Page 75 of Love Everlasting

“Sam!” She jolted straight up in the dory, slapping a hand to her eyes while her stomach whirled like an eddy in the river. “What on earth are you doing?” she rasped, peeking through two fingers in case he planned to remove his trousers as well.

He grinned as he whipped off his belt, neatly coiling it before placing it on the seat of the chair. “Versace alligator—stiff price, but worth every penny.”

A knot ducked in her throat. “You do plan on leaving your trousers on, right?”

Hands perched low on his hips, he glanced down at perfectly pressed gray trousers, his little-boy grin sputtering her pulse. “Well, I don’t want to, Teach, but it might look suspect if they fish me out in my boxer briefs after I drown, you know?”

“You are not going to drown, Sam Cunningham!” Smiling, she shook her head.

“I already have,” he said with a weighty sigh, gingerly stepping into the bow of the boat. Easing down on the bench seat, he snatched one of the life jackets and put it on, his smile far drier than he obviously expected his clothes to be. “Into the sea of love, as evidenced by the fact that I’m willing to get into a boat not fit for a bathtub, on a body of water that’s churning my dinner.”

Shannon’s gaze softened, suddenly remembering Jack mentioning something about Sam’s aversion to large bodies of water. “Look, Sam, if you really don’t want to go—”

He gave her a shuttered look that wobbled her tummy more than the rolling dory, making her grateful he was at the other end of the boat. “Too late. I’ve already stripped down to near humiliation, Miss O’Bryen, so let’s get this moonlight sail underway. Besides,” he said, looking downright adorable with his life jacket tightly tied at his neck and palms knuckle-white on the bench, “your virtue has never been safer. Because as much as I want to kiss you right now?” His smile tipped starboard. “You have my word—it sure won’t be me rocking this boat.”

Chapter Forty

“By the power vested in me by the state of Georgia …”

Tess blinked hard to battle her tears, the sound of Pastor Chase Griffin’s voice flooding her heart—and her eyes—with so much happiness, she felt ready to bust right out of her snug floor-length sheath gown. Who would have guessed she’d one day marry the crotchety neighbor next door in an intimate ceremony beneath a twinkle-light tent in Dr. Doom’s own backyard? She breathed in the heady scent of her small gardenia bouquet while the pink shadows of dusk cast its ethereal glow, her pulse thrumming along with the music of tree frogs and crickets.

Dr. and Mrs. Ben and Tess Doom. Her lips quivered into a wobbly smile as she stared at Ben Carmichael in his crisp, classic tux, so utterly handsome and soon—so utterly hers!

“… I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The tiny gathering of family and friends erupted into applause at a smattering of candle-lit tables, spoons clinking against glass complemented by whoops from her daughters and whistles from Jack.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

And, oh—Lord have mercy—did he! Tugging her flush, he dipped her back for a kiss straight out of the movies, the taste of Ben and monster cookies sweet in her mouth. “You’ve been into the cookies already,” she whispered, and his lips curved against her smile.

“Couldn’t wait,” he said softly, pulling her back up to caress her with his eyes, the promise of untold joys warm in his gaze. “Still can’t.”

“I now present to you Dr. and Mrs. Ben and Tess Carmichael.”

The guests lunged to their feet, clapping and cheering while Chase shook Ben’s hand and their children doled out misty hugs and tears to both Ben and her.

“Oh, Mom—you two are going to be so happy, I just know it!” Shannon whispered. She hugged Tess tightly while Cat flirted with Chase. “And nobody deserves it more.”

“Oh, I don’t know …” Tess cradled Shannon’s face in her hands, a secret smile tipping her mouth. She glanced at Sam while he laughed with Ben and Jack a few feet away. “I know somebody who does if my prayers have any say. And from that look I’ve seen in Sam’s eyes lately whenever you’re around, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if it happens pretty fast.” She tucked a wisp of hair behind Shannon’s ear. “Jack says he’s head over heels.”

A pretty blush stole into Shannon’s cheeks, her lovesick smile in Sam’s direction confirming that her daughter felt the very same way. “Mom, it’s only been two weeks.”

“But you’ve been close friends for almost five months now, sweetheart, in an extremely honest friendship where you’ve shared and prayed about everything, yes?”

Shannon hesitated, her good mood dimming enough for Tess to notice. “Most things, yes ...” Her chin suddenly lifted with a bright smile, as if she were anxious to change the subject. “But now that we’re dating, definitely all things.” Her gaze flicked to Sam and back with a telltale shift of her throat. “And soon.”

“Good girl.” Tess gave her a hug.

Shannon kissed Tess’s cheek just as the musicians struck up the dinner music. “Now, go,” she said with a renewed twinkle in her eyes. “Ben’s headed this way, and he looks pretttttty hungry.”

Tess turned, and her stomach did a dizzy whirl, but not from hunger. She pressed a shaky hand to her abdomen, hardly able to believe she was actually Ben’s wife—poised on the threshold of sharing a future and a life with the man she adored.

Not to mention a bed … Battling a gulp, she gave him a shy smile as he approached, food suddenly the last thing on her mind.

“It’s time to eat, Mrs. Carmichael.” He took her in his arms, punctuating his statement with a slow and luxurious kiss. “Because I guarantee you, we’re going to need our strength,” he whispered, his husky tease fluttering her stomach when he ushered her to their table.

The evening was a beautiful blur—a hazy kaleidoscope of faces and memories in the making and some from the past. Tess released a wispy sigh against Ben’s shoulders as he held her close in one of the last dances of the night. A hint of melancholy stole in when she glanced at his slate patio with its stone fire pit, where Adam and she and Ben and Karen spent many a summer night. Now Chase and Cat sat there in the same British green Adirondack chairs along with Lacey and Jack and Sam and Shannon, the latter two couples sharing two of the four chairs.