He finally got it. “Carly, come on. Yeah, I said you’re beautiful. Youare, and you always have been. But we’re the same people we’ve always been, so you’re worrying for nothing.”
She looked uncertain, but then she sighed and smiled at him. “Promise?”
Ignoring the way that smile kicked him in the stomach, he nodded. “I promise. Now, you look fine, so let’s go.”
The ceremony was in the same place as the cocktail mixer, though it had been transformed. There were no tables now, but rows of chairs decked out with white ribbons. The doors were open, so the bride and groom would be framed by the ocean view without having to navigate the sand in their wedding finery.
They sat toward the rear of the room and Noah rested his arm along the back of her chair. It didn’t seem to bother her at all, since it was something he did a lot, and he was grateful for that. He didn’t want things to be weird between them.
“This is gorgeous,” she said, almost whispering. “I might have to rethink wanting to get married on Grandpa’s dock.”
“That’s been your dream for most of your life. You’re just caught up in this place right now.”
“It’s so romantic, though.” She chuckled softly. “And what are the chances I’ll find a guy who won’t mind getting married on an old wooden boat dock?”
“The right guy won’t care where you get married as long as it makes you happy.”
Noah didn’t want to think about that guy. He’d thought about it before—what would happen when there was someother guyin Carly’s life until death did they part—but he hadn’t worried about how that guy would take Noah being a permanent fixture in his wife’s life. Or how that guy would accept Uncle Noah teaching their kids how to ride quads and ski and all the other things he and Carly did together because that was going to happen, whether those kids’ dad liked it or not.
For the first time, as they all stood to watch Emily walk down the aisle to a very emotional Jim, he wondered how it would feel to watch Carly kissing another man after this weekend. To watch her fall in love and eventually walk down her grandfather’s boat dock to pledge her life and love to another man forever, forsaking all others.
Noah didn’t want to be forsaken, dammit.
“You look pretty emotional for a guy who never wants to get married,” she whispered while Sara read a poem.
“Not never. Just not anytime soon.” No matter who he dated, he’d never met a woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and he wouldn’t take that step unless he was absolutely sure. He didn’t think that was a bad thing, no matter how much crap he took for having commitment issues.
The ceremony was short and sweet—though sufficiently romantic, judging by the sniffling and tissue passing around them—and it wasn’t long before Jim kissed his bride. When Noah lifted his arm off the back of Carly’s chair to join in the applause as they walked down the aisle, he realized at some point his hand had stopped dangling off the chair and had been rested on her shoulder, and he tried not to read too much into that.
Obviously her mood from earlier had spooked him. They were the same. Nothing had changed. And once they left the Cape, this would all be behind them and it wouldn’t be weird when Carly dated again. He had to believe that.
For the formal part of the reception festivities, they moved to the large dining room where they’d had breakfast. There were cocktails while the photographer got some shots of the happy couple and the rest of the bridal party on the beach and in front of the wild roses and what felt like an hour’s worth of other locations.
“I’m starving,” Carly said when they had a moment alone amidst the mingling.
“You’re always starving.”
“I like this whole dessert before dinner idea, though. And the drinks aren’t hot pink.”
Noah was a fan of the pink cocktails, but it had nothing to do with the taste. “Jim and Emily were tied up in knots about the reception and clam bake for weeks. The clam bake was important to Emily and her family, but they all wanted the pretty party, too. I think it was Sara who finally suggested they do a quick reception and the cake cutting after the ceremony and then everybody could change and head to the beach.”
“She should have emphasized thequick. Did I mention I’m starving?”
Before he could suggest they sneak off to the inn’s kitchen to beg for snacks, the bride and groom were announced and the reception kicked into high gear.
As they listened to Emily’s father giving a toast, Carly bumped against him and Noah put his arm around her, pulling her close.
There were so many things about this woman he hadn’t noticed before. How perfectly she fit against his body. How soft her hair was against his cheek. The way her smile instantly lifted his mood.
He’d promised her nothing between them would change, but as he rubbed his thumb over her bare shoulder and felt her sigh at the romance unfolding in front of them, he very reluctantly admitted to himself it already had.
Carly was relieved the note included with Noah’s invitation had suggested everybody change into casual clothes for the clam bake at the end of the day. Her fancy sandals had been rubbing the back of her heel and she’d forgotten to pack the lightweight knit shrug she usually wore with the dress when the evening chill began setting in.
Even the bride and groom were in shorts, with cute T-shirts that proclaimedMr.andMrs.in fancy letters across the front.
Dressed in a summer-weight beige sweater and jeans folded up enough so she could bury her bare feet in the sand at the water’s edge while talking books with Emily’s aunt and an old family friend, Carly felt totally relaxed. Nothing was better than fresh seafood on the beach. And with most of the wedding traditions out of the way—though there was an area of the beach for dancing and many calls for the bride and groom to kiss—the atmosphere was more beach party than reception and she was enjoying herself.
So was Noah, judging by the way he kept laughing during a conversation he was having with some guys farther down the beach. He was an animated speaker and she could tell by his hand gestures and body movements that he was telling the story of the summer they taught waterskiing classes for tourists and Noah almost got drowned by a terrified and stronger-than-he-looked ten-year-old boy.
