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"Do you mind if we do something first?" he asks James. "It'll only take a minute."
"Go on."
Craig roots around in his pants pocket and cups an object in his hand. I can't see what it is. Then he drops to one knee.
No, he can't be about to---That's crazy. We're too old for this.
He reveals the small box in his hand, flipping up the lid to show the diamond ring that lies nestled in satin. "Vanessa Angela Stendhal Hathaway, will you marry me again?"
"Middle-aged people don't get married."
"Of course they do." He holds the ring box higher. "I love you with everything I have, and I will keep on loving you and only you for the rest of my life and whatever comes after. So, Nessa, will you marry me again?"
Someone whoops. "Say yes, love, before the other passengers revolt."
Oh yes, that's Rene for sure.
I hold out my left hand. "Yes, Craig, of course I want to marry you. We've both made mistakes, but we found our way back to each other because of this magical island. All I want to do now is go home and begin our new life together."
He slides the ring onto my finger, sweeps me up in his arms, and kisses me.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Craig
Five weeks later
It still feels a little strange to be home again and not at a nudist resort where clothing is not allowed. Sometimes those two weeks on Heirani Motu seem like a strange and exciting dream, but I know it was real. I wouldn't be marrying the love of my life for the second time if it weren't for that island. James and Holly flew in for the big day. Introducing them to our kids didn't seem as weird as I'd expected.
Hey, come meet our nudist friends who love to have sex on a public beach.No, we didn't tell the kids that. Greg, Nicole, and April might be adults, but we have no desire to share the details of our vacation on an island populated with nudists.
While we waited for our second wedding day, I found a new job. James and Holly hired me as their data scientist, to help them market the resort more efficiently. I don't even have to live on Heirani Motu. I'll work remotely from Florida.
Vanessa and I had agreed we would have no groomsmen or bridesmaids, just the two of us standing at the altar. We are on a beach, but this Florida, not the South Pacific. Our five-year-old granddaughter will be the flower girl, and our three-year-old grandson will be the ring bearer. That's our whole wedding delegation, and it's exactly how we want it.
When the wedding march begins, I get a little choked up watching Vanessa's father lead her down the aisle for the second, to the same man. She has tears trickling down her cheeks as she stops beside me. Since we've been married before, we both agreed to wear normal clothes, not wedding gear. Her pale blue dress complements her blue eyes, and my suit without a tie does me just fine.
I barely notice the vows, reciting them by rote because I can't see anything but Vanessa. She is the most beautiful woman in the world, and age has done nothing to diminish that or the fire that always burns inside her. I can't believe we're doing this again, but it feels right.
"You may kiss the bride."
The second the officiant speaks those words, I throw my arms around Vanessa and kiss her like there's no tomorrow.
Cheers and clapping erupt behind us.
The second we peel our lips apart and face the crowd, our children stand up and link their hands, then start counting down. "Three, two, one---The second time's the charm!"
They throw their linked hands up and whoop.
Kids. They can be very annoying sometimes, but also unbelievably wonderful. We rush down the aisle but stop to hug our kids, grandkids, and parents. When Nicole hugs me, she whispers, "Don't make us do this a third time. Make each other happy forever, okay?"
"You got it, kiddo."
We opted for a small reception to go along with the small wedding. We prefer to think of it as intimate. While Vanessa is dancing with her father, James and Holly sit down at our table with me. After the obligatory congratulations, they share some news of their own. Vanessa has just returned and settles onto my lap.
"They have news," I tell her. "But they haven't shared it yet."
James grins. "Holly and I are taking a month-long holiday."
