Page 143 of Free Heart
“Well, after that unique proclamation of vows,” Lowell intones, “I’m ready to pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss your spouse.”
I kiss Sejin chastely at first, but then take it a little deeper as I motion with my hand behind me. Jeremiah must get the message, or Martin does and helps him out, because the jubilant opening chant of “My Universe,” a BTS/Coldplay collaboration, strikes through the tender atmosphere.
Sejin breaks away, laughter lighting his face. “You’re so ridiculous.”
“You love it.”
“I do.”
I take his hand, raising it triumphantly in the air, and retrieve my bouquet back from Peggy Jo. I hand it over to Sejin so he can have a turn being the bride, and then lead him back down the aisle between the spread-out blankets. Everyone applauds, and as the song continues, our friends and family all rise and begin to dance.
Then the celebration really takes off.
The air explodes with the popping of champagne bottles, and a lot of back slapping, dancing, laughing, and singing at the top of our lungs. Jeremiah sips non-alcoholic bubbly cider and dances with his mother, and Martin swings Sarah Kate around to the music. Peggy Jo and Buck dance together, and everywhere around me I can feel love. It’s beautiful.
This is happiness. This is family.
When the afternoon begins to wind down, and our time on Pothole Dome is coming to an end, I tug my tie free, handing it to Sailor to keep track of, and announce to all that Sejin and I will dance the final number alone. Everyone gathers around us in a circle, and when the notes of “gemini” begin, Sejin laughs. I kiss him, accompanied by the hoots and hollers of our friends, and then we sway and twirl together on the dome until pink and coral streak the early evening sky.
And just like he’d all but predicted, we’re married.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Sejin
“It’s beautiful,” Imurmur, stepping into the Ahwahnee honeymoon cabin from the dark hush of the path. The gas fireplace is already lit, champagne sits on a silver tray, chilling on ice alongside strawberries. Steaming hot chocolate dip runs in a heated fondue waterfall. There are pink rose petals on the enormous king-size bed, and a big bouquet of them in the middle of the table by the window.
Dan slides the locks into place behind me, puts down the bag we’ve packed for the weekend, and then steps past me to investigate. “Strawberries. My favorite.” He grins. He’s already stuffed full of strawberry cake from earlier, so I don’t know if he’ll make room for more, but if he can, I’m sure he will.
“I’d take credit for having them here,” I say. “But everything is Sailor’s doing.”
Dan snaps back the curtains, exposing the darkness outside. “I wonder what the view will look like in the morning.” He closes them back again for privacy.
“I imagine it’ll be a good one.”
“Pretty nice wedding gift, wouldn’t you say, Doc?” Dan says. “Worth putting up with how much she annoys you.”
I undo my bowtie and toss it onto the suite’s green velvet sofa. “It’s beautiful. I’m really touched at how far she’s gone to make it so nice for us. But she really didn’t have to do this. I would have enjoyed our original plan for a honeymoon, you know.”
Dan turns to me with a flash of a grin. “Getting dirty with me in a tent for three days?”
“Absolutely.”
“Washing off in the river?”
I shiver. “Maybe not that part.”
“Sailor has more money than she knows what to do with,” Dan says. “If she wants to spoil you with a honeymoon in a nice, historic hotel with champagne and strawberries and petals on the pillows, I’m not going to stop her. I promised you the best life has to offer during our vows, did I not?”
“You did, in fact,notpromise that,” I say, laughing.
“Oh. Well, I should have.” Dan takes off his suit jacket, having lost his tie somewhere on the motorcycle ride over. He’d unsnapped it at a stoplight and let it fly and flitter in the wind until it’d pulled free and flew away. Since Sailor is paying for his suit too, I hope there isn’t a fine for the loss.
In fact, Sailor paid for a lot of the wedding, and I’d let her because she genuinely seems to love it. I’ve never seen someone brandish a credit card with such glee as when she was booking the florist and the tuxes and this room. I think if I’d let her, she’d have paid for the cake and the setting of Dan’s ring as well.
I know she’s done all of this because she truly wants to and because she cares about Dan—and me—like family. She’s made that abundantly clear when she gave her toast to us on Pothole Dome tonight. “To Dan and Sejin, I want nothing but happiness for you both. I live vicariously through your love for each other, and I promise to support and sustain it in every way I can. Consider me the fairy godmother of your marriage. Always here when you need me most. With a credit card and a smile.”
It surprises me that Dan has never had any worry about what strings might be attached to Sailor’s gifts, though. It’s that innocence again. He believes anything people tell him far too often and easily, but in this case, I think he’s right. Sailor’sannoying sometimes, but she goes all-in with her affection—as is evident in her friendship with Lowell—and when she loves you, she’s generous beyond belief. I think it would have broken her heart if we’d rejected her offers of monetary help.
