Page 73 of Turbulent Fires

Drake raises his glass. “To love, to flying fearlessly, and to finally having someone who can handle Wolf’s chaotic life.”

“To Audrey and Wolf!” they shout in unison. The crowd raises their glasses as they shout their approval. I lean over and kiss Audrey.

“I can drink to that,” she says.

“I’ll give you the world,” I promise.

Chloe takes the stage next, looking radiant as the light catches her dress in shades of silver and rose. She stands behind the mic with her signature fire in her eyes. The room immediately quiets.

“When Audrey told me she was falling for a pilot, I assumed we were in for a short-term flirtation, a lot of turbulence, and maybe an awkward meeting or two,” she begins. Everyone chuckles and Audrey beams at her best friend.

Chloe looks at Audrey then me, and faces the crowd again. “But, I watched my best friend transform over the months, watched her get lost in this man who brought out the best in her. I saw the sort of change I never expected to see from her, and couldn’t have been happier. Their love is the biggest, boldest, most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

Chloe looks at me, tears in her eyes. “Wolf, I knew Audrey was serious when she started writing about you. Not just in her articles or travel essays, but in the margins of everything. You became her story, her home, her favorite character. You became a part of her world.”

Audrey’s sniffling beside me. Chloe has tears running down her cheeks. “You gave my best friend the greatest gift, the ability to see herself, to believe in herself, and to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground. You didn’t try to hold her back, but helped her spread her wings. That’s the bravest, most beautiful love I can imagine.”

Her voice is thick with emotion, and the entire room feels it. She holds up her glass. “Here’s to the woman who ran from everything... until the right person showed her she didn’t have to run anymore. Here’s to the man who flew at her side every step of the way. May your life together be full of laughter, love, adventure, good landings, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. I love you both.”

Tears flow as the crowd raises their glasses and once again cheers. I wipe away Audrey’s tears as I gaze into her eyes. Then I pull her into my arms and hold her. I honestly didn’t think we’d cry at our wedding. We hated all of the planning. I was wrong. No elopement could seal us together like this day is. We’re one now, but we’re so much more than that; we’re also one with our community of loved ones, with those who support us in the good times and bad. We’re one because we’re loved, and because we love so deeply.

I rise and go to Chloe, to Audrey’s best friend. I give her a hug before pulling back. “Thank you for sharing your best friend, and thank you for your support. It matters.”

She throws her arms around me for another hug. “Promise to always take care of her.”

“You have my word.” Audrey joins us and wraps us both in a hug. Then my brothers join the circle. Our tears turn to laughter as more and more people unite, all of us one, all of us together forever.

We can have a great love, and we can have a circle that protects it. It’s because of these friendships that we’ll continue to flourish for the rest of our lives. I couldn’t be happier than I am in this beautiful moment surrounded by the people I love most in this world.

And right now, right here, under the glow of the sparkling chandeliers, with the sea behind us and music softly playing, we don’t just feel married... we feel eternal.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Audrey

One Year Later

Catalina Island doesn’t change. It’s the same quiet, quaint, ocean-kissed gem I fell in love with. It still smells like coffee, salt air, and wildflower dreams. It still holds countless memories in its hills, some remembered and some you simply feel when the wind hits just right. Something has changed, though. Me... or more accurately,us.

I’m outside, curled up on a chair, my laptop balanced on my knees, the soft hum of the waves syncing with the rhythm of my fingers on the keys. The title glows across the screen. A Flight of Love — a novel by Audrey Young.

This novel is a book about a woman who ran... and a man who flew straight to her. Somehow, somewhere, they both learned how to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground while still allowing each other to lift off every once in a while.

I finished the novel, never expecting it to do anything more than live on my hard drive like a love letter to the man my feelings grow stronger for each day. I wasn’t brave enough to send it to a publisher. But my best friend was.

The call came. It was a literary agent, and there was a bidding war. I didn’t know what to think about it. By the time Wolf came home, my face hurt from smiling so much. Now, I’m sitting here, writing my next novel with confidence. Once I finished the first, I was a goner. I can never go back again.

I blame this all on one very sexy pilot, because a life with him is a life of adventure, a life filled with endless chapters of wild, wonderful, heart-pounding inspiration.

Today isn’t about writing; it’s about celebrating. We’re at the Catalina Wine Mixer, one of our annual gatherings of chaos, champagne, family, and wildly overdressed aviators having far too much fun.

I stash my laptop and rise, smiling as I look at Drake in his velvet blazer, attempting to take over the DJ station. It isn’t going well for him. Chloe is wearing sequins while chasing Peapod and trying not to splash wine all over herself. Jayden’s attempting to teach Sherman how to waltz, which has many bent over in laughter. Mona’s at a table reading auras as people grab oysters on the table beside her. It’s glorious.

Wolf finds me, as he always does, and hands me a glass of champagne. “To my beautiful bride.”

I smile as I gaze at this man I was smart enough to marry. There hasn’t been a single day in the past year that I haven’t thanked the heavens for bringing him into my life. I love him so much.

“I’m incredibly happy,” I tell him as he sips champagne. I set my glass down without him noticing, then walk with him at my side and pick up a glass of sparkling cider. A string quartet begins playing something slow and jazzy behind us. The sun dips low, casting the golden haze Catalina is known for across the water.

---