Page 70 of Turbulent Fires

“That’s because this couldn’t possibly be more right.”

“It feels like a dream, one I pray I never wake from.”

Chloe beams at me. “You’re marrying a man who crash-landed a plane and saved your life before fighting a wildfire until he conquered it. This wedding is the least dramatic thing that’s happened in your relationship.”

I smile as she laughs. “I guess we’ve made it through a lot. At least I know we’ll never grow bored.”

“That isn’t possible,” she says. “You’ve not only made it through a lot, you’ve chosen each other every step of the way. There isn’t a better foundation than that. I’m so happy for you.”

I laugh while my eyes fill. I wasn’t expecting to be an emotional bride, but I guess some traditions are never meant to be broken. I pull Chloe close and hug her. We cry together before pulling back, both of us laughing.

“I love you enough to share you,” Chloe says.

“I felt the exact same way when you got married. Nothing will ever break our bond, but it’s pretty dang wonderful to add partners to our lives who we both love. It’s going to be amazing to see where we are in thirty years.”

A shudder runs through her. “Let’s not go there. It’s terrifying.” She frowns. “I’m not looking forward to wrinkles. Gross.”

I laugh hard at this, all tears officially gone. “I’ve always felt that way, but I’m not so scared now that I’m disgustingly in love. I look forward to the changes I’ll go through in life, and to living out my years with the man I love and my bestie living right beside me. I want children and grandchildren, and a life well lived. I never thought I’d be the woman I’ve become.”

“I guess we’ve grown up.”

We both groan. “Dang it. We were supposed to stay young forever.”

“We can stay young at heart.”

“I’ll drink to that,” she tells me. Champagne flutes appear out of nowhere, handed to us before the person disappears, and we giggle. Being catered to this extreme is both wonderful and creepy. But this will end as of tonight. Chloe holds up her glass. “Cheers.”

I clink my glass against hers. “Cheers, my beautiful friend.”

Our moment is broken as my dress is brought into the room. As much as I complained about all of the measuring and swatches, I’m not complaining about the final results. The dress is more beautiful than anything I could’ve imagined.

Our suite is full of loved ones and strangers alike as I’m dressed, my hair’s done to perfection, and my makeup is applied with expert precision. I’m grateful for Chloe because she’s my buffer between the good and the chaos. I’m oddly calm, though, not allowing any of the crazy to get to me.

Things are going wrong left and right: caterers missing an entire tableful of appetizers, the ring bearer losing one of the rings before Drake found it in the mimosa ice bucket, and Sherman giving relationship speeches to guests trying to run away, but I don’t care because I’m marrying Wolf, and it doesn’t get better than that. I’m about to become Mrs. Young. I smile, my feet anxious to get moving. It can’t come soon enough.

Wolf

Before this day, I’ve never worn a tux without a definitive plan for how soon I can take it off. But as I stand in a private lounge above the beach club, gazing at the same sea I’m sure Audrey’s looking at, I’m not thinking about how uncomfortable the bow tie is. I’m only thinking of her.

For the past twenty-four hours I haven’t been allowed to see her, which I think is a stupid tradition. So all I’ve done is revisit our whirlwind romance. I think of how she looked in the plane the first time we met, how I chased her, and how we danced beneath the stars. I think of the crash that could’ve ended in disaster, but instead brought us so much closer, about how she kissed me with fervor and made me promise to come back to her, and most importantly, I think of how beautiful she looked as she told me she’d be mine forever. Soon, but not soon enough, she’ll be walking down the aisle toward me, and nothing else in this world will matter.

Jayden walks into the room, handsome in his fitted jacket, his usual stoic face lit up with a smile, his eyes bright. This wedding is bringing a lot of joy to our family.

“You look far more composed than I was expecting,” he tells me.

“I’m simply trying to make it through these final hours we’re kept apart.”

“Are you sure she isn’t running?”

I glare at my brother. “Don’t even joke about that. I’d find her no matter how long it took.”

Nick pokes his head in next. “Your mother-in-law’s asking if you have a preferred scent for the candle ceremony.”

I look at him in confusion as I shake my head. “Do I look as if I know any scents of candles?” He laughs.

“I’m gonna say smoky,” Ace says with conviction, looking around his brother.

“Sure, whatever,” I tell them. I’m so sick of these crazy questions. I look at Jayden. “I’ll nevereverplan a wedding again.”

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