Hold the Forevers

Tears formed in my eyes. I’d never been the kind of girl who cared about weddings. I’d never pictured mine before. Never gotten to this moment in my mind. Not because I didn’t want it, but because there were always two men and not just one. Two sets of baby blues. Two smiles. Two different men.

And now, I was here. It was one pair of eyes, one smile full of joy and hope and wishes, one man. Just Ash.

“Yes,” I gasped. “Yes. Of course, yes! Oh my God!”

Ash stood swiftly, pressing his lips to mine. Then he removed the diamond from the box and carefully slid it into place on my ring finger. I marveled at the diamond, the weight of it on my hand. It felt … perfect. Like it was always meant to be there.

“I love you,” he told me fiercely.

“I love you too.”

I threw myself into his arms, and he picked me up, swinging me around. I laughed, giddy, my heart full to bursting.

He beamed. “Plus, I have one more surprise, love.”

“Another surprise?”

And then I heard my two best friends rushing across the expanse, straight to the fountain.

“Oh my God!” I shrieked as Marley and Josie barreled into me.

“Congratulations!” Marley crowed.

“We’re so happy for you,” Josie said.

We hugged and jumped up and down and made fools of ourselves there in that park. And I didn’t care one bit. This was the best second surprise that Ash could have planned.

“How did you get here? Were you hiding? How did this happen?” I demanded.

“Ash called me,” Marley started.

“For some reason, her and not me.”

“Because you’re thousands of miles away.”

“He told me he was planning to propose on Christmas Eve and wanted both of us there. So, I got with Josie, and we planned it out.”

“I fucking hid in the bushes for you, bitch,” Josie said with her imperious Hollywood voice.

“Josephine Reynolds, hiding in the bushes. Coming to theaters, Fall 2019,” I joked.

She swatted at me. “Let me see that goddamn ring.”

I held my hand out so that Marley and Josie could admire it. They oohed and aahed appropriately.

“This is a good first-marriage ring,” Josie said.

Ash cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”

Josie winked at him.

“What’s your third-marriage ring going to look like?” Marley teased.

“Look, I like to keep my options open.”

Marley and I exchanged a look. Josie’s second marriage hadn’t even lasted a year. I thought she needed to take her own advice and spend a year single. Not likely.

“Can we talk wedding dates now?” Josie asked. “I’m booked up for filming through May. So, my bridesmaid’s duties will have to be June or after.”

“This isn’t about you,” Marley said.

“Isn’t it?” Josie asked.

I shook my head at her. “We just got engaged. I have no idea what date we’ll get married.”

“June sounds nice,” Ash agreed.

“Perfect!” Josie said.

“June?” I said. “That’s only six months away.”

“We can’t do fall or winter because of the Falcons season, and I don’t want to wait until 2020. Who knows what could happen then?”

“June,” I whispered. “Fuck, I better get started.”

Josie laughed. “Get a wedding planner. It’ll be a snap.”

Marley touched my arm. “I’ll help.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I’m getting married!”

And all three of us screamed and twirled around in a circle. Until Ash couldn’t stop laughing at us.

“Do we still have to go to church?” I asked. “Or can we go celebrate?”

“Church was a ruse,” he said with a smirk. “Our friends and family are waiting downtown to celebrate.”

“What?” I gasped. “A third surprise?”

“Anything for you.”

Then he kissed me. My fiancé kissed me.

I drowned in him.

Nothing could ruin this night. Nothing at all.

39

Nashville

May 18, 2019

My stomach was in knots as I waited at the back of the procession. Kristen was dressed in an exquisite empire wedding dress, prepared to walk down that aisle. I should have been thinking about the fact that my own wedding was only a month away. Comparing it to everything I was going to be doing in a month’s time.

Instead, I was thinking about Cole.

Cole, who was going to be here today.

Kristen had told me that she’d received his RSVP. And since then, I’d spent the last two days in Nashville, stressed out and wondering what the hell I was going to do or say.

I hadn’t seen him in so long. He was on the road all the time, scouting for the Falcons. Even when he was in the office, I never saw him. We were secluded enough to not cross paths unless we wanted to. And the last year, it had been easier not to.

Up until Kristen had let me know about his RSVP, I’d been certain that he’d be gone this weekend. That he wouldn’t have time to fly to Nashville to see Kristen and Hong Min say their I dos. Either way, I would have been in attendance since I’d agreed to be a bridesmaid two years ago. It had taken a lot of time to coordinate bringing in Hong Min’s family from Thailand and Kristen’s extended family from Vietnam. And now, we were here and about to walk down the aisle, and I still had no idea what to say.