Chapter 53
Jamie welcomed the riot of emotions running wild inside him. The crazy excitement made him feel alive. Riding a roller coaster of exhilaration was a lot like a rodeo.
Rebecca was at his side. Her face was animated. Her cheeks were rosy, and she graced everyone she spoke to with a warm smile.
He admired her outfit, storing away a detailed memory of the semi-formal tea-length dress. How did he know what the length was called? Because he listened when she rhapsodically described the dress to him. The stylish form-fitting dress with three-quarter illusion sleeves enhanced by a beaded lace applique was elegantly sexy.
What he liked best was how the illusion top revealed her bare shoulders and the way the material hugged her ass.
He wasn”t the only one with a fantastic rear view.
Remy”s closest friend, Domineau Rivera, soon to become Mrs. Rafael D”Alessandro, appeared at the top of the grand staircase. Gabriella Bisset, Remy”s sister and maid-of-honor, glided down the steps and joined her parents.
Rebecca cooed, ”Domineau looks ah-mazing!”
”She”s tipsy,”he chuckled close to her ear.
”How can you tell?”
”Look at how she”s gripping the railing.”
His lover giggled and gently elbowed his side. ”Is there anything you don”t notice?”
”Shh! She”s about to speak.”
In true Domineau style, the legendary female badass silenced the gathered crowd with a loud, shrill whistle that bounced off the walls.
”Eyes up here,”she shouted.
How could he describe the unfolding scene?
Without doing a head count, Jamie guessed there were dozens of adults plus a half dozen Junior Justice schoolagers and a dozen babies and preschoolers milling about in the lavishly decorated front hall awaiting the end of the bride and groom portion of the reception.
The Justice inner circle was now his and Rebecca”s Arizona family. By sheer luck, they were all in one place. Alex was right when he said there was no time like the present.
Everyone looked up at Domineau. Her eyes swept the gathering, andthen she announced loudly, ”Piper Heidsieck aught-two sponsors the following announcement.”
Referencing the crazy expensive champagne”s vintage in a cheeky nod to her inebriation earned a ripple of laughter from the crowd.
”Here”s the deal,”she continued. ”The bride and groom will be along in a moment to do the ceremonial tossing of the bridal bouquet.”
Domineau reached into the corset bodice of her rose-colored jumpsuit and whipped out a piece of paper that she unfolded with a flourish. She chuckled and said, ”Remy made a list of those eligible to participate in the flower toss.”
Everyone laughed—including him.
”To be considered, you must be over eighteen and presently unmarried. Engagements don”t count, and I”m exempt because I”m getting married before the end of this month.”
She cleared her throat. ”Step forward when you hear your name,”she proclaimed with a grin.
“Gabriella Bisset——front and center. Blaze Glory—you”re next. Lisette D’Alessandro, get on up there.”
Lisette was Rafe D”Alessandro”s free-spirited and slightly eccentric mother. When the colorfully dressed woman heard her name, she gave an exuberant yip and moved forward to stand with the others.
”And lastly, Becca Tate.”
He felt Rebecca jolt. ”Wait, what?”
”Join the other unmarried ladies,”he quickly urged her. ”It”ll be fun. Just try not to elbow the senior citizen in the face when you reach for the bouquet.”
He gave her an encouraging shove that got her reluctant feet moving, then rubbed his hands together.
Things were going as expected.
Kori joined him. Her face was lit with happiness. She asked, ”Does she have a clue?”
”None,”he chuckled.
His answer made her smile bigger. They covertly fist-bumped.
Remington Bisset, now Mrs. Finn O”Brien, appeared at the top of the staircase. She carried a mini-version of her bridal bouquet. She spoke to Domineau, who threw her head back and laughed.
Finn came next, hurrying along as if he”d lost his place in line. He smoothed a hand down his tie and buttoned his suit jacket.
Jamie thought the guy looked as happy as he did, stressed. The newlywed couple had much on their shared plate—marriage was just part of it. He wished them well as they navigated the surrealness of their new lives.
Finn addressed the wedding guests first. He pointed to his parents and Remy”s. The two beaming couples stood side-by-side at the bottom of the stairs.
”Shout out to the ”rents,”he declared in a happy boom. ”This whole day has been amazing. Thank you.”He tapped his hand over his heart and hollered, ”Gabby, where you be?”
”Oh! That”s me!”Gabby exclaimed. She raised her hands, said, ”Wooty woot!”and spun around.
”You have a future in event planning,”Finn told her, giving her a thumbs-up. Thank you for making us look good.”
As Finn and Domineau clapped, everyone joined in.
Jamie didn”t know Gabby —she came to Bendover for the summer with the rest of her family for her cousin Jace”s wedding. She seemed nice enough, although very different from her sister. Gabby was what he”d call high-maintenance, whereas Remy came from the nothing-to-see-here branch of the family. In an oddball twist nobody saw coming, the Kardashian-esque woman who came to Arizona without jeans and sporting fake nails was reportedly linked to Meghan and Finn”s older brother—a Paul Bunyan type from the Pacific Northwest. It was complicated and confusing as fuck. A liaison between the unlikely pair was also amusing.
He didn”t judge because he and Rebecca were also an unlikely couple.
Finn held his left hand out and looked at it. ”Oh my god! Can you believe she put a ring on it?”His full-throated laugh resonated through the hall.
”Okay, Finn,”Alex called out. ”We get it. Now shut up and bring forth the bride.”
”Remy! Remy! Remy!”The crowd chanted.
Remington Bisset O”Brien had been standing off to the side. When her wedding guests demanded she show herself, Jamie saw her steel herself before stepping into the spotlight for her part in this end-of-wedding ritual.
Domineau waved her hands and made everyone except the small party of official single ladies move out of the way. She snickered, ”There is no bouquet toss do-over, so get ready.”
To Jamie”s amusement, Blaze led the way with a few chuckle-inducing stretches. Rebecca hiked her dress up to mid-thigh and did some lunges. Gabby kicked off her shoes to throw down with some jumping jacks. Rafe”s mom, Lisette, broke out some toe touches.
Beside him, Kori giggled. She mock whispered, ”I have Pheebs shooting video with her phone.”
Briefly touching the ring box in his pocket, he took a deep breath and counted back from one hundred.
* * *
Gabby turned to Becca.”You know I”m going to fight you for this bouquet, right?”
She laughed. ”Just me? What about the other two? You gonna fight them, too?”
”Blaze is spoken for, and Lisette has a dim view of marriage.”Gabby dismissed the two with a wave. ”This is between you and me.”
They eyeballed each other like professional wrestlers performing for an audience—and it was hilarious. She and Gabby broke character at the same time and started laughing.
Remy was speaking, but Becca wasn”t listening. All she could think about was how this was her first and probably last chance to catch a bridal bouquet—and despite some initial foot-dragging, she wanted it. Bad.
Domineau spun Remy around and yelled, ”Give it a go!”
Becca saw Remy”s arm rise over her head and let go of the mini-bouquet. It flew in a perfect arc, dropping within easy reach. In the end, there wasn”t any contest between her and Gabby, who was barefooted. All she had to do was stretch on her toes and pluck the flowers out of the air.
Triumph!
Waving the bouquet like a trophy, Becca smiled happily and smooshed her face into the flowers. They smelled glorious.
The ladies rushed her. A hundred selfies happened. She accepted their mockery and congratulations.
Kori had joined her for a hug. She gushed over the beautiful bouquet.
In the periphery of Becca”s vision, she saw Finn escort Remy down the staircase. When they reached the bottom, Remy was engulfed by family while Finn turned to speak to someone.
That someone was Jamie.
Her curiosity piqued, Becca pivoted to watch their interaction. What were they saying to each other?
She saw Finn laugh and then smack Jamie”s back. They shook hands. Then, the smiling bridegroom called out to his bride. Remy joined them, and it looked like he was explaining something.
Suddenly, Remy put a hand to her throat and gasped. She turned to Jamie and hugged him. They spoke for a moment, laughed, and hugged again.
”Curiouser and curiouser,”Becca mumbled.
”What is?”Kori asked.
”You heard that?”
Becca”s question was met with rolled eyes and a shaking head. ”I”m standing right here. Sheesh!”
”Six-year-old you wouldn”t have noticed. Twelve-year-old you, however, seems to hear everything.”
”Imagine what I”ll be like at sixteen!”
Ach! Sixteen? Becca didn”t want to think about Kori in grown-up terms. Time moves way too fast when you”re a mom.
There was a second wave of activity as the newlyweds headed to the exit. She waved, shouted good wishes, and blew a dozen kisses.
Jamie came to her side and put his arm around her waist. Together, they threw custom confetti shaped like shamrocks, musical notes, and hearts.
Emotion welled in her chest as the newly married couple and their respective parents left the reception hall and proceeded along a long walkway to a waiting limousine. She silently asked all the heavenly spirits to bless their union.
”Where are they going? Do you know?”Kori asked.
”Destination unknown,”Jamie answered. ”Top secret—but we”ll meet up with them in Florida a week from now.”
”For Domineau”s wedding,”Becca added.
”Lots of weddings,”Phoebe interjected. ”It”s pretty cool.”
Kori grinned.”I know, right? And ya know what makes it cooler? All the cash I make from babysitting because of the parties and stuff.”
Kori and Pheebs fist-bumped and chuckled in unison. ”Oh yeah!”
”Kid, I applaud your entrepreneurial endeavors,”Jamie teased. It”s good to know you”re an option should I need ten bucks.”
The girl laughed as if the man was doing a comedy bit.
”So, what happens now?”Kori asked. ”Is the party over?”
Becca noticed some silent communication passing between the man glued to her side and her daughter.
What was that about?
”This is when things get wild,”Jamie drawled. ”Now that the bride and groom are gone, nobody has to behave. Think of it like an after-party.”
As if on cue, an army of kid minders, overseen and supervised by Mrs. Allen, Stephanie and Calder”s nanny, converged on the gathering, sweeping up all the babies and toddlers.
Everyone returned to the reception hall within a short time, where the DJ kept things rocking. Allowed to party with the adults—even if just for a short time—the group of kids between the ages of almost fiveandtwelve, referred to as Junior Justice, took over the dance floor.
Jamie steered Becca to the sidelines. They spied an open door leading to one of the terraces simultaneously. Holding hands, they snuck out of the room and into the night.
”You”re incredibly beautiful by moonlight.”
His words made her feel melty. She brushed her fingers down the lapels of his suit. ”I”ve loved every moment of this trip.”She didn”t mean to sigh, but she did. ”I don”t want it to end.”
The gleam in his eyes turned to a fiery flare. His sudden intensity made Becca quiver.
He took her face in his hands. ”I know a way to make it last forever.”
Forever sounded oh, so right.
The tender moment was perfect. Becca said the words without hesitation and felt them become part of her soul.
”I love you.”
”Enough to last forever?”he asked with his lips barely an inch from hers.
”Yes, Jamie. Forever and ever.”
When their mouths melded, she gave herself to the most glorious kiss. So glorious she heard her heart sing.