Experienced and attuned to each other as we were, we came together a second time.
Afterward, I held her, heartbeat to heartbeat, while the open window drew the tang of salt through the curtains.
The next day, Ruby stirred at dawn. The mattress shifted, and the air brushed cool where her body had been. My eyes cracked open just enough to see her slipping into a pair of slacks.
“It’s early. Go back to sleep,” she whispered, catching me watching.
Instead, I reached for her, my hand sliding across the bed. “Come here first.”
“I don’t have time,” she said with a sigh, yet still came back and straddled me.
My hands cupped her hips, and she bent and kissed me.
“You’re impossible,” she half-whispered, grinding lightly against my morning erection, only the sheet between us.
“Efficient,” I corrected, murmuring against her neck. “Thirty seconds.”
Her laughter turned breathless as I rolled my hips, teasing, reminding us both what waited for later. Then she pulled back, cheeks flushed, her lip caught between her teeth. “Tonight,” she promised, sliding free.
I let her go, though my hand trailed down her arm, not ready to release her completely.
I worked in Ruby’s cottage all day but kept sneaking for breaks to walk past and watch the preparations take shape. The place ran like a space mission checklist. Caterers unfolded trestle tables and a canopy across the lawn. Lani taped name cards to rows of white chairs set before the small white wooden pavilion—the one I usually glimpsed through Ruby’s office window—now dressed for the ceremony. Bougainvilleas spilled fuchsia petals on the ground next to it and along the deck on the other side of the house.
Evangeline floated in with armfuls of greenery, threading white honeysuckle branches into the arrangements, and the air itself smelled sweet.
Ruby rewarded me with kisses whenever she caught sight of me. We spilledI love you’slike we’d been hoarding them for years.
That night, we kept the promise of the morning, twice. But after her shower, Ruby forbade me from getting closer. “My hair will be messed up, and I need it manageable for the morning.”
Her bronze satin bridesmaid dress and my suit hung side by side in her closet as we turned off the lights and, for once, actually slept.
By golden hour the next day, everything was ready. Ruby stopped by the cottage to get ready and pick me up, after a few hours spent on last preparations and keeping Rio company.
We stepped outside, hand in hand, a real couple, dressed to the nines.
As we reached the lawn, Ruby halted and tugged me to a stop. She smiled up at me, her eyes searching mine.
“It just hit me—you’re my boyfriend. Mine. Official. The real thing. I’ve never had that.”
“By choice.” I smiled.
“Yes, and so is this.” She squeezed my hand, beaming, her eyes matching the teal ocean that stretched close by. “It feels so strange and good and ...” She bit her lip, still smiling. “We should have done it sooner.”
I let out a laugh that made a few heads turn. Pulling her closer by the hand, I kissed her gently, careful not to smear her makeup.
“You’re going to meet so many people tonight, so be prepared,” Ruby said, smiling, her lips close to mine. “I want everyone to meet the man I love.”
“Is he here?” I said, and this time it was her laughter that rang out and drew glances.
We kissed again, then walked into the beautiful mayhem.
Encircled by white canopy tents, the garden and lawn became a luminous hall, where guests milled around with champagne flutes in hand, the chatter rising above the music as more arrived. Lanterns shimmered as the sun lowered, and waiters threaded between clusters of people, carrying trays of canapés. Rio and Owen chose to mingle before the ceremony and moved from group to group, stopping for hugs and handshakes, both glowing.
“Her dress is so pretty,” Ruby said, naming a style I’d never heard of.
After hugging the bride and groom, I was introduced to Walter, Owen’s grandfather, who inspected the bar and declared the whiskey acceptable. Then came a blur of names—Rio’s parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nieces, Owen’s football teammates, Rio’s friend June and her husband Angelo, as well as a few familiar faces like Ruby’s mom, Daphne, and Evangeline.
“It’s true, then?” Alan asked. “You’re Ruby’s ...?”
