“I am single.”
I gave her a pointed look. “You are so not single.”
“I’m undecided.”
“And you’re loving it,” I said, kissing her cheek. “And I’m so proud of you.”
Her eyes glistened. “If you want to run away, now is the time. I know a sucker with a getaway plane.”
“I’m good.”
“God, I know you are. But he’s still lucky I didn’t rip his balls off.”
“I am too, I have plans for those balls.”
My dad cleared his throat as Jasmine and I made bulging eyes at each other and I coughed out a laugh. “Sorry, Dad.”
He gave me a soft look. “She’s here.”
I frowned in confusion before realization struck. “How?”
“Ian called her last night.”
My mother and I hadn’t spoken since I left New York with Ian. I knew deep down her real disappointment was that she finally had me back in her life and on her path. Her vocally expressed distaste for our new plans as I packed my things had led to a nasty fight. Ian had held his tongue until she insulted our relationship and he, in turn, had blown up by calling her an eleventh-hour mother. My dad hadn’t faulted either of us for her upset when we left New York to pick up the literal pieces of our life in St. Thomas. Even as I wrestled with the fact that my mother and I would never see eye to eye, my heart made a decision that that day was as good as any to give our relationship another chance. It was, after all, a day of new beginnings.
I looked to Jasmine whose eyes shimmered with happy tears. “I knew she would come.”
“Let’s do this.” I couldn’t get to him fast enough.
Jasmine gripped my hand and squeezed before handing me my bouquet. “Let’s get you married.”
“Ready, Daddy?”
He nodded. “She loves you. Please try, if you can, to forgive her.”
I hugged him close. “I already did.”
My father put my hand in his as we made our way off my freshly painted back porch toward my finish line. Brilliant colors glittered the sky as the sun began to sink beneath the sparkling ocean’s surface. Jars full of votive candles were scattered in the sand around the small arch lighting up our beach. Ian stood in wait for me looking gorgeous in a simple white button-down and slacks. Flowers of every color were strewn where I stepped as I was escorted toward my waiting groom. I smiled at Ian’s family, Rowan, William, and his brother Adam as they stood in wait with matching smiles. Rowan’s eyes overflowed the minute she caught sight of me. After sharing a tearful smile, I turned my attention back to Ian who mouthed “you’re beautiful.” Halfway down the aisle, Ella stepped away from her place beside her father and moved toward me stopping just a few feet away.
“Hi,” she said simply in greeting.
“H h-hi,” I whispered back with a nervous laugh.
“I love you, Koti,” she said in the most sincere and perfect voice imaginable.
Instant tears sprang to my eyes. “I love you, too.”
Seconds later, a change in music filled the air and Ella looked back to her father who did a short three finger countdown for her before she turned and began to sign the words of the song to me. It was a gift from Ian who stood behind her with a clear view as I tried to hold in my threatening sobs. Ella threw her heart into her every movement as she signed Calum Scott’s “The Reason”. Happy tears trailed down her sun-kissed cheeks as she told me of her father’s love for me and pressed her hands against her heart swaying back and forth to the music she couldn’t hear, but to words she could feel. Piano keys struck every chord in my heart as I looked past Ella to Ian who began to sign with her on the second verse. An ache of the purest kind poured from my heart as I watched my future happiness tell me of a love so incredible it was limitless, endless and ours. I crumbled in my father’s hold as he looked on at me with shimmering eyes and faith-filled assurance. They swayed together as my heart overflowed with love for them both. Ella stood back next to her father as Ian signed the rest of the lyrics. When the last of the notes had played, I resumed my walk toward my forever.
My mother was weeping freely as she stood and searched my eyes for forgiveness before her and my father agreed to give me away. I eagerly hugged her as she held me tightly in her arms and pulled back to tell me I was a beautiful bride. We shared a smile before Jasmine stepped in to take my bouquet while wiping the tears from her eyes.
Breathless and overwhelmed I turned to face my groom, my heart alight with love and acceptance I could never have dreamed up. Ian and I stared at each other, filled with unconditional love as we promised our lives to one another, our hearts united in our place of peace, where we began the dream that had become our reality.
Later at the reception under our star-sprinkled sky, Ian pulled me onto the porch full of guests and we slow danced to Cyndi Lauper’s “Time after Time”.
“You made me choose the song,” he whispered, “I think it’s fitting.”
“So fitting,” I whispered. “I can’t believe we just got married, crocky.”
“I can’t believe you wore those damned gold sandals,” he said, pulling me closer and rubbing his nose against mine.
“Of course you can. You sure you’re up for this? You ready to be a Home Depot dad again?”
“I’m up for whatever happens. I can’t believe you’re mine.”
“I can’t believe you’re building us a house.” We both turned to the framed skeleton sitting where our sand alley used to lay. The only thing finished was the expansive deck and that had only happened days ago as a request from a bride to a groom for her wedding day. The width of the house took up both lots that our houses used to dwell on. Ian planned to repurpose some of the wood from the old houses to add character. I think a part of him was just as sentimental that a cherished part of our childhood was gone, and it was his way of incorporating our past into our future. It had taken us close to a month to get back to the island and far longer to handle the desolation that surrounded us. The day we arrived in St. Thomas, Ian proposed to me in front of our wrecked houses amongst the scattered remains all over our beach. He wanted to turn one of our most miserable days into the happiest, and he managed it on bended knee with the question of forever and future promises pouring from his beautiful lips. We spent our days helping with the cleanup and our nights catching up. Our love paved the way through the endless wreckage that once was our paradise. We lived off love in the worst of conditions and nearly a year later, we were beginning to see some semblance of our dream. The day we broke ground on our new house, I started to plan our wedding.
I danced with my husband as Cyndi sang our love’s lullaby thinking about the past year and the ones ahead of us.
“This is everything I had hoped,” I said, feeling tearful. “Gah, I’m so emotional lately.”
Ian’s smile deepened. “You think maybe that’s a good sign?”
“No,” I said with a sigh. “Dr. Z said it will probably take a while with being on birth control so long and then there are my asshole ovaries.”
“Have faith, beauty,” he said. “We have time, plenty of time.”
“I know, I’m not worried about it. I just gained a teenager.”
“She’s just agreed to stay for the summer, and she keeps eyeing that kid who lives a few streets over,” he shook his head, “let the good times roll. Remember new wife of mine, no boys, those are the rules.”
“I have equal say now and you just made it so. I think it’s time for her to date.”
Ian winced as if I’d punched him. “Are you kidding me? No way.”
“She’s plenty old enough and she’s probably going to start with or without your consent. So, you might as well give her a little freedom.”
“Are you purposefully trying to give me a fucking heart attack on our wedding night?”
“Don’t die just yet. I need your sperm.”
He scoffed. “How romantic.”
“And I’m horny. We should go fuck while everyone is dancing.”