I shake my head. "Nope. I know she's your daughter, but trust me when I say she can handle this. She's going to take that guy to school."
He's contemplative. "Did she really just meet the guy only ten minutes ago?"
"Aw… baby."
James runs a hand through his hair. We both saw the flirtatious way Luca and Natalie were with each other. I know he felt how comfortable they were the way I did, but he's still her father.
"I just want to make sure she's okay. She's in another country."
I turn to look at him. I want to add that she didn't meet him ten minutes ago, but earlier on the beach, but I realize it wouldn't help the situation.
"I bet she brings him to the wedding," I say, hoping to smooth his feathers.
"You're that sure she's okay?"
I nod. "Yes."
James tugs me until I'm sitting between his legs with my back pressed against his chest. His arms are around my stomach and his cheek is pressed to the side of mine.
"You girls are my world. If anything happens to either of you, I don't know what I'd do with myself. If you're confident she's okay, then I trust you."
I lace my fingers with his, then fold our arms under my chest and cuddle up into his shoulder. "I am."
We’re quiet, watching the fire together and feeling at home. Neither one of us speaks for a bit, and I think it’s because both of us are recounting the night. A soft smile stays on my face and a warmth fills my heart until I'm bursting from it. I feel like I'm floating on cloud nine. This is what love is and why people want to marry, I realize. I get it now. I'm not naïve to think it'll always be diamonds and cognac, but there isn't one person in the world who I'd want to spend quiet nights with, in the middle of nowhere, just watching a fire as time passes by.
"I'm going to love you more than anyone, James."
Epilogue
James
I'm one lucky son of a bitch.
My hands are crossed in front of me and my tux feels like I'm wearing an extra layer of skin. There's a harp playing an Ed Sheeran song gently in the background, but it does nothing to lower my blood pressure, let alone soothe me. All I can hear is my heart pounding against my chest and feel the nervous bounce in my heels as I wait for Aubrey to walk down the aisle. If she doesn't hurry up, I'm going to start sweating any second.
I shoot a fleeting glance at my daughter, who's wearing a massive smile and dreamy eyes. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for Natalie's blessing. Those two years I was separated from the love of my life was hell on earth for me. Countless times I found myself looking for her everywhere I went, trying to catch a glimpse of her in the darkest shadows of my mind. I wanted to go to her and tell her to drop the shenanigans and be with me, but I respected my daughter too much for that. I wasn't going to come between them, despite how utterly alone and broken I was inside.
The world works in mysterious ways, though, and the day Natalie demanded I meet her at a specific time in Chelsea Park, I didn't question it. I fucking jumped.
In my gut, I knew this was my only chance.
Now she's watching and waiting for her best friend, my wife to be, to make her grand entrance. I follow her teary gaze and take in the room of guests. We opted for a small, intimate wedding of no more than fifty people in the heart of Manhattan. Tomorrow we leave for Aspen, again, because Aubrey insisted, and then we're off to Greece for a couple of weeks.
The music flows into a different song and the lighting in the private room lessens to cast a soft glow. Aubrey had told me when the lights change is when she’d be walking out. She had gone on and on about some special rose gold bulbs she needed to have that would set the lush, romantic mood and reflect her dress. I had no idea there was such a thing, but it didn't matter to me. I’d shrugged my shoulders and told her she could have whatever she wanted. I wasn't kidding either. This is our one and only wedding, and I want it to be perfect for her. I wasn't going to give her a reason to divorce me.
But now I understand why she needed these lights.
My lips part and I freeze while chills run down my tepid arms.
She's here.
Aubrey steps into the room and I feel like my heart is actually going to stop. She's unbelievably breathtaking. I've never seen anything so magnificent in my life. Our guests turn to watch her walk down the aisle, the photographers are snapping pictures, I can even hear Natalie sniffling, but all we see are each other.
There's a tawny hue to her skin that makes her look kissed by sunlight. She didn't want a veil, so her dark hair is in some messy, curly braid thing that pulls to the side with little wispy strands that dangle around her beautiful face. The braid hangs past her breasts that my eyes can't help but stop on. I'm definitely more of an ass man now that she's got a little extra cushion back there, but her boobs are just as spectacular. There are ornate pearl and diamond embellishments embedded along the top of her bodice and plunge down the center. They look almost amber from where I'm standing. The elegant pale ivory corset that cups her breasts makes me drag my teeth over my lip in sheer desire. She said there were layers of tulle that start at her waist, but she forgot to mention the ruffles that look like three dimensional feathers and butterfly wings floating down the sides toward the train.
"Fuck," I mumble under my breath. She's just incredible.
I reach up to cup my mouth, my vision a little blurry. I'm in awe and overcome with emotion seeing her like this. If I shed a tear, Natalie would never let me live it down, but man, am I fucking close to it. Every day I imagined what Aubrey would look like walking down the aisle, but my imagination didn't do her justice. Not even close. She's the light of my life, my other half, my best friend, my lover, and the reason I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack from how fast my heart is racing.