41. Chase
41
CHASE
M onday night brought clear skies and a warm breeze. The tulips were in full bloom, filling every flower bed, planter, and grove. The yard was more or less a tulip field with a small patch of grass for walking between the house, the cottage, and the pergola.
I plugged in the last set of string lights and wrung my hands nervously. This was either the best idea I ever had, or I was a fucking moron.
“Has anyone ordered pizza yet?” Hannah Jane asked as she and Isaac walked hand-in-hand from their house to mine.
Doors slammed as Kristin and Will jumped out of his truck.
Steve and Erica pulled up, the engine of Steve’s muscle car growling as it idled. Showoff.
Slow as molasses, Luca guided Maddie’s jeep into the yard. He was white-knuckling the steering wheel. It must’ve been first-time dad nerves.
Jason and Mel waited patiently to park until Luca crept to a stop .
Bridget and I offered to host poker night since Maddie and Luca had come home from the hospital with baby Giovanni just a few days ago. Gio had a full mop of jet-black hair like his dad and ash gray eyes like his mom.
The group descended on the backyard, careful not to step on any of the citrus-colored blooms.
“Where’s Bee?” Jason asked, looking around. “And why does it look like you’re getting ready for a yard sale?”
The menagerie of dining room chairs, couches, and recliners looked out of place sitting in the grass in front of the pergola.
Before I could get an answer out, another car pulled up. My mom and dad got out and looked at the crowd in confusion. Mom had a plastic cake carrier in her hands.
“What’s all this?” she asked. “I thought you invited us over for dinner?” She lifted the cake carrier. “Good thing we made a big’un.”
Before my parents could dive into telling my friends embarrassing stories from my childhood, I clapped my hands together. “So, there’s no pizza coming, and we may have invited y’all here over on false pretenses.”
Maddie glared at me. “If there’s no food, I’m going back to bed.”
I held my hands out to keep her at bay. “There’s food, and we pulled a recliner out into the yard just for you.”
That monstrous piece of furniture had been a bitch to get out the door. Bridget was screaming “pivot”, and I was pretty sure I had pulled a muscle.
“If we’re not doing pizza, what are we doing for dinner? Mel asked.
I jerked my thumb toward the house. “Takeout from Revanche. We figured Mad and Luca were due for something other than hospital food. ”
They nodded gratefully.
I glanced at the cottage and spotted Bridget peeking out from behind the curtains.
“And We figured something a little nicer than pizza was called for since this is actually a wedding.”
Hannah Jane screamed so loud that she shook the windows in her house and mine.
Steve grinned and pointed at my button-up. “Lucky shirt. Nice.”
Jason looked— shit. Was he crying?
I pushed through the crowd and looked him in the eye. “Sorry for not asking for your blessing, man. We wanted it to be a surprise.”
He ignored the hand that I had extended for him to shake and pulled me into a backslapping hug.
Jason and I had been tight back in the day. In the time since he retired from the Navy and moved back to Beaufort, we had rebuilt that friendship. He had never said it in actual words. The handshake at the hospital the day Bridget finally regained consciousness had said it all.
Jase cracked a watery smile as he stepped back. “If you would’ve shown up to talk to me about Bee, I would have told you to go talk to her instead.”
I tilted my head toward the cottage. “She’s waiting for you.”
He leaned down and gave Melissa a peck on the lips before turning to run in a dead sprint to the cottage.
Hannah Jane tore away from Isaac and threw her arms around me. With tears in her eyes, she said, “But I had a whole binder of wedding ideas for y’all!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Use them on someone else.”
She sniffed. “I’m so happy for you. For both of you. ”
“I wanted to make your wedding cake!” Maddie cried. Giant crocodile tears streamed down her cheeks.
My mom had a knowing smile on her face. “Well. This makes a whole lot more sense now. Bridget showed up yesterday asking if I’d teach her how to make a coconut cake.” She shifted the cake carrier. “Looks like she made her own wedding cake.”
My dad broke through the melee. He gripped my hand and shook it, then pulled me into a hug. “Proud of you, son. And damn happy for you both.”
Son. The man I didn’t share a lick of DNA with. The man who taught me right from wrong. The man who sat down and gave me the talk. Who taught me how to treat a woman. The man who saw my mom and me and said mine.
That man was proud of me.
He squeezed my shoulder and choked up. “And the tulips are looking real good. Good choice.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I rasped. I knew I’d cry today, but I didn’t know it was gonna be before I saw Bridget.
“You got an officiant?” Will asked.
I shook my head. “Bee and I went down and did it in front of the judge this morning.”
Isaac grinned. “Nice. That’s the way to go. Sneaking it in is more fun.”
I laughed and shook my head. “But we wanted to say our vows in front of our family.” I looked around at the folks surrounding me. Found family.
“I, uh… I may be able to be of assistance,” Steve said as he stroked his beard. He looked at Will and Kristin. “The future Mr. and Mrs. Solomon asked me if I’d get ordained so I could officiate their wedding. I’d be honored to marry you and Bee.”
A pang of sadness gutted me.
Heather would have loved this. She would have loved Erica and how happy she made Steve. But I knew she was looking down on all of us, proud of the fact that every single one of us had overcome nearly insurmountable obstacles to make it to today.
Steve wrapped me in a bear hug and smacked my back. “Love you, brother.”
“Love you too, man.”
“Y’all going on a honeymoon?” Isaac asked.
I knew where that question was going. “Nah, not right now. With us taking over the bar, we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ll get away eventually.”
Luca, Isaac, and Will—the billionaire three—broke into an argument about who got to pay for our honeymoon. I was too damn happy to care.
“Does that mean we get free drinks at the bar now?” Mel asked.
“Hell no.” I laughed. “Especially not now that we’re the owners. We have a bottom line.”
She shrugged. “Figured it was worth a shot.”
The cottage door squeaked open, and Luna darted out.
Jase poked his head out and gave a sharp whistle. “Y’all about ready?” A wide grin split across his face. “The bride says it’s time.”
Everyone scampered off to the assortment of kitchen chairs, bar stools, couches, and wingback chairs. Luca helped Maddie into the recliner we had outfitted with pillows and blankets, and settled baby Gio into her arms. He pulled up a dining room chair beside her and sat.
My parents claimed the loveseat near the front. I gave my mom a peck on the cheek before walking up the makeshift aisle with Steve.
“This is really happening?” he asked, raising a thick eyebrow.
I gave him a nod. “It’s really happening.”
“Didn’t even know you proposed. ”
Technically, I had proposed two hundred and forty-nine times, but who was counting?
“Popped the question last week after all y’all rushed off to the hospital with Maddie and Luca.” I shrugged. “Didn’t want to steal their thunder.”
Hannah Jane volunteered to play spur-of-the-moment wedding planner. She stood at the cottage door and waved her arms like a lunatic.
Steve laughed. “I think that means it’s go-time.”
“Don’t know why I’m so nervous,” I muttered. “Technically, I’m already married.”
Isaac laughed. “See? Now someone else gets it.”
“Hush!” Kristin clipped, leaning around Will to swat Isaac’s arm.
The April sunset cast a warm glow across the yard. Thick groves of red, orange, and pink tulips marked the aisle from the cottage to the pergola. The cottage door swung open, and Jase stepped out first. He looked back inside, grinning as he offered his arm.
A flutter of yellow fabric caught my eye, and Bridget stepped out.
“My God,” I whispered as Jason walked her down the aisle.
Bridget looked absolutely breathtaking. It wasn’t the traditional white dress. It wasn’t a gaudy bouquet. Her hair wasn’t teased, sprayed, and pinned within an inch of her life.
It was better.
It was her.
It was a long, flowing skirt the color of dandelions. It was a white lace top that showed a strip of skin between it and the skirt. It was the thin straps that showed off the freckles on her shoulders. It was her tattoo that proclaimed love in the face of adversity for all to see. It was her hair down in soft, honey blonde waves. It was her skin: flawless and unblemished. Free of the makeup she used to use to hide bruises and scars. It was the way her mossy eyes danced with delight and excitement. It was the way her lips couldn’t contain her smile.
It was the bouquet of tulips lying gracefully in her arm.
The same flowers I’d picked for her this morning and tied with a white ribbon before we went to the courthouse.
The flowers were no longer a symbol of love in spite of horrific trauma.
They were a symbol of growing. Thriving. Blooming. A symbol of unconditional love. A reminder that any act of love is never wasted.
The fabric of Bridget’s skirt fluttered across my shoes. She was so beautiful it was painful.
Jason turned and kissed his little sister on the cheek, then pulled her in for a hug. “I love you, Bumble Bee.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and tears leaked from the corners. “Love you too, Jase.”
He shook my hand, then pulled me in for another hug. “Couldn’t have asked for a better brother-in-law.”
As Jason went back to his seat, Melissa slipped up behind Bridget and took her bouquet so Bee could hold my hands. The two shared a quiet word and a hug before Melissa sat down beside her husband.
“Hi,” she giggled.
“Hi yourself.” I couldn’t help but grin like an absolute lunatic. “You look…”
“Do you like it?” She looked down at the skirt as it billowed in the breeze. “I got it at Target a while ago. It has pockets.”
I laughed and tipped her chin up for a kiss. “You’re golden, darlin’. ”
“Hey now,” Steve grumbled as he held up his phone. “There’s an order to this thing. You’re not supposed to kiss her yet.”
Bridget laughed. “Sorry.”
“Not sorry.” I grinned.
We held hands and assumed the traditional positions. Steve cleared his throat and read from the script on his phone.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony.” He stared at the screen another moment, then clicked his phone off. “Yeah, I’m not fuckin’ reading that shit.”
Everyone cracked into a fit of laughter.
Steve hid his smile and crossed his arms. “This is Chase and Bee’s day, but there’s something else that I think needs to be said before we let them be attention hogs.” He stroked his beard. “None of us would be here today if it weren’t for everyone else. I know I sure as hell wouldn’t have made it.” He looked between Bridget and me. “And I know they feel the same. Life is hard. It’s messy. Ugly. There are moments that make you question if it’s really worth the heartache. The hardship. But I’m here to tell you that it is. It’s worth it. It’s worth fighting for.” He looked between us again. “And the people you love are worth fighting for.”
Steve gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You ready?”
I gave Bridget’s hand a squeeze before reaching into my pocket for the vows I scribbled out.
She and I said the canned repeat after me vows this morning but had each written something personal for this moment. I unfolded the piece of paper and cleared my throat.
“Bee, when we were kids, I kissed you so that you could have your first and get it out of the way. We kissed a few awkward times. If I’m being honest, we were both real bad at it.”
There was a mix of awws and laughs from the crowd. Bridget lifted her fingers to her mouth to cover a giggle .
“You left me in that stairwell, skipping off to see the boy you actually had a crush on. And you know what? I was okay with it. Because I realized at that moment that all I ever wanted was to see you happy. That I would do everything I could to make you happy even if it meant you weren’t with me.”
I paused to take a steadying breath as the memories washed over me.
“When we were teenagers, your house was robbed. I was over at Mel’s to work on some dumb science project that she ended up doing most of the work for.”
I looked over at Melissa, who was currently laughing her head off, and gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry about that.”
Turning back to Bridget, I continued. “The moment that you bolted through the Jacobsen’s foyer and ran into my arms, I didn’t care so much about you being happy. I wanted you to feel safe. I never wanted you to feel scared again. I wanted to be the place you could run to when you needed protection. After Mrs. Jacobsen drove me home that night, I talked to my dad about becoming a cop. He thought it was a terrible idea because he was hell-bent on me following in his footsteps to be a firefighter.” I gave her hand a squeeze. “You’re the reason I chose a career that I love.”
Bridget wiggled her hand out of mine so she could dab her tears.
“At every big moment in my life, you were the constant. It didn’t matter if we were seeing other people. You were the one I wanted to find to tell my good news. You were the one I wanted to commiserate a shitty day with over beers. You were the one I woke up wanting to see. For years, my only excuse to see you was that I was thirsty and needed a glass of water. But it was those little moments that I hold dearest. Whether we knew it or not, we were building up to this. To our forever. And every moment that I get with you after this day is one that we’ve earned. I refuse to feel guilty for how damn lucky I am that you’re my girl. And I refuse to take a single day for granted. For as long as we both shall live. I love you, darlin’. Don’t ever doubt it.”