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“Oh, there’s four of us. Hank is the oldest, then Billy, me, and then Jimmy.”
Mrs. York shook her head in confusion. “I thought the other bridesmaid is your sister.”
“She will be, by marriage. Isabella is engaged to Jimmy, my younger brother.”
“Okay, and Nadia? Which brother is she with?”
“She’s not. Nadia was Reagan’s roommate in college.” I reminded Mrs. York, who I assumed knew that but had just forgotten.
“Okay, got it.” She nodded before we opened the door and headed inside.
I watched as Mrs. York helped Reagan into her simple, satin dress and I allowed myself to live the moment vicariously through them since I knew that I would never have that.
The only maternal figure I had in my life wasn’t speaking to me. After my mom died, my grandparents had taken me to live with them. Not my brothers, just me. My grandmother had never been nurturing or even kind, but after I decided to move down to Firefly Island to be close to my brothers, both she and my grandfather had disowned me.
So yeah, I wasn’t going to have the moment that I was witnessing where Mrs. York secured Reagan’s veil in place.
A ding sounded and Reagan picked up her phone.
“It’s time,” she calmly announced after reading a text.
“You look so beautiful!” I exclaimed.
“You do!” Nadia handed her the bridal bouquet.
“So stunning!” Isabella sniffed back emotion.
“Thanks. And thanks for keeping me company up here all day.” She smiled. “I can’t believe it’s finally time. Let’s do this.”
There was palpable excitement as we all made our way downstairs to the French doors that we would be exiting from. I could hear the music playing even before the doors were opened. When they were, there was a round of applause from the attendees celebrating that the wedding was finally beginning.
Isabella walked out first, and I followed behind her. I kept my eyes on her back as we walked down the porch steps and across the grass to the area in the backyard that had been set up for the ceremony.
When I reached the aisle of rose petals that led to the pastor standing under the eucalyptus wood arch that Hank, who was in construction, built for the occasion, I finally lifted my chin. Like a heat-seeking missile, my eyes shot straight to Cash, who stood between Hank and Jimmy beside Billy.
I tried to pull my gaze away from him, but the hold he had over my attention proved too great a foe for me to conquer. We maintained eye contact until I took my place in line next to Isabella.
Nadia was close on my heels and she was followed by Reagan who was walking with her mom.
As beautiful as the wedding I was witnessing was, I wasn’t paying any attention to it. I was far too distracted by a dashing groomsman and my plan to wake up tomorrow not a virgin.
Since the vows weren’t holding my attention, my eyes scanned over the sea of people seated in white wooden folding chairs. That didn’t serve to take my mind off of him, because all I was doing was watching Mallory Belfort practically drool as she stared in his direction.
She wasn’t the only single lady that I could see had their eye on the prize. The prize being the sole single groomsman of the bunch. Every unattached woman under fifty was looking at him like he was a juicy steak and they were a cartoon wolf.
I was busy sizing up the competition for Cash’s attention when I heard Reverend Lee say, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!”
The crowd erupted in cheers. I blinked and turned my head just in time to see Billy kissing Reagan as he dipped her back dramatically.
The happy couple began the processional surrounded by wolf whistles, applause, and shouts. Isabella was next, walking past me to meet Jimmy in the middle to walk down the aisle behind the newlyweds. I was up next.
Here it was, the time in the ceremony that I’d been waiting for.
My legs were trembling as I walked the two steps to meet Cash. When my fingers wrapped around his upper arm and squeezed, I couldn’t help but notice just how rock hard his arm was.
Out of all the things I loved about Cash, I’d have to say that his body was fairly far down on the list. Not because it wasn’t magnificent. It was. It’s just he had a lot of qualities about him that were even more impressive.
Like the deep blue shade of his eyes that reminded me of a stormy summer night. Or the rich, gruff quality of his voice that always sent shivers down my spine. Or the way he made everyone that he spoke to feel like they were the most important person in the world. I’d clocked countless hours at Southern Comfort—the bar that my siblings and I owned and he managed—watching him interact with people. He effortlessly spoke to people with an easy charm that drew them in.
