“I love you, sweetheart. I’m very proud of the woman you’ve become!” He held his glass up, and we followed suit, toasting to his speech. The wine was bitter but went down easy. I was most definitely a beer man.
I must’ve made a face because Mags gave a light laugh as she stared at me.
“Enjoy your meals. After dinner we are going out to the beach to run through the sequence of the wedding.” He smiled before taking his seat.
“Are you all ready for the wedding?” Jamie asked.
Eve grabbed her drink and swirled the wine around. “I’m excited for Faith and Asher to finally get hitched.”
Mags giggled. “I am too. It’s about damn time.”
I nodded in agreement with the girls. “Have you guys been in a wedding before?”
John nodded. “My best friend was married last year. I was his best man.”
“And I was a bridesmaid for that wedding,” Jamie said.
Eve and Mags shook their heads.
“Well, hopefully, there won’t be much to it.” I took a bite of the creamy pasta they put down in front of me. “Fuck, that’s good.”
“It really is though. I ordered the same.” Mags shoved a forkful into her mouth.
I chuckled. She was something else. About an hour later, I was stuffed. The food was delicious, and I loved every bite. We followed Joseph to the beach to rehearse for tomorrow. You could feel the buzz of happiness radiating off of my cousin and best friend. Their love was blinding.
The warm evening air hit me as we stepped onto the sand. The orange-gold on the horizon stretched far and wide. The resort had been set up for the ceremony in the morning with bright white chairs lined in rows, leaving an aisle way open with a white stretch of fabric laid out. An archway made of sea-shells and some kind of wood stood at the front of the aisle way. I glanced over at Mags whose eyes were wide as she gazed around the beach.
“This is breathtaking,” she said. The color of the sunset rested on her skin, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. “Luca?” Her eyes found mine.
I smiled and shook my head.
Joseph waved over Asher’s uncle. “This is Victor. He will be the officiant.”
Victor grinned and waved. “I’m Asher’s uncle. Let’s do a rundown of this ceremony so we can focus on just celebrating tomorrow.”
The next hour, we rehearsed the ceremony. It took at least five times until we got it right, and then we had to do it two more times. Asher and Victor would go stand underneath the arch, the parents of the bride and groom walked down the aisle, the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk down and took their spots, Mags and I would walk down being that we were the maid of honor and best man, and then Faith and her dad walked down the aisle. Once Joseph gave Faith away to Asher, they did their vows, exchanged rings, and kissed. It was pretty simple, but I understood that this was their wedding, and they wanted it perfect.
“Thank you, everyone!” Faith gripped Asher’s hand tightly. “I am so excited for tomorrow. Thank you all for being a part of our special day.”
“We will see you all tomorrow. Enjoy your night,” Asher said.
Mags and Eve threw themselves at Faith. “Say goodnight, you two. You will see your bride tomorrow.” Mags stuck her tongue out at Asher.
I chuckled. “Well, he’s mine tonight. Although, I don’t get why you’re not doing a bachelor party.”
“Or a bachelorette party!” Mags whined.
Faith and Asher shook their heads.
“We don’t want one,” Faith said. “We just want to relax with our friends and get married tomorrow.”
Asher nodded. “That’s exactly what we want.”
I scrunched up my nose. “Your love disgusts me.”
He chuckled and started whispering to Faith.
Mags wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a soft kiss. “I’ll miss you tonight.”
