“…thanks to your grandma’s recipes, God rest her soul,” Creek added. “That woman was a goddess in the kitchen.”
“…I would like to invite you all to something special,” I continued undeterred. “As you know, I asked all of you a few months ago to keep the twenty-first free on your schedule.” I shared a smile with Forest, who leaned in and put his head against my shoulder. “Forest and I will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary by redoing our vows in front of our loved ones. That’s all of you, plus a few others.”
I paused, taking in the expressions of surprise and delight on everyone’s faces. Creek reached over and clapped me on the shoulder. “Fuck yeah, man. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“I call dibs on best man,” Tameron said, grinning. “Unless Creek wants to fight me for it.”
Forest shook his head. “He can’t because he’ll be my best man…”
Creek’s mouth dropped open, completely in shock. Had he truly not expected this? “Forest…” he finally said, his voice breaking.
“I’m inviting Mom and Meadow too, but I want you to stand with me,” Forest said. “Please.”
Creek got up so quickly that Heath only prevented his chair from toppling over by doing a wild grab. And then Creek was hugging Forest, mumbling things I couldn’t hear but didn’t need to.
When he returned to his seat, he was wiping his eyes and so was Forest. Rebuilding their relationship had taken time, and it still wasn’t always easy, but they loved each other, and they’d get there.
Forest had already talked to Dax, worried he’d feel hurt if he asked just Creek, but Dax had been fully supportive. He’d gotten to be there the first time, and now Creek would have the honor to be Forest’s best man the second time.
“And no, Tam, you can’t have dibs on being my best man…because I will have three. You, Bean, and Dayton. You’ll be my groomsmen.”
I couldn’t keep the sheer joy out of my voice. The thought of standing up in front of those we loved and declaring my love for Forest, of promising to be his for the rest of our lives, brought so much gratitude that it made me almost giddy.
“That means a lot to me, Nash,” Dayton said, sending me a warm nod.
Bean and Tameron looked at me, then at each other, and smiled. “It’ll be our honor,” Tameron said on both of their behalves, now dead serious.
“Please tell me you’re picking some godawful tie color for them to wear,” Creek said. “Like peach or lemon-yellow orsomething. What?” he said when Heath elbowed him. “It’s part of being a groomsman, isn’t it?”
Tameron sat up a little straighter. “Are we also responsible for your stag night?”
“Stag night?” Dayton snorted. “I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but they’re already married.”
“We’ll pretend,” Creek said. “It’ll be fun.”
I rolled my eyes. “Another reason why I didn’t want Creek in charge. I’m not sure we’ll survive a stag night he organizes.”
That triggered the next round of jokes and laughter, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“What’s the plan for the day?” Jarek asked when things had calmed down again.
“It’ll be a small affair,” I said. “But since none of you were able to attend the first time, we wanted to have a do-over with all of you.”
Forest lifted his head from my shoulder. “We want to do it right this time. On the beach where we had our honeymoon, surrounded by the people who matter most to us. It won’t be anything big or fancy, but…”
“But it will be perfect,” I finished, squeezing his hand. “Because it’s us. Because it’s real.”
The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. Real. This was real. What Forest and I had was real, and it was time to celebrate that in front of the people who mattered most to us.
I looked around the table, taking in the faces of our chosen family. Creek, who had been there for me through thick and thin, even when we didn’t see eye to eye. Tameron, who had battled his demons and won, only to show me how it was done. He understood the weight of the things we’d seen and done. Bean, who had taught me the true meaning of resilience and grace. Dayton, whose steady friendship and support had come to meanso much to me. And Jarek and Heath, who had become an integral part of this family.
My gaze finally settled on Forest, my heart swelling with a love so fierce it nearly took my breath away. He met my eyes, his own shining with unshed tears. Happy tears. Tears of gratitude and joy and overwhelming emotion.
I lifted our joined hands to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles. “I can’t wait to marry you again,” I murmured, my voice thick with feeling.
Forest’s smile was radiant, lighting up his entire face. “I can’t wait either.”
I leaned in and kissed him, not caring that we had an audience. Let them see how much I loved this man, how grateful I was to have him by my side.
