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I'm watching as Rachelle and Mav are making sure everyone is getting the type of food they want at the reception. It's hard to turn off being an owner of the business that's being represented, but I'm trying.
"Thank you, Kara," Boone says as we all sit together. "This is amazing. I don't think we could've planned a better dinner ourselves. Letting you do it, was definitely the way to go. Thank you for the gift."
"It's my pleasure. I'm really honored I could do it for you. Thanks to my employees who worked late last night, and came to take care of it, while I was doing my duties. They are the real MVP's."
I love that everyone gives them a round of applause and thanks them specifically. They deserve the praise, and I'm so happy to be involved with so many amazing people. "If you didn't see everything we had, there are beef tacos, chicken tacos, steak tacos, burritos, Mexican rice, and I highly recommend the Salsa Verde. I buy it from a little grandmother on the south side of Broken Falls, and it will set your ass on fire, so eat with care. Gabby has provided a beautiful cake that I can't wait for you all to see. She showed me last night while we were setting up." I stop for a moment to gather my thoughts. Because I'm the Maid of Honor, I do owe them a heartfelt speech.
"For those of you who don't know, I met Alexis in college, and I wanted to be like her so much. She grew up way differently than I did. When I met her, it felt like I'd been waiting to meet her my entire life. That's how good of friends we became the first week we knew each other. She was the one who encouraged me to do the taco truck. She helped me every weekend in the dorm room, and marketed for me. No one else had ever believed in me like that, and I knew as soon as she told me she'd met someone that the person she met would have to be just as special as she is. Turns out; he is. Boone, you've raised one of the best men I've ever known. You've done it primarily through force of will and stubbornness." Heidi is here and I don't want to diminish her role as Abel's mother. “You've taken a group of young men, who needed a father figure to look up to, and you've helped them become the people they are now. You selflessly give of yourself, just like Alexis does, and there are not two people who should be together anymore than the two of you." I stop to take a breath. "Alexis and Boone, you two are so loved. I hope you feel it tonight, and I hope the rest of your life is full of happiness and joy." I lift my glass of champagne up.
"Here, here." Everyone lifts theirs up too, and we toast the happy couple.
"God, I guess I gotta go after her." Abel rubs at his face. "That's going to be hard."
"You got this!" Barrett whistles, clapping loudly.
He waves his fingers in acome onmotion as everyone starts beating the table and yelling for him. "Okay, I can do it now." He holds up a hand to quiet everyone down. "Alexis, when you and I had freshman English together, I never knew I'd be calling you Mom."
Jasper spits the drink out he's just taken, and everybody is cracking up.
"I am not your mother, please do not call me your mother." She laughs, holding her hand up to her chest. I admire the engagement ring and wedding band set there, and unconsciously I reach down, rubbing at the bread tie on my finger.
"I mean, you're married to my dad, doesn't that make you my stepmom?"
"He's not wrong." Barrett helpfully points out.
"Anyway," Abel continues, "You've made my dad the happiest I've ever seen him. I waited and waited for him to find someone that would keep him interested. Little did I know, it'd be my high school classmate." He gets another jab in. "But I'm happy for you both. I can't wait to be an older brother, and to see how your relationship grows and changes over the years. I no longer have to worry about him being alone. I've worried about that for years, and now I know, he's going to be loved as much as he loves others. Here's to you two, and the rest of your lives together."
We all raise our glasses to him, but he doesn't sit down like I expected him to.
He waits for everyone to quiet down again. Nervously, he runs a hand through his hair. "I talked to my dad yesterday about saying a few other things here tonight, and he agreed to let me. I respect and appreciate it so much because he didn't need to, but the one thing he's always wanted is for me to be happy. I shared with him a secret." He smiles down at me. "A couple of days ago, I asked Kara to marry me."
Whistles this time, and much hooting and hollering, along with screams from Rachelle, and Heidi. My cheeks heat as I think about the private moment we shared.
"She said yes," he continues, "But it was very spur of the moment, and I didn't have a ring, so if you've noticed her wearing a bread tie on her ring finger, that's why."
"I love it," I insist. "It's special to us."
"Here's the thing." He has a seat in his chair, and turns to face me. "I can't keep letting you wear that. Eventually it's going to rust off, and then how would people know you're spoken for? So, I took the day off yesterday and went on a search far and wide. I had no idea what I was looking for, but Dad assured me I'd know when I saw it. He was right," he whispers.
My eyes go to his hand where he reaches inside the pocket of his dress pants, and comes out with a velvet ring box.
"Abel..." I tilt my head to the side, trying not to cry. "What did you do?"
"I found it in a hole in the wall near Morgantown. When I saw the colors, I knew it was yours. It's Alexandrite." He opens the box.
I gasp loudly when I see what's inside. An oval ring set in rose gold with small diamonds around the band. But it's the gem in the middle that has my heart pounding. In tones of purple and greenish teal mixed together, it's shining in the muted light of the bar. "It's gorgeous." My hand shakes as I reach out for it.
Carefully, he pulls the bread tie off, and then slides the ring on my finger, kissing just above it. "Just like you, Kara. I'm a lucky man."
"Not as lucky as me." I swallow the tears away. Who knew that moving to a college best friend's home town could change your life in less than a year?
Not me, but I'll never doubt what putting your name in a heart on a train trestle in West Virginia symbolizes again.
EPILOGUE
Abel
The day after Valentine's Day has got me feeling worn out, especially considering the way Kara and I celebrated our engagement— again. But the guys and I are meeting for our workout, even though all of us had late nights, I'm sure.
