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“No, I had to find you for that.” Cady chuckled. “It’s true. She was dating Ernie’s best friend, and they’d double sometimes, and she’d come by the house. Ernie had a car, and John didn’t, so they doubled a lot.”
MaryBelle’s lips curled up. “Actually, I always suggested we take Ernie’s car so that I could see her, but she’ll deny that.”
“I will not.” Cady pouted. “It took until the summer after she graduated for it all to start to fall apart. She came around less, and John sulked. Ernie thought he’d ask her out, so he sent me—who knows why—to talk to her.”
“And the rest is history,” MaryBelle murmured into her drink.
“No, it’s not.” Cady pouted. “Ernie sent me to her house to see if she’d go out with him, but instead, I got the girl. There, now the story’s done.”
Jerica laughed again at the two of them. She’d never met a more animated couple before, especially not one that had been out for so long in such a small town. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, none of which were relevant or even considered appropriate, but she wanted to know every detail about their story.
She tried to find Bridget in the crowd dancing. Her gaze swept through the people, but she wasn’t coming up with anyone who resembled her Bridget. Sighing, Jerica grabbed her drink and distracted herself. She didn’t mind being left alone, but Bridget had been acting odd since the reception started, and she wanted to make sure that it wasn’t panic at coming out to so many people at once.
Whatever song was being sung died down, and Sarah stood up at the front of the makeshift stage they’d built. She had Jerica’s attention as she grabbed a microphone, and Jerica was not-so-secretly hoping they’d get a private performance by none other than Sadie Bade. She sipped her drink as Sarah calmed the crowd down.
“You know,” Sarah said, “that Eli and I tend to not be very traditional in anything we do.”
There was a roar of laughter and agreement.
“So, it’s no surprise Buddy joined us for the wedding, or that we didn’t do things the proper way. One thing we didn’t want to do either was to toss the bouquet.”
Eli showed up at the front of the stage, in her hands a bouquet Jerica hadn’t seen before. She furrowed her brow at it, wondering if they’d gotten a special one just for this.
“However, would all the unmarried ladies and gents and enbies come up here please.” Sarah grinned as people shifted toward the front of the stage.
Jerica stayed firmly seated, having zero desire to participate in something so pedantic. Cady bumped her shoulder. “Get on up there, girl.”
“No, I think I’m good here.”
“No, go up. This is for you young people. Go on.”
Chided, Jerica set her drink down and walked her way up to the crowd. Sarah arranged everyone, getting them to move so she could see everyone’s face. It meant Jerica was suddenly thrust into the front of the crowd. Kara was nearby with her camera in her hands, ready to take a picture.
Jerica crossed her arms, once again looking for Bridget in the sea of people and not finding her. She just wanted to make sure she was okay—at least, that was what she kept telling herself.
“All right,” Sarah started. “Y’all ready for this?”
The crowd cheered. Jerica cocked her head at the stage and at Eli, who was staring directly at her. Everyone became hushed as they waited for Eli to throw the bouquet as was tradition. Time moved so slowly as they impatiently stood before both Eli and Sarah until finally, Bridget walked out in front of Eli.
She looked pale, her gait still off because of the cast on her foot, but she also looked far more confident than she had in weeks. Jerica grinned at her, finally glad to have found her again. Bridget walked right up to her, grabbing her hands and pulling her into the center of the semi-circle surrounding Eli.
The crowd of people moved back, splitting so the rest of those still sitting could see. Jerica’s stomach had butterflies rampaging around in them as Bridget carefully slid down onto one knee, a ring she produced from somewhere in her hand.
Jerica swallowed hard, her heart racing as her mouth went dry. “Bridge, what are you doing?”
“Just give me a second.”
Time slowed down until seconds took minutes or maybe even hours. Jerica was lost in nothing other than Bridget’s cool blue eyes as she stared up at her from the ground. Finally after what seemed like forever, Bridget spoke.
“I know it hasn’t been very long, that we’re only just starting to get to know each other. But you said to me once that you didn’t want to be looking for anyone else, and I have to say, I feel exactly the same way. I love you, Jerica Alvarez, and I want to marry you, if you’ll have me.”
Jerica pressed her hands to her mouth as she stared down at Bridget, this beautifully strong and amazing woman who kneeled before her. Tears stung her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. She had no words. She couldn’t utter anything she was so stunned. Instead, she got down on her knees and wrapped her arms around Bridget’s neck, dragging her into a kiss as she held on as tightly as she possibly could.
“I love you,” Jerica whispered when she pulled away, tears hot on her cheeks. “I love you so much.”
“So…you’ll marry me?” Bridget’s face was tight with anxiety, through and through.
“Yes. Of course. I love you.”
