30. The Best Kind of Forever
30
THE BEST KIND OF FOREVER
ARIANA
There's something about watching two people promise forever that makes you believe in second chances.
Maybe it's the way Alex's voice shakes slightly when he says his vows, like even Seattle's most eligible tech CEO can be brought to his knees by love. Maybe it's how Mac looks at him like he's everything she's ever wanted, like some dreams are worth waiting for.
Or maybe it's the way my husband keeps stealing glances at me from the groomsmen's line, his eyes saying everything his CEO composure won't let him express.
Yet.
My phone buzzes silently in my bouquet:
LILY: OMG the livestream is perfect
LILY: By the way, Dad wants to know if the chapel would allow his new "ceremonial blend" at your proper wedding
I bite back a laugh as "You may now kiss the bride" rings out across the sanctuary. Alex kisses Mac like she's his favorite version of forever .
"Your sisters are blowing up the group chat," Mac's sister Lucia whispers from beside me in the bridesmaids' line.
I sneak another glance at my phone:
LILY: The groomsmen's suits are perfect!
LILY: Though maybe someone should've warned Connor about the Mediterranean Sunset pocket squares...
KAT: At least no one's covered in protein powder
KAT: Yet
KAT: Though Dad's been experimenting with a new "toast enhancement formula"
"Speaking of protein powder," Lucia murmurs as we follow the happy couple down the aisle, "please tell me someone checked your father's care package to the newlyweds?"
"Kat confiscated everything suspicious last night." I adjust my bouquet. “Watching her try to explain why the ceremonial blend couldn't be mixed into the wedding punch might have given me the laugh of my life.”
My phone lights up again during the portrait session:
LILY: Connor's looking at you like you're the only person in the room
LILY: Even through the livestream
LILY: It's disgustingly romantic
KAT: Almost as romantic as his attempts at the Electric Slide
"They're not wrong," Connor's voice murmurs as his arms slide around my waist. “Though, watching you try not to laugh at your sisters' commentary is doing dangerous things to my control."
"You can see my phone?"
"I can see everything about you." His thumb traces circles on my hip. "Though perhaps we should discuss your family's obsession with my dance moves somewhere more private?"
"Down, boy." But my pulse kicks. "We have a reception to attend. "
"We could be late."
"Connor Reeves, are you suggesting we skip the choreographed groomsmen performance?"
"Maybe." His lips find that spot below my ear. "I know some much better dance moves..."
My phone buzzes.
LILY: GET A ROOM
"Your sisters," Connor growls against my neck, "have terrible timing."
"Runs in the family." But I'm fighting a smile. “Watching you blush on camera is worth it."
"I'm not blushing."
"The livestream says otherwise."
“Gentlemen and ladies,” Callum's voice cuts through our moment. "Perhaps save the honeymoon activities for after my dance number?”
My phone lights up:
LILY: PLEASE tell me someone's recording the groomsmen dance
LILY: For keepsakes
LILY: And possible blackmail
LILY: Though maybe next time with less Electric Slide?
KAT: And less protein powder?
DAD: I heard that! The ceremonial blend is perfectly safe!
With a final snort, I slip phone back in my purse, reaching for Connor’s hand, as he wraps his long fingers around mine.
“Come on,” I tug. “I’m curious to see if your rhythm has improved significantly since the last time we danced.”
"Is that a challenge, Mrs. Reeves?"
"Maybe." I pull him toward the reception entrance where the groomsmen are gathering. “I will say that having the right partner helps."
He spins me slowly, and for a moment, it's just us.
"I love you," he murmurs .
"I love you." I straighten his boutonnière. "Even when you're dropping Luke during dance practice."
“Shit. Who told you?”
“Callum.”
"Of course he did." Connor sighs against my hair. "Though in my defense, Luke's dip technique needs work."
"Pretty sure that's not what Mac meant when she said the groomsmen should 'work on their chemistry.'"
Before Connor can respond, the reception doors open, and suddenly we're swept into a whirlwind of celebration. The garden pavilion glows with thousands of tiny lights, creating the illusion of dancing among stars. Seattle's spring rain patters gently against the glass ceiling, nature's own percussion to accompany the music.
I watch from the edge of the dance floor as the groomsmen take their positions. Connor catches my eye just before the music starts, and the look he gives me—part mischief, part promise—makes my heart stumble.
Then "Uptown Funk" starts playing, and everything dissolves into beautiful chaos.
"Oh my god," Mac's mother whispers beside me. "Are they... did they actually choreograph...?"
"Every second," I confirm, trying not to laugh as five of Seattle's most powerful men attempt to synchronize their hip movements. “And to be honest, watching my husband try to teach Callum the moonwalk was worth every minute of practice."
My phone buzzes:
LILY: I'M DYING
LILY: Please tell me someone's getting this
LILY: Also, is Connor actually brEAKDANCING?
KAT: More like break-attempting
KAT: Though I have to say, his enthusiasm is... something
DAD: The ceremonial blend would help with his flexibility!
The dance ends with Connor pulling Mac onto the floor for an elaborate spin sequence that has everyone cheering. Alex follows, and soon the dance floor is packed with guests attempting their own versions of the groomsmen's moves.
"Mrs. Reeves." Connor appears at my side, slightly breathless, his eyes bright with exertion and something else. "Care to show these amateurs how it's done?"
"Depends." I let him pull me close as the music shifts to something slower. "Are you planning to drop me like you did Luke?"
"Never." His voice turns serious, his hand spreading warm against my back. "I'm never letting you go again."
We move together like we've been doing this forever, like every dance lesson was leading to this moment. His body remembers mine, and mine remembers his, and suddenly the rest of the world fades away.
"You know," he murmurs after a while, "we could do this."
"Dance? We are dancing."
"Get married." His thumb traces circles on my hip. "Properly this time. No Elvis. Just us."
My mouth turns dry. I swallow. Hard. “This isn’t…Are you proposing? Again?"
"More like suggesting we celebrate what we already have." He dips me slightly, and my pulse trips. "Though this time with less accidental matrimony and more intentional forever."
"Intentional forever? That's very romantic for someone who once wrote a PowerPoint presentation to ask someone to prom."
"What can I say?" His lips brush my temple. "You make me brave enough to skip the slides."
"Connor Reeves, are you actually being spontaneous?"
"Don't tell anyone." He pulls me closer. "I have a reputation to maintain."
"Your secret's safe with me." I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Intentional forever does sound pretty good. "
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." I smile against his jacket. "As long as there's pancakes."
"With proper chocolate chip ratios?"
"Obviously."
"And no protein powder?"
"Dad's still going to try."
"I can live with that." He spins me slowly, then brings me back to his chest. "As long as I get to live with you."
The words settle somewhere deep in my chest, warm and right and perfect.
"So," Connor's voice rumbles against my cheek, "what do you say? Want to marry me again? This time with less Vegas and more vowels?"
I laugh, the sound bubbling up from somewhere deep and happy. "Are you sure? I come with a lot of baggage. Meddling sisters, experimental protein shakes, a tendency to organize other people's crises..."
"Good thing I have excellent storage solutions." His hands tighten on my waist. "And a very organized file system."
"Still with the file management seduction?"
"It worked the first time, didn't it?"
I rise on my toes, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Yes."
"Yes to the file management or yes to marrying me again?"
“Maybe both." I grin against his lips. "Though maybe this time with less singing?"
"No promises." He kisses me properly, right there on the dance floor, like we're the only two people in the world. “But I will tell you that my harmonizing has improved."
My phone buzzes one final time:
LILY: Not you guys making out on the dancing floor…
LILY: Also, dibs on planning the real wedding!
LILY: I'm thinking sequin s
KAT: NO SEQUINS
DAD: But maybe some ceremonial blend...?
I silence my phone, pulling Connor closer as Seattle's rain creates its own music against the pavilion's glass roof.
And as the music plays and our friends dance and my family plots sequined ceremonies in the group chat, I realize something important:
Sometimes the best kind of forever is the one you never saw coming. The one that starts with a mistake and ends with a promise.
And maybe that's the best kind of forever there is.