If I’m going to keep living here, I need to find some new version of myself that provides value to this island.Some people aren’t made for civilization.Tom’s voice rattles in my skull. Who do I think I’m kidding?
We reach the acreage and unload everything we bought. Sid runs ahead to get the guys to help with carting furniture into the house, while I guard the pile. After a minute, a chorus of shouts reaches my ears, indistinct but excited. Sid’s sharp bark punctuates them,notmatching the jovial tone of the others. I take a few steps to the right and crane my neck so I can see down the hedge row that leads into the acreage. James is running towards me, waving what looks like a flag in in one hand and wearing something on his head. Horns? Yes, that’s exactly what they are. Bright red, bedazzled devil horns, attached to a hairband.
“There’s the lady of the hour! I’ve brought your headdress.” James holds out the item I mistook for a flag, though I still can’t tell what it is. Not until James pushes back my curls and ties the white fabric behind my ears.
A veil. He cut up a pillowcase to make me a wedding veil.
And running after him, roaring like an avalanche, is Sid, trailed by Wendell, who’s trying to force him to put on a plastic top hat. Behind them are the other boys, dying with laughter.
“Leave her alone! She doesn’t want to deal with you!” Sid yells.
“Oh, come on. You two can’t do something so brazenly stupid and expect us not to celebrate it.” James spins me around, grabbing each of my shoulders so that all I can see is his magazine-worthy smile. “What do you say, Kayla? Silas splurged for a couple bottles of real wine. Carlos even attempted to bake a cake.”
“It’s not an attempt, it’s a cake! A pound cake,” Carlos protests, his indignation a little less effective since he’s sporting a baseball cap with a spinner on it.
“A real, honest-to-goodness cake. I think we’ve got ourselves a wedding!” James throws his arms out and the boys cheer. Every one of them is wearing some sort of ridiculous headgear: Silas has a Santa hat, Wendell is in a pink fedora, and Young Tom has a pair of ears I recognize as belonging to Mickey Mouse, thanks to picture books. The brothers DomBert are in a spikey green crown and a foam maple leaf.
“She hasn’t even had a chance to tell her sister!” Sid yells.
“Well, it’s a little late for that.” James shrugs, like he knows he technically screwed up, but doesn’t care.
“April knows?” Shit. I’d been hoping she was still at school and I would have a chance to gather my thoughts before confronting her. How much time did Sid and I spend dicking around at the exchange? I really need to learn how to tell time.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Didn’t know it was a big secret.”
“Then where is she?” Not in the… wedding party?
“Back at the house. I think she wants to talk to you about it,” says James, as if this is all perfectly normal. Nothing to worry about. “But shedidaccept a flower crown.”
“Well… at least I don’t have to think of a way to bring it up.”
“See? That’s the attitude! You are going to be so good for him.”
“James. Leave her alone.” Sid is still fending off thehat, which bears the wordsHAPPY NEW YEARin gold lettering. Seriously, this is so—wait.
A grin springs onto my face as I catch onto the vision. “This was so thoughtful of you!”
Sid’s rage shifts to pale-faced terror as he realizes what’s about to happen. “Don’t you dare gang up on—”
“Are you going to play your guitar for our first dance?” I ask James.
“I will serenade your love until the stars fall from the heavens.” He bows and plants a kiss on my wrist. I have never been so thrilled to see Sid’s face burning with irritation, a feeling which grows sweeter when he lets Wendell cap him with the top hat. Really, he should thank me. Someday, when we’re divorced, he’ll look back on this moment and feel nothing but sweet relief that I’m out of his life.
But I’m here now. I’ve got two years to leave my mark.
“All right, groomsmen! We need to haul the bride’s dowry into the building. Hup, two!” James claps his hands and the younger boys holler, rushing to help.
I take this as a cue to lace my arm through Sid’s, so he can escort me. “Shall we, husband?”
“I thought we just talked about this. Not performing for each other?”
“Youtalked about it. Besides, we’re doing it for your boys. If they want to throw a party, I say why not?” I turn a cheeky grin up to him. “In fact, it would be far more unnatural for me to pretend not to want this.”
“Youwantthis?”
“Of course I do! There’s cake. I’ve never had cake! You aren’t going to deny me my very first cake, are you Sid Charles? On my wedding day?”
“Fine!” He falls into step next to me. “How long are you expecting me to wear this thing?”
