Page 93 of Damien
Sean looks to the groom. “Luke?”
“I’m not a professional wordsmith… so bear with me.”
The crowd chuckles as Dani shakes her head.
“When I came home that week for a much-needed break, I got a lot more than I bargained for. Little did I know this fiery, fierce female who flew over her handlebars would quickly become the center of my world. Who knew something as suave as fixing a bike tire would lead to this, right?”
Luke has to wait for the crowd to settle before continuing.
I can feel the love Luke has for my sister when he pins her with his eyes. “Danika Marie Fallon, it certainly has been a wild ride so far. To the world, I’m Luke Leighton. But for the first time in forever—in your eyes, I was just Luke. You saw the real me and loved me anyway. You put up with my hectic schedule. You understand that I’m far from perfect but at the end of the day—you’re my true partner in life. I can’t wait to grow old with you, travel the world with you—even if it means attending your book signings, and I can’t wait to start forever with you. I love you so much. Thank you for saying yes to this amazing adventure.”
The rest of the ceremony goes by in a blur. The next thing I know, Sean announces that Luke can kiss his bride.
After some jeers from the crowd, like “Get a room,” Luke and Dani break their kiss with wide, unapologetic smiles. Love looks amazing on them.
Instead of walking down the aisle, Luke stops to address the crowd. “As many of you know, we’ve chartered a boat and arranged cars—well, my amazing assistant Harlow planned everything—let’s give credit where it’s due.” Everyone laughs, and Luke waits to continue, “Cars are at your disposal for the rest of the evening. Please join us for our reception at the Tacoma Glass Museum—where we’ll dance to my wife’s favorite music.” He turns to Dani. “Wife. I love the sound of that.”
“Luke.” She points to the crowd, and we laugh at the fact he’s forgotten about us.
“We’ll dance, eat, and party the night away. Thanks for being here on such short notice. It means the world to Dani and me to have you here to celebrate with us.”
The crowd erupts in cheers, and Dani and Luke proceed down the aisle.
The reception is everything you’d expect and then some. Except, instead of dancing with old aunts and uncles, we’re rubbing elbows with the majority of his team as they’re close friends.
Jules is excited to dance with some newfound friends as she quickly finds a few guests her age to dance once the music starts. Vanessa and I join her, and we dance the night away.
I offer to take Jules home early, but Vanessa just shrugs. “She’ll make it for one night staying up late. Besides—how often does your sister get married? Just be warned, she’ll still wake at the crack of dawn and will likely be crabby.”
Knowing what we’re in for, I follow Vanessa’s lead. Besides, the reception ends at ten, so I’ll take my chances with Jules. Holding Vanessa close in my arms, I whisper, “I think I can handle that. By the way, have I told you I love you?”
32
Vanessa
Thankfully,we’ve planned a lazy day on the island before traveling to Seattle. Julia actually sleeps until after ten. Damien was the sweetest as he carried her from the limo all the way to his truck at the marina. Jules didn’t even move as he buckled her into her car seat or transferred her from his truck to her bed. I’m sure a bomb could’ve detonated, and she would’ve been none the wiser, in her exhausted state.
Today, we’re exploring downtown Seattle. Damien insists on making it fun for Jules. We’ll walk along the pier, check out the aquarium, hit Pike Place Market, and explore the City Center. We have two entire days, so we’re not in a rush and can let things flow with our schedule.
As we drive past the Rainier Renegade Stadium in Tacoma, it’s hard to believe only days ago, we hung out with the team as if it were any given Saturday, and I wasn’t at my favorite author’s wedding. I still feel the need to pinch myself when I take stock of the events of this week. Sure, I may have freaked out, but once I started to see her through Damien’s eyes, I managed to rein in my inner fan girl. I still can’t believe she recognized me among her thousands of fans. It was an honor, to say the least. Don’t even get me started on the fact she wants to hang with me—and we’ll attend a Rainier Renegades game.
Jules has no idea she just spent an entire evening among famous athletes and a few of their families. They were warm and welcoming. It was amazing how at ease they made us feel.
We let Jules wake up on her own this morning before saying goodbye to Damien’s family. They are the sweetest when they insist we return soon. They also promise to see Damien’s new place soon and can’t wait to see us girls again, either.
I absolutely love how accepting they are of Jules and me. His brothers are a riot. They made me laugh non-stop. Knowing Davis lives in Portland, before we left, I invited him to visit when he has a chance. Damien was on board with it and insists if they go out, I join in the fun. We’ll see how that goes.
From the moment we arrived, his mom and grandma treated me as if I were one of their own. Even though we just left this morning, and it feels weird to admit, I miss them already. I hadn’t realized how much those day-to-day conversations with my mom meant to me. You know the ones you take for granted because you can just pop into their room and hang out with them for a bit. Daisy and Beatrice made me feel as if Mom was watching over me this week as well.
“Everything okay over there?” Damien asks, squeezing my hand as we walk along the crowded boardwalk. We’re almost to the aquarium, and Damien has Jules hoisted on his shoulders so she can see above the people passing by. I’m sure some of it has to do with the fact she’s eager to see everything, we keep having to practically run to keep up with her, but she hasn’t complained once since she climbed aboard.
“Yeah. Being with your family’s amazing—but it also made me miss mine.” I shrug, then quickly add, “It’s not a bad thing. I just miss girl time with my mom. Being with your mom and grandma reminds of happy times.” When he doesn’t look convinced, I quickly add, “Don’t worry, I’m just reminiscing.”
“My family adores both you and Jules. For the record, I’m sure they’ll be down to visit sooner than later, for your sake more than mine.”
I stop in my tracks and turn to him. “What do you mean?” That makes no sense.
Shrugging, he sighs. “It’s nothing. Just a hunch. That and the fact my dad actually said he’d better get down our way to watch Jules ride her bike and learn to skateboard. Apparently, she’s invited them to check out her new tricks.”
