Page 103 of Take Me
“By the power vested in me by the State of Oregon—and, uh, the internet—I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Glancing up from my officiant script, I grin at my father.He’s handsome in his suit and tie, sitting proudly in his all-terrain track chair.We decked it out with pink and orange flowers for this sweet, outdoor wedding on the shore of Cherry Blossom Lake.
He’s grinning at Ruby, who shines like a lighthouse in a sunny peach dress that flutters around her knees.A jubilant cluster of canines whips past, yipping and barking with joy.There’s Scrumpy and Orfy and Ribsy, plus Dad’s new dog, Zeke.They’re brawling just three feet away from the flower arch framing the newlyweds, but Ruby and Dad don’t seem to mind.
They only have eyes for each other.
As our family and friends start to clap, I lock eyes with Dad.“Go on.”Tears clog my throat as sunlight shimmers on the lake.“You may now kiss your beautiful bride.”
“Amen!”Ruby shouts, flinging her bouquet to the side.
That wasn’t planned, but Hazel catches it with confusion etched on her face.“Uh, here.”She tries to hand it to Annabelle, who backs away slowly like it’s a grenade.
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
My dad doesn’t hear them, and neither does Ruby.With a triumphant whoop, he pulls his new wife onto his lap.He kisses her soundly, making her giggle as the crowd goes crazy applauding.
“Get a room!”I’m laughing and clapping, not exactly the picture of stoic restraint that I’ve witnessed from most wedding officiants.
But screw it, I’m thrilled for my dad.So is Mason.
He’s following the duo back down the aisle, chucking handfuls of rose petals as my father wheels past toward the post-wedding feast.“Congrats, you crazy kids,” Mason calls after them.
Crazy is right.When my dad asked Mason if he’d like to be a groomsman, my goofball fiancé gave a stone-faced reply.“I’d really rather be the flower girl.”
Dad called his smart-ass bluff like he always has, procuring a basket and a bonnet.“Here ya go, Dolly.Knock ’em dead.”
Which is what Mason’s doing right now as he chases the newlyweds in a shower of pink and orange petals.As soon as his basket is empty, Mason holds out an arm with a smile I feel deep in my belly.“What sort of scene should we make this time?”
“Very funny.”Believe it or not, we made it through Kaleb and Brooke’s wedding without a single spectacle.
Okay, there was the moment at the reception where Mason cued up the bouquet toss to the tune of Alec Benjamin’s “I Sent My Therapist to Therapy,” but I’m pretty sure he planned that ahead of time with Kaleb.
As we troop to the picnic spot set up with cozy round tables, I admire the hard work of Mason’s whole family.Lucy made mountains of potato salad, which is tucked next to Kaleb’s kale salad on the buffet table.Beside that, I spot cookies—I think Brooke made those—plus some kind of fresh berry cobbler from Zoe.There’s a huge vat of chowder from Cal, plus cornbread from Jake and chili made with love by Sarah Lou Spencer.Everyone chipped in something, even me with my store-bought veggie tray I laid out on Lucy’s blue platter so you wouldn’t even know I didn’t cut up the carrots myself.
Naturally, Mason and Harper made decorations.Bright paper mâché flowers flutter on wires looped between trees.At the center of every white tablecloth, there’s a cluster of daisies perched in a vase filled with water and beach agates collected by Harper and her grandma.
Mason’s been teaching his niece calligraphy, making place cards for the tables and directional signs they’ve positioned all over the property.We’re on Mason’s land, the two-acre parcel he inherited from his grandparents.It’s where we’ve begun building our home, which we hope to move into right after our own wedding.
I still can’t believe Dad picked this spot to tie the knot with Ruby.“It’s where you’ll be living your happily-ever-after, sweetheart.Where you found solace when our own lives seemed grim.”
“Oh, Dad.”Tears clogged my throat as he made his request.
“I’d like to share that with you,” he said.“To find my new start in a place that means something to you.”
“Of course.”I was almost as honored as Mason, who got to work right away clearing the land.We’ve got a long way to go, but it’s looking great on this gorgeous spring day.The contractors poured the footings last week, so we can already see the shape of our future home.
I don’t realize we’ve stopped walking until Mason touches the small of my back.“The wedding went great, huh?”
“It was perfect.”I glance at my dad, who’s greeting his guests at the spot where the aisle meets the reception area.“Dad wanted me to say thanks—for the ten-millionth time.”
“No problem.”Mason grins.“It was a real team effort.”
“Your family makes one helluva team.”
We both spot Luke Lovelin at the same time.He’s shaking Dad’s hand, laughing at something Ruby just said.When Luke steps away, his eyes lock with Hazel’s.Something electric zings between them, but it’s gone in an instant as Hazel turns away.
“What the hell was that?”Mason murmurs.
