Page 87 of Curious
After all, even if my life is messy sometimes, it can still be beautiful.
We’re on the secluded beach by Julian Hill’s house. Cam’s family and our closest friends are standing at the shore in a semicircle, waiting for us. Everyone is full of smiles.
The Pacific Ocean spreads out before us, and the wind has died down, so it’s just a cool winter’s day on the beach. As we stroll forward, holding hands, I notice how the setting sun turns the water silver.
Most of our friends are in sensible sweaters or pea coats, because even though winter in LA is mild, it’s definitely not hot. As we approach the group, I reach up on my tiptoes to speak into Cam’s ear. “You look so handsome.”
He gives me his widest smile and squeezes my hand. “You stole my line. I love you in that suit.” His voice drops. “I love you out of it, too. I love you in anything, honestly.” I stop and stare into his eyes, about to pull him to me—
“Hey, no kissing until after the ceremony,” Charlie calls, and everyone laughs.
Cam and I grin and walk out to the part of the beach where we’re going to have our vow renewal ceremony. We asked Julian Hill to be our MC—seriously, what is my life right now?—and he looks striking in a dark blue velvet tux. Sam, in a bow tie and cardigan, is nothing but heart-eyes for his man. But I only glance at them. The man I care about is right at my side.
Jules welcomes everyone and then says, “Camden Cooper and Shelby Borchard are already married in the eyes of the law as well as in their hearts. But they wanted all of you to be witnesses to how their love has grown and to express their appreciation for the role that each of you plays in their lives.” He turns to me. “Shelby, do you want to go first?”
I nod and pull a piece of paper from my pocket. As the sun sinks into the Pacific, I squeeze my husband’s hand, and, surrounded by a group of people who remind me every day that I am loved, I start talking.
“Camden Cooper, I always had a crush on you. From the moment I first saw you, I swear, you were made for me. But I never thought I had a chance with you. When you crashed into my life, almost literally, I knew you were someone special. Anyone who would protect me like that, who would risk getting hurt for me, who would unconditionally support me when I was being wronged? That was someone I wanted. Our marriage may have started out unconventionally, but there’s nothing fabricated about the way I love you. I love you so much it’s hard to express.” I’m surprised not to hear a “How hard is it?” joke out of Charlie, but I see the sparkle in Cam’s eye and know he’s thinking it. I smile at him, hoping he can see everything I’m feeling. “Will you do me the honor of staying married to me?”
“Absolutely yes,” Cam says fervently.
“Cam, would you like to say your vows?” Jules asks.
“Thanks. Yes, I would.” Cam clears his throat and makes sure I’m looking at him as he talks without any notes. “Shelby, my vows to you are simple: I vow to love you until death do us part. I vow to take care of you when you need to be taken care of and to listen to you when you need to be listened to. I promise to show up for you every day and to talk through anything we need to talk through, whether it’s serious or silly. I love you more than you will ever know.”
Cam leans in to kiss me, but there’s a tsk from the audience, and he grins at them, then runs a hand through his hair. He clears his throat. “Shelby, I promise to show you every day that I love you, but, more importantly, that you are lovable. I promise to remind you of that and to take care of you. I promise to protect you from harm and to communicate with you. And most of all, I promise to love you for the rest of my life. Would you do me the honor of staying married to me?”
“Yes,” I squeak. “So much yes. Can I kiss him now?” I ask Jules, who chuckles.
“I think so,” he says warmly. “Let us all congratulate Cam and Shelby on their renewed love.”
Cam leans down and kisses me softly. When we break apart, he snakes an arm around my waist and addresses everyone. “Thanks, everyone, for coming. We want to let you all know how much we love and appreciate you as well. To my siblings who show up when I need them with food, transportation, or tough love, whether or not I’m too prideful to ask, and Shelby’s coworkers, who give him unconditional support and a sounding board to help him sort things out—we are grateful for your roles in our lives.”
I nod. “It’s hard to express how much we love you all. Thank you so much.”
The applause that surrounds us feels like another group hug.
Cam waves his hands. “Okay, thank you all for coming. Party at Sam and Jules’s house. Shelby and I will meet up with you in a few.” Then he picks me up in a firefighter’s carry and takes off running down the hard wet sand of the beach while I shriek in laughter. Our friends hoot and holler as we leave them in the dust.
“Guess your ankle’s better,” I gasp.
“Absolutely,” he pants.
When we get a ways away from our friends, he shifts me around so I can wrap my legs around his waist, and he ravages my mouth as the cold water laps at his ankles. “I love you so much, you have no idea.”
“I have some idea,” I whisper. “Because if it’s anything close to how I feel for you, it’s overwhelming.”
“That it is, Shelby. That it is.”
* * *
When Cam and I finish making out (and, ahem, doing other things), we return to Sam and Jules’s home, where everyone is gathered, eating appetizers and drinking champagne.
“There you guys are!” Reyna calls.
“Don’t tell us what you were doing,” Charlie says, and everyone laughs.
“I’d like to make a toast,” Alden says, and we all look at my sweet, awkward best friend, who is getting braver by the day. “To Camden and Shelby. May their love grow and grow.”
