Where’s Ian?
Filled with the need to share this moment with him, I scan the crowd. I spot him in the third row, and his face lights up as he waves.
I love him.
I love him so damn much.
I have to tell him.
“Dearly beloved,” the officiant begins. “Friends, loved ones, total strangers wandering in from a day of kayaking.”
The audience laughs, and I force my attention to the ceremony. I don’t want to miss a moment of this. “We are gathered here today to witness the joining of this man and this woman in holy matrimony.”
The officiant continues on, and I steal another glance at Ian. His gaze is fixed on me, and I could swear there’s some sort of force field connecting us. How else could I explain what I’m feeling right now? Like we’re connected to each other in a way I’ve never experienced before.
“…romance is a wonderful thing,” the minister continues. “But love—true love—and the desire to love someone for the rest of your life—that’s extraordinary. And that is what we’re celebrating here today.”
I want extraordinary.
And as Ian and I lock gazes across the heads of the crowd, I’m positive he does, too.
Chapter 14
Ian
Sarah looks beautiful.
So does the bride, obviously, but Sarah’s the one who leaves me feeling like someone filled my chest cavity with warm cocoa. It’s Sarah who has me sitting here in this uncomfortable folding chair positive I’m the luckiest jackass in the world.
She’s going to marry me.
I’m smiling like an idiot, and I’m sure everyone around me thinks I’m some super-creepy guy who’s really into weddings. They don’t know this is the first one I’ve attended since college. I’ve avoided them like the plague, uncomfortable around such heartbreakingly hopeful leaps of faith.
But I’m here for Sarah, and damn if she doesn’t make this whole thing worth it.
“At this time,” the officiant says, “Simon and Cassie would like to honor the loved ones who cannot be here with us today to celebrate this moment. Simon’s parents, Melanie and Roger, are watching over this ceremony from Heaven, and I know they’re proud of the woman Simon has chosen to share his life with.” He clears his throat. “Cassie, Simon—are you ready?”
My throat goes dry as the desert as the two of them nod and walk hand in hand to a basket of flowers sitting on a small metal table at the water’s edge. I’d assumed it was part of the decorations, but now I realize it’s something else.
My heart starts to gallop, and I’m not sure why. I’m not sure what’s happening here, but there’s a thrumming in my ears as the musicians shift to a somber-sounding version of a song that sounds oddly familiar. Where have I heard this before?
“Lilies were Simon’s mother’s favorite flower,” the officiant continues. “They were the flowers in her wedding bouquet when she married Roger. And Noel Paul Stooky’s ‘There Is Love’ was their wedding song.”
Oh, Jesus.
That’s how I know it.
This was my parents’ wedding song, the one my dad would play to woo her back every time they had a fight. It worked until it didn’t work anymore, just like their marriage.
My throat feels tight as Cassie plucks a stem from the basket and whispers something to Simon. Resting one hand on his back, she tosses the flower out onto the water.
I can’t breathe.
God, the loss.
The sadness, the pain—it’s too much.
I tug at my tie, wishing I could escape. Shifting my eyes to Sarah, I see her attention is on the bride and groom. Her bouquet trembles, and I know without seeing her eyes that there are tears in them.
