Forever Our Beach (Flirt Club)

11. Megan

11

Megan

“Are you happy?” My mother fusses with my veil as she stares me in the eye.

“I am, mom. I’m really happy. Happier than I’ve ever been.”

Her lips tremble even as she nods. “Good, I’m so glad. You deserve it… after everything.”

There’s a sadness in her eyes that wasn’t there four months ago. A consequence of what my sister and my ex put are putting us all through. For as much as I’ve divorced myself from the two of them, their impact still affects me because it affects my family.

“I-I’m so sorry—”

I press my fingers to my mom’s lips, stopping her. She’s apologized to me so many times over the past three months, trying to show me her support, and while I’m usually okay with it, todays’ not the day to be dwelling on it. Today’s my day of happiness. A day where we can take a break from all the ugliness of other people’s choices and actions. Today we’re focusing on love. And happiness.

“Mom, it’s all good. Let’s just focus on today, okay?”

Even though her lips still tremble, she pulls them into a smile as a knock sounds at the door before it opens.

“Helene, it’s time for you to be escorted to your seat and for me to walk my beautiful daughter down the aisle.”

I turn to face my dad who stands still. Love, awe, and a hint of sadness are written on his features, but his sadness doesn’t bother me. I know he’s sad because seeing me in my wedding dress is proof that his little girl is no longer his. He wore the same look when my two older sisters married.

“My baby girl is all grown up.”

My mom rolls her eyes, making me laugh. She walks over to him and pats his cheek before kissing it. “She’s been all grown up for years.”

“Shh, woman. You know they’re always my little girls until the day another man replaces me.”

“Dad.” I rush toward him. “No one can ever replace you. I’m not leaving, just gaining another man who’ll love me like you do.”

“He better,” dad growls, trying to hide the wobble in his voice, but the brightness of his eyes gives away how close he is to crying. “Or else there will be no place on earth that he can hide from me.”

I snort, choking on a laugh. My dad may be a big man—although he’s smaller than Caleb—but he doesn’t have a violent bone in his body. So to hear him threaten violence against Caleb reinforces how much I mean to him. It’s the same way that Caleb treats me.

As I walk with my dad in my brand-new wedding dress towards the beach where we’re saying our vows, I can’t help but see all the differences between this wedding and the one I was supposed to have. Instead of a big production, we opted to have it on the beach at the resort where we first met. Caleb delayed it’s start date for renovations for a week so we could have everyone come and share the occasion with us. Besides the location, this one is simpler even if a good chunk of the guests are extremely wealthy. This time I don’t have any bridesmaids, only my best friend serving as my maid of honour.

She grins at me, fanning her face, from her position behind the curtains, hiding us from the guests. “Is it hot in here or what? Please tell me Caleb has some single friends or brothers because some of the men out there are F I N E, fine.”

I chuckle and grin at her.

“That’s the look I wanted to see on your face.” The music switches and the resort wedding planner signals for the curtains to be opened. “See you on the other side.” She winks before turning back to the aisle and begins her walk down to the wedding canopy.

Instead of nerves, butterflies of excitement fill me. I rush to take my spot, dragging my dad behind me as the wedding planner smiles.

“Now, remember, take your time walking down the aisle. The guests all want to see your dress. Don’t forget, Caleb needs to be reminded that his job is to wait on you in all things. And that starts here at the wedding.”

With a nod, the music changes again, and the curtains open, giving me my first look at the man waiting at the end for me. My breath catches. And I can’t help but remind myself how incredibly lucky I am. I might have had to go through heartache to get here, but it was all worth it. I’ve never been so cherished before. In everything he does, he shows me how much he loves me.

His son, Colton, only a few years younger than me, stands at his side. I’d been worried that Colton would view me as some type of gold digger, but that didn’t happen. Instead he welcomed me to the family and teasingly started calling me mom, trying to make me feel old.

At my first step, anxiety starts to rush in. All these people looking at me, wondering about our age difference, but then I glance again at the two men at the end of the aisle. One’s gaze is filled with love, awe, and most importantly support. He’s been my rock through everything. He helped to smooth things over with my parents after our first disastrous meeting. He held my hand through the one court day I attended, where I saw my sister’s pregnant belly for the first time along with the engagement ring on her finger. That night he made love to me, proving over and over again how worthy I was for love.

His look settles me, calming those butterflies as I take another step. But it’s Colton’s rakish wink that makes me laugh, destroying the final, hiding butterflies. The rest of my walk is a blur as I’m surrounded by love.

The moment Caleb takes my hand in his, I want to melt into his side. It’s been less than twenty-four hours since I last touched him, but it was too long. And from the way he’s brushing up against me, I think the feeling is mutual.

The pastor speaks and as much as I want to remember everything, I hear nothing. My complete focus is on the man next to me. But when Caleb turns to me, taking both my hands in his and starts to speak his own vows before the ones to be given to us by the pastor, I zone back in, hearing every word as if they are being etched onto my soul.

“Megan, darling, I was so happy when you agreed to hold our wedding here on this beach. It was on this very spot three and a half months ago that I first kissed you. And a week later, this is where I told you that I loved you. I was so scared to tell you, worried that I’d make you run in the opposite direction with my head strong ways.” The audience laughs. “But to my relief, you didn’t run. In fact, you made me so happy when you told me that you felt the same. And knowing that, the ring in my pocket burned a hole, wanting to be on your finger so badly that I didn’t even ask at first. I just slipped it on while I distracted you. He winks and I feel my cheeks heating as I relive his kiss in my head.

“All of that happened right here. So. It’s only fitting that we get married here, start our new lives together on this very spot. That way, no matter where we go, or however long we are away, this spot, this beach, will forever be our beach. I love you.”

And like the bulldozer of a man he is, he doesn’t wait for the pastor to tell us to kiss. Instead, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me like that very first time.

Thank you for reading.