It was a perfect day for a wedding on the beach. The blazing sun already had the temperature in the high eighties, but the cool breeze blowing in off the Atlantic made the August heat bearable, even pleasant for the few barefooted guests. At eleven o’clock, it was still early enough that the beach was just beginning to get busy. The soft rhythmic sound of the waves, punctuated with seagull cries, made the perfect backdrop for the exchange of undying love.
The bride had just finished her vows to love, honor, and cherish her new husband. As the minister turned to the groom, a large group of seabirds landed a short distance down the beach, but nothing could capture this groom’s attention. He was riveted on his new bride, and World War Three breaking out behind him couldn’t make him look away.
When finally given permission, Mitch gently dipped Maggie and, much to the delight of the crowd, gave her a slow, sensual kiss, stopping only when he heard Mr. B. yell, “Save it for the honeymoon, son!”
Laughing, he carefully righted her, and they turned to face their friends and family, hand in hand, all smiles, as newlyweds. Her white, beaded dress fit like a glove andshowed a slim, toned figure. Mitch and Maggie were the only two that knew her slender stomach wouldn’t stay that way for long. He squeezed her hand, excited for what was to come.
It had been a little over a year since Mitch had declared his love for Maggie and made the decision to woo the hell out of her. He’d spent every day since then wooing like nobody’s business.
They’d gone all of three weeks before moving in together. And another three before getting engaged. At the time, it seemed to be happening too fast, yet not fast enough. They were excited to get on with life, together.
Once Mitch finally let go of the guilt and bitterness he’d been allowing to rule his life, he slid naturally back into the easygoing, happy guy he’d been before the shooting. Losing Jimmy had left a chip on his shoulder and a hole in his heart. Maggie helped relieve the burden and fill the void.
Talking with Adam had also helped. During the few weeks after Manuel’s death, when he’d been avoiding Maggie and trying to get his shit together, Adam had been a relentless, ass-kicking cheerleader.
He would say they were just friends, but Mitch highly suspected he’d been “treated” by the good doctor as well. Adam was so good at it, though, Mitch couldn’t tell for sure. Whatever it was, friendship or being “shrinked,” a few heart-to-hearts with Adam helped him get back into the game of life and to where he needed to be to give Maggie all she deserved.
“You seem way too good for my little brother,” Mitch’s brother Johnny teased as he leaned in to hug Maggie.
“Sheisway too good for me. I was hoping she wouldn’t notice. Thanks for bringing it to her attention, dumbass.” He slapped his brother on the arm good-naturedly. Johnny laughed and hugged him, too. Before pulling away, he whispered in Mitch’s ear, “It’s good to see you back, man.”
The line of people waiting to give hugs andcongratulations was winding down. They’d kept the invitation list to family and close friends, but Maggie’s family alone meant a large crowd. Mitch’s mom, all four of his brothers, his LT, Adam, and Mr. B. were all that represented the groom’s side.
Maggie’s mom, Grace and Mitch’s mom, Abigail had connected like long-lost friends, and as mothers of the bride and groom, were happy to the point of giddiness. A couple of glasses of wine had helped some, too.
“Okay, so tell me again who’s who, but point them out this time.” Grace was still trying to get a handle on her new son-in-law’s family.
“All right. The one that just hugged Mitch is Johnny. He’s the ER doctor and lives here in the city.” Abigail scanned the crowd for the others.
“There, over by the bar, of course, are the other three. Sam, on the left, is my oldest. He does something with computer software, although, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what. He lives in Washington State. The one in the middle is Jake. He’s a state trooper and also lives in Washington. And the one on the right is Alex. He lives here in the city and is a firefighter.”
“They’re all so handsome,” Grace said, fluttering her hand in front of her face.
“I think so, but then, I’m biased. Their daddy was a hunk.” She winked.
“You must miss the two who live on the West Coast.”
“I do. I visit once or twice a year, and they come home a lot, so it’s okay. Since they’re all still single, it’s easy to get them for the holidays, but that will probably change soon. Sam has mentioned a lady friend, but I haven’t heard the whole story on that yet.”
“Oh, yes, we’ll have to share Mitch and Maggie now, won’t we?”
“I’ll try not to hog your daughter, but after all these boys, I am rather excited to spoil her. Oh, and all bets are off whenthe grandbabies come!” Abigail said with a laugh.
Grace leaned in close and whispered, “I’m pretty sure that will be sooner rather than later.”
Abigail looked over at Maggie. “You mean?”
“Ithinkso. She hasn’t said anything, but I know my baby. She may not even know yet, but there’s something different about her. We’ll see.”
“Oh, my. This day keeps getting better and better.” Abigail blotted at her eyes.
***
“So,Dr.Jackson, how’s it going over at HQ?” Lieutenant Brown tugged at his collar, clearly unaccustomed to the suit and tie he’d worn for the special occasion.
“Not too bad, LT. So far, so good.” Adam shook hands with his old boss and slapped him on the shoulder.
Mitch and Adam had both been assigned to admin leave after the shootings at Manuel’s hideout. The standard procedure gave them each the time they needed to make some life changes.
