Page 111 of True Honey
I love you.
The words bubbled up again but stayed locked behind the wall of fear. Logically she would be okay, maybe there was even a small chance she felt it back and even if she spiraled from hearing them I could talk her off the ledge. But I selfishly didn’t want to have to do any of that, I wanted to say and hear it back. So I stayed quiet, hoping that one day I’d look up and see it in her expression instead of having to guess.
“Auggie is in the living room with some of the boys, I need to get out there…” I said, finally releasing her from my grip. I pressed a kiss to her palm and stepped away to let her breathe, “save the first dance for me?”
“Of course.” She confirmed watching me until I disappeared from her view. Everyone was making their way down to the forested path behind the house.
The dock was set up with a hundred bushels of lavender that softly rained petals in the breeze. Mom was standing with Arlo, in a dark green dress that matched the suits of the groomsmen. And Arlo was wearing all black, with a green tie and gold jewelry that seemed to drip from him. He looked handsome, his hair pushed back off his face and his eyes a lighter shade of brown than usual. I’d never seen him nervous but he was spinning his finger around his mothers wedding band on his pinky finger and staring off into the distance.
“Two steps at a time,” I said to him, invading his space without asking and knocking my knuckles against his heart. “Take a breath.”
Arlo listened and his chest rose slowly, the focus coming back to his expression as his jaw tightened. “You clean up nice,” he said, swallowing tightly and looking over my dark blue suit.
“Ella said jewel tones.” I gave her all the credit. Even the mention of her made Arlo’s shoulders relax a touch. “We’ll do this quick and you can go back to hiding in the shadows, asshole.”
“Prick,” he coughed out.
“Language gentlemen,” Ryan cleared his throat in defense of my mother. I narrowed my eyes on him and he flashed a smug smile as the wind pushed around his graying dirty blonde hair.
“Mom,” I nodded, my eyes still watching Ryan like a hawk.
“I got him, honey. You go.” She kissed my cheek and I made my way down the dock past the team that was sitting and found my book. Everyone else took their seats, Drew sat with Josh in the second row looking nervous but radiating like the sun. Grandpa sat a few chairs away, chatting with Nicholas who had been stuck as his escort for the night. I hadn’t wanted to turn the wedding into a chess piece but having him here, having him see me with Drew in this capacity was necessary. He had to know it was serious.
I just hated every second of it.
One by one the wedding party made their way down, Van, Dean, Lucas and Sawyer stood beside me as Mom and Arlo came down the aisle arm in arm. She kissed his cheek gently before retreating back to her seat and he carefully slipped into place beside me under the archway of lavender.
“Cael did good,” he whispered, his brown eyes trailing over the arch.
“We knew he would,” I smiled. He had helped Ella every step of the way there wasn’t a single flower out of place, or a problem he hadn’t solved. He was stepping into the role of event planner like he’d always belonged there and it wasn’t hard to be proud of him, it was overwhelming and warm against my chest to see him thrive.
“Hey Si,” Arlo said as the music started for Ella.
“You can’t run now,” I joked but he shook his head.
“Thank you for bringing Ella to me,” he said, his eyes a little watery. I nodded as he tapped his fingers to his chest and turned his attention to the end of the dock. Ella stood there, her blonde hair pulled back off her face in soft curls that bounced around in the breeze. The smile on her face was luminous and one by one everyone stood from their chairs.
Her something blue stood beside her in a dark suit that glimmered in the sunshine with his hair shaved down. Cael beamed just as brightly as Ella as they walked behind Zoey who led the charge. Arlo cleared his throat as they approached, taking Ella from Cael who joined Zoey at the side. Our family, complete, and right where we all belonged.
“Ready, Blondie?” Arlo asked.
Ella nodded holding back tears as Arlo reached out and fixed a piece of her hair.
“As ever, Cap.”
I gave them another second before taking a deep breath, slipping on my glasses, and doing the job they asked of me. Van dog whistled loudly as I pushed them on my face and Jensen hollered out something intangible as Addy tried to get him to be quiet.
“Settle down," I warned before clearing my throat. "Friends, family, and Hornets, we come together today, in the sight of you as witnesses to join Arlo King and Ella Miele in marriage. We gather around them now in this wonderful place, and we look on with love and hope as these two begin their new life together as one.” My voice carried across the dock into the trees as everyone listened on. Getting through all the necessary lines before stepping back and letting Arlo and Ella take the reins.
Arlo rolled out his shoulders and it took a whole thirty seconds for him to speak but when he started I knew it was going to be good. “My sunshine incarnate,” Arlo said quietly, the vows only for Ella. “My bossy blondie." He smiled and Ella was a goner, a heavy tear trickled down her face and Arlo reached out, rubbing it away with the pad of his thumb. “There’s no epic speech coming because frankly I’m a little better at actions than words butyouincite all the best emotions in me and I never wanna experience anything on my own again.”
“How do I follow that?” She pouted.
“Don’t let me win now,” Arlo teased. I cleared my throat, digging out the piece of paper she had given me last night for safekeeping. “I should have known you two would be in cahoots.”
“Shh, you have a whole hat full of names and secrets with Zoey,” Ella whispered to him and unfolded it. Arlo steeled himself, but I proofread her vows, he didn’t stand a chance. “A year ago I was lost, seemingly forever. Determined to punish myself and struggle through life alone because that’s what I thought I deserved.”
Arlo opened his mouth and Ella shook her head, “argue later, listen for once,” she laughed as he sighed but surrendered to her demand. “And you’ll only ever hear me say this once in our lives, Arlo King, but I was wrong.”
