Page 63 of The True-Blue Romance

“Very exciting day,” Beau says proudly, looking close to tears himself.

“No crying!” Trevor says with a watery-sounding laugh. “If y’all cry, I’ll cry.”

“Let’s get moving, then.” Joey leads us into the courthouse, through security, and up the stairs to the second floor for marriage licenses. I pick Savannah up when Joey approaches the desk to show proof of our class, get the license, and see if a judge can marry us today. Thankfully, the place is pretty quiet for a Monday morning in the summer.

“Are you going to get cake?” Savannah asks, face very close to mine when I turn my head toward her. “You have to have cake.”

“They’ll have cake,” Beau promises from behind us.

“What kind of cake?” Trevor asks, eyes sparkling.

“Doesn’t matter.”

Trevor leans forward and whispers, “It matters. Right, Savannah?”

Savannah looks thoughtful, then shakes her head demurely. “No, cake is cake. Miss Cindy’s hummingbird cake is my favorite though.”

“Oh, is that so?” Beau asks with a chuckle.

Joey’s whoop has us all looking his way. “Let’s go. We’re getting married right now.”

My heart beats double time as I follow Joey through the open door to the back office. A clerk escorts us into the bowels of the courthouse, a happy grin on her face at the sight of us. Finally, she pushes open a door into a small, miniature-looking courtroom. A woman in her early sixties sits at the desk.

“Oh, look at that sweet flower girl. Who’s getting married today, sweetheart?”

Savannah perks up, bouncing on my hip. “My dad and papa! There will be cake after.”

“What kind of cake?” the judge asks, eyes teeming with held-back laughter.

“I don’t know, but any cake is good. Right, Uncle Beau?”

“Right,” Beau dutifully agrees.

The judge reads the typical words, but I black out a little, only repeating the vows when Beau nudges me in the back. Joey repeats his vows, and I guess we opted for traditional vows, thankfully, because I couldn’t think of anything off the top of my head, no matter how much I love Joey.

Clapping makes me realize we’re married, and Joey follows it up with a soft, crowd-approved kiss. Savannah wiggles between us, then wraps her arms around both of us when we pull apart. I close my eyes with a soft smile, leaning my temple against Joey’s cheek. We sign the marriage license, they agree to file it, and we leave the courthouse with a copy proving that we’re legally wed now. In the next few weeks, I’ll have to go to the Social Security Administration office downtown to change my name, but that’ll come with time. For now, it appears all my dreams have finally come true.

I make sure Savannah is buckled into her booster seat, then join Joey in the front of the car. Our fingers tangle together again; it seems we can’t not be touching anymore. But he doesn’t guide us home. Instead, he takes us in the direction of Trevor and Beau’s house. There are a few cars out front, and my chest tightens for a moment, then releases. The only people present would be people personally approved by Beau or Joey, so I won’t be subjected to anything that would ruin today.

The sun is bright in the July sky, air warm as it blows over us. The sweet scent of the blooming flowers in Beau’s backyard carries over us, and I feel warm with love. The love grows when Savannah grabs my hand the second she’s out of the car and tugs me around the back of the house. Her dress flows behind her as she runs and I do my best to keep up. Beau and his friend group stand around the backyard, along with Beau’s mom, Cindy, and his sister, Andy. Hector from work and his wife are even here. I freeze, desperately feeling overwhelmed by the presence of people who oddly seem to love me.

“The flowers!” Savannah shouts, gap-toothed smile sent my way. I let her go and watch her run off toward the raised beds in Beau’s backyard. Joey takes the space Savannah’s absence left, and his hand envelops mine.

“Okay?” Joey asks softly, eyes scanning my face for any perceived negative emotions.

My lips tremble as I smile. “Okay.”

Joey grins wide and leads me toward the group hanging around the backyard.

“Twenty years in the making, oh my god,” Cindy shouts just before enveloping us in a tight hug. I return her hug tightly, smelling the peach-cobbler scent of her that reminds me of comfort and care when I needed it most. Cindy pulls away with a wet laugh, wiping hurriedly at her face. “Sorry. Beau made me promise I wouldn’t cry.”

“Not doing a good job, Ma,” Beau shouts from the other side of the deck.

“Like you weren’t cryin’ like a baby a minute ago!” Cindy shouts back, shooting him a look.

Andy joins in to tease her brother. “You were, like a big old baby.”

“Leave me alone,” Beau says grumpily, but his lips tilt up in a smile.