peonies, each table is adorned with a small vase overflowing with cherry blossoms. They add dramatic height to the table decor and match the colors of the peonies exactly.
Fuck, they’re pretty. This man just earned himself a five-star review.
It seems Mother Nature got an invite as well because the weather is perfect.
The floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading out to the patio have been thrown open, letting in a gentle breeze off the water.
The sun will begin its descent shortly, splashing the sky in oranges and pinks and purples—the most gorgeous backdrop for the ceremony.
The moon and stars shining off the lake will look amazing for the reception.
A pale pink runner lined with bouquets of cherry blossoms and white ranunculus leads to a small platform with a flower-covered arch standing prominently at the patio railing, overlooking the water.
A dozen chairs on each side of the aisle hold guests waiting to witness Thea and Cary exchange vows.
From the right angle, the space looks like it’s floating in the middle of Indigo Lake.
Seth and Brooks, in matching suits, stand at the arch, exchanging a few words.
Both of them look like sex on a stick—I never doubted Brooks would know how to fill out formal wear, the shaved head and tattoos bringing a sexy edge to the look—but I can’t tear my eyes off of Seth.
And when our gazes meet and he winks at me with the tiniest turn of his mouth, my knees practically give out.
A hand clasps my shoulder, and I turn to find Cary looking handsome as hell in his forest green suit.
He’s trimmed his beard, and his hair’s swept back into his signature bun, but today it’s dressed up with braids on either side of his head, looking like a fucking Viking.
Thea won’t be able to keep her hands off of him for long, and I don’t blame her.
“Everything looks amazing,” he says, his eyes shining as he takes the whole scene in. He looks lighter than I’ve ever seen him. He’s pretty stoic most days, keeping the majority of his thoughts locked up, but today it’s as though a weight’s been lifted off his shoulders. “Thank you.”
“This was all Thea. She came up with the vision, I just checked off her to-do lists.” And holy fuck, there were a lot of them.
“Yeah, but you kept her sane throughout this whole thing. She’s been stressed, and I know without you, she’d have been much worse off.
You seem to know what people need when they need it, so thank you.
” His expression is intense, like he’s trying to make the words really sink in.
Maybe the stress I witnessed on Thea was only a fraction of what he saw.
Maybe we’re not even talking about Thea anymore.
I nod in response, and Cary turns back to the patio. He straightens out his jacket and confidently strides up the aisle to wait for his bride, not a breath of hesitation in his gait.
Goddamn it, I’m tearing up already, and we haven’t even started yet. I don’t know how I’m going to keep it together long enough to get down the aisle.
Spoiler alert: I cried like a baby.
The moment I stepped into the distillery to find Margot and Lydia, Thea’s mom, putting the finishing touches on Thea, a dam burst wide open.
She looked so beautiful and happy as a bride.
The antique white floral overlay and softly plunging neckline give her dress’s simple mermaid silhouette some elegant touches.
The gown is romantic and captivating and molds just right to all of her curves.
The tears kept flowing as I pushed Lydia’s wheelchair when we walked Thea down the aisle, and I tried to hide my sniffles as I straightened out the lacy court train on Thea’s boho-inspired dress.
Fuck, I have to get my shit together. Margot—God’s gift to us all—gently pats my shoulder from where she stands behind me in her blush pink bridesmaid gown, a tissue in her small hand.
I nod my thanks with watery eyes and do my best to mop up my leaking face with one hand as the other holds Thea’s bouquet.
Thankfully, my breakdown doesn’t distract the bride and groom. They only have eyes for each other, and besides looking gorgeous together, they look the happiest I’ve ever seen them. The gaze they share is what people mean when they say two people are meant to be.
The officiant begins the ceremony, welcoming the guests. Just like I predicted, the sunset is stunning as they exchange vows.
“Thea,” Cary begins. “You know I’m not usually great with words or talking about my feelings.” Thea chuckles. “But with you, baby, it’s easy. I always know what I feel when you’re by my side: happiness and joy and optimism and love. So much fucking love.
“It’s taken us a long time to get here, and our story has its ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change a thing because it got me right here, to this moment.
I’m excited for our future together, and I’m grateful I get to be the man by your side.
The way you’re looking at me right now—fuck…
” He trails off like he’s lost his train of thought.
“Shit, sorry, Lemon, I didn’t mean to cuss. ” Thea lets out a watery giggle.
With a smile, Cary clears his throat and starts again, “The way you’re looking at me right now, I feel so honored—humbled, really. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life earning that look every day.”
Thea turns to the crowd, fanning her face in an effort to dry the tears in her eyes.
“How am I supposed to follow that?” There’s a quiet chuckle from the crowd.
“Whew, okay. I can do this. Rip’s crying enough for all of us.
” And she’s not wrong, I’m a blubbering mess.
Margot’s handed me the entire travel pack of tissues at this point.