“God, I love you,” I whisper as he pulls away.
We’re both too breathless to say another word, so we just go in for a second kiss.
I think the cheering might scare the whales away.
If not, Queenie bouncing up and down, barking like mad until she’s panting, does it for sure.
But all I can see is Brady’s smile, heart stopping and gorgeous as he stares down at the rest of his life.
“My beautiful wife,” he says reverently.
Smiling, I make a silent promise that I’ll never let him see anything less.
The best day of my life is also the longest.
I wish I had a degree in physics to understand how weddings warp time. The day crawls by, yet it’s also gone in the blink of an eye.
And when I’m done blinking, I’m sharing my first dance with Brady as his wife. Then I dance with Mom and do a quick jig with Elle and Granny Lark.
Queenie finally crashes out from the excitement, sleeping with her paws in the air next to Luis, who brings his Miami energy to the dance floor when everyone else starts tapping out.
Even Dr. Ezzie looks happy as she dances with an older gentleman, an uncle of Brady’s in medicine. My heart purrs to see her with a brand-new work-life balance, free from her crushing juggling act.
The sun shines on until dusk. I still feel like I’m walking on air as it gets dark.
I’m certainly dancing on it.
Best of all, the boat only has to dock in Anacortes at the end of our day to let all the other guests off, and then we’re alone with nothing but a skeleton crew to keep the ship running.
After a quick refueling stop, the ship backs into the night, moving through calm waters under a laughing, bright moon.
The night sky might be our best wedding present.
We have this yacht for the next few weeks. Our plan is to lazily work our way down the Pacific coast through Washington, Oregon, California, and Baja, Mexico, ending our celebration with a few days in Cabo San Lucas.
So many gorgeous sights to take in.
So much of the world to see.
Ifwe can bring ourselves to leave the boat, I mean.
I tell myself that won’t be a problem as Brady unzips the side of my dress, stopping when he sees the corset fit snugly against my skin.
“Damn, Sass. Didn’t know you had so many layers,” he says as I lie down, content on the sun bed outside our room. There’s a heater nearby for warmth, but the cool night feels good on my skin.
I’m so tired I could drift away right now.
“All for suspense. That’s what Gran said.”
“How pissed will you be if I just rip it off?”
I crack an eye and look up at him.
“If you want, we can have sex with it on. Right here. That’ll be a sight for the crew.”
“Thecrew, shit. All this energy must’ve gone to your head.” He nips my neck as he leans over and whispers, “Fortunately, they’re enjoying a late dinner break, and we’re anchored for the night.”
“Mm, well, in that case ...” I tilt my head, giving him better access to my neck. “Just be gentle. This is the most expensive dress I’ll ever own.”
