Page 72 of Side Hustle

As soon as we got to the front of the aisle, Amelia took my bouquet so I could hold Rip’s hands and Pastor Murphy started the ceremony. We’d asked him to keep it short as we had an epic party to get to, naturally. We said our vows perfectly, having practiced them every night, many times right before Rip got that look in his eye and suddenly clothes were coming off in a frenzy. His wink set off my blush. I knew exactly what he was thinking about right here in front of our pastor and our entire town.

We reached the exchanging-of-the-rings portion of the ceremony and for that we needed our canine buddies, Chester and Sheepdog. What’s a wedding without fun party animals? Titus and Charlie had left the groomsmen lineup to bring the dogs over to the aisle. Both dogs had a little pillow strapped to their backs and a bow tie around their necks. One had my ring, and the other held Rip’s. The good boys trotted down the aisle side by side just like they’d practiced, and I could have sworn I saw a smile on Chester’s sweet face. The audience chuckled and grabbed cell phones to take pictures.

Tragedy struck halfway down the aisle.

An overzealous seagull flew into the wedding area and dive-bombed Chester, probably thinking the little pillow on his back was an edible treat. The poor dog yelped and dashed down the aisle in a sprint. Of course, Sheepdog couldn’t be left out of the fun, so he ran after him, but not before barreling into Penelope Fines, who’d hopped to her feet in a surprisingly agile manner to try to corral Chester. She went down in a heap of billowing navy skirt, her blunt-cut hair sliding to the side of her head like out of a horror movie. Looked like Ms. Fines wore a wig. And wasn’t that an interesting finding?

I gasped at the craziness of it all, adding to the murmurs already lacing through the audience as the dogs ran in circles, clipping the knees of our seated guests. Titus and Charlie ran after them, never quite grabbing them before the dogs darted in another direction. The dumb cluck kept dive-bombing as soon as the dogs showed signs of settling down. The whole thing was so hilarious and unexpected and yet so very Auburn Hill, I tossed my head back and laughed until my eyes leaked again.

Amelia saved the day by brandishing a donut in front of Sheepdog, who instantly sat on his haunches, awaiting his treat. Not sure where she got a donut as I knew for a fact the bridesmaids’ dresses didn’t have pockets, but this was Amelia we were talking about, hostess extraordinaire with a sassy streak that had people jumping to do her bidding. Either way, both dogs settled down once they had a donut to devour, especially because Chester had never even tasted a donut before. Charlie was chewing his nails, probably thinking of what veggie juice to give his dog to counteract all the sugar.

Titus walked over to Rip with the rings, an embarrassed look on his face. Not that he was sorry the dogs had almost ruined the wedding, but more because he’d almost forgotten about the rings when he laid eyes on the donut. I could swear that man was as obsessed with those yeasty things as his dog.

“With this ring, I thee wed,” Rip said in a hurry, slipping the ring onto my finger and making our photographer jump back into action to get the shot.

I grabbed his hand and positioned his ring, the one I’d had made from my share of the proceeds of the gold mine. Fifty percent split a bazillion ways with all the citizens of Auburn Hill didn’t add up to much, but I was adamant that I buy Rip’s ring with my own money. Besides, I’d wanted to get the inside of his ring stamped with a sun and a flower to symbolize him and me together. He was always calling me his sunshine and I knew that while he’d been a wallflower for many years, he no longer stayed in the shadows. He’d blossomed.

“With the power vested in me by the state and the big guy upstairs, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Pastor Murphy pronounced, closing his little black notebook. “Kiss your bride, son.”

Rip gifted me with a smile so wide and so bright I wasn’t sure which one of us was actually the sunshine in this relationship anymore. And then his hands were on me and I felt myself being tipped over his arm, our lips tangling together in a frenzy of happiness.

The sounds of the wedding party hooting and hollering faded into the background and all I felt was an all-encompassing love. Nothing and no one could touch us if we just held on to that.

“How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” by Marvin Gaye started playing and Rip tipped me back up to standing, his forehead pressed to mine.

“I love you, wife,” he whispered, just for me.

“I love you, husband. Always and forever,” I whispered back.

With blinding smiles, we walked back down the aisle to celebrate with everyone, hand in hand, hearts fused together forever. And just like the song said, how sweet it was to be loved and to love in return.

My husband.

My friends.

My town.