Page 60 of California Waves

Their love story unfolding, in colors bold and bright,

Under the California sun, everything just felt right.

Brushstrokes of love, in every hue and tone,

A masterpiece they’ve created, a world of their own.

From the easel to the heart, a beautiful start,

In California, they vowed never to part.

Mila had thought the wedding vows were emotional, but she found herself crying all over again at the beautiful song Damien had composed. Halfway through, she found Hersch reaching for her hand, and they clung to each other until the closing chords ended, and then everybody broke into spontaneous applause. Damien, who wowed crowds everywhere, from London to Beijing to Sydney to New York, looked bashful as he bowed his head.

Arch and Tessa’s love had touched each of the Davenport siblings in a special way.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The party continued as they sat down to eat the beautiful meal that Mila had helped choose. It was delicious, as she knew it would be, but she was still glad that everything was perfect for Tessa. Smith Sullivan made the first speech. He talked about how he and Archer had wooed a lot of women onscreen, but when the real thing hit, no rehearsal helped you navigate the new role of husband. His advice, given with a humorous smile, was to always accept that your wife knew best.

“Absolutely,” echoed Valentina, who looked stunning in a blue silk dress.

Next was their mom. Betsy stood, gorgeous in a deep pink dress patterned with flowers. “What a beautiful day this is for all of us. Howie and I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome you into our family, Tessa. You have been beyond wonderful in caring for our son, and though I would never have wished a broken leg on anyone, I’m glad it brought you and Arch together. You healed him, and you loved him. I thank you for that, and welcome you to our family.” Then she turned to Arch. “Since you were a little boy, everything you touched turned to gold, but nothing in your life has ever shone brighter than your love for Tessa. I know you two are forever, and I love you both.”

Everyone raised their glasses in appreciation, and Mila took a happy sip of champagne. Her mom took her seat, and her dad gently wiped her tears from her cheeks before standing himself. He smiled at his guests. “First, Tessa, as my beautiful wife just said, we all adore you. I’m so glad you’re part of the family now. And Arch.” His voice broke with emotion, and he took a moment to calm himself. “Arch, welcome to the married life. And well done falling for someone as lovely and perfect for you as Tessa. To see your child find their perfect fit is one of the greatest joys a parent can know. Here’s to forever love!”

They all raised their glasses in a toast.

Nick, as the oldest brother, was next to stand. Mila could see that he was a bit embarrassed that his eyes had already filled with tears. He swallowed hard and said, “Arch, Nick, Damien, Finn, and I have always been such a tight-knit unit that I’ll admit I thought when Arch got married, something might change. But now I see that we’re all going to be closer than ever. Being witness to your love makes me realize that every time we bring a new person into the family circle, the love only gets bigger. It’s a thrill to gain another sister.” He grinned at Tessa. “Welcome to the madhouse… I mean, welcome to our family.”

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses in another toast.

Arch rose and replied to the toasts, thanked the bridesmaids, joked about his brothers, and then thanked Tessa’s parents, who he was sure were smiling down on this day. He finally turned to thank Betsy and Howie. “You two showed us all what a real marriage and real love look like. It took me a long time to find that kind of forever love, but when I met Tessa, I knew I was done for.” To the assembled guests, he said, “Thank you all for coming and helping us celebrate this special day. Now, let’s party!”

And then the dancing started. Arch led Tessa across the makeshift dance floor, and everyone watched in a happy hush as they moved in perfect harmony. After the song ended, Howie and Betsy stepped onto the dance floor, Howie partnering with Tessa and Betsy her son.

Mila was a little worried that Erin might feel like the only singleton, since Mila had brought a date at the last minute, and Erin hadn’t. But to her surprise and secret delight, Jay Malone had also come alone. He’d been smart enough to realize that none of those underwear models he dated could be trusted not to blab the secret of this wedding to the paparazzi.

The minute the dance floor opened up, he went over to Erin and offered his hand. Mila watched her sister hesitate for just a second, then nod and get up. She didn’t know what Jay said, but he made Erin laugh, and then she relaxed in his arms. And just for a moment, Mila wondered if…

Then she shook her head. She was getting overly romantic because she was at a wedding. Pushy Jay Malone and quiet, intellectual Erin? No. That could never work.

Herschel asked her to dance, and as she settled in his arms for their own first-ever dance, she discovered that they fit perfectly, and the astronaut had some real moves.

Damien danced with a couple of his aunts and Tessa, and then she saw him go over to Crystal. He obviously asked her to dance, and Crystal, still wearing her headset, made a gesture toward the cake. He shook his head and, reaching up, removed the headset. Good for him, Mila thought.

He led the still protesting Crystal out to the dance floor, where Mila was able to watch how much the two old friends enjoyed each other. It must be such a relief to Damien to be able to let go with someone he trusted, since they’d known each other long before he’d become famous. The more she watched them dancing, she more she noticed that there was real chemistry between the two of them. But Crystal didn’t stay on the dance floor long, abandoning him to head back to her duties.

Damien danced the next one with Margaret, who had been waltzed around by each of the Davenport men in turn. Second to Tessa, Mila thought that Margaret was the belle of the ball. She only hoped she was as gorgeous and feisty and vibrant when she was that age.

Then it was time to cut the cake. When the big chocolate fudge cake came out, Herschel leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I’m going to need a very large piece of that cake to go.”

Immediately, her thoughts turned to the night they’d spread chocolate cake all over each other and licked it off their bodies. She was never going to look at chocolate cake the same way again.

After everyone had enjoyed a slice of cake, Smith Sullivan came over to where Mila was standing beside Arch and Tessa. He said, “Great job on keeping the ceremony on the down-low. I noticed the well disguised security outside the house, but it wasn’t needed. The ruse worked.”

She was glad he didn’t mention that he and Valentina might have been followed. It didn’t matter now, and besides, it was probably just a fan who’d caught sight of Smith and decided to follow him. As she knew from her famous brothers, fans did stuff like that all the time.

Arch nodded with pride. “The decoy wedding worked. Between Crystal being a brilliant planner and everybody who came today keeping the secret, right down to the caterers and servers, I couldn’t be happier.”

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