InHap*pily Ever After (Incidental Happenstance) (80 page)

At
that moment, no one else on earth existed except the two of them. Tia looked at
Dylan, her man, her love, and couldn’t turn away. He was incredibly sexy in a
light gray suit that was perfect for the occasion, his wavy blonde hair dusting
his shoulders and blowing carelessly in the ocean breeze. It was the look on
his face that nearly stopped her heart, though. There was something so pure and
honest in his smile, something so raw that it was exquisite, and it positively
took her breath away. He always made her feel like the only woman on earth, but
this day, she could see that it was true. She couldn’t wait to get to him, to
hold his hand and say her vows, to slip the ring onto his finger, to hear the
preacher pronounce them man and wife. She felt all the eyes on her; felt the
presence of her family and friends, but it was only her and Dylan now; just the
two of them as she made her way toward her future; her husband.

The
sun was just starting to sink and the sky was an explosion of color as she
reached Dylan’s side. He took her hand, barely able to take his eyes from hers
to acknowledge her father as he lifted her veil, ready to hand her over to him.
Tia looked at him, and her smile nearly melted his heart. The waves gently
lapped at the shore, and the colors of the sunset melted into the sea beside
them as the preacher spoke the first words of their wedding ceremony.

“Friends
and family,” he began, his voice clear in reverence to the setting, the moment,
the obvious love between the couple, “we have gathered here today to witness
one of God’s greatest miracles; the love between a man and a woman that causes
them to pledge themselves to each other, forsaking all others, to further His
grace. It is with great honor that I officiate over this ceremony; this sharing
of hearts; this pledge of undying love.”

Tia
and Dylan stared into each other’s eyes, so much said but yet unspoken, a
promise made long before the formation of any words discernible to the loved
ones who had gathered to witness.

Dylan
nodded to Tia’s father as he officially gave his blessing and placed her hand
in his, never taking his eyes off his beautiful bride. The preacher continued
with his speech, but neither of them heard it, really. They were completely
engrossed in each other, and it wasn’t until they were prompted to speak their
vows, the words that would bind them together forever, that they were pulled
back from their private celebration. Both had written and rewritten their
words, determined to get it right on this one day, this one chance, to make it
count.

Tia
held Dylan’s hand in hers, and looked deep into his eyes, amazed and humbled by
the love she saw there.

“Oh,
Dylan,” Tia began, “I’ve gone over and over what to say to you today; how to
put into words the way you make me feel, the way the sun shines more brightly
when you’re beside me, the way your hand fits so perfectly in mine. I don’t
think love is a strong enough word, but I honestly don’t think a strong enough
word exists to explain the way you light up my world, the way you complete me.”
She paused and met his eyes, his smile saying it all as he gently wiped away a
rogue tear of joy with the rough pad of his thumb.

“There
hasn’t been a day since you came into my life that I haven’t thanked God and
all the lucky stars for you; that I haven’t wondered how I could be so
incredibly fortunate to have your love and devotion. And I know there never
will be.

“I
love you with everything I am, with every breath I take, and with every beat of
my heart; and I can easily promise that I will love you until the end of time.
I look so forward to sharing my life with you, and to sharing in yours. You
have my undying pledge that I will be a good and faithful and understanding
wife, that I will put your needs before my own, and that I will spend the rest
of my days loving you beyond comprehension. I promise you this before God and
all these witnesses, and I so happily take you to be my incredible and amazing
husband until the end of my days.”

There
was a moment of collective silence among the guests, and more than a few wiped
away a tear as she finished her heartfelt vows. The preacher turned to Dylan,
and he squeezed her hand, taking a breath before beginning his own.

“My
beautiful and amazing Tia,” he started, smiling. “I, too, struggled to find
words that could even begin to explain what you mean to me, but so much of what
we share goes so far beyond words, so beyond explanation, that it seemed an
impossible task. You are my music, my muse, the most beautiful melody I’ve ever
heard. You’re the part of me I didn’t realize I was missing until I found you,
and the part that I now can’t live without.

“I
would go to the ends of the earth just to see you smile; stop time just to hear
your laughter. I promise you before God and these witnesses that as long as I
have breath in my body you will want for nothing—it is my personal mission in
life to make you as happy as you make me just by being mine. Words cannot
express how elated I am to take you as my wife, my partner, my best friend, for
all the rest of my days and beyond.”

The
preacher waited for the words to lose their weight on the ocean breeze before
continuing. He took the rings and said a blessing over them, handing one first
to Tia. Her hands shook as she slid it easily onto Dylan’s finger, and her
voice wavered with the intensity of her emotion. “I give you this ring, Dylan,
as an undying symbol of the love and devotion that fill my heart to bursting.
With it, I call you my husband, and put my full trust in you and our love for a
long and happy life together.”

Dylan
smiled and put out his hand for her ring without ever taking his eyes from hers.
He held up her shaking hand, and slowly slipped the ring onto her finger. “I
give you this ring, Tia, as a symbol of the promise I make to you to be a good
and faithful husband, a life partner, and a best friend. No matter what life
throws at us, I know that together we can conquer any challenge, and I look
forward to meeting each and every one with you by my side. I am so happy and
proud to call you my wife.” He choked up a bit on the last words, and a tear
slid from Tia’s eyes.

Lexi’s
and Bo’s eyes met, and they shared a knowing glance, a happy smile. They were
both filled with happiness for their best friends; and with their own promise
for a possible future together.

“Tia
and Dylan,” the preacher said proudly, “may you find love and joy in all of your
days, and be faithful partners to each other.” Dylan glanced over him
expectantly, and urged him with his eyes to hurry things along. The preacher
smiled knowingly, and quickly continued. “So now, by the power vested in me,
and by the generous love of God, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He
smiled down at Dylan, whose grin had taken over his face. “Dylan, you may kiss
your bride.”

“Come
here, Mrs. Miller,” he growled from the back of his throat, pulling her in and
wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. He smiled at her, and brought his
lips to hers, picking her up off the ground and spinning her in a slow circle.

What
a kiss! Tia was breathless with the thought that Dylan was now her husband;
that their future together was assured and promised to be full of all the best
that life had to offer. The rest of the world fell away, and it was just the
two of them in their shared embrace, their testament of love fulfilled, their
amazing kiss sealing the vow.

When
he finally set her gently down, he moved his lips to her ear and whispered, “I
love you so much, Mrs. Miller.”

“I
love you more, dear husband,” she whispered back, pulling him close for a
loving embrace.

“Ladies
and gentleman, friends and family, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to
you, for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Dylan Miller!”

A
cheer rose up from their guests, and they turned to accept their
congratulations as Dylan walked Tia, finally his wife, back down the aisle. Bo
grinned at Lexi and took her arm, following the couple, pressing his body
against hers as they went. Jessa and Max followed them, and they formed a line
in order to receive individual well-wishes from their friends and family.

“That
could not have been more perfect!” Lexi exclaimed. “Oh guys, that was the most
gorgeous and romantic wedding ever!”

“I
especially liked the ending,” Dylan said with his famous half-smile. “The
pronouncing us man and wife and the kiss the bride part were by far my
favorites.”

“Yeah,
well that was pretty obvious,” Bo teased. “I wanted to yell out, ‘get a room!’
but I was afraid you might just run off and miss the reception!”

“You
mean we have to go the reception?” Dylan joked. “Getting to our room is exactly
what’s on my mind.” He grabbed Tia and dipped her down, kissing her long and
deep.

“Now,
now, dear husband,” Tia laughed, loving the sound of the word and thrilled to
be able to say it, “we’ll have the rest of our lives together, but we only get
to do this wedding thing once.”

“Oh,
alright,” he conceded with a smile as their parents made their way over to the
happy couple. “I guess we can hang out for a little while. If we absolutely
have to. But later, lovely wife, I have plans for you.”

“I
sure hope so,” she said under her breath so only he could hear.

The
reception was exactly what they’d hoped for—the final throes of the sunset
cooperated with their photo session, and they got some amazing shots. The
weather was perfect, the food was amazing, the wine flowed freely, and the
music was incredible; thanks to Dylan’s many musician friends. There couldn’t
have been a more perfect night for any of the guests, and everyone was having a
fabulous time.

 Tony
smiled as he took it all in. It couldn’t have been more perfect for him,
either. The wedding had gone off without a hitch, there had been no breach, no
paparazzi, and the reception was going perfectly. He’d had a chance to review
the film from the interviews and the overview of the place, as well as some of
the afternoon’s wedding pictures, and he couldn’t have been more thrilled. Not
only had he been able to give his good friend and his lovely bride the wedding
of their dreams, he stood to make a fortune on the pictures and film rights of
the wedding. He’d already sat down briefly with Jessa, and she’d approved
nearly everything he’d selected.

His
plan was to show some of the pictures and video from the wedding on his show
tomorrow night, a bit more of the wedding video on the tabloid show the next
day, and sell off some others. He knew that the public would want to see the
entire wedding, and he thought he might be able to convince Dylan and Tia to
let him air the whole thing once they saw how tastefully it had been filmed and
how much they all stood to gain; as well as appeasing their fans, who seemed
insatiably hungry for more of the beloved couple.

The
rich and famous would be lining up to vacation and get married on his little
slice of paradise, and he could almost hear the money rolling in.

But
tonight, love reigned supreme. The bride and groom couldn’t get enough of each
other, and both Dylan’s and Tia’s parents were spinning across the dance floor.
Bo and Lexi cuddled up as they swayed to the music and stole away for some
private moments on one of the swings in the garden. He decided it was the
perfect time to ask Jessa, who had more than piqued his interest, for a dance.

Lexi
sat curled up under Bo’s arm beneath a beautiful array of tropical flowers and
palms that seemed to dance in the gentle breeze. The moon swelled in the sky,
and the stars were out in all their glory. The sounds of frogs and crickets
mixed with the music in the background and she added her sigh to the harmony; a
mixture of contentment, joy for her best friend, and a new sense of hope for
what tomorrow could bring.

Coming
here was so much more than she’d expected, and she had known it was going to be
incredible. She was so thrilled to see her best friends in the world find the
happiness that they so deserved; especially in light of all the pitfalls they’d
encountered along the way. 

What
she hadn’t expected, though, was that she and Bo would realize that there was
more to their unabashed flirting than either of them had been able to admit;
that there were real feelings there. She felt the flutters of a schoolgirl
crush in her stomach as she smiled and snuggled closer to him, feeling his
strong and capable arms pulling her in. They hadn’t talked yet about what would
happen next, after this incredible weekend, but they both knew that what they
shared was not just a little fling. She smiled at the thought, and hummed deep
in her throat.

“Mmmmmm,”
she sighed. “This feels really good. It was such a gorgeous wedding—I’m so
happy for Tia and Dylan.”

Bo
pulled her up onto his lap and kissed her. “It was pretty awesome,” he agreed.
“You’re pretty awesome, too, Lexi, and this thing with us…” his voice trailed
off as he searched for the right words.

“…was
a happy and unexpected surprise for me, Bo. It feels so natural, so easy.” She
smiled back at him. “It’s made an incredible weekend even more incredible than
I could have ever dreamed possible.”

“I
was thinking,” he said. “Do you think you could get another week off of work? I
don’t have anywhere I need to be right now, and there are a lot of very
romantic islands around here where we could explore the whole thing further…”
he waggled his eyebrows at her, and she couldn’t help but laugh. She loved that
they could still joke about pretty much anything, and was thrilled that he
wanted to extend their time together.