My mind buzzed with excitement. I couldn’t wait to tell Mags.
Day Six
10:30 AM - 11 AM - Finishing touches and photos
The stunning white dress clung to Faith’s petite form with elegance. It had refined flowers embroidered into the lace. The dress straps supported the sweetheart neckline and extended to an opening that exposed her back. From the waist down a pocketed skirt billowed from the hips and ended with a romantic train. Her long brown hair was pinned up to a wreath as her veil hung behind her. She made a gorgeous bride.
“You’re breathtaking!” Jamie’s mouth dropped.
“I’m going to cry!” Eve sniffled. “Just wait until Asher sees you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at her. “You make a perfect bride.”
“Guys!” She tilted her head back and laughed, showing off her bright white teeth. “You’re too sweet. Thank you all for being here. Your dresses look beautiful.”
Faith did amazing with our dresses. Delicate lace embedded the baby blue fabric, and it hung off the shoulders, exposing our collar bones. It was floor-length and had an effortless flow, which I loved because I wasn’t suffocating. We wore a crown of jasmine, the tiny white flowers glowed perfectly with the blue of the dress. All three of us wore our hair loose in simple curls. All of us, including Faith, were barefoot. This was a true beach wedding, and I loved the simplicity of our looks.
Faith answered a phone call, and after a few seconds she hung up. “Asher and Luca are finished with their photos. Ready?”
We nodded.
“What’s the photo schedule again for this morning?” Eve asked.
Faith smacked her glossed lips together. “Right now, we’re going to do the bridesmaid photos. Then, Asher and I do a first look and couple portraits.” She ticked off her fingers as she spoke. “We’ll do photos of Asher and I with you guys and Luca, and lastly, close family photos.”
“That’s a lot of photos,” I grumbled, grabbing our bouquet.
She laughed and grabbed hers as well.
Faith’s dad hired a florist and the flowers were an inspiring mix of blues and whites.
We stepped onto the beach and the photographer greeted us. She was a middle-aged woman with the sweetest smile. The camera hung around her neck, and she got to work posing us. I stood under the heat of the sun, smiling for my sweet friend. Because there was no way in hell I would do this again.
“Alright, time for the first look! Ladies, go wait with the gentleman over there.” The photographer pointed toward Luca, who’d looked like he’d come out of a fashion magazine. My heart sped up as I stared at the man I knew I loved. “Faith, come with me for a second.” She whisked Faith away.
We walked across the sand over to Luca, and he hadn’t taken his eyes off me. There was something in his stare that wasn’t there before.
Eve nudged my arm with hers. “Is it just me or does Luca seem different?”
I shrugged before I walked straight up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and placed a kiss on his cheek. She was right, he did seem different, but whatever it was wasn’t something bad.
He reached forward and rubbed his knuckle down my heated cheek. “I missed you last night.”
“I missed you more,” I breathed, glancing back toward the beach.
Asher came out and a man faced him toward the crashing waves of the sea. A few minutes later, Faith came back out and walked toward Asher. She looked back at us with a giddy smile before she tapped on his shoulder. Even from back here, I could see them both shaking.
Luca let out a breath as Asher turned around. His reaction to seeing Faith made me tear up. His smile was the kind where you could watch his happiness grow. I could see how it came from deep inside his soul to brighten his eyes and spread into every part of him. A person smiles with more than their mouth, and I heard it in his voice, in the choice of his words and the way he gazed at my best friend.
“You look amazing,” he told her. “You’re always beautiful, but damn baby. This is stunning.” He grabbed her hand and helped her twirl around as he stared at her mesmerized.
She let out a sob of pure excitement as she wrapped her arms around him. “I love you, Asher.”
“I love you, Faith. So damn much. I wish I could kiss you.” He cupped her face in his hands.
“No kissing!” Eve shouted, and they laughed. You could actually see the pain in their eyes from not being able to kiss.
I hoped someone would look at me the way Asher looked at her, like she was everything. I glanced at Luca who was staring at me with his own breathtaking smile. There was something behind it that made me weak in the knees. “What?”
