Chapter 22
AVA
“Wow.”
Ava smoothed the fabric of the bejeweled mermaid-style wedding dress over her hips, her gaze drifting from the sparkling garment to Julia’s form, hovering in the doorway. A smile crossed her lips as she twisted to face her. “Thanks.”
Julia crossed to her, the burgundy gown she wore swishing around her ankles. “You look amazing, Ava.”
Ava wrapped her arms around the woman. “Aw, so do you. And thank you so much for staying to be my maid of honor.”
Julia gave her a squeeze before she pulled back. “I honestly wouldn’t have missed it. I’m so happy for you and Alex. You make a really great couple.”
Ava lifted two flutes of champagne, passing one to Julia as she raised the other in the air. “I have to agree. I can’t believe we spent as long as we did apart.”
After a sip of her champagne, Ava shook her head.
Julia rubbed her arm, a consoling smile on her face. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re together now. Just…make the most of the time you have.”
“And we plan to.”
A knock sounded at the open door, and both women cut their gaze to it. A tuxedo-clad Grant stood in the doorway. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Not at all,” Ava said, “come join the party.”
She poured another glass of champagne and offered it to him.
He accepted the proffered glass, taking a sip before he smiled at her. “Well, you look stunning. Alex is a very lucky man.”
“Thank you,” she answered.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to give you away?”
Ava winced, shrugging. “I appreciate the offer, but no one is handing me over to anyone. It’s a matter of principle.”
“Right. Well, I can certainly respect that. You don’t need a man to take care of you—you’re more than capable of handling yourself.”
Ava raised her glass with a nod of approval at the statement.
Grant took a sip, too, before he stared down into the bubbly liquid. “I couldn’t help but overhear the tail end of your conversation with Julia about making the most of your time with Alex.”
Ava nodded, her thumb finding the massive diamond engagement ring Alex had given her at WonderCrest. “After everything that we’ve been through lately, I think we’ll both we happy to just enjoy each other’s company.”
“Right,” Grant said as Julia threaded her arm around his, “about that…I just…feel like I need to address the whole Kyle situation. It’s really kind of you to offer him a space here, but–”
Ava sliced a hand through the air. “Let me stop you there…unless you have some specific reason that you need Doc back in New Orleans, we’d love to have him here.”
Grant’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure? You can tell me if you’d rather send him packing, and I’ll handle it. Kyle can be…difficult.”
Ava chuckled a little before she took another sip of her champagne. “We like Doc just the way he is. And our offer was sincere. He can stay as long as he likes. But thanks for the offer, Grant.”
“Anytime. And to be honest…thank you. Kyle and I haven’t exactly found the sweet spot in our relationship yet. Some time apart may be just what the doctor ordered.”
Kyle appeared in the doorway, his eyebrows raised. “Did someone say doctor?”
“Yep,” Ava answered. “We were just talking about you.”
Kyle’s features turned concerned. “You were?”
“Uh-huh.” Ava poured another glass of champagne and handed it to him. “About how you’re planning to stay with us for a bit…enjoy everything the Hamptons has to offer.”
“Yep,” Kyle said with a nod, his eyes going to his father with what looked like a hint of a challenge in them.
“Well, I hope you enjoy your time here, Kyle,” Grant said with a pat on his back.
“Thanks, Dad.”
Ava shifted her gaze between the two men before Julia set down her half-empty glass of champagne. “We probably should go. It’s almost time for the ceremony to start.”
Ava polished off her glass and set it aside. “Yes. If we don’t get going, Alex will be convinced I abandoned him at the altar.”
“Actually,” Kyle said before downing the rest of his champagne, “he sent me up here to make sure you weren’t.”
Ava offered him an amused smile. “Are you serious?”
“Yep,” Kyle answered. “I will go happily tell the groom that you’re on your way.”
“Thanks, Doc. You’re a really good best man.”
Kyle smiled and nodded as he backed from the room.
Grant’s eyebrows crinkled as he stared at the empty doorway. “It’s still sort of weird to me how well he fits in here.”
“He just needed to find his people,” Ava said, gathering her bouquet. “All right, we’d better go before Alex is up here.”
Grant kissed Julia’s cheek. “See you soon.”
He left the two women behind. After one final adjustment to her veil, Ava and Julia made their way downstairs and out into the bright sunshine.
With guests waiting in their seats on the beach, Julia motioned to the musicians that they were ready before she sent Gizmo down the aisle with the rings.
“See you in a few,” she said before she strode down to ceremony site for her walk down the aisle.
Alone, Ava sucked in a deep breath as she stared at the white roses in her bouquet. Their first wedding had been so different. No frills at the courthouse. She’d still worn a killer dress but not quite this killer.
Her lips curved at the corners as she recalled the occasion. And now, nearly twenty years later, they were voicing the same vows they’d said to each other years ago.
They had loved each other then, even if she hadn’t realized it.
And they still did. She couldn’t imagine a world where she didn’t love Alex.
As the music changed, Ava pulled herself back to the present moment.
With another deep inhale, she made her way down to the beach.
There, Alex stood at the temporary altar, the sand shifting beneath his polished shoes, his tuxedo crisp against the ocean breeze.
She grinned as she started down the aisle, her gaze locked on his. Moments later, she was standing before him.
“Thought you weren’t coming,” he whispered with a grin as she joined him, and the pastor began the ceremony.
“I know. Doc told me,” she answered. “But it’s not going to be that easy to get rid of me, Ace.”
“Hey, umm, you’re not going to surprise me and have some sappy, beautifully written vows of your own, right?”
“Nope. I know better than that.”
With his hands clasped in front of him, Alex shifted his weight, puffing out a small sigh of relief. “Good. Because I’m totally not prepared.”
“Let’s just keep it simple, Ace. It worked the first time.”
He smiled at her as the pastor prompted them to exchange the simple, standard vows and rings.
The ceremony concluded moments later, and Alex pulled her closer for their kiss. The sweet, soft moment, a promise of their new shared life, made her tingle.
As applause rang out around them, they made their way down the aisle and to the reception tent set up nearby.
She and Alex shared a dance as hors d-oeuvres and champagne were served. The soft clink of glasses and guests chattering floated over the strains of the string quartet that played for them.
“Mind if I cut in?” Kyle asked as the music changed.
“As long as you don’t kiss her,” Alex answered.
Kyle swept Ava closer to him with a shake of his head. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
“Nope.” Alex clapped him on the back. “I’ll just be at the gaming station, babe.”
Ava nodded as he shuffled his way to the television screens set up for guests to enjoy classic video games.
“I can’t believe you have a gaming station at your wedding,” Kyle said. “I wasn’t at Dad and Julia’s wedding, but from the pictures it was really stuffy.”
“We’re not exactly Grant and Julia.”
Kyle bobbed his head, his eyes darting around before they finally met Ava’s. “Hey, umm, speaking of Dad and Julia…what was going on when I walked in?”
“Your dad wanted to make sure it was cool that you were staying with us.”
Worry set into the lines on Kyle’s face. “Right.”
“And I told him it was. We like you, Doc. And we like having you here.”
The trepidation melted into a grin. “Awesome. I like being here.”
“Psst,” a voice hissed from behind Ava. “Hello, Ava…you should be throwing the bouquet by now so we can sit down to eat.”
Ava glanced over her shoulder at Sierra, decked in her wedding finery. She’d thrown together the massive event in a blindingly short amount of time and was insistent on making it a success.
“Right,” Ava said as Sierra handed her the flowers.
“I will be in the front on the right.” Sierra offered her a knowing glance and a wink before the announcement went out for single ladies to gather for the bouquet toss.
Kyle shuffled to the side, grabbing a glass of champagne and spinning to watch.
Ava grinned to herself as the women behind her counted down. She lobbed the bouquet behind her, angling it to sail straight toward Kyle.
It smacked into his chest, and he instinctively lifted a hand to bobble it before he grabbed hold of it. His eyes raised to her, his jaw hanging open.
Ava winked at him and nodded while Sierra glowered at him.
“Did you do that on purpose?” Alex whispered as he joined her.
With her eyes still trained on Kyle, she offered him a soft nod. “Yep.”
She glanced up at Alex. “We found our happy. Time for him to find his.”
“You were really serious about that in the hospital, huh?”
“Totally. We’ll need something to do in between gaming. By the way, how’s the set up?”
“Supreme, babe. We may need to add a gaming room onto the house.” He looped her arm around his and led her to the table.
“Aww, but I like our cozy couch setup.”
“Then it stays. What wifey wants, wifey gets.”
“Somehow those words still bother me,” Chris said from behind them.
Ava twisted to face him, a frown forming on her features.
“You look beautiful, Ava. And…happy.”
She winced a little, not looking forward to this conversation as Chris closed the distance between them. Alex tightened his grip on her. “I am happy. And still very sorry about what happened.”
Chris shot a glance over the ocean in the distance as he shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m over it. Mostly.”
“You’ll find your happiness, Chris.”
He huffed out a laugh, his gaze cutting to his shoes. “Yeah, me and all the other guys you’ve left in your wake should form a support group or something. Sebastian wasn’t exactly thrilled with your choice either.”
“He chose not to come,” Alex pointed out.
“Yeah, well, I chose to show up and support Ava. You meant a lot to me. But we weren’t meant to be.”
She leaned closer to kiss his cheek. “That means a lot, Chris.”
He offered her a soft smile. “Any time. Take care of her.”
“I will,” Alex promised. As the man shuffled away, Alex shot Ava a glance. “Please tell me you are not going to also find him a girlfriend.”
“Let’s start with Doc. I think that’s a sufficient challenge for our matchmaking skills.”
Alex grinned at Ava before pulling her into a kiss. “I agree.”
She glanced up at him, her eyes sparkling with affection. “Plus, I think it’s high time we spent some time on us, too.”
“Another thing I agree with,” Alex said as he grabbed two champagne flutes from a passing waiter, offering her one. “To our future.”
She lifted her glass, a smile on her lips and her heart full. “To our forever.”