InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (79 page)

            “I told you,
you’ve already given me the very best present.” He grinned, though, as he
peeled off the paper. “We’ll always have London,” he said, reading the
inscription and remembering when she’d said those words to him as they watched
her TV debut. “Oh, princess, we’re gonna have a lot more than that,” he smiled.

            “I certainly
hope so,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “Happy Birthday, Bo.”

            “Best birthday
ever,” he whispered.

            They had their
cake and then strolled back to the bonfire, the couples arm in arm, and Tia
holding Lexi’s hand affectionately, swinging their arms between them. In the
distance, they saw Sean and Gina, hand in hand, walking along the water’s edge.
Love was definitely in the air, and it was a beautiful thing.

            The day of the
wedding dawned bright and clear. Tia watched the glorious colors of the
Caribbean sunrise spill over the turquoise waters of the sea, and hugged
herself. Today she would marry Dylan! She’d barely slept a wink all night, but
nonetheless, she felt wide awake and invigorated. She couldn’t imagine a better
setting for her wedding, and she could still hardly believe that the soundtrack
of her life had turned into the man of her dreams.

            “I know you’re
happy for me, Nick,” she whispered on the cool morning breeze. “I know I have
your blessing.” She did know, too. If Nick could have hand-picked the man she’d
eventually marry, it would have been Dylan Miller. They’d both idolized him
when Nick was alive, and she could almost feel him smiling down on her.

            Tia inhaled
the salty air and went over the past year in her mind. She never even imagined
that the night, so long ago, when she was going to be a fly on the wall at a
little dumpy bar and try to figure out how to ease back into life again, could
lead to this perfect, beautiful day. There had been more than a few bumps in
the road along their journey, but she wouldn’t trade any of it; because it led
her here. As she looked out over the inexplicable blues of the Caribbean,
colors that reminded her of Dylan’s eyes, she took the calm sea as a sign that
they’d have smooth sailing for the rest of their amazing journey. Today she
would pledge her love to Dylan in front of the people they loved most, and they
would begin the next adventure of their lives—their InHappily ever after.
Everything was as it should be, and all was right with the world.

            She and Dylan
had agreed to follow tradition and not see each other on the day of their
wedding, but they had lingered on the beach the night before after the last of
their guests had retired for the evening to steal a few private moments
together. The next time they’d see each other would be when Tia was walking
down the aisle—combed beach lined with tropical flowers—on her way to become
his wife. They came together and he held her tightly, neither of them speaking
for several moments. Finally, Dylan broke the silence.

            “Any cold
feet?” he whispered.

            She looked
down at her bare toes, buried in the cool sand. “Nope. Nice and toasty,” she
replied. “You?”

            “Not even a
little chill,” he smiled. “All I can think about is tomorrow, and you walking
down that aisle and into my arms. About you being my wife. Finally.”    

            Tia smiled and
snuggled into his embrace. “Me, too,” she said. “This is the last day I’ll be
Tia Hastings.”

            “Tomorrow,
it’s Tia Miller. Always and forever.”

            “You know,
hanging with your mom and cousins and Gina—I kept wishing I’d met you sooner. I
just don’t know if the rest of our lives will be long enough to spend with
you.”

            “The kind of
love we have, baby girl, goes on for eternity.”

            “I could do
eternity,” she whispered. “I could easily do eternity.”

            “Plus one more
day.”

            They walked
the beach for a bit, stopping in front of the completely secluded bungalow
where they’d spend their first night together as man and wife. As they’d been
in separate housing since they got to the island, it was going to be a much
anticipated reunion for them both.

            “I wonder if
we should go in—check out the bed and make sure it’s…comfortable,” Dylan
whispered, raising one eyebrow at her.

            She punched
him playfully on the shoulder. “Mr. Miller,” she began. “As much as that idea
entices me—and believe me, it does, I think we should wait until we can
christen it as husband and wife.”

            “Wow,” he
said. “We really will be christening it. We’ll be the very first couple to
spend the night there—that’s kind of crazy.”

            Tia leaned
into him and sighed. “We’ll give it good luck,” she said. “Just think of all
the other couples who’ll spend their wedding nights or honeymoons here.”

            “Tony told me
that there’s a guest book in there that he wants us to sign—so every couple who
does come here will know that true love was the first guest.”

            They held each
other for a long while before Dylan walked her back to her building, kissing
her long and slow before sending her inside. “Until tomorrow, Mrs. Miller,” he
said softly.

            “I can’t
wait,” she whispered in reply as he turned to go.

And
now the day was here. In just a few short hours, her wedding day would begin.
The girls would have breakfast together in the grand dining room of the main house,
and then the spa crew was coming in to provide some incredible pampering at
eleven. They’d have a light lunch around three, and then, at six, to capture
the start of the sunset, she’d be stepping out of the main house for the last
time as Tia Hastings. She’d be walking toward her future as Mrs. Dylan Miller.

She
smiled at the thought—she couldn’t possibly be more in love with Dylan, and
although there would be challenges, especially when he was out on tour, she
relished the thought of every minute she could spend as his wife.

She
was thrilled for Lexi, too—her new romance with Bo seemed so genuine, so
unexpected yet not surprising—so,
Incidental Happenstance
, once again.
Tia really thought they could make it. Neither of them was going into this
blind—they’d seen what could happen by watching her and Dylan go through it,
and they were both at a point in their lives to know what they wanted, and to
go after it. She imagined how nice it would be for her and Lexi to be world
tour widows together—they’d always have each other when their men were away,
doing what they loved and earning their paychecks. They could travel together
to meet them at shows, and support each other when they were missing their
boys. Everything would be easier if they had that in common, and she said a
selfish silent prayer that things would work out between the two of them.

She
went back into her room and poured some coffee, and stepped back out to watch
the sun rise over the calm water, filling it with hues of red and orange. She
jumped when she heard the whispered, “Good morning, bride!” from the next
balcony, and motioned for Lexi to come and join her. Lexi ducked into her room
and then appeared at the open door, pulling Tia close.

“I
guess it’s true what they say,” she beamed. “You are positively glowing this
morning, Mrs. Miller!”

Tia
smiled, loving the sound of her new name. “I think it’s more because I just got
up,” she said, “but thanks anyway. I am beside myself. I can’t believe I’m
getting married today!”

“I
am so incredibly happy for you, you know that, right?” she whispered. “You and
Dylan are a perfect couple, and I’m just so glad you found each other.”

“And
what about you and Bo?” she asked. “Not that it came out of left field, but I
have to say, I was a bit surprised.”

“So
was I!” Lexi said. “I mean, we flirted constantly…”

“Obviously,”
Tia broke in.

“…Obviously,”
Lexi repeated, batting her eyelashes, “but I had no clue he felt that way about
me for real. He said he’s wanted me since the first time he met me—backstage at
the first show, when I was make a babbling ass of myself.”

Tia
laughed, remembering. “You were in fine form that night, you’re right about
that!” she teased. “It was kind of obvious that there was something going on
there, but I didn’t imagine it would lead to this. Although, I must admit, when
you and Ryan ended, I kind of hoped in the back of my mind that you might see
Bo as something more.” She looked her best friend right in the eye. “He’s an
incredible guy, Lex. The real deal.”

“I
know it,” she sighed happily, falling into one of the soft chairs and looking
out over the ocean. A few puffy clouds floated gently through the sky, and the
soft ocean breeze lifted her hair. “I guess part of me knew there was something
there from the beginning, but of course I didn’t think about it, or act on it.
Until last night, that is,” she said with a sheepish grin.

“Tell
me how it happened,” Tia prodded, and Lexi happily recalled the story for her.
“Incredibly romantic,” Tia said when she finished. “And I can’t imagine a more
perfect setting for the start of a great romance.”

“I’ve
said it at least a few times before,” Lexi grinned, “but I’ll say it again. You
get me into all the right parties. I’m so glad we’re buds.”

The
two friends exchanged another hug before going to rouse the other girls. It was
time to get ready to marry the man she loved.

One
of Dylan’s favorite musicians and good friend, Austin Renault, sat at the ready
with his acoustic guitar, waiting for the signal. When it came, he wound into a
beautiful and unique melody as the guests began to arrive to take up seats on
the beach before the platform under the archway that was covered in silk,
tulle, and tropical flowers. Dylan walked his mother up the aisle, and led her
to her seat before taking his place at the base of the platform. He couldn’t
stop tapping his foot. He wasn’t nervous, not in the least, but while the girls
were kept busy with spa treatments and pampering, he’d been pacing the beach,
wishing the minutes would tick away more quickly so he could make Tia his wife.
Now he was just moments away from making that a reality, and although he
relished the family and friends who had joined them for this momentous
occasion, he was truly looking forward to spending some time with her alone,
especially on this, their wedding night. Serious quality time.

He
heard the change in the music and watched as Jessa came walking down the aisle.
She immediately caught his eye and smiled. They’d been through a lot together;
the two of them; and Jessa was one of only a handful of people who really knew
what this day meant to him. He owed a lot of it to her—there was a lot of her
handiwork in this week’s events, and she’d done a bang-up job. But her
involvement went much deeper than that. She’d been Tia’s companion during the
European tour when he was working, and they’d become fast friends. Plus, of
course, she was instrumental in helping him to find her again once he uncovered
Penelope Valentine’s bullshit scheme. He was looking forward to presenting her
with her thank-you gift later that night; a week at a spa resort on Virgin
Gorda, where her mother would be joining her as an extra surprise. She’d fight
it tooth and nail at first—she wasn’t one to relax very often—but he knew that
she would enjoy every minute once she got there, and she certainly deserved it.

She
was spectacular in a dress that looked like a sunset, and he smiled back as
they shared a knowing look. He was lucky to have her, and he knew it. He was
thrilled that she was such an integral part of his big day. Not as his
employee, but as his friend.

Lexi
swept down the aisle next, and Dylan raised an eyebrow as he took her in. She
was dressed like the sky—all blues and yellows—and she looked dazzling. She
winked at him and tossed him an approving look, then turned to catch Bo’s eye.
It wasn’t hard, since his eyes were practically bugging out of his head at the
sight of her. Dylan smiled at the thought of his best friend finding love, and
was secretly thrilled that Tia could have someone to turn to on those long
lonely nights when he was on the road.

Austin’s
melody effortlessly slipped into his own rendition of the wedding march. He’d
expertly matched it to the occasion, putting in the sound of the ocean and
chords that he knew were Dylan’s favorites. Dylan hopped from foot to foot in
anticipation of the appearance of his bride.

When
she turned the corner and he caught his first glimpse of her, he thought he’d
stop breathing. She was incredibly beautiful, her sun-lightened hair spilling
in soft waves around her face, which was positively glowing. She looked like
the sea rolling slowly toward shore, and the late-day sun caught little jewels
on the dress that made her look like a mermaid gliding back toward the ocean.
There was a halo of light surrounding her, and he thought,
here comes my
angel
. His smile lit up his entire face, and the second she met his stare,
he saw a tear of joy glistening there. She smiled back at him, and he saw his
future flash before his eyes.
Never
, he thought,
has anyone loved as
much as I love this woman!
He touched his fingers to his lips and blew her
a tiny kiss as she walked toward him, on her way to be his. Forever.