“You brought me here. You’re responsible for bringing us together. You’ve always been there for me from the day we met.” I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”
I watch as she blinks away her own tears. “You’re going to lean on your husband, your in-laws, and your new family. All of them. You’re not just marrying Seth. You have a huge support system behind you. And on those days when you need me, just talk. I promise you I’ll always be listening.” Reaching up, she wipes under her eyes. “Now, let that brain of yours rest, and get your ass in the car. We’ve got a road trip to get to and a wedding to attend.” With that, she grabs her oxygen tank and heads outside.
I don’t bounce back as quickly as she does; instead, I lose my battle with my tears. I’m not ready to say goodbye, and I know just by looking at her that the disease is taking its toll. Not to mention the pregnancy, which is draining to a woman who is fully healthy. Hearing the door open, I turn my back and quickly wipe away my tears.
“Mara?” Seth asks. He walks up to me and turns me to face him. He sees my tears and his face softens. “I figured when I saw Amelia wiping her eyes, this is how I would find you.” He doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he wraps me in his strong arms and lets his warmth seep into me. I feel safe here, like nothing else in the world can get to us, but we both know that’s not true.
“Okay, are we all loaded up?” I pull back and look up at him.
“Yes, Finley is already strapped in, and Amelia is too. You ready to go get married?”
“Yes.”
“Then get your fine ass in the car, Mrs. Jennings.” He grins.
That’s exactly what I do. Within minutes of locking up the house, we’re on the road, and in just a few short days, we’ll be married. Glancing over at Seth from his spot behind the wheel, I can’t help but dream about our future and everything it might hold. Whatever comes our way, I’m glad it’s him who will be by my side.
We allowed ourselves two days to make the drive. We figured it would be easier on both Amelia and Finley. We arrived at the beach house late yesterday afternoon and discovered that everyone else had beaten us here. Not that we minded. We made lots of stops to stretch our legs and just took our time. We knew we had three days. Last night, Ridge, Tyler, Mark, and Kent had the grill going when we pulled in, and we all relaxed around a small fire and had dinner. We had a small birthday party for Finley as she turns three next week. We wanted this to feel like a celebration to her. Kendall and Ridge stopped and picked up a cake when they got here yesterday, and my daughter loved every minute of the attention she was given. After presents, Amelia was exhausted, so she went to bed early, as did the kids. It was a long day of fun in the sun, and then birthday activities once we got here. I couldn’t have asked for more.
That brings us to now. It’s early morning, and I’m about to marry my best friend. Seth and I decided to marry at sunrise instead of sunset, with the hopes that we would all still be going at sunset. Sure, Amelia has already marked it off her list, but we thought why not have her witness it again? Finley and I are dressed in white thin-flowing dresses. Our hair is braided intricately thanks to Reagan, and our feet are bare. We had to get up rather early, but it’s worth it. We’re making memories after all.
“We get mawied now?” she asks.
“Yes.” I smile down at her, and slowly, she and I walk down the small aisle of chairs that the wedding planner we hired set up for us. Down in front is Seth, and Kent is standing beside him. He’s officiating the wedding just like he did for Mark and Dawn. It’s fitting considering how close these guys are.
My husband is wearing khaki shorts, and a white button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He’s handsome, and I can’t believe he’s mine. As if he’s thinking the same thing, his eyes watch my every move until we are almost to the end of the aisle.
“Daddy, we get mawied!” Finley yells and races toward him.
He bends down to catch her and scoops her up in his arms. He kisses her cheek as she settles on his hip. I take the few remaining steps until I’m standing before them.
“Both of my girls are beautiful.” He leans in and kisses my cheek.
I expect him to put Finley down—she’s supposed to be sitting with Seth’s parents—but he doesn’t even attempt to let her go. Instead, he tells her to take my hand. She reaches out for me, and I take it, smiling at her. Then with his free hand, he takes mine, and the three of us stand in a circle, a family, one unit as Kent proceeds to walk us through our vows.
Seth’s eyes hold my gaze the entire time. Finley rests her head on his shoulder as we speak of love and forever. It’s the perfect ceremony; I couldn’t have asked for more.
“Seth,” Kent says, drawing my attention.
Seth smiles at me, and then turns his attention to our daughter. “Finny,” he says, getting her attention. She raises her head and looks at him. “Today, I not only marry your mommy, but I marry you,” he says, and she grins, nodding her little head. “I vow to love you and be there for you. I promise to kiss your skinned knees and read you all the bedtime stories you want. I’ll be there when the boys come knocking to scare them away,” he says, and everyone laughs. “I love you, my daughter. For now, for always.” He kisses her cheek.
I’m bawling. The tears are falling at a rapid speed, and I’m sure I look a hot mess. Finley places her tiny hands on his cheeks and turns him to face her.
“I wuv you, Daddy.”
Seth swallows hard as his eyes well with tears. He turns his attention back to me and gives me a watery smile.
“You may kiss your bride,” Kent says.
Seth releases his hold on my hand and kisses Finley on the cheek.
“Come here, baby girl. Daddy has work to do,” Kent says, reaching for our daughter as everyone laughs. She goes to him easily, something she would not have done a year ago.
Seth steps into me, frames my face in the palm of his hands, and whispers, “I love you, Mrs. Jennings,” against my lips and then presses his to mine.
“Yay! We mawied.” Finley cheers, which causes him to chuckle and pull away with a smile I’ve never seen from him before. It can only be rivaled by mine and our daughter’s.
She knows today is a special day, that getting married is a big deal. We’ve explained that to her, but I know she doesn’t understand what really happened here today as the sun rose over the ocean. A man, a wonderful man, pledged his heart to us, to both of us. One day when she’s older, I’ll make sure she knows how special he is and what he’s brought to our lives. Not that she’ll need me to tell her. Her daddy will do that all on his own. But still, I want her to hear it from me. The way he came into our lives and loved us both unapologetically.
“Let’s eat!” Tyler calls out, and that’s that. I married the man of my dreams, and he wants to be a father to my daughter. He is a father to my daughter, and I thank God, and Amelia, every day for bringing him into our lives.
We head back to the house where we have a huge breakfast buffet catered. The kids loved the mouse pancakes, while the adults indulged in biscuits and gravy, french toast, eggs, and fresh fruit. You name it, we had it.
“I don’t think I can eat another bite,” Seth says, pushing away from the table.
“Well, now that the most important meal of the day is out of the way, you two need to get moving,” Amelia says.
“What? Where are we going?” I ask her.
“The two of you have plans,” she says vaguely.
“Go on, we’re keeping Finley,” my mother-in-law informs us.
“I don’t understand.” I’m confused as to what’s happening.
“Today is a special day,” Amelia states. “It’s the first day of your forever, and you’ve been amazing these past few months. Both of you have been there with me through this, all of you have.” Her eyes scan our friends and family. “However, today it’s about the two of you, and the love you share. So we’re taking Finley
.” She waves at everyone in attendance. “And you two have a reservation here.” She slides a plain white envelope toward us. “While I appreciate the sentiment of the early sunrise wedding, I won’t be watching the sunset, at least not with the two of you. Go, enjoy this mini honeymoon of sorts.”
“We’ve got this,” Kendall speaks up. I know it’s because she’s a nurse and that will ease our minds. “You’re going to be five miles down the road. If we need you, if Finley needs you, we’ll call.”
“Mrs. Jennings?” Seth whispers in my ear. I turn to look at him and his lips press to mine.
“Go.” This from Ridge.
Standing from our seats, we hug Finley, telling her we have a special trip and to hang out with Mamaw and Papaw. She hugs us and sends us on our way. Not a worry in sight.
An hour later, I stand behind Seth as he slides the room key into the door of our beachfront room. We’re on the fifteenth floor, and I can imagine the views are breathtaking. Seth pushes open the door, stepping back and letting me enter the room, pulling our small suitcase behind me.
“Mara.”
Releasing the suitcase, I turn to him. He smiles and stalks toward me. “Mr. Jennings.”
“Mrs. Jennings,” he replies. “Turn around.” I do as he says. He traces his finger over my exposed back. “I’ve thought about stripping you out of this dress at least a hundred times today.” I not only hear the zipper, but feel the cool air of the air conditioning hit my exposed back. “So soft,” he murmurs.
“Seth,” I moan as his lips trail up my back.