Page 23 of OneTime Lovers
We are all ready when Cassie’s twin nieces, in their pretty flower girl dresses come bounding through the doorway like spinning tops, followed closely behind by Cassie’s mom and dad, chaos ensues. Cassie’s sister with her magical mom powers somehow convinces the twins to stop bouncing around her legs.
How she manages to keep her composure with all that activity surrounding her, is beyond me. Madison waits patiently beside them holding the baskets of rose petals the girls will carry.
The makeup artist puts the final brush of powder across Cassie’s cheeks and the bride is ready too. She looks stunning in her white silk bridal gown, simple makeup, and golden hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders.
In the mirror I catch her wide, deep blue eyes brimming with joy and maybe some held back tears from her hug with her mom.
I move to stand behind her. “Remember, Cass, we made a pact, no tears.” She nods back at me, smiling.
Lily beside me says, “Are you ready to do this, Cass?” She nods mutely again. “Let’s go get you married then.” Taking a hand each, we lead her over to her father, who stands proudly watching on from the edge of the room.
With a booming voice, Cassie’s dad announces it’s time to go, and we file out of the bungalow, along the path to the lawn, where the wedding guests are waiting.
Chapter 12
Scott
Thefiveofus,Luke, Blake, Parker, Ben, and I, stand lined up in front of the guests, waiting for the music to start and Cassie to make her entrance.
It’s way too hot and humid to be dressed up. I adjust the collar of my white button-down linen shirt again as a trickle of sweat runs down the center of my back, pooling at the band of my beige chino pants. You’d think by four in the afternoon the heat of the day would have lessened.
The ceremony is taking place on a lawn area overlooking the beach, but still there is no cooling breeze. A makeshift wooden platform has been set up under a flower-filled pergola, offering little shade, the surrounding palms doing a better job of keeping the wedding guests in their finery from melting into sweat puddles in their chairs.
The wedding officiant, Cassie’s aunt, flutters a paper fan furiously at her red glowing cheeks. I hope the bride arrives soon before we all expire from heat exhaustion. Still, this informal beachside wedding is much better than a stuffy old church filled with hundreds of people like the one my sister is planning in a few months.
Luke stands next to his mom, one hand in his pocket the other around her shoulders as he laughs at something Blake just said to him. He is the most relaxed of all of us, surprisingly not even breaking a sweat. Good on him, he deserves his happiness.
He’s been through some tough years after he was seriously injured in Afghanistan. Luke endured a long, painful recovery both physically and mentally, but since Cassie moved in with him, he told me his old nightmares have disappeared.
I try not to relive the night the guy’s team of Army Rangers was ambushed, ending with two of their friends not making it home, and Luke, Ben, and Tim injured. For me, it left behind an open wound in my memories and it’s hard not to pick at it today. As I look at Luke, I remember how critical minutes made the difference between death and a life, which meant we could be here today, together. This is big, standing shoulder to shoulder with my friends, sharing in the next stage of Luke’s future.
The acoustic guitarist begins to strum slowly. I don’t recognize the tune, but it suits the informal setting. We all resume our places, standing up straighter as if we are all back in our military days on the parade grounds.
At the end of the red carpet that acts as an aisle, Cassie’s little nieces begin to walk toward us. With a swallow to dislodge the lump in my throat, I focus on the cute little girls, smiling and laughing as they drop pink flower petals from baskets. Behind the girls are Cassie’s sisters, next is Madison, Lily, and finally Jas steps into view.
Jasmine looks gorgeous with her auburn hair cascading over her shoulders in soft waves. Her green eyes shining bright, a perfect match to the color of her dress and when her eye catches mine and those alluring pink lips turn up in a smile, I’m hooked.
Luckily my white shirt hangs loosely over my trousers covering my immediate reaction to her, or I would be standing here embarrassed right about now. It’s knowing we have a deal that has ratcheted up my lust meter. I can’t wait till later when I can make good on ourone-time. Till then I’ll have to restrain myself.
Ben leans sideways to say to Parker and me, “Check out Luke, he is so happy. Isn’t it great?” I drag my gaze from Jasmine, back to Luke and smiling, nod my agreement. Ben, the hard-ass tough guy, is even affected by this moment.
Luke’s smile is blinding as Cassie walks toward him on her dad’s arm. When she reaches Luke, he takes her hand and the officiant asks in a low voice, “Are you ready to start?” The paper fan has been discarded and she is all business now.
An awkward silence ensues as the officiant waits for a response looking from Luke to Cassie, who are staring into each other’s eyes, caught up in a world of their own.
Blake ends up having to nudge Luke to speak, and when he finally does, he says, “I do.”
Lucky, his voice is so low that only those closest can hear. I struggle to hide my laugh behind a fake cough and looking over to Jas, I can see she’s having the same trouble. The officiant smiles then repeats her question and this time Luke answers correctly.
The ceremony words are simple, but the vows spoken by Cassie and Luke to each other are truly moving and have the guests reaching for tissues. Not this tough guy though as I swallow past the lump in my throat, again. Geez, this is emotional shit.
When they get to theI dobit, Luke’s voice is loud and strong, and he doesn’t waste any time kissing his new wife. It’s at least a minute before he finally comes up for air, and I clap him on the back congratulating him, along with the rest of the guys. Another stab of emotion surprising me as we all stand around him, brothers together.
Glancing back up, I’m snared by Jasmine’s green gaze, and it pulls me to her. Unable to resist, I maneuver my way over to stand beside her as Luke and Cassie sign the marriage register.
“You take my breath away in that dress,” I whisper for her ears only as my finger sneaks up her bare back, feeling her tremble beneath my touch.
Not distracted for long, she asks softly, “Are you okay? You seemed a little ... choked up during the ceremony.”
