Page 71 of From the Ashes

“I don’t really knowwhat I’m doing,” Captain Lucy Padilla whispers to me, her eyebrows raised.

I lean closer to her. “You’re the only qualified person we know. Do you want to stop?”

She huffs, blowing a tendril of brown hair off her forehead. “Nah. I guess we’re all here now, huh?”

“You’ve got this,” Colt whispers back to her.

“Debatable,” she says with a wink. “Let’s give it a try, though.” She clears her throat and steps back, raising her voice for everyone else gathered on the beach to hear. “Dearly beloved,” she begins.

“Uhhh…” I glance around. From the second row, Sawyer shakes his hand in a ‘so-so’ motion. “Maybe something less boring?” he suggests in an exaggerated whisper.

Captain Padilla arches an eyebrow. “Hey there, all you gays, theys, and girly pops,” she tries again, completely deadpan.

That gets a raucous cheer from the crowd and two thumbs up from my ever-helpful colleague. I chuckle and roll my eyes, looking back at my fiancé, who’s also grinning. So long as he’s having a good time, that’s all that really matters.

“Excellent,” Captain Padilla says, shaking her head as she looks down at her notes. “Okay, we are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Zahir Delacroix and Colton Ross. An event, I’m assured, that has been close to twenty years in the making and not, as it might appear, one single month.”

“Shotgun wedding!” Lili coughs into her fist.

I sigh. “I’m applying for a transfer,” I mutter.

Colt squeezes my hands. “I think you’re stuck with them, baby.”

Isn’t that the truth?

I have to act disgruntled by their heckling, because that’s what will make the One-Thirteen happy. Well, some of them. Yara and Lochlan are already weeping joyfully into their handkerchiefs. Captain Valentine is beaming with pride. Lieutenant Flores is diligently filming everything. And young Teddy is watching the whole event unfold in awe.

That’s pretty much how I feel.

I have to hand it to my husband-to-be. When he sets his mind to something, there’s no stopping him. It really did only take him a month to put together a dream beach wedding for us, declaring that he’d wasted far too much time already, and he wasn’t going to wait a minute longer than was necessary before making an honest man out of me.

Once we realized the police captain was a licensed wedding officiant, all we needed was to book a time and date with the town council, hire a bunch of chairs, and organize a flower arch to complete our ocean backdrop. Caterers will arrive shortly to provide drinks and a BBQ so we can party the night away as the sun sets.

It couldn’t be more perfect.

All I really cared about was having the most important people attend. We picked a Saturday when the first watch of the One-Thirteen wasn’t working, obviously. But I was thrilledwhen our new honorary member, Drayton Hendrix, made time in his schedule to join us as well. As predicted, Yara agreed to be my maid of honor, and all the guys—including Lili—declared themselves groomsmen. As we haven’t bothered with any formal attire, that basically just meant their only responsibility was to throw me a messy bachelor party.

I think that suited everyone just fine.

Colt’s new friend Portia really did mean it about being the flower girl, and took great pride in walking down the aisle, scattering a whole tree’s worth of Sakura petals to guide my way. She was gracious enough to share the attention with the littlest members of the wedding party, though, allowing Nevaeh and Dashel Adams and Rebecca Quick to walk down before her, holding hands and waving to a chorus of ‘Ahhhh’s.

Of course, Teta was the one to give me away, with my parents and a few other family members sitting proudly among my rowdy work family. Before taking her seat, my grandma kissed my cheek and told me how happy she is for me and Colt.

“True love always finds a way,” she whispered into my ear.

I’ve basically been fighting back tears ever since.

I think Preston was very touched when Colt asked him to be his best man. It warms my heart to see him thriving in Redwood Bay and building the kind of friendship group he never found in all his time on the East Coast. Although, I have noticed Portia and Preston making eyes at each other. Colt calls them his ‘two Ps in a pod.’

That’s either going to result in the most spectacular power couple this town has ever seen or a disaster to put even earthquakes to shame. There won’t be any in between.

His parents are here, which I’m moderately surprised by. Although, I did hear Mrs. Ross say more than once earlier that this just wasn’t what she’d ever imagined for her son, dabbing her eyes like she’s at a funeral instead of a wedding.

Mrs. Bloom replied that she understood. Of course, most parents aren’t blessed with a son-in-law as handsome, kind, and talented as me, so she must still be so overwhelmed with gratitude. Mrs. Ross didn’t have much to say to that, and Miss Margot Fonteyn growled until the other woman scuttled away.

I’m not sure things are ever going to be smooth between us and the elder Rosses. But at least Colt still has some kind of relationship with them. The fact they’re here means they’re trying, so that’s a start.

It’s clear to see, though, that since rejecting their grand life plan, he’s never been happier. The wedding isn’t the only project he’s been putting his mind to. We’ve also been house hunting, not considering places with less than four bedrooms, and on a mission to visit the animal shelter once we’ve moved in together so we can start growing our family right away. Colt saved up a truly staggering amount when he was in New York, so we’re in the extremely privileged position of having enough for not just a deposit, but we can also pay part of the sum upfront, leaving us with a very reasonable mortgage.

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