30. Dee
Chapter thirty
Dee
“Bec…you look stunning.” I gasp. My eyes water.
No, that can’t be right. I don’t cry. Ever.
But maybe I need to start because Bec looks gorgeous.
Her hair trails down her back in loose waves, a long veil drifting softly to the floor behind her.
The dress fits her perfectly, but still allows her to move comfortably, the fabric swaying gently as she moves around the bridal suite where we’re getting ready.
The champagne underlay gives the ivory lace a more vintage feel, and the long sleeves billow around her forearms, cinching at her wrists.
“How are you doing? Any cold feet?” I ask.
She smiles warmly. “None. I’m ready. I’d love to see how Aiden’s holding up, though,” she says with a laugh.
Bec carries herself with ease, confident and at peace with the huge, life-changing ceremony moments away. I find myself rubbing my chest, a stroke of jealousy striking hard, leaving me breathless and frustrated with myself.
Bec is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, inside and out. And she deserves this. A man who worships her, loves her, puts her first, committing to her forever in a gorgeous venue with all of their loved ones near.
This day isn’t about me at all, but my mind keeps drifting, wondering if I’ll ever find myself in her place.
“He’s losing his mind about Hopper’s bow tie. He keeps saying it’s crooked,” Ellie says, walking into the room hand in hand with an adorable Luca in a three-piece, navy-blue suit.
“Who the fuck gave him permission to be so cute?” I ask.
Carissa bumps me with her hip. “We’ll all know who to call when he starts dropping f-bombs.”
Ellie waves her off. “Oh, that ship has sailed. Dom stubbed his toe last month, and he’s a giant baby. Luca wouldn’t stop screaming the f-word at the top of his lungs for three days. That was fun.”
“Okay, one last makeup check,” Bec says, turning to Abby, who gives her the all clear.
She wraps herself in a thick, blue shawl.
“See you guys in a few.” The wedding planner helps her gather her veil in her arms, and she walks out the back doors that will lead her to the small garden at the back of the venue, where she and Aiden will have a private moment before the ceremony.
Naturally, we let them have their privacy. Such an intimate moment and all.
Okay…no, we don’t, but we let them think we do.
The girls and I line up along the windows, noses pressed to the glass, watching as Bec approaches Aiden in the garden. Thanks to the heavy snowfall during the week, the landscape is a true winter wonderland. There’s a light snowfall now, and Bec looks like an ethereal winter goddess.
Bec taps Aiden on the shoulder and he turns to take her in, stepping back as if he can’t keep himself standing.
Bumps rise over my arms and my chest is on fire with happiness for them.
They embrace, they kiss, and holy hell, it’s hot.
They laugh, and I swear I see Bec wipe tears from Aiden’s cheeks.
He holds her face in his hands as she wraps her arms around his waist. The kind of love they share is one to last a lifetime. It’s clear for anyone to see.
I’m barely holding it together when Bec’s parents and siblings join them a few minutes later, along with Aiden’s mom and sister, walking out linked arm in arm.
Fuck. If I cry right now, I’m taking back their wedding gift as payment for my pain and suffering.
I’ll keep the damn plant on my counter for them to see every time they come over to rub it in too.
No clue why Bec would register for a huge, fancy fake plant, but I’ll be sure to let her see it so she can understand the cost of making me feel like this.
Bec and Aiden take a few quick group photos in the snow before their families go back inside and we’re ushered out for wedding party pictures.
I keep my eyes on my feet, knowing falling in the snow and ruining my dress before these professional photos need to be taken sounds exactly like something I’d do.
I’m about to lose my footing on a slippery patch when strong arms from behind grip my hips.
I look over my shoulder and find Dylan looking sharp as hell in a suit.
His stubble is neatly trimmed and his hair is tied back in a slick bun. Why does he have to look so damn good?
“Hey, Double D,” I whisper.
“Hey,” he answers softly, his lips tilting up on one side. “Think you can save the wipeouts for the dance floor? I don’t have my camera ready, and I’d hate to miss the blackmail fodder.”
I step out of his hold and go to push his chest, but fuck, I’m slipping again, and instead of pushing him away, I end up fisting his suit coat and leaning against his solid chest.
“Trying to take me down with you now?” he asks, amused. His solid arms wrap around my waist and I can’t breathe.
“That sounds like me,” I breathe.
Dylan steadies me, allowing some space between us, but his hands remain on my lower back. His eyes eat up my figure, and my cheeks burn.
“You look…”
“Don’t be a dick,” I warn.
“Beautiful,” he says softly.
“Model Number Three? We need you to line up next to Model Number Two,” the photographer calls, a guy Ellie recommended to Bec that she met through her photography business. “Seriously, Ellie. Why does everyone look like they belong in Hollywood?” He shakes his head before adjusting his camera.
“I think you’re Model Number Three.” I urge him forward, and watch his ass as he joins the guys, standing between Dom and Jake.
He turns, catching me staring, and raises an eyebrow. I refocus my attention on my bouquet before carefully following the rest of the girls, standing in a row next to Bec.
Mercifully, the photographer works quickly, calling out the various combinations of photos Bec and Aiden want us to take.
I know Dylan’s watching, his gaze burning along my skin despite the snow falling around us.
When I finally risk a glance in his direction, his appreciative ogling has my heart somersaulting.
What is happening?
When the photographer is finished, the wedding planner ushers us inside. After thirty minutes and several bottles of champagne, we’re lining up for the processional.
“Before we get carried away by the rest of the day, which I’m sure will fly by much faster than I want it to,” Aiden calls, pulling everyone’s attention. “I wanted to give a final toast surrounded by our closest friends.
“Bec. From first encounters, to second chances, to this trip down the aisle, you’re my everything.
I want…” He chokes up, and the room gets shockingly quiet for a rowdy group like ours.
“Fuck,” he whispers, collecting himself for a moment.
“I want to remember this moment, and all the others, for the rest of our lives. The good, the bad, the shockingly embarrassing.”
Bec’s watery laugh breaks the silence before the rest of us join her. God, those two know how to embarrass themselves.
“It’s you I want to wake up to. It’s you I want to fall asleep next to. It’s you I’m going to build a life with. A life worth remembering. A life worth living. And I couldn’t be more grateful for that. For you.”
We raise our glasses, and a tear finally escapes, slipping over my cheek.
It makes sense that Aiden wants to memorize every moment of this day, given his mother’s diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s disease.
Life has a way of showing us what’s most important, even if it’s impossible to hold onto it forever.
Impossible to guarantee. Seeing that fear and watching him face it anyway…
I know he is madly in love with Bec. And by the look on her face, that love is returned tenfold.
“Here.” Dylan discreetly hands me a napkin from the refreshment table, and I turn away from the group, drying my eyes as quickly as I can.
“Damn Aiden and his bleeding heart,” I whisper ruefully, the accompanying sniffle making me sound a lot less tough than I wanted to.
“Can you blame him? It’s a big day,” Dylan says.
“Not you too.” I nudge his chest with my shoulder. “You’re just a big sap hiding in Model Number Three’s body, aren’t you?”
He shrugs. “Can’t think of much else worth celebrating than what Aiden and Bec share. If that makes me a sap, then I guess you’re right.”
The longing in his voice is clear. I know he wants this too. This commitment. This permanence.
“I’m sorry we didn’t find you a date worth sharing the day with,” I say sincerely. “I’m willing to give it another shot after the wedding. No apps, I swear. Only someone I know personally that I can guarantee won’t be hung up on any past relationships.”
He studies me, his expression unreadable. The wedding coordinator calls out names for the processional.
“No.”
“No?” I ask, my heart skipping in my chest.
“No. I’m done looking.”
“For now,” I add, but he says nothing.
“Deanna?” the woman calls, indicating I should take my place next to Ashton, Bec’s brother.
I lock arms with Ash, who instantly has me laughing.
We share the same sense of humor, and I’m grateful for the distraction, though I can’t fully shake the intensity of Dylan’s stare.
Before I know it, Ash and I are walking slowly down the aisle, as instructed, then lining up on either side of the aisle.
Dylan walks down the aisle, arm in arm with Dani, Bec’s older sister. He’s wearing his easy smile, effortlessly attractive. It’d be easier to ignore whatever the fuck is making my heart flip at the sight of him if he weren’t so damn hot.
Deep down, I know that’s a lie. I’ve gotten to know Dylan so much better in the short time we’ve lived together, and the issue isn’t his good looks.
It’s that I like the rest of him more.
His generosity. The way he gives his time to Emi and the kids he teaches.
His passion for music and the Bridge. His dreams of building more for the community and not just his pockets.
His resilience. The way he battles his own negative thoughts and still finds happiness with the people he cares about.
His joy. The way he’s always willing to play along with my brand of chaos and even contribute a little of his own.
Oh my god. I like him.
He stops in front of Aiden and gently releases Dani’s arm before taking his place next to Dom. His gaze meets mine, and I have to recenter myself in my teetering heels, knocked off balance at the warmth radiating from him.
One grounding breath. Then another. I refocus my attention on Bec as she joins hands with Aiden, adoration evident in the way he stares at her.
The ceremony is beautiful. Perfect in every way. Even Hopper, who lies at Dom’s feet, watching his parents exchange rings, is captivated by their love.
For the first time in a long time, I wonder if that kind of forever love is meant for me too.