JENNIE

"We're going to miss our plane."

Lisa's nerves are wearing on me. "Then we'll catch the next one. It's fine. The wedding isn't until tomorrow night. Even if we have to drive there, we'll still make it on time. We're good."

That's not entirely true. If we drove really fast and didn't stop, then maybe, but probably not. "Wait. Are you afraid of flying?"

"No. I just hate being late," she says.

I flip her wrist over to check the time. "The plane doesn't take off for three hours. We're thirty minutes from the airport, and we're TSA prechecked. It's a direct flight, and we have carry-on luggage. I'm almost ready. The car isn't even here yet." I kiss her until I feel the tension leave her. "And I love you."

She nods. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

I zip my luggage and pat it. "There. I'm done. We can go downstairs and wait for the car." I pull up the app on my phone.

"The driver is seven minutes away. Let's go."

Forty-seven minutes later we're sitting side by side waiting for an airplane that isn't even at the gate yet. I don't say anything. I pull out my tablet and scroll through the news.

"I'm sorry." She takes my hand and squeezes my fingers.

I lean over so that others can't hear us. "You should trust me more."

"I really should. You travel all the time. Maybe that's it. I don't travel enough."

That makes me pause. "Maybe we should go somewhere tropical. You have a passport, right?"

"Yes, and I've never used it."

My jaw drops open. "Never? You've never left the country?"

"Nope, but let's definitely plan it. Where's your favorite place in the world?"

"Maybe we should find a new one together." Again, the sap drips from me. This woman has changed me for the better. Even Ips notices a softness to me. She mentioned it once and never again, but I see it in the way she looks at me. Sometimes I give her an eye roll to let her know that deep down, it's still me, but I notice the change in myself, too.

My phone rings, and Lisa reaches over me to grab it. "Let me answer your phone."

I shoo her hand away. Her sister-in-law Amanda and I have been steadily building a nice friendship over the last several months on the basis of wine and antiques. "Hi. How's it going?"

"Did you make it to the airport on time?" Amanda asks.

"With a zillion minutes to spare." I turn to Lisa so she can hear. "I don't know why Lisa was so worried."

Amanda laughs. "I'll just tell you that nervousness runs in the family. Brock doesn't like to be late to anything."

"No. We're here, early, and waiting for the plane. We're going to make it there tonight."

"That's great. Lisa will be able to relax, and you'll get to see Nayeon again," she says.

Amanda's a genuinely nice person. I already know Nayeon's going to love her, and I can't wait for them to meet. "This is going to be an amazing wedding. I'll take lots of pictures. And we'll be at the beach. How could it be better?"

"Best weekend ever. Have a great time," she says.

I disconnect the call to find a text message from Nayeon.

N: How's it going? Are you on the plane yet?

Nayeon needs me for encouragement. I'm spending Nayeon's last night as a bachelorette with her. We have the Presidential Suite and a ton of wine and snacks.

J: Not yet, but we should land about seven and be at the hotel by eight. Which means I will walk into the suite and expect a glass of wine at exactly 8:08.

N: It's going to take you eight minutes to check in?

I read the panic in her text and try to reassure her and calm her at the same time until I can do it in person .

J: A lot of people will be in line. There's an amazing wedding tomorrow on the beach with roughly two hundred guests.

N: I'll check you in. Just come up to the suite, and we'll give Lisa a key.

Perfect. She's excited for tomorrow. We've been talking about a vacation longer than just a weekend away somewhere.

"They're boarding." Lisa leans over and kisses my cheek. "Tell her I say hello and we'll see her in a bit."

J: On our way! See you soon. I send a heart and a kiss emoji and turn off my phone.

We aren't in line long, and Lisa and I are on our first drink before the plane is airborne. She sleeps the whole way while I review notes on an upcoming case. Work has been tough for her.

June is notorious for pre-Fourth of July firework accidents that lead to bigger fires. I'm glad she's able to get the weekend off to spend it with me at Nayeon and Orlando's wedding. I'm in the wedding party, and my dress is already there so in case of a luggage mishap, so I don't have to worry about it getting lost.

"Honey, we're almost there." I gently shake Lisa awake.

She licks her lips and reaches for her water. "Really? Did I sleep the whole time?"

I nod. "You've had a rough week and needed it."

"I'm good now. Thanks for letting me sleep." She cracks her neck and stretches her long legs out. Business class is a definite with Lisa and her legs that seem to go on forever. "Let's help your best friend relax before the biggest day of her life."

Lisa's been around during the half a dozen times Nayeon doubted her decision to marry Orlando. When she told us last Christmas Eve that he'd proposed, she was giddy and excited. I never told her that he called me for my advice. That was his story to tell.

--

"Oh, my God. You're here!"

Nayeon's hug turns into something more emotional, and I end up holding her while her tears fall. "I'm here now, sweetie. I'm here."

Lisa's wide eyes speak volumes. She's not sure how to get involved or if she should. I smile weakly at her. I mouth "I don't know." I point to the desk where I see two key cards and a piece of paper, hoping that's for us. She rubs Nayeon's back for a moment and leaves with the keys and our luggage to a suite on the same floor.

"I don't know why I'm crying." She pulls back and laughs. "I mean, I want to marry him. I love him so much."

I wipe her tears and kiss her cheek. "I guess it's time to settle down, and we've fought it so long. You have every right to be emotional. He's wonderful, and his kids already love you so much. I couldn't be happier for you."

"We'll still have our Vegas trips," she says.

"I'm not even thinking that far. Hell, the next time we go, we'll probably have to take Lisa and Orlando, and that's fine." I mean it. I have so much fun with Lisa, and she satisfies me so totally on every level that the thought of hooking up with a stranger seems so foreign to me, even though that was my life six months ago. I lead her to the couch and open a bottle of champagne. "Look, I'm here to witness love in action from my best friend."

"I don't ever want to lose you to a marriage," she says.

"I won't let Orlando or the kids push me out of your life. If you're worried about that, don't. I'm not letting you go for something as insignificant as marriage." I wink, and she smiles.

She takes a deep breath and exhales loudly. "Okay, okay. I think I'm ready to do this. Should we take a bottle and head down to the beach for a quiet minute? The sun has mostly set, but it's still somewhat light out."

"I want to do whatever you want to do." I'm wearing linen pants that I can roll up and sandals I can kick off. I'd like to change my clothes, but that would take too long. "Grab your shoes. I'll grab the bottle. Let's go down there and cheer on the night."

Some people are on the beach when we finally hit the sand, but most of the crowd are either eating at the restaurant or hanging in the bar. I saw Orlando in there with about twenty guys cheering and laughing when we walked past. I grab a towel from the hotel's cabana on the beach and spread it out for us. I top off our glasses and toast my best friend.

"We're not saying good-bye to the last thirty-five years of your life, but we are welcoming a new chapter," I say. I think the toast is good, but she scowls at me.

"It's a marriage, not death. You make it sound like I'm dying."

I laugh. "You're right. It's a good thing I'm not in charge of a speech tomorrow." We toast to love and sip our champagne as the last bold colors of the day bleed into the dark blue of night. The waves instantly calm me. "I could get used to this."

"Buy a beach house here, and come and work for my company."

The excitement in her voice tells me she means it.

"I could never ask Lisa to move. She's so close to her family. They're wonderful people. Plus, I'm a judge."

"I know. We're just going to have to commute for the rest of our lives." Nayeon rests her head on my shoulder.

"At least until we retire. Then I think I'll have more pull."

"Stop. You know Lisa would do anything for you. If you wanted to up and suddenly move to South Africa, she totally would," she says.

"True, but I wouldn't ask her to. That's not fair."

"You're so sappy."

We both laugh. I tap my glass against hers. "Truer words have never been spoken."

When Nayeon and Orlando exchange vows, I can't help but cry. It's beautiful to witness love so pure and honest. I refuse to look at Lisa, but I bet she's crying, too. Hell, most in attendance are sniffling. Since it's a beach wedding, we're all barefoot. The bridesmaids' dresses are flowy and hit right at the knee. Nayeon's dress has more length, but they're all the same style. I love this dress because of the way Lisa reacted when she saw me in it.

I'm nervous about how revealing it is and how everyone else in the wedding is a smaller size, but the appreciation on Lisa's face gives me confidence. Everyone applauding brings me back to the present, where my best friend is now officially married. She hugs the bridal party and walks hand-in-hand with Orlando down the aisle to the several party tents, where the guests will start the reception while the wedding party has their picture taken a thousand times.

During one of the photos of just us she whispers, "I did it."

"You sure did. And I'm so happy for you."

"We need to hurry up with the wedding stuff so we can let loose, drink more champagne, and eat cake."

"I'm ready."

"Okay. We have one more photo to take. I'm going to need the bridesmaids to line up with the groomsmen behind them," the photographer says.

Orlando's buff quarterback friend is my groomsman, and he walks me to where I'm supposed to be and stands five feet behind me. Nayeon is about ten feet in front of us and turns her back to us with her bouquet as though she's going to throw it.

"Perfect. I need everyone to smile and look at Nayeon," the photographer says.

I hate the bouquet throwing at any wedding. It's a tradition that I wish would go away. I'm surprised Nayeon has agreed to do it. She bends her arm as if she's going to throw it and the photographer snaps away. I have patience for about two more minutes of this.

"Okay, now this time, throw it," he says.

Instead, Nayeon turns and walks to me and hands me the bouquet.

I'm confused.

"What?" I ask.

"Turn around, Jennie Bear."

I turn to find Lisa on one knee behind me holding a velvet box with a beautiful diamond ring. I'm stunned and still confused.

"Jennie Kim, we've been through so much together over the last year and I know that it hasn't been easy, but I love you and I love us. You took a chance with me, and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without you. Will you marry me?"

I explode with so many different emotions. Fear of the ultimate commitment, but also fear of losing her. Excitement at finding my perfect person in this world, and love. Love because I finally opened my heart to somebody who deserves all of it. I have no doubt when I answer her. I don't even care that I'm crying or that hundreds of people are witnessing this special event.

"Yes, Lisa Manoban. I would love to marry you."

THE END . . . .