Page 110 of Wrecked

Shane knocks back the last little bit of his whiskey and stands. He’s dressed in his typical garb—a charcoal suit with a white dress shirt and a gray tie. The only deviation is the little teal hanky poking out of his breast pocket—that was Beth’s idea, so he matches our color scheme.

“I’ll see you shortly,” Shane says, pointing directly at me. “Don’t be late to your own wedding.”

“Funny.”As if.

And then Shane turns his attention to Tyler. “Your job is to make sure he gets to the podium.”

Tyler chuckles. “I think I can manage that.”

Tyler’s dressed in his usual, too, a black suit, white dress shirt, and black tie. He graciously agreed to be my best man. Tyler and I bonded over the fact we’re both gay, and our much younger partners happen to be good friends.

As for Sam, Beth is hisbest woman, and Erin, Lia, and Ian are hisattendants.

“Well, let’s go,” Tyler says as he sets his tumbler on the table and rises to his feet.

I follow him to the door, pausing briefly to study my reflection in the full-length gilded mirror hanging on the wall.I’m getting fucking married today. Reality still hasn’t sunk in.

Tyler clasps my shoulder. “You clean up well, man.”

My tux is black. My shirt is white. And my tie is teal. I’m also wearing a teal cummerbund. In case it’s not obvious to everyone, our colors are black, white, and teal.

We step out of the library and smack dab into the center of sheer chaos. In the foyer, Jake’s wife, Annie, and Beth’s mom, Ingrid, are trying to corral the kids who are participating in the ceremony. Jake and Annie’s twin girls, Emerly and Everly, are the flower girls. Their son, Aiden, along with Beth’s son, Luke, are the ring bearers. Now, this is not these kids’ first rodeos. They’ve participated in a few weddings thus far, so they should do just fine.

Shane stands at the front of the room, up on the platform. He’s holding a small black leather notebook that contains the vows Sam and I wrote. He catches my eye and motions me forward.

“Ready?” Tyler asks.

“Are you having déjà vu?” It wasn’t that long ago that Tyler was here in my place, getting ready to marry Ian. Like me, Tyler was late coming out of the closet.

Tyler smiles as he nods. “Yeah. It seems like just yesterday we tied the knot.” Tyler gestures for me to proceed him into the great room. “Let’s go get you married.”

As I walk down the center aisle, with Tyler right behind me, I gaze out at the many familiar faces watching me. I see a lot of smiles, and even some teary eyes. What Idon’tsee is hatred and condemnation. My throat tightens at the sight of all this support.

I feel a sharp stab of regret—and not for the first time—for all the shit I put Sam through when we first met. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully make amends for some of my actions. I hurt him, time and time again, not meaning to, certainly never wanting to. I was paralyzed by my traumatic past and the fear of being discovered. My trip back home to Sweetwater, and finally getting justice for Cody, put those fears to rest.

I reach the platform and take my place in front of Shane. Tyler stands at my side, a silent, supportive figure.

I’m not used to so many eyes on me. I swallow hard against the knot in my throat.

“Nervous?” Shane asks me.

I give him a curt nod. He can’t begin to imagine how nervous I am.

Shane pats my shoulder. “Just take a deep breath.”

Seated on a stool at the edge of the room, Jonah starts playing some pretty classical music on his acoustic guitar. That’s the signal for the kids to start down the aisle.

First up are the little twin girls with their white wicker baskets of teal rose petals. I didn’t even know roses come in teal, but damn, they do. The last wedding these girls were in didn’t go so well. Their daddy, Jake, had to stand at the front of the room and encourage them to come to him. Jake’s quietly in positionagain, in case he’s needed, but this time, the girls are all gung ho, practically running down the aisle and tossing rose petals every which way.

Sam’s attendants—Beth, Erin, and Ian—are next down the aisle. Beth and Erin are wearing matching pale teal gowns. Ian’s wearing dark gray trousers with a matching pale teal silk shirt.

Finally, Sam appears in the doorway with his mom, Michelle, at his side. Their arms are linked. They make quite a pair, with their matching red hair. It’s clear to see where Sam gets his hair color—Rachel, too.

Michelle’s long, wavy hair is up in a fancy twist with curling tendrils hanging down at her cheeks. She’s wearing a stunning pale teal silk gown.

But Sam is the star of the show. He’s breathtaking. His suit matches mine, minus the tie. His shirt collar is unbuttoned, and he’s got a boutonnière made of teal and cream roses pinned to his lapel. His red hair is down for a change, instead of up in his characteristic manbun. He has a fresh undercut, and the rest of his hair falls in waves just past his shoulders. His eyes are locked on mine, and the smile on his face sayseverything.

Part of me feels like an imposter, because I do not deserve this guy. Why he put up with me for so long, I’ll never understand.