Page 95 of A Very Happy Easter

Breath hitching, I slid the ring onto Heath’s finger, then leapt into his arms as the officiant pronounced us husband and wife. Heath and Edie Renner-Carlisle. We smiled for the photographer, both barefoot in the sand below Casa Santo, me in a bikini and a short crocheted dress I’d found in a boutique in town, Heath in shorts and a white linen shirt. Polly whooped and clapped, and even the random French bloke she’d hooked up with last night and who’d agreed to act as our second witness wiped his eyes.

I was married. Married.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

“This is the part I’ve been waiting for,” Heath murmured and cupped my face in his hands. “I love you, Mrs. Carlisle.”

“Love you too, Mr. Renner.”

Our first kiss as man and wife, and Heath cursed softly against my lips as his cock hardened, but he didn’t stop until Polly yelled at us to get a room. We were using the same photographer as Constance, so I hoped he was as good with photoshopping out trousers tents as he was with baby bumps.

“About the room…” I smiled at my husband. “I have a plan for that.”

“Don’t tell me you reserved the honeymoon suite?”

“Nope.” I turned to the others, those there in person and our siblings on Zoom. “Thank you so much for coming. We’re done now.”

Snap. I shut the lid of the laptop. Wasn’t that the easiest? No wedding breakfast, no speeches, no first dance, no cake-cutting. No cringing, no sore feet, no trying to please everyone against impossible odds, no wishing I was anywhere but at my own wedding. Heath took my hand, and I twisted the ring on his finger. The promise of happiness to come.

“Where to, wifey?”

“Ugh, that’s so cheesy. Back to the house, hubby.”

He swept me up in his arms and climbed the steps without even breathing hard. The man had stamina. Sta-mi-na. I truly was the luckiest woman in the world.

“I’m going to miss this place,” Heath said as we reached the terrace.

“You won’t miss it.”

“Yeah, I will. We made the best memories here.”

“You won’t miss it because I bought it.” I brushed my lips across his. “Happy wedding day.”

“You did what?”

“When we were cleaning up after the storm, the owner mentioned he was getting too old to run around after different guests every week, and he wanted to free up the money to start his grandchildren on the property ladder. So I made him an offer. The lawyers pulled out all the stops, and I signed the papers while you snuck off to do your secret shopping yesterday afternoon. I love this place too.”

I wanted to return to San Gallicano every year on our anniversary. I wanted to turn Casa Santo into a second home. I wanted to help my kids build castles and pick them up when they fell in the sand.

“Damn, Edie. I bought you a necklace.”

“Well, the house is as much for me as it is for you.”

“What will we do, use it for holidays?”

“Exactly, and maybe lend it to family? Our kids are going to love the beach as much as we do.”

“How many are we having?”

“At least two. A boy and a girl.”

“What if we end up with two boys? Or two girls?”

“We keep trying. Any complaints?”

“Not a single one. Are we going to Roots for dinner?”

I nodded. “Got to work up an appetite first, though. To the closet.”

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