Ready to Wed (8 page)

I gave him a look, the look I’d been giving him for years that told him he was crossing the line into his douchebag alter-ego. Colin and I had been best friends since college and I’d quickly learned he was cocky, self-assured and outspoken. Sometimes the combination of those got out of hand, and he went from being what women would classify as cute and cocky to instant jackass.

“No, man…I don’t mean it like that. I just meant that she was already gorgeous. She could have spent an entire week getting herself pampered and ready to walk down that aisle, or she could have showed up in a paper sack, and I still would have thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Damn, Colin. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say something so poetic before in my entire life. Garrett—write this down,” I said, motioning to my soon-to-be brother in law who was also nursing a beer next to us. “Colin just said something heartfelt and touchy-feely. I want evidence.”

Garrett just shook his head and grinned.

“So, ‘Colin the Wise’, what last words of wisdom do you have for me before I take my vows?”

He gave me a doubtful look, “You seriously want me to give you advice…about marriage?”

“Well, it’s not like we have anything else to do,” I said, motioning to the rest of the bar which was completely empty except for the three of us. Make that four. I greeted my future father in law as he strolled in, taking a seat next to his son. He ordered a beer and then turned to our small group.

“Afternoon, gentlemen. What did I miss?” he asked.

“Colin was about to give me marriage advice,” I answered, pointing to Colin who grinned like an asshole.

“This should be good,” Mr. Finnegan, or Tom as he liked to be called, said. We all chuckled and agreed.

“Hey! For your information, I am a damn good husband. It’s not easy, and it’s not always hearts and flowers, but if you find the right woman, like Ella….it’s worth it. Every damn minute. And if you’re really lucky, she’ll give you the greatest gift imaginable….a mini version of the two of you all mushed together. It’s incredible.”

“You had me,” I said, clutching my chest, “right here….until you starting talking about mush, and then I got lost.”

“Shut up Logan! You asked for wisdom and there it is. Work at it, every day. They may drive you crazy, run you ragged and send your mind spinning, but one look from Ella and I’m a goner. Still. She’s it for me, and I will spend every day of my life reminding her that I’m the same for her.”

“That was actually pretty good Colin. I’m mighty impressed,” Tom said.

“Me, too. Who knew you were such a softy under all that crap,” I joked. I knew he loved his wife. He’d loved her since the moment he saw her enter the crowded bar we’d be hanging out at all those years ago. He’d told me that night she was his future wife. I thought he was just drunk, but damned if he didn’t do it.

“Well, I have a reputation to uphold. Can’t let everyone know what lies beneath all this,” he said, making a grand sweeping gesture over his physique. We all groaned, and I asked if he was finished.

“One more thing. Don’t leave the toilet seat up. They hate that.”

I shook my head and laughed and we all clanked our glasses together in a half-assed toast. I checked my watch and swore time had frozen. Not even an hour had passed.

Longest. Day. Ever.

“How about you, Mr. Finnegan,” Colin said, “Got any advice for my boy Logan?”

He was silent for a moment, staring into the empty beer glass in front of him.

“Never go to bed angry and don’t sweat the small stuff. You never know what tomorrow will bring, and life is too short to worry about things that don’t matter. When I had my stroke, do you think I sat in that hospital bed worrying about whether the house chores would be done or the trash would be taken out? No, I thought about my wife and children and how much I wanted to fight so I could spend another day with them by side. You have a fight ahead of you Logan, don’t waste breath on things that aren’t worthy of it.”

“Thank you,” was all I could manage. I stuck out my hand for a handshake but he instead pulled me into a bear hug. I’d never had a loving father. I didn’t know how to interact with one. Tom, along with Clare and the rest of her family, were showing me what it was like to have a family and a place to call home.

My future was bright and full of infinite possibilities because of her, and if the clock ever decided to move again, she would be my wife in just a few short hours. Nothing could keep me down. Not even cancer.

~Clare~

“Breathe, just breathe,” I chanted. My heart was running a marathon in my chest and I was convinced it would soon explode from my ribs roadrunner style, headed straight for the altar to get to Logan first.

Now that I had that picture in my head, it was nearly as romantic as I had originally thought.

“Are you nervous?” Leah asked, standing beside me in her knee-length coral dress that accented her bronze skin and honey blonde hair perfectly.

“No, I’m ready. Like really ready. Why are we still back here?”

She snorted before answering. “Because you still have fifteen minutes before the ceremony is supposed to start. You have to allow the rest of the guests to be seated.”

“What guests?” I asked impatiently. “The only guests that are here are family, and the wedding party. How can they not all be seated by now?” I huffed.

“Alright, Clare-bear, let’s re-do your makeup and primp a little. We need to get your mind off the clock, otherwise you’re going to explode.”

I nodded in agreement. I really was going to explode. Logan was out there in his tan suit, probably standing at the altar with the deep blue ocean serving as a backdrop behind him. He was waiting for me, and I didn’t want to make him wait anymore. I wanted to barrel down that aisle and hear the minister say
husband and wife
so I could scream to the world that he was all mine.

Leah dabbed, blotted and glossed my lips until she was satisfied, and then put all of her tools away in her little clutch bag that she’d stowed just inside the door we were about to walk out of. The wedding was not on the beach, but it was as close as we could get without having to make all our guests sink in the sand with their nice shoes on. The hotel had a beautiful garden patio with an almost surround view of the ocean. At the very edge was a grassy area where we’d set up chairs and a gorgeous flower covered altar. Nothing else was needed. The view took care of the rest.

Everyone else was either seated or being seated. It was just Leah, Ella, Maddie and me. We all grasped hands and tried not to cry.

“I love you guys,” I said.

“We love you, too, babe,” Ella said. “Thank you for loving Logan, and for bringing him back to us. You’ve completed him, and I’ve never seen him so full of life.”

I pulled her into my arms and we hugged. I was so grateful Logan had friends that had cared for him through everything. Even in his darkest points when he pushed everyone away, Colin and Ella had stayed.

I kneeled down to my beautiful daughter who was just as excited as me, but when she jumped up and down, it was cute. Kids got off so easy.

“Are you excited baby?” I asked, and she gave me a huge nod, over exaggerating every movement.

“After you’re married, can I call Logan my Daddy? Do you think Daddy would be mad?”

The tears I’d been trying to hold back let loose down my cheek and I pulled her into my arms.

“No, baby. I think Daddy would love that. Logan too. No one said you couldn’t have two daddies, right?”

She pulled back and nodded, “Right. I can’t wait to tell him!”

I turned to Leah who was holding back tears. She was my rock. She’d been with my almost every day of my life, for as long as I could remember. She’d been my protector, the sister I never had, and the shoulder I needed when everything fell apart.

“I wouldn’t be here without you. You know that, right?” I said.

“You would have found your way eventually. I just gave you the push you needed to get you here quicker. The love you and Logan share isn’t a coincidence. I’m convinced you would have found each other over and over until you realized you were destined for each other.”

Squeezing her hand, I asked, “And what about you? You don’t need to put your life on hold for me anymore. Start living again, Leah.”

She gave a faint smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I will, Clare-bear. I am. Don’t worry about me today.”

After one last hug, the coordinator the hotel provided came by and gave us the go-ahead.

It was time.

Maddie went first, holding her little basket of flowers. She was very serious about her flower girl duties and held off on dropping any petals until the right time.

Ella went next, clutching her small bouquet of island flowers in her hand.

Before Leah was given her go-ahead, she turned around, gave me a quick wink and a kiss on the cheek, and she was gone.

“Didn’t think you were going to walk down that aisle without your old man, did you?” my father said, coming to stand beside me at just the right time.

“I knew you’d make it,” I said, giving him a sideways grin.

“I knew you three needed some girly time, so I hung back in the hallway. But now you’re all mine. I love you, baby girl.”

My lip quivered and every minute spent with my father in my childhood came roaring back. The skinned knees when he was teaching me to ride my bike, the yelling matches and frustration when I got behind the wheel for the first time, and that moment when he caught Ethan and I in the kitchen and realized I wasn’t his little girl anymore.

“I love you too, Daddy.”

He held out his arm and I took it and we were on our way, down the path toward Logan and my future.

~Logan~

“Breathe, just breathe,” I silently chanted, as I caught my first glimpse of Clare walking down the path with her father.

She was a vision. Covered in lace that fit her like a glove, her dress blended old with new seamlessly. She had left her hair down and under the sun, it shimmered with the fiery red glow I loved. There was too much of her to take in at once, and my eyes were everywhere, trying to drink in every detail. I wanted to remember everything, sear it into my memory so I’d never forget the emotions that were welling up inside me.

“Marry Me” by Train was being strummed softly by a lone guitarist as she came towards me. Our eyes locked and everyone disappeared. I barely noticed when her father placed her hand in mine, still unable to believe this was my life. This woman was here. To marry me.

I heard a soft chuckle and I looked up briefly to see Tom shaking his head and taking his seat beside his wife.

The minister cleared his throat and Clare and I finally tore our eyes apart and turned our attention to him.

“I think we should begin, don’t you?” he asked, and Clare and I both looked at each other and nodded. Apparently the world disappearing around us hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“I do. I absolutely do,” I said.

“I haven’t gotten to that part yet,” he laughed.

“Well, then hurry up,” I joked, which earned a few laughs from the guests.

The minister welcomed everyone and began with a reading. It was a quote or a passage about love. I honestly didn’t listen. It was something Clare and I had picked out and I remember it being beautiful. But seriously, how could I focus on anything when Clare was standing in front of me?

I did hear him say
vows
, and that’s when I started to pay attention.

“Clare and Logan have chosen to recite their own vows, and will do so now.” He turned to Clare and gave her the go ahead. She nodded, turned back to me and gave me that shy smile I’d fallen in love with.

“You once said you didn’t think you were capable of love—that somehow that ability was lost on you. You were so afraid to let us in, scared that you wouldn’t be able to give back what we could so freely offer. But I’ve never known anyone more capable of love than you Logan. It shines through in everything you do, and there is no one on this earth I would rather be binding myself to than you.”

I didn’t deserve her. Standing there, hearing her speak, I knew she was so much more than I deserved and exactly what I needed. She completed me in every way.

She took a deep breath and continued, “I promise to love you a little bit more each and every day. I promise to hold your hand, even when we’re old and frail. I vow that no matter what life hands us, I will stand by your side, ready and willing to face the challenges that lie ahead. I will always try to make you laugh and promise to share my dessert with you—maybe.” Her lip curved into a small smile, and she laughed which only made her more beautiful.

“But more than anything, Logan, I promise you will always have me. All of me. Everything I have is yours. You are my family, my future and my forever.”

I wanted to kiss her. I’d never wanted to kiss her more, but before I had the chance, a throat was clearing again and it was my turn. My turn to pledge myself to this woman. For eternity, and I couldn’t wait.

“I should have gone first. I should have gone first because I can barely speak after that. I’ve forgotten everything I was going to say. You rendered me speechless and I have been in a constant state of awe since the moment I looked into these mystically green eyes. You bewitch me, captivate me, and propel me to be a better person. I was an empty shell until you showed me what love was.”