“Here, take these and walk to your husband,” Liz whispered, handing Nicole a bouquet of flowers.
Music had begun softly playing. There were two violinists, a cellist, and a guitarist nearby, playing Pachelbel’s Canon as she walked down the isle.
Nicole was shaking her head in sheer awe of the situation. Red was standing in his black tuxedo, waiting for her at the end of the isle. Standing next to him was a tall, older gentleman in a gray suit. He had a small book in his hands and Nicole knew he must be the minister.
But standing just to the side of them were the only other two witnesses to the ceremony.
Danielle and Kane were there, as if they’d stepped into her dream. Danielle was wearing a gorgeous, violet gown, and Kane was wearing one of his dapper blue suits.
Somehow Red had gotten this all together for her—she didn’t know how he’d managed it. And she couldn’t believe he’d been so gracious as to allow Kane Wright to be there for something so intimate.
But then again, Red loved her, and maybe that was all there really was to it.
Nicole smiled at Danielle and Danielle smiled back at her with tears in her eyes.
Even Kane Wright, normally as cold as steel, was emotional. He grinned and blinked and she knew he was holding back the water works himself.
Finally, she reached Red and the two of them held hands, staring into one another’s eyes.
The minister took a breath and stood before them, opening his book. “We’re here on the beautiful day, in this tropical paradise, to witness something special between two people. I know that it’s special, because when I spoke with Red a few days ago, he explained what this ceremony meant to him. We had a long, surprisingly candid conversation about his life and the woman who came into his world and exacted a profound and moving change upon him.” The minister paused and looked at his tiny audience.
Red squeezed Nicole’s hands and she squeezed back, a recognition that they were in this together. His eyes were as kind and loving as ever, and Nicole knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he would love her forever and she would love him back.
“Now we are here to help Red and Nicole enter into a sacred commitment, a lifetime commitment to honor and cherish one another through their spiritual growth as human beings. From Red’s poignant description to me, I know that their journey has already been undertaken, and that both of them are looking forward to taking the next steps as man and wife. So let us begin.”
The minister looked at Red now. “Do you, Red Jameson, take Nicole Masters to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”
“I do.” Red said it with conviction, looking into Nicole’s eyes without wavering in the slightest.
The minister turned to Nicole and repeated the vow for her. “I do,” she replied.
“Please bring forward the rings,” the minister stated.
Danielle walked over and presented the rings.
The minister smiled. “Now place this ring on her finger, and say, “With this ring, I thee wed.””
Red placed the ring on Nicole’s finger and said the words. The band was a platinum band inlaid with diamonds, and it glittered on her finger. She nearly lost her breath when she saw it.
“And now your turn, Miss Masters,” the minister told her.
Danielle passed a simple gold band to Nicole, and then she slipped it on Red’s ring finger, saying, “with this ring, I thee wed.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Please kiss the bride.”
And then Red did kiss her, and although they’d kissed so many times before, this time truly was different. Nicole hadn’t realized that it would actually feel this way, but she was now being kissed by her husband. Red Jameson was truly and actually her husband.
It was official.
***
Later that night, in a state of utter post-wedding bliss, Nicole could only seem to recall flashes of the previous hours spent celebrating with Red and Danielle and Kane.
Red kissing her on the beach as Danielle and Kane hooted and clapped.
The four of them on a coastal boat ride as the sun dipped in the sky, drinking champagne and toasting to love and life and friendship.
Danielle and Nicole laughing with each other as they watched their husbands try and go shot for shot with each other at the bar on the beach.
Dancing with the tourists and locals as the sun set and the music played and Nicole and Red held each other close, sometimes swaying to their very own rhythm.
Finally, bidding goodnight to the two people who’d shared this special day with them, Nicole and Red came back to their little island hideaway, craving one another’s bodies, craving each other’s touch.