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9
Shelby
The ride from my apartment to the venue could have been incredibly awkward with a dashing professional wedding date driving the car. But instead, it was surprisingly pleasant. Beau Devereux was absolutely as charming as Aria told me he’d be. He was tall and handsome with eyes that appeared to see directly into your soul, while still managing to seem kind and warm.
He was a Marine stationed at Parris Island Recruit Depot. He wasn’t one of the drill instructors there but was instead part of the Weapons and Field Training Battalion. His primary job was to work on the rifle range, teaching recruits how to use their weapons during boot camp. Which, obviously, meant he was a seriously accurate marksman. And he looked like he would be.
“So, Aria said this wedding didn’t include the ceremony, just the reception,” Beau said as he navigated through our little town with the help of his GPS.
“Yes, Bobby’s father owns a fishing company, so they got married on a fishing boat with only their closest friends and family. This big reception is for Cassidy’s family’s benefit. They’re super fancy, so they weren’t thrilled about the ceremony plans.”
He chuckled. “Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a wedding on a fishing boat.”
“Have you been to some cool weddings, though?”
“Definitely. One wedding served carnival food, so that was pretty cool. Funnel cakes, caramel apples, kettle corn, corn dogs, you name it. And they had carnival games, too.”
“That sounds so fun,” I said, grinning as I imagined it.
“Then there was the one where the bride and groom were rock climbers, so they had their ceremony at the top of the mountain and the guests had to hike to get there. They had an easy route for the people without climbing experience, but everyone else scaled a fifty-foot cliff face with the bride and groom.”
I gaped at him. “What? That’s so cool. I take it she didn’t wear a wedding gown?”
“She did, actually. It was this custom-made thing that kind of opened in the front so it wouldn’t get in her way. Then when she stood up, you couldn’t tell. Know what I mean?”
Picturing it, I nodded. “That must have made for some really cool photos of a bride climbing a mountain.”
“Oh, for sure.”
“What else?” I asked.
I loved that the conversation distracted me from how nervous I was for my dance with Paul. I knew I shouldn’t be, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to use that time to ask him to come over for the little setup my friends had suggested, and depending on how that conversation went, things could be totally different between us from now on.
He made a little humming sound as he thought about it. “Let’s see, there was one at a bowling alley and one that got a little hairy at an alpaca farm. Oh, and I can’t forget the one with the Star Wars theme. The wedding party held lightsabers during the ceremony and then made an arch with them for the bride and groom to walk through.”
At this, I laughed out loud. “Don’t tell me they were in costume, too?”
“The wedding party wasn’t, but the ushers were dressed as Storm Troopers.”
We both laughed, and I shook my head. “I think I’m in the wrong business. Being a professional wedding date sounds amazing.”
“It definitely has its perks. I even got to go skydiving for one.”
My brows lifted. “Skydiving, huh? My best friend would probably love that.”
I could see it now. Paul tying the knot from thousands of feet up, waiting until they got to the ground to exchange rings because that would probably be really hard to do in those conditions. It wasn’t lost on me that I would never be able to be the bride in that situation. Not with my heart condition. And even though it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things since it was a fake wedding in my own imagination, it still made me uneasy to think about what else Paul would love to do that I’d never be able to.
“Is that Aria?” Beau asked. “Your best friend. Is she the adventurous type?”
“Oh, I was actually talking about Aria’s brother, Paul. Though Aria is definitely one of my best friends. He’s a Marine too, and his job has something to do with jumping out of planes.”
He nodded. “Right on. Best friends with a guy, huh?”
“Yep,” I replied, narrowing my eyes at his tone. Paul and I were used to people not believing that we were just friends, though. We’d dealt with it since the beginning. But until recently, it had been absolutely true. “We’ve been best friends since we were fifteen.”
“Wow. Long time.”
“Yep.”
