Page 58 of A Future in the Bay

Her father stepped up to her, giving her a big hug.

“Are you ready?” he whispered, and she nodded.

The music began, and Pearl went down the aisle first, tossing flower petals gracefully. Caitlin’s heart gave a little squeeze of happiness as she watched her. She felt proud of the calm, measured way in which Pearl performed her part of the ceremony.

The music changed, and Caitlin’s dad gave her arm a squeeze. Together they began to walk down the aisle, and everyone stood. She heard murmurs all around her, but she was hardly conscious of anything except Michael. He was staring at her with tears welling in his eyes, looking like the happiest man in the world.

Her dad kissed her head at the end of the aisle, and then she took her place beside Michael. Her soon-to-be husband took her hands in his, and she squeezed his tightly, feeling that he was her anchor to the world. As she’d predicted, it all suddenly felt real instead of like a dream, and her heart raced as love filled her chest.

The officiant smiled at both of them, and then gave a short speech about the challenges and rewards of marriage. Caitlin did her best to listen, but her head was spinning a little. She was gazing into Michael’s eyes, feeling as though she could get lost in him.

Michael began to speak his vows, which he’d written for her, in a calm, steady voice. “Caitlin, I love you. I vow here to love you for the rest of my life. While I can’t control everything inthe world, Icancontrol my actions, and I promise to support and defend and love you with my actions for the rest of my life. I want all of the little moments of our life together to be valued and treasured just as much as the big moments of passion, like this one. I’m going to love you through the daily struggles and the moments of success. I’m going to love you through sickness and health, through richer or poorer, forsaking all others, for as long as we both shall live.”

Her heart soared, seeing the love in his eyes as he spoke the words, and she had to blink back tears.

Soon it was her turn to vow to him, and she took a deep breath, ready with all her heart to promise to love him for the rest of her life.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Gwen’s eyes misted up with tears as she watched Caitlin and Michael say their vows to each other. Even though she didn’t know either of them particularly well yet, she felt happy for them. It was clear they loved each other very much, and watching them say their vows to each other warmed her heart.

Isaiah was sitting beside her, smiling his big, sweet smile. He was the one who had been formally invited to the wedding, since Olivia and Caitlin had become good friends since Olivia had moved to Blueberry Bay. Gwen was there as his plus one, and she felt lucky to have been included. It made her feel even more that she was part of the community, seeing something so special and being part of it.

I can feel the love all around me, she thought, feeling herself get a little teary-eyed in a good way.Not just from Michael and Caitlin for each other, but from everyone sitting here for the two of them.

Almost as if he could sense her thoughts or her tears, Isaiah reached out and squeezed her hand. She turned toward him, squeezing his hand back and looking into his eyes for a moment. She could feel the connection between the two of them growing, and for a second it made her heart race.

She found herself thinking about her past, and how tense she had been about so many things. She’d once imagined herself marrying Ron—an outcome she was now very grateful had never occurred. She thought dryly to herself that if she’d married Ron, she never would have looked the way Caitlin looked just then—almost beside herself with happiness, eyes shining, and clearly filled with love. If she’d married Ron, she would have been standing there stressed about details and wanting everything to go exactly a certain way. She realized in a flash that her overly-precise nature had come from a desire to fix the way she’d felt with Ron. He had felt wrong, and rather than admit to herself that he was wrong for her, she’d tried to fix all the little details of their lives together instead. She’d been clinging to structure and precision, hoping it would make the way she felt unsatisfied with her life go away.

But it never could have, she thought, feeling her eyes fill with tears again.Love makes you feel differently than that. Love makes you feel right. Love makes you feel safe.

All of the things she’d once feared and thought weren’t right for her, she’d been wrong about. She did like to take time to rest, and to have fun—and she was more than capable of letting loose sometimes. It wasn’t those things that weren’t right for her, it was just that her old relationship hadn’t been right, and that had made everything else not feel right.

She glanced over at Isaiah, and her heart swelled to see the way he looked at Caitlin and Michael with so much affection. But what about with the right person? With the right person, someone she knew would support her and help her find hope and optimism no matter what? With that person, everything felt easy.

He glanced at her and grinned when he saw her looking at him. He leaned sideways a bit to press his shoulder against hers,and even that small contact between them made warmth flow through her.

Michael and Caitlin finished their vows, their eyes shining at each other, and then the officiant smiled at them.

“I now pronounce you man and wife—you may kiss the bride!”

Michael took a deep breath, tucking a loose wisp of hair behind Caitlin’s ear.

“Come on, Michael, kiss her!” Pearl cried from the front row.

People cheered and laughed, and Michael dipped Caitlin back in a passionate kiss. Gwen felt tears rush to her eyes—she hadn’t thought that kind of love happened in real life anymore. But she was starting to believe it was more than possible.

Michael and Caitlin started to walk back down the aisle together, holding hands. Both of them looked exquisitely happy, and a little dazed. People stood up and cheered for them again, clapping and calling out congratulations.

“Well,” Isaiah said, turning to Gwen with a grin. “I guess it’s time for a party.”

Michael and Caitlin stood at the end of the aisle and greeted all of their guests warmly as they passed through. Then they went off with the photographer to take wedding photos, and the guests all pitched in to help with the change-over, moving chairs from the ceremony area over to where the tables for the reception had been set up.

“This is lovely,” Gwen said, admiring how beautifully the tables had been decorated, and the strands of lights that had been strung up on poles around the dining area. “It’s clear they put a lot of thought into all this.”

There was an hour set aside for cocktails and mingling before the reception officially began, and Isaiah and Gwen wandered around talking to the other guests. The sun was starting to dip toward the horizon a little, flushing the sky with pink. A balmybreeze from the ocean offered just the right amount of coolness, although Gwen guessed she would be making a run back to her car to get a sweater before the evening was over.

There was a volleyball net set up along the beach near the reception area, and some guests were playing volleyball there with a beach ball. Isaiah and Gwen went to join Olivia and Corey’s team, where they were introduced to Luke Ward and Hannah Jenkins.

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