I choked. “Okay, that’s going in my vows.” They cackled harder, completely unhinged in the best way.
Colette wiped a tear from her eye, then cleared her throat gently, drawing our attention back to her. She reached for three more glasses and glanced toward Ivy and Lucy.
“For the women standing beside her,” she said, voice lightening but still laced with emotion, “a single sip to seal the pact.”
She poured with ceremony, placing one glass before Lucy, one before Ivy, and one for herself. The light from the window caught the pale gold wine as she lifted her own, holding it out between us like a talisman.
“To the sisters of the bride,” she said. “By blood or by bond. May your feet stay dirty and your hearts stay full.”
We clinked gently, four glasses catching the light like a spell being cast, and drank together. The blend shimmered on my tongue, brighter now, sweeter in their company. Colette toppedall of us off before corking the bottle again, the moment sealed like magic in a bottle.
“To Aurélie Dubois,” Ivy toasted. “May she always be surrounded by people who worship the ground she walks on, and know better than to take your light for granted.” Ivy lifted her glass again with a grin that barely masked the emotion behind it.
She paused, and my eyes flooded with tears. Ivy had always seen, literally and metaphorically. From the moment we met, when she caught me and Callum pressed against a door ready to throw caution to the wind. And from that moment on, I knew she’d protect me. She could’ve run off and gotten a nice paycheck for discoveringthatstory—Formula 1’s champion fornicating with the troublemaking rookie—but all that mattered to her was taking care of me.
“To the kind of love that doesn’t dim you, butmatchesyou. The kind that finds you when you least expect it and holds you through hell and home again. The kind where you count down the minutes ‘til you see them again, even when they just left… or when you’re sneaking off to fuck them against a paddock building in Barcelona.”
Colette nearly spat her wine, and Lucy lookeddeeplyimpressed.
Meanwhile, my jaw dropped, becausedid she read my mind? Sometimes I was convinced we shared a brain, but really, it was the fact that we were friend soulmates. Written in the stars, charted in the constellations, and fated for us to change the fucking world together.
“You found your soulmate, Frenchie,” Ivy finished, soft and sure. “You fucking found it.”
A beat passed.
Then Ivy raised her glass again with a wink. “And may you always be surrounded by dick aura from magical weenie moments.”
Another wholesome giggle-fest exploded between us.
Ivy dabbed the corner of my mouth with her thumb, mouth curling into a wicked grin. “I see Scottie figured out how to get you off without ruining your makeup. Husband material confirmed.”
A giddy laugh escaped me.
Lucy leaned in, eyes wide with scandal. “Wait… you had an orgasm?”
“Can’t you tell?” Ivy said, tossing her hair. “Look how relaxed she is.”
Lucy blinked rapidly, raking her eyes over me like I was a puzzle she was trying to solve. “When did you have time for that? It always takes me forever.”
I leaned in and kissed her cheek, heart flipping for this poor, deprived girl who somehow managed to fill a missing space in our group like she’d always belonged. “Chérie,” I murmured, “when you find a man who knows what he’s doing, it doesn’t take that long.”
“Oh my God,” Ivy deadpanned. “I cannot wait to corrupt her.”
Lucy went slightly pale. “That sounds scary.”
“Okay,” Colette interjected, voice thick with emotion. “As much as I love seeing a healthy girl gang, I do believe Aurélie Dubois is due at the altar. Give me a few; I’m going to meet Marco and Kimi to make sure they know what to do. Men, I swear.” She rolled her eyes, blew us a kiss over her shoulder, and then flounced down the front steps, straight to the olive grove.
Lucy picked up her guitar, which I hadn’t noticed was leaning against the bar. “Let’s go make smart choices.”
I snorted.
“Not a chance, Songbird,” Ivy said with a wicked grin.
“Smart choices are advised,” I added solemnly, “but rarely heeded.”
I grabbed my bouquet as we filed out of the tasting room in silence, the laughter still clinging to our cheeks, fading slowly into a romantically quiet hush. My handwritten vows were tucked beneath the stems, the ribbon securing both them and his ring. It felt like carrying the past and future at once.
We walked side by side with me in the middle. The short train of my dress dragged behind us, and somehow, the feeling of it gathering earth made me feel… rooted. Like this land was wrapping itself around my ankles and blessing me.
