Chapter 10
10
B rooklyn
Five Weeks Later
Carrington’s Wedding
The mid-October wedding ceremony of Carrington Field and Bryce Parks was a beautiful affair that took place at one of the oldest churches on Jackson Island. As I stood between Nyrah and another bridesmaid watching the lovebirds say their vows, I couldn’t stop the tears that tumbled from my eyes. And every time I peeked across the aisle to where Cameron and the other attendants were standing, I couldn’t help the palpitations in my heart.
Their reception took place in Cameron’s backyard. When I had told Cameron that their birthday party was a dry run for the wedding, I thought I was joking. Well, the gag was on me, because Carrington not only duplicated the fanciness of the birthday party, she had upped the glam quotient exponentially. What that team of vendors had done to completely transform Cameron’s backyard into a luxury beach resort was nothing less than astounding. They were tents, flower arrangements that were taller than Cameron, seating vignettes, lounging vignettes, huge potted plants and views of the water that took your breath away.
The DJ played laid-back neo soul and R when you find the person who causes you to find excitement in something that’s typically mundane, like… rainstorms; the person that you can do the same thing with one hundred times over and never get bored, like watching the sunset; the person who makes colors seem brighter and soft seem softer, you have to be wise enough to snatch them up and lock them down. Congratulations, Bryce and Carrington, for doing just that. Cheers.”
I was basically ugly-crying by the time Cameron finished his toast. I slipped out of my chair at the table and went to find him.
I finally located him standing at the end of his driveway, at the front of the big house, away from the activity and commotion of the reception.
Even though I was wearing four-inch heels, I ran to him. I threw my arms around his neck. “I love you.”
He chuckled lightly. “I love you, too. I love you so fucking much. When did that happen?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not complaining. I can’t believe that toast.”
“Me either. That wasn’t even what I wrote down. It’s just what came out. You make everything different, Brooklyn. You make it better. Things seemed cool. My life seemed cool… Then there was you, and I realized that it wasn’t as cool as it seemed. You fill in blanks that I didn’t even know needed filling.”
“Same.” I looked into his face—took in his caramel-colored skin, his large dark eyes, his rounded nose, his sculpted cheekbones, and his full, kissable mouth. His ears were small, his eyebrows were full and naturally contoured. His goatee was neat, the hair on his head was cut close to the scalp and more than anything, I wanted a house filled with sons who looked just like him. “I just want to be with you, Cameron. And if I have to move to Chicago, I’ll do that. Not because I feel like I have to. I’ll move to Chicago because I’ve lost a lot in life. I lost my parents. I know that ‘tomorrow is not promised’ is more than a cliché. I know it’s a real statement. I don’t want to waste time denying myself the opportunity to be with you-- to be around you. I want you to come home to me and me to come home to you. Jackson Island isn’t the only place on earth I can be happy. Besides, we can spend every summer here.”
“We definitely can,” he agreed, placing a soft kiss on my lips.
“You make me feel less alone and I was beating myself up about that. I was acting like it was a character flaw to want to feel less alone. It’s not a flaw, it’s human. It’s okay to let myself be human.”
“Shit, I encourage it. Be human, baby. Tell me when you feel alone and when you need attention. I’ll make sure to get all up in your space and provide it.”
I buried my face in his upper stomach region. “I’m so glad you finally recognized me this time, because if you had told me that it was nice to meet me one more time, I was gonna—”
“Stop bringing up old shit.”