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I take her hand and examine the ring closer, contemplating the question. I bite the inside of my cheek to center my thoughts. Of course, I’ve thought about this kind of commitment. Especially with Victor. He’s everything I could want and more. I sit back in the sand and look over at Victor, who has moved to the other side of the fire pit with the other guys.
“If it happens, I’d welcome it. But to be honest, I’m pretty happy at this moment.” That’s not a lie. “So, is it going to be a big Hawaiian wedding?”
“I hope so. Do you think he’d be okay with that?” Massey worries.
“He doesn’t care.” I laugh and she nods and looks down. I take her arm and wrap it around mine. “Promise you will always take care of him? He’s um … He’s …”
“I know, I promise. I love him.” She knows and understands this fear. Massey lays her head on my shoulder. We sit in comfortable silence, watching everyone else. Lawson catches us staring and walks over, sitting next to Massey, smiling like a fool.
“We’re going to pack up. Are you ready to go home, fiancé?” he proudly asks.
“With you, always!” Massey can’t help the giddiness. Her body shakes with all the excitement of the day.
“We’ll pick up. You guys enjoy your evening. Massey, let’s catch up later this week?” I offer. She nods and wraps her arms around my shoulders. Giving me a gentle squeeze before Lawson drags her up to him and he waves to everyone.
“Later, guys!” He intertwines his fingers with hers, tugging her along.
Today has been one of those days where it feels like a dream. It’s not my happiness that I’m excited about, it’s my brothers. How this journey of life has brought us these moments. We all start picking up and packing up the cars. I give Leland and Taylor the biggest hug my little body can, and hope they can feel the adoration I’m feeling. Words seem to stall after everything today. Climbing in the truck, Victor gets in the driver’s seat. The engine rumbles to life and instead of driving off, he sits back and turns to me. There’s a flicker of emotion in his eyes. I furrow my brows, confused.
“Are you okay?” Reaching for him, I run my hand through his hair.
“I love you. You know that, right?” he says in a rush of breath.
“Yeah, I know, baby. I love you too.” I lean toward him and he meets me the rest of the way for a soft kiss. He then rests his forehead against mine and we sit, listening to the hum of the radio. My eyes remain closed, with my other senses taking over. The way his lips feel against mine and the unassuming way he leads each day with me.
“What’s on your mind?” I whisper, finally opening my eyes and gazing up at him.
“Today was just incredible. You and this place continue to surprise me. I can’t even fathom the idea of ever living the way I used to. You’ve changed me for the better. Simply put, I just love you. Every single piece of you.”
His admission has tears threatening to escape. I’ve never been the emotional type of person, but he brings this affectionate side out of me. He squeezes my leg and puts the truck in drive. I grab his hand as we head for home while staring out the window in a daze. The stars and crescent moon reflect off the dark ocean. An illusion of an endless horizon. Life never seemed more perfect.
I feel like there is more to his admission. He seems to struggle with something on his mind, but I won’t push. When he is ready to talk, we will. He’s given me that respect and in return, I’ll be patient. For now, I’ll continue to hold his hand and give him the reassurance he needs.
Chapter 28
Collins
Never say never… because you never know what may happen.
But never in my life did I expect to be where I am. With whom I’m with. Happy like I am.
In the beginning, we lived one day at a time, one paycheck at a time. Life made me believe I couldn’t expect much more than less than the bare minimum. Yet, today, my life took a 180-degree turn.
Here I am, fancy Collins, sitting in a bridesmaid dress next to my best friend. Her chestnut hair shines bright in the warm sunshine that brightens the open window. A soft breeze sweeps a perfect stray curl across her face. The rest of her hair is in an updo, with locks of hair bouncing along with her movements. I finish zipping up the back of her dress, and gently fastening the buttons that align her lower back. The trumpet gown offers a modest, clean line in the front with a dramatic open back. This dress is tailored perfectly to her body, accentuating her curves. Her dress has a small train that continues the buttons down the center of the dress.
Together, we look into the mirror at our reflections. I reach for the wreath of flowers that are bound together like a crown. As I lay the Lei crown, which is filled with white orchids, baby roses, and fern leaves, expertly crafted, on her head, careful not to disrupt the expensive hairstyle, my heart swells. It’s been months of planning to get to this point.
Lawson was annoyingly involved in planning this wedding with her. They did everything together. Massey said that he was completely sober throughout the planning. He asked question after question and inserted his opinion. Most of the time, he agreed with Massey, but on the occasion, he advocated for himself. In the past, that’s something he didn’t do. Instead of speaking up, he would just internalize his discomfort and bottle up his emotions until he blew. Drinking was a way to dull the emotional turmoil.
“I am so glad I sold you out that day,” I break her wedding silence. Giggling at the memory.
She looks over her shoulder at me with her nose scrunching, and mouth gaped open with a loud laugh. “God, how could I ever forget that?”
“I mean, I’m sorry I did it like that, but not sorry,” I say as she continues to laugh. “Stop laughing. I’m being serious.”
“I know, I know! Listen, it brought us here. I can’t complain.” She giggles. “He is everything to me. So are you. You were always a sister to me and now it will be official.” Her big smile matches mine.
“Let’s go get you married.”
