“Where do you want to get married?” I ask, unable to think of anything else in this moment but renewing my vows to this incredible woman.
“I was thinking about that earlier when I was trying on dresses. Someplace warm.”
Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, I take a guess at her dream location. “What if we got married in Long Caye over New Years? Invite all our friends?”
“I’d love to, but in case you didn’t notice, we have more friends than a two bedroom house will hold.”
“It’s a good thing I built some guest cottages on the island then, isn’t it?” When Preston asked to take Ivory back to Long Caye for their honeymoon last year, I knew we’d have more visitors than we had room for. The island has always been special and I couldn’t think of a better way to pay homage to our memories there than to expand so we could share it with those closest to us.
“You built guest cottages? For what?”
“For all our friends to come visit.”
“You said ‘our friends’. Wait, you can’t build that many guest cottages in less than two months on that island.”
“I told you, I’ve been making moves behind the scenes for a very long time.”
“You’ve been playing chess while everyone else plays checkers.” An amused chuckle falls from her mouth and the urge to taste her is too great.
“I’m ruthless in my pursuit.” I lean down and kiss a trail from her collar bone to her ear.
“What made you so sure it would all work out this way?” she asks, breathlessly when I nip her earlobe.
Pulling back to look into her eyes, I smile proudly. “I had the home field advantage.”
A love like ours wins, every single time.
One Month Later - New Years Eve
The cool sand hits my toes and all the tension leaves my body the second I find Grant staring at me beneath the arch set up on the beach outside our house on our private island. The same beach where we first stood in front of the pier and exchanged vows recited by a boat captain, me in a white sundress, and Grant in simple pants and a white shirt. Today, he’s wearing the same tan suit he wore to Ivory and Preston’s wedding—the day I saw him for the first time again after years apart—and he looks as sinfully delicious today as he did then with his shaggy hair, unbuttoned dress shirt, and that same slutty chain peeking out beneath his collar. The chain that’s empty now because his wedding band is back on his finger where it belongs.
I slide my thumb against the underside of the engagement ring, relishing in the weight of it on my finger as I walk down the aisle to my husband, carrying a bouquet of all the gold-tipped roses he’s given me over the years. Instead of a stranger performing our vow renewal ceremony, what with our marriage still being legally binding and this merely a symbolic union, Daddy Mike stands beside Grant, as the officiant. My brother stands on Grant’s other as his best man.
Miller winks at me when I reach the group of our friends standing in a circle, surrounding us with their love. He’s been onhis best behavior since I was able to convince Chloe to photograph the ceremony, and watching him fall over himself to get her attention is the most entertained I’ve been in my entire life.
Ivory burrows into Preston’s side and kisses his jaw. Chase pulls Gabby into his front and presses a kiss to her temple. They say they’re in no hurry to get engaged or married, but personally, I’d love for it to happen within the next year. I’ve never seen my best friend shine as much as she does with Chase and she deserves the love he gives her for the rest of her life.
Grant reaches for my hand when I make it to the arch, the familiar touch soothing and electric all at once. His eyes devour me, full of love, adoration, and a passionate intensity I can’t wait to explore later when all the festivities and family time are over. For now, I give him a sly smirk and wink as I pass the bouquet to Gabby.
“Well, it’s about damn time, ” Mike starts, making us all laugh.
“And so nice of you to invite us to your affair this time around,” Miller calls from his place in the circle around us.
I cut my eyes in his direction. “You weren’t even in existence the first time, so shut it, Millicent.”
“But we were!” Josh argues.
“I agree with Daddy Mike, it’s about damn time,” Gabby speaks up from behind me.
“About damn time, indeed,” Grant murmurs, tangling his fingers with mine and dragging me closer until my chest bumps against his. “You look stunning in this dress.” The V-neck mermaid dress with a see-through lace corset top and delicate applique skirt hugs my body like a second skin, and with the way Grant is looking at me, I know without a doubt he can’t wait to see it off my body as much as he’s enjoying the view of it on.
“My husband is always hot as fuck.” I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his stumbled jaw.
“Let’s get this show on the road before they give us a show,”Preston says, chuckling as Grant loops his hands around my body and palms my ass.
With Grant’s forehead pressed to mine, Mike reads the same poem from our first ceremony about always being meant to be and another poem that has us all laughing and crying by the end. When it’s time for our vows, Mike steps back and the world falls away as Grant pulls me infinitesimally closer into his body. His amber and rosewood scent mixes with the fresh ocean air, the feel of his forehead on mine, his hands on my body as he holds me tenderly, his breath mingling with mine as he opens his mouth to speak first in a whispered tone only I can hear.
“You have always been mine, and I have always been yours. I’ve never and will never want it any other way. You stole my heart the first moment my eyes met yours and I almost messed up a pitch. You crashed into my life and I was forever changed. I always knew we would end up back here, together. You’re my soulmate, my best friend, my greatest treasure, and my Stella. I’ve loved you every single second of every single day since the day we met, and I will love you for every single second of all the days we have left in this lifetime, the next, and the next after that. There is no world without you in it, Tay baby, and I cannot wait for the rest of our lives.” A tear falls from Grant’s lashes when he finishes.
