AllFreeNovel
Share Us
So much had happened since they’d met. Her professional life had reached heights she’d never imagined—thanks in part to the stellar ad campaign she’d created for Carson Enterprises more than doubling their annual profits.
Pete wasn’t just their good friend, but also their neighbor. When Drew and Lacey were tired of tripping over each other in Lacey’s small apartment, they moved into a two bedroom in Pete’s building. For now, that extra room was an office, but one day it would be a nursery.
Grace, Janine, and Drew’s sister, Natalie, walked into the room, looking as though they had popped out of a trendy bridal magazine. All three had their hair and makeup professionally done—courtesy of the spa at Spero. They wore pale-blue halter maxi dresses—perfect with or without shoes.
“You all look beautiful,” Lacey said, throwing her arms around her best friends and her soon-to-be sister-in-law. She could feel tears welling in her eyes and hoped if they fell they wouldn’t take her mascara with them.
The girls were giddy with excitement. Grace looked at Lacey from head to toe. “Drew is going to bust something seeing you like this. Wow. Just wow, Lace.”
Lacey looked down at her gown and then back at her friends. When she’d taken her mother’s dress to the seamstress, she hadn’t been sure if it could be altered to make it look as though it belonged in a beach wedding and not a cathedral. But the woman in the bridal salon transformed it into something beyond Lacey’s wildest dreams—and gave her a way to keep her mother and father close to her.
“Thank you. You all are beautiful too.”
“Knock, knock…” Monica walked in the room with Victoria, who looked like a miniature version of Lacey. “Your flower girl is reporting for duty.”
“I’m ready, Aunt Lacey.” Victoria waved a small white triangular flag attached to a white stick that had the wordsHere Comes the Brideprinted on it. Since they were getting married on the beach, throwing flower petals was frowned upon. Plus, the little girl loved to wave the banner around, claiming she was the leader of a parade.
“Don’t you look pretty.” Lacey crouched down to pull the little girl in for a hug.
Monica smiled. “Your groom is ready and waiting for you.”
The women and Victoria left the room and headed downstairs. From there it would be only a matter of minutes before Lacey married the love of her life.
Just as the wedding planner had orchestrated, the bridesmaids and flower girl walked ahead of Lacey as they stepped outside and made their way down to the beach. Warm air caressed her body, the sun shined brightly, and the palm trees swayed gently. It was a picture-perfect afternoon, just like the first time she’d walked into the resort so many months ago.
A few of the hotel’s guests stood off to the side, most likely wanting to catch a glimpse of the nuptials. Lacey would have been doing the same if she wasn’t the one wearing the white gown.
Her soon-to-be father-in-law waited for her at the end of the flower-lined path, and as soon as he saw Lacey, he pulled her into his chest. “You look beautiful, sweetheart. I can’t tell you how much it means to me to give you away.”
“Thank you for doing so.” Lacey had intended to walk alone, but when Andrew offered, she gladly accepted. She missed her parents but knew they were watching from above.
The steel drum band she loved played soft melodies, and she walked down the aisle toward Drew. He was standing in the exact spot where she’d first kissed him. Lacey couldn’t take her eyes off him. He swiped his thumb under one eye, then the next, catching a couple of tears. Her heart grew more and more with each step shetook.
Ethan, Mark, and Charlie stood to his left. They looked handsome in their tan pants and off-white button-down shirts, but none of them held a candle to Drew in his lightweight gray slacks, a crisp white short-sleeve shirt, and—much to Lacey’s delight and his mother’s disapproval—a backward baseball cap.
When she and Andrew reached him, Drew shook his father’s hand and took Lacey’s in his. “Wow, you’re beautiful.”
“Thank you. So are you.”
The minister cleared his throat and began the ceremony. During the rehearsal the night before, Drew had told him not to ask if anyone objected, because no one would, and even if they did, nothing was stopping them from getting married. Lacey smiled when the man paused at that exact time and Drew looked at him from the corner of his eye.
“Drew and Lacey, marriage should not be taken lightly. It’s a union not only between a man and a woman, but two hearts that beat stronger because they beat together. Marriage will bind you as one, solidifying your love.” Lacey and Drew stared at each other, and she had never felt so content in all her life. The minister continued, “Is this a commitment you two enter in freely?” They both said yes in unison. “Please exchange your vows.”
Drew took a step closer to Lacey and held both her hands over his heart. “Lacey, from the first moment I saw you in the lobby of this resort, I knew there was something special about you. What I didn’t know was how special you’d become to me. You’re the most honest, generous, and loving person. You inspire me to be a better man, and I vow to be the best man possible for you and our future children. You, Lacey, are the love of my life, and I’m so happy I get to spend eternity with you.”
Lacey sniffled, and Drew wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and threaded their fingers once again. As soon as she was able to speak past the lump in her throat, Lacey looked into Drew’s shining eyes.
“Drew, when I think back to the day I first saw you, I can’t help but smile. You were the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on,but it goes beyond that. Your heart, Drew Mitchell, is the best part of you. Knowing you gave me a piece of it makes me the happiest I’ve ever been. I promise to take care of it and you. To never take our love for granted, to talk through things and never jump to conclusions. Fate wasn’t something I believed in until I met you, but now I know it exists. Thank you for loving me, believing in me, and for giving me everything I didn’t know I needed. I promise to love you for all eternity.”
They exchanged rings, and when the minister pronounced them husband and wife, Drew cupped her cheeks with his warm hands. “Hi, I’m Drew, and I’m married.”
Lacey laughed, remembering what she had asked him all those months ago in that very spot. “Hi, I’m Lacey, and I love you.”
Drew brought their mouths together, and just like the first time they kissed, everything around them vanished. They were now husband and wife, a thought Lacey reveled in as Drew pulled her body closer to his. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her and made her husband growl into her mouth. When their friends and family began applauding and the steel drums began to play, they finally broke apart.
“God, I can’t believe I get to kiss you for the rest of my life,” Drew said as a glorious smile spread across his lips. “Forever, Lacey. Now you’re mine, forever.”
Lacey smiled back. “Yes, forever.”
When the photographer snapped a photo of her and Drew kissing, Lacey knew that photo would take pride of place in the center of her vision board—one that would now contain pictures of her life with Drew.
No one knows when that perfect person will bound into their life. Lacey for one didn’t. But she knew that opening her heart and trusting it to Drew was the best decision she’d ever made. Some say that love heals all wounds, and now Lacey knew what that meant. Drew had not only filled a void for Lacey, he also gave her heart the strength to love again, and that was something she would always cherish.
The End
