Dashing Through the No (Summersweet Island 3)

After a few seconds of looking around the room, with strippers now dancing on couches, Allie and Jason now dancing with each other out in the foyer after giving up on trying to get one of the them down from the check-in desk, and one stripper actually sitting in the corner using Bodhi’s Santa bong, I look back at the man I love and the only normal thing in this room right now.

“Why the hell not.” I shrug, Bodhi’s smile lighting up his face.

“That’s the Christmas spirit! Yo, Millie! Are you still an ordained minister?” he shouts across the room.CHAPTER 11Bodhi

“The perfect match.”“She could have at least worn a dress! It’s bad enough that bitch is getting married before me! Did she even see some of the dresses in the fourth binder I gave her?”

“Shut up, it’s totally romantic and sweet!”

“Eeew, gross, Mom! Stop making those kissy faces at Shepherd, or I’m gonna vomit.”

“There’s not even any glitter on her hat? Oh my God, you people are a bunch of savages, and I don’t even know you right now.”

“Seriously, this could have been on ESPN, you slackers!”

“Jesus H Christ, can we get this show on the road already? I need to eat something and take my water pill.”

“If you don’t shut the fuck up right now, I am closing the lid of this laptop, and you are all officially uninvited!” Tess finally shouts.

I laugh as I walk up to her, bending down to wave at all our friends currently watching what we’re about to do from the comfort of Shepherd and Wren’s ginormous living room, where they were all hanging out wrapping presents when we called to tell them both pieces of our good news.

Tess nervously held her breath, waiting for Birdie and everyone else to start screaming at her and freaking out, but all those nerves were for nothing. As soon as Tess blurted everything out, there was five seconds of silence before all hell broke loose. Everyone proceeded to argue amongst themselves without us for a good fifteen minutes about who owes who money, because half of them, including Birdie, already guessed a long time ago that Tess was pregnant. And that we’d probably do something crazy like elope while we were on vacation, all of them placing their bets the day we left Summersweet.

“You ready to do this, my little firestarter?”

Tess steps away from the open laptop Allie set up for us on a barstool, out in the backyard in the snow after the sun went down, right by the tree line where my luminary proposal went up in flames.

And Jason only got yelled at for five minutes for not telling her he almost set the entire woods surrounding the property on fire, so that was good for him.

Even though neither one of us wanted a big wedding with tons of people, we still wanted the ones we love the most to witness it, and we both thanked Allie profusely when she came up with the laptop idea. Tess even humored me and my love of Christmas by letting me handle the wedding decorations, which includes the Santa hippo tree from our room that I dragged out here with an extension cord, some twinkle lights hanging in the trees around us, and one other item from our room that I still can’t believe she agreed to.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Tess smiles up at me, still wearing the cute, slouchy black beanie over her blue hair, saying we could consider it her headpiece and veil.

Agreeing to change out of our matching pajamas so we could save them for Christmas Eve, we decided to wear whatever the hell we wanted, since this wedding is ours, and we can do whatever the hell we want with it. And since like the rest of our friends Millie assumed we’d do something crazy as well, she bought Tess and me matching shirts during her shopping spree. A black one that says Groom, and a white one that says Bride. When Millie handed them to us before we went upstairs to get changed, Tess immediately snatched the groom one out of my hand and handed me the bride one, because obviously my girl wanted to wear black on her wedding day. I will do whatever it takes to make her happy.

With her black T-shirt that’s adorably too big for her that she tied in a knot by her hip, a long black cardigan that falls to her thighs to keep her arms warm, the black joggers she had on earlier with the kickass chain hanging down from the belt loops, along with her Doc Martens, she takes my goddamn breath away, and I can’t believe she’s mine.

“You’re the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen.”

“Fuck off.” Tess rolls her eyes, even as she gives me that killer smile that stopped me in my tracks six months ago.