Page 53 of Omega Island
“I know the first time I realized I loved you. It was still my first day here and you came to sit with me on a bench by the volleyball courts. You wanted to be sure I had all that I needed. I felt like I was nobody, but you lifted me up. You made me feel special, and your words weren’t just platitudes. You meant them all. There was an energy spike inside me. I remember it very well. Yes, maybe I was very attracted to you—who in their right mind wouldn’t be?”
That got a laugh.
“But that extra attention, that moment when you actually cared how I felt, whether I might be lonely or need additional help, told me exactly what kind of person you are. And it gave me something I hadn’t had in a long time. Hope. It was a gift I could never buy. Or even ask for. But you gave it freely. And I loved you from that moment forward, no matter what might happen as a result of my feelings.
“I got lucky with you. Outrageously lucky.” I held my hand to my chest. “My heart is pounding so hard I don’t know if I can finish.” I bit my lower lip, then moved closer to him until the tips of our shoes were touching.
“I love you, Senta. More than the softest light at the end of the day. More than low wind moving through long grass. More than my favorite dessert.” I turned to the audience. “Which is chocolate cake, by the way. I love you deeper than my own heart can convey. I promise to be true to you forever, for you are my true mate, and nothing—nothing is greater than that.”
Senta stared at me with no expression for a bit longer than was comfortable. When he spoke, it was loud enough for all to hear. “More than chocolate cake, huh?”
I nodded. “So much more.”
He turned to Tyr. “Marry this man to me now! Before he changes his mind!”
“The rings?” Tyr asked.
I took the two small boxes from my jacket pocket and handed them to Tyr.
We’d chosen platinum bands inlaid with mother of pearl outlined in thin gold. We could have had diamonds or rubies or sapphires, but we’d decided on something from the sea to remind us of the island. No matter where we ended up, this was our home base where we had found each other, where we had fallen in love.
“Raimi, will you take Senta’s ring and place it on his finger?” Tyr handed me the ring.
I reached for Senta’s hand and slid it over his left ring finger. He was mine now. All mine.
“Senta, will you take Raimi’s ring and place it on his finger?” Tyr handed Senta my ring.
As it glided onto my finger, my stomach fluttered and I almost started to cry again.
We both turned, hand in hand again, to face Tyr.
“By the power vested in me from the state of Florida and the Caricom community of islands, I pronounce you husband and husband. Now you may kiss!”
We took no time in meeting that demand. I pulled my new husband to me and kissed him for all to witness. He opened his mouth to me as hoots and hollers surrounded us.
When we pulled back, we saw people throwing all colors of flower petals. They ran up to us and tossed them over our heads. We found ourselves shaking hands with a throng of people, all of them our friends.
Luca ran up to Senta, embracing him. “Congratulations!”
Bam came up to me, beaming. He’d always been the biggest alpha in our family, and he threw his arms around me and lifted me off my feet. “Congrats, bro! You did it!”
“Thank you!”
I glanced over at Senta, where Luca was still hugging him. Luca shouted, “I’m the one who got the two of you together! Who knew? Who knew?”
Later, when we cut the wedding cake, which was chocolate with white icing at my request, Senta leaned toward me and said, “Should I be jealous of the cake?”
“Never.”
Together, we cut the huge confection to a rambunctious round of applause and a sky that magically remained free of rain for the rest of the day.
EPILOGUE
Raimi
“Hey! I thought we were meeting for dinner at six.” Senta called up to me from a garden of pink and yellow flowers as big as his head.
I peered over the edge of the roof I was repairing. My chest and arms were bare and damp with sweat. I wore only baggy shorts the color of the sky. “It rained so I lost some work hours. I wanted to get back up here and finish and didn’t check the time.”
