Walking across the sand, hoping against hope that my heels didn't pitch me face first into the damn beach, I made my way toward the man waiting at the arch set up so the crashing waves of the ocean was the backdrop as the sun began its slow descent. The reds, pinks, and oranges of the sky looked as if God became an artist just for this moment and I couldn't think of a better description or a more deserving moment.
The music was loud enough to break past the steady thrum of the waves, the wind was cooperating, and the guests were murmuring as I made my way up the center. My eyes were on one person, one set of eyes locked on mine, no one else really mattered.
It took no time whatsoever, yet also time seemed to slow indefinitely- how was that possible? And then I was at the front, and turning toward the way I came, I smiled as I saw the real star of the day.
My best friend, Carrie DiMarco, wearing the most gorgeous lacy white dress that was ever designed coupled with heels that put the ones that made me pray for my own life crossing the beach to shame, arm looped through THE Enzo's walked to her future. Jake Jensen, awkward muscle bound geek extraordinaire, who was about to become a husband. And, though no one else knew- in about seven months he'd be getting another new title too.
Clay stood by Jens' side, just as I would stand by Carrie's and I knew that he would be pulling out ALL the stops tonight to get me to agree to say yes to us going through our own version of this very ceremony and SOON.
Six months have passed since MAX as they will forever be called in my head took me and Carrie captive and tortured us. Six months since Jens sat beside Carrie nursing her back to full working order, showing the world just how freaking hot he really was on all kinds of levels.
Six months that had Keli and Stacy having their own version of this beachy scene, though they went the less extravagant route, choosing to marry at my former childhood home, which they were renting for now (until I decided if I wanted to sell or hell, who knew what I'd do with that house of horrors?). Six months that also had Keli and Stacy contemplating another child, whether surrogacy or adoption was the route they wanted to try.
Six months of George and Davey realizing that while Florida was nice, they actually missed HOME. Me, I thought, glaring at their overprotective and meddling asses, but secretly happy to have them back. Six months while they helped aid and abet Clay in his attempts to get me to say yes to marrying him.
Six months could change a shit ton. For instance, Walter and his wife Anna. After he'd come pounding on my door, I'd assumed we'd resume our former non-relationship. Instead, he started coming into the shop to try each pastry, he'd been told by George that I loved to bake and made all the offerings at the shop, while they waited for news the night of MAX's shit storm. Anna came with him after he realized that I wasn't going to throw him out, since I'd started doing a little time on the floor, still the face of the shop. She wasn't nearly as horrible as I'd assumed, but it was still very early stages. George made pains to try to include them in family gatherings, birthdays and holidays, and Walter and Anna made a point to make appearances. I was processing how I felt about it.
As the ceremony went on, my eyes met Clay's and he mouthed "I love you" making me smile. I adored him, every inch of him, to the point that I realized that the apartment above the shop was a tad too restrictive to love him as fully as I wanted to. Which is why, after the wedding, I planned on taking him to one of the other properties Davey had shown me that I owned. I really hoped that he liked it. Since it happened to be four bedroom Victorian, two streets from the beach, I think he will. I also had another surprise for him- The answer to his question. Finally.
