Everyone laughed at the famous line from the movieThe Color Purplebefore they swarmed around us to congratulate us. We hadn’t wanted a big ceremony. Both Dove and I had more than enough attention from the media to last us a lifetime.
I hadn’t even informed my coaches or anyone in my camp that we were getting married. I didn’t want any news to leak and the media found out. We knew if they learned about it, there would be no end to the coverage from the gossip vlogs.
The weekend we spent on our first date, we immediately talked about wedding plans as we lay in the bed the night of our engagement. The next morning, when the after-sex glow had dimmed a bit, I asked if she was sure that she didn’t want a big wedding. I was surprised the night before when she said that because I thought all women did. She and I were on the same page mentally about what we wanted.
Once we were convinced that we knew what we wanted, we also decided there was no reason to wait. We made plans to return to the cottage at Sorrel Island for our wedding and to hold it right on the private beach.
The only people in attendance were Dove’s parents, Quinton and Sharon, Ivy, Keonte, Myracle, Kandi Grace, Mama Alma, Papa Larry, Wryn, Paloma, my mama, and Noah. We hadn’t told another soul that we were getting married, not even Dove’s staff.
I swept Dove up into my arms, and she whooped and threw her bouquet over our heads. I ran straight for the water, and Dove screamed and laughed as the cold water splashed up all around us, drenching our wedding attire.
She wore an ivory A-line lace wedding gown with spaghetti straps and a plunging V-neckline. I had gotten so full of emotion when I saw her walking down the beach toward me with her sweeping, floor-length skirt.
I had wanted to run my hands down the bodice of her dress that was composed of sheer tulle with floral lace appliqué and embroidery just to cup her beautiful breasts. The luminous pearl embellishments shimmered in the midday sun and gave her a soft, romantic look.
I had opted for an ivory linen suit with a baby blue button-down underneath. I didn’t care about the expensive Italian loafers on my feet, or the fact that I had just ruined the suit I wore, which cost just over five grand. The only thing that mattered was that we were happy.
I stood in the waist-deep water and kissed my wife. I slowly lowered her to her feet and cupped her face in my hands. “I promise that life will always be this surprising, this exciting, and this filled with adrenaline.”
We laughed before we kissed again. Wryn walked to the water’s edge with his pants legs rolled up and played his saxophone as my wife and I slowly danced in the ocean.
“Are you happy with our decisions, Dove?”
She smiled at me.
“Baby, I couldn’t be any happier than I am right now. You have given me everything that I need in this life. If we were to move into that cottage right there and grow old in it, and never do another thing in this life, I’d be happy because I have your love, Reigh.
“It was hard wondering if I would find love and be able to trust someone again after I had been manipulated and lied to. I didn’t want to always be wondering if I did find someone, if they would have my back when times get hard. I know that I never have to wonder about that with you. I have always been safe with you, and I’ve always been able to trust you, Reigh. Nothing has changed.”
“Good. I look forward to a lifetime of love with you, babe. But right now, ya man is looking forward to consummating our marriage.”
She giggled and smacked my wet chest. “We have company. You have to behave.”
“Not really. Did you forget that we bought an entire villa and our little wedding party will be staying there?”
I had purchased a beautiful villa three weeks ago, which was named Sunset, for our vacation home here on the island. It was further down the beach, and the six-bedroom, seven-bathroom villa had an open plan kitchen, separate butler’s pantry, and a dining table that seated eighteen.
The floor-to-ceiling windows provided opulent views of the ocean, only yards away from the water. The main living room and family lounge provided ample opportunities to socialize with family and friends.
There was a pool deck that had a lounge area, a private infinity pool, and sunbeds. The master bedroom had an exclusive upper level complete with a spa-like bathroom en-suite, sitting room, separate his and her walk-in closets, and the guest bedrooms located on the lower level all had their own balcony and private en suite.
There was a rumpus room on the main level for games and entertainment, and plenty of outdoor space that included basketball and tennis courts, gardens, and a boat dock. Our family would be staying in our new house, while we stayed at the old cottage overnight before we flew out to head to Santorini for our honeymoon in the morning. The cottage held plenty of memories for us, not including that was where we reunited, so we wanted to spend our first night of marriage there.
We stayed at the villa for the first time last week. It was something that had been in the works since Dove first told me that she loved Sorrel Island.
“They want to celebrate with us,” she proclaimed against my lips as her hands locked loosely around my neck.
We continued to sway in the water. “Mm, but what about me? I’m hungry, baby.”
“The caterers have set up a beautiful spread on the patio up there.” She bobbed her head toward the house behind us.
“That’s not the type of food I’m talking about.”
“You’re so naughty, Mr. Bloom.”
“And you love me that way, Mrs. Flowers-Bloom.” She laughed hysterically at me calling her that name. She hadn’t wanted to hyphenate her name. She was okay with dropping hers and taking on my last name, but I thought it was beautifuland a wonderful name to pass on to our children, especially considering she was a florist, and our names were what bonded us early on.
She had agreed that it was a great idea and pretty catchy to use for her business. She thought it would put a nice spin on things, especially sounding much better than “Rose the Recker.”
