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I watched as Gia efficiently lined everyone up, the men led by Miles heading down the steps first, then the bridesmaids, and finally, the bride.
“Why don’t you go downstairs and watch with Mark? I have this.”
“If you’re sure?”
Gia merely smiled before nudging me in the direction the men had just gone. I slipped inside the sanctuary and sat next to Mark. He immediately placed an arm around me.
“Everything good?” he asked, and I nodded.
When the pianist played the familiar wedding march, we stood.
I watched as my friends got married, Savannah’s—no,theirson, Miles, stealing the show when he handed Ethan the ring and solemnly asked him to take care of his mother.
As soon as the wedding party filed out, Mark walked me out, and we headed to the reception. There wasn’t much for me to do, but I wanted to help Gia if she needed it.
In the hall, I stood with Lily, watching as the guests arrived to get their table assignments and see the cake.
“It’s beautiful,” Lily reassured me.
“So you’re saying I can relax now?”
“Let’s enjoy the reception. We’re guests, after all. Gia will let us know if she needs us.”
Lily sat at the table with Abby and a few other single guests. I took my spot next to Mark at the table with our Shops on Main friends: Zoe and Max, Remi and Colton, Hailey and Ryan, Brooke and Ben, and the as-long-as-I’ve-known-him single guy, Easton.
“Who’s going to be next?” Zoe asked, her gaze slowly traveling around the table.
We knew what she was referring to: Which one of us would be the next to get married? Being the most recent couple to get engaged, I figured she wasn’t looking for an answer from me and Mark.
“Right now, I’m happy being engaged. I’ll know when it’s the right time,” Remi said as Colton put an arm around her, drawing her close.
“How will you know?” I couldn’t help but ask her, even if I wasn’t in the same position as her and Colton.
“It’s a feeling I get. Right now, I’m blissfully happy with the way things are.” Remi gazed at Colton with affection as he leaned over to kiss her temple.
Most of our friends were already engaged, in that happy place, where their lives were full of possibility and looming decisions, whether to buy a new home together, set a date to get married, and if and when to have kids. Would Mark be in a rush to set a wedding date?
Mark squeezed my hand. “I’m just happy to be engaged.”
A sense of rightness washed over me. I was exactly where I was supposed to be—with the man of my dreams—and my friends.
“We’ve talked about it,” Zoe said quietly, bringing everyone’s attention to her and Max.
Max leaned back in his chair slightly, an arm slung over the back of Zoe’s. “We’d like something more casual.”
“But I don’t want to get married at the bar,” Zoe said, nudging Max’s shoulder with hers. Max owned Max’s Bar & Grill. The private room upstairs was used for engagement parties, but he’d never hosted a wedding.
“You’ll figure out the perfect spot,” Hailey said.
“Just give it some time, and the perfect solution will come to you,” Remi added with a smile.
The owner of the juice shop, Remi, also led yoga and meditation classes. When I attended, I remembered her talking about the importance of listening to your intuition.
Mine was telling me that this business venture with Gia’s wedding planning business was my future. And this relationship with Mark was my happily ever after.
Mark used a finger to turn my chin toward him and kissed me.
The guests cheered around us. Savannah and Ethan must have arrived.
