Page 25 of With Every Breath

“I splurged.” Dex’s brows bounced as we reached the door. He slipped the key card in, only to reveal the most beautiful room I’d ever seen. There was a huge bed in the middle with a canopy over it. It had the netting to keep out insects because the French doors opened to a large balcony that overlooked a beautiful garden. There were lush trees and tropical plants everywhere. The living space had a plush couch and several chairs that faced a large TV. In the bathroom there was an oversized soaker tub against one wall, and a shower made for two on another. Two white terry bathrobes were hanging on the back of the door.

“This is too much,” I whispered in awe. I was expecting nice, but nice didn’t seem like the right word for what this was.

“We’re getting married.” He dropped the bag he was holding, and rushed to stand in front of me. “Nothing is too much for you.” He bent his knees so he could meet my eyes. “I love you. I want this week to be special. Now, go change into that sundress I told you to bring.” He kissed me on the tip of my nose, and then almost bounced into the other room as he walked away.

I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to rush. I wanted to bask in every moment. I wanted to imprint this in my memory, so if I ever had a bad day or was feeling down about something, I could pull this up and wrap it around me. I smiled dreamily as I rummaged through the suitcase on the bed. Dex had requested this blue and purple flowered sundress I owned. I wore it on a date one night, and he claimed it was perfect for our outing today. I slowly slipped into the soft cotton, brushed my hair, and slipped on a pair of sandals. Dex appeared moments later dressed in khaki shorts and a blue polo.

“Are we having photos taken?” I glanced from him back to myself.

“Maybe.” He shrugged and then his lips pulled into a grin. “Just trust me… and try to relax.” He led me out of our room and back down to the lobby, where a cab was waiting for us. He whispered something in the driver’s ear, and then we were off. It didn’t take us long to get to the marina. There was a small craft idling, and Dex led me right to it. Three men were waiting for us, and as soon as we were on board, the boat pulled out and headed in the direction of open water.

“What is all this?” I bounced in my seat.

“I thought this would be a perfect place to get married.” Dex winked. “How do you feel about getting wet today?”

“Deeex.” I growled. “There are people around.”

“I’m not talking about that, although we’ll deal with that later.” He snickered as he leaned closer. “You see, this is Dave. He’s a minister, and these guys run a parasailing business. Dave is going to marry us, and then we’re going up there.” He pointed at the sky.

The wind whipped my hair around, and muffled his voice slightly. “Up there?” I giggled as I stared at the cloudless sky. The sun was high, and its rays sparkled on the ocean waves.

“Un huh.” He laughed. This moment was so carefree. I think it’s the first time in my life when I’ve felt true happiness. Nothing was going to bring me down.

“What are we waiting for?” I sprung to my feet as the boat slowed. It idled as we stood at the stern with the minister.

“I understand you wrote your own vows?” Dave motioned to me.

“We did, but I didn’t really know this was happening like this, so I’m gonna do my best here.” I turned to face Dex. “Dex. I don’t know where to find the words to tell you what you mean to me. You’ve never given up on me. Since the day we met at the soccer field, you’ve followed me; always letting me know you were there, but never pushing. When I told you I might get sick again, you didn’t run away. You’ve been there for all my ups and downs even if I was acting crazy. I love you, and I’ll love you for the rest of my life.” I smiled and fought the tears that were threatening to fall.

Dex swallowed as Dave nodded to him. “Bailey, my sweet spunky girl. I knew from the moment you told me that you don’t date, you were the one. You were the one who would challenge me to pull out all the stops. You were the one who could make me do anything, including jump out of a plane. You’ve pushed me to go past my limits, and seek thrills around every corner. You’ve taught me more about myself than I could ever dream of. You’re the spark and I’m the fuse, and I know that there is so much more in our future than I ever thought possible. This is only the beginning… the beginning of forever. I love you. To the first and only…”

I sniffed as his words surrounded me. I knew he loved me as much as I loved him, but hearing it… it was different. Hearing the words is so much more than one could imagine.

“Do you have the rings?” Dave held out his hand as Dex produced two gold bands. “The ring is a circle with no beginning and no end. It’s an outward sign of the love felt within.”

Dex picked up the ring and slipped it on my finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

I picked up the other band and followed suit. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

“With the power vested in me by the state of Hawaii, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Dave stepped back, and Dex wrapped me in his arms, pressing his lips to mine. It was soft, and romantic, and everything I’d dreamed of over the last two years.

It’s funny how our dreams change as we age. Most little girls dream of a fancy dress, the perfect location, the flowers, the excitement. I didn’t dream of any of that. When I was kid, I dreamed of living. I just wanted to grow up. When I finally did, I just wanted things to stay the same. Change scared me, it meant things could be different. It meant I might lose myself. Then Dex came along, he changed the way I saw things. I began to live life more than one breath at a time. I began to feel, and not be so afraid of letting someone in. Now, I look at where I am, a paradise with the man I love who is now my husband, and I’m happy. I love him, and I know that we will have a beautiful long life together.

“Ready?” Dex squeezed my hand. The two men at the bow of the boat came back and began securing us into the harness for the parasailing. Dave stepped out of the way, and we moved to the far back of the boat.

“You’re going to hold here; once we get up to speed, you’ll lift. We’ll have you descend slowly, but you will land in the water.” They tugged the harness one last time to make sure we were secure, and then the driver went back to the front.

“I love you.” Dex kissed my cheek.

“I love you too… for all of this.” I felt a happy tear slip down my cheek just as the boat lunged forward. It slowly picked up speed, and within minutes, our feet lifted off the ground. “To the first of many!” I shouted as Dex let out a hoot.

“To the first of forever!” Dex yelled as we soared through the sky.

Chapter 12

Bailey

“That was amazing!” I was still hyped up from our parasailing. We’d pretty much gotten an aerial view of the island. You could see our hotel, and all of the beaches. “I’m still trying to figure out how you pulled all of this together.” I hugged his arm as we entered the hotel. We’d toweled off, but were still wet, and even though I wanted food, I thought I might be too excited to eat it.

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