“You look beautiful,” he says.
“You truly do, Harp,” Darlene says, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. I point a finger at her.
“No. Don’t you start.” I scold her. “Don’t you dare start crying because then I will start crying and then my mascara will be a mess and–”
“Your mascara isn’t going to run,” she laughs. “It’s waterproof. Trust me, a tropical storm couldn’t take those lashes off.”
I give her a look for the bad reference, and she smiles. Jaylen chokes back a laugh.
“Come on, sis,” he says, taking my hand in his and placing it in the crook of his elbow. “You look incredible. Now, come on, everyone is waiting for you.He’swaiting for you.”
I nod, and my heart speeds up. I smile as Darlene hands me my bouquet. She is already a hot mess. She takes her own flowers and slowly heads down the aisle. I can see everyone from where I am standing, still hidden behind a curtain at the opposite end of the brick path. The beach is in the background, and we are surrounded by flowers. It’s perfect. More than perfect. It’s my dream. But as we walk, my eyes and my heartland on the one thing that truly makes it my dream. Ash standing at the altar, hands clasped together in front of him, his jaw working back emotion as he smiles in my direction. Even from here I can see the steel blue of his eyes, the same tone as the sky and the sea. His beige suit fits perfectly around his toned body. He looks unreal; all of this seems unreal.
We reach the end of the aisle, and Jaylen holds out a hand to Ash. Ash clasps it and then pulls him into a hug.
“Love you, brother,” Ash says.
“Love you too,” Jaylen responds.Damn it, this mascara better be as waterproof as Darlene said it was because the floodgates are about to open.“Take care of her,” Jaylen adds in all seriousness.
“Always,” Ash says. Jaylen plants a kiss on my cheek before passing me off to Asher. The pastor does his thing, and I keep my eyes on Ash. I’m not a fan of being the center of attention, even if it is just in front of an intimate wedding party. Ash keeps his eyes locked on mine; it’s like he’s holding me up. All my strength rests in him as we say our vows.
“If you had told me,” I start, “one year ago that I would be standing on the beach, again, getting married, again, I would have told you to take a hike,” I say, and everyone laughs. “I definitely wouldn’t have believed you if you’d said I would be standing here with this man. I have spent my life not really knowing what love was. Outside of my brother and my best friend, the only reason I knew anything about genuine love is because I knew what love wasn’t. My life hasn’t been easy, but I’ve been stubborn. I made a promise to myself many years ago, when I had just started to learn what it was like to have feelings for another person, that I would save myself for the right person. For marriage. For forever. And while Ash and I weren’t…married per se…when I gave myself to him, I knew it was right. I knewit was forever. I knew it was everything I was waiting for and more.”
I finish my vows with a shaky exhale through smiling lips and teary eyes, knowing full well that I’m going to be even more of a mess when Ash starts talking.
“Harper St. James. Who would have thought? Who would have thought that my best friend’s fiery little sister would become such a beautiful, strong, defiant, infuriatingly stubborn, and yet oh so enticing woman? Not me,” he says, and everyone chuckles. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. What I mean is that I have spent my life watching the perfect love story. My parents, may they rest in peace, had the picture-perfect relationship. I think that as much as it inspired me, it also scared me. Because how do you live up to that? How do I find that? But watching you has made me realize something. You have overcome every obstacle in your life. I’ve watched you get knocked down, face the toughest of times– both you and Jaylen– darkness that neither of you deserved, and yet you just kept moving. You got through it every time. Watching you was like watching a light slowly brighten the room. You are the sun, Harper. You warm the world around you slowly until it’s shining down on everything and everyone around you, and I have been consumed by that light. That I am standing up here right now, about to make you mine forever, blows my mind. It’s like a dream. One I hope I never wake up from. So I promise I will always take care of you. I will nurture that flame so that you don’t have to be strong all the time. I will love you through everything. Never lose your fire, Harper St. James.”
The pastor finishes, but all I hear is the echo of Ash’s words and the promises he’s made. When the time comes to kiss, it fills me with more warmth, intimacy, and reassurance than anything I’ve ever felt. I realize during those five seconds that everything in my life has led up to this.
Our family and friends surround us, congratulating us as Reggie passes out champagne to everyone. We listen to the toasts, sharing laughs and tears. The band gets into place as the caterers serve food to the tables, and Ash takes my hand.
“I think this is our cue,” he says.
“You mean you’re not going to throw her over your shoulder and run off into the sunset?” Darlene asks as we take our place on the dance floor for our first dance as husband and wife.
“Hell no,” Jaylen says. “If my best friend and my baby sister are going to get hitched, the least they can do is party with us.”
“Who knows,” Darlene says. “There could be a storm on the horizon. You might have to steal the bride and run for shelter. Cough, cough, the honeymoon suite.”
Ash and I smile at each other, and he brushes my hair away from my face. “I will always save you from any storm,” he says.
“Except this time, you won’t have to steal me from anyone or anything. I’m already yours.”
Extended Epilogue
Two Years Later
Asher
“Well, look at that,” I say as I put the rental car in park in front of the villa. “The storm didn’t sweep it away.”
“Speaking of storms,” Harper says, pulling her phone out of her purse. “We should probably check the weather app. You know, just to make sure we aren’t reliving our first time here.”
I smile. “I thought that was the point of coming here. A little tribute to the week you fell in love with me,” I tease.
“Correction,” she says, holding her finger up while scrolling the app in search of rain clouds, floods, and other impending weather catastrophes common this time of year in Costa Rica. “You were in love with me.”
“I was lying,” I cut in.
