“You know how to do all of this. Is this really necessary?” I ask my cousin.
“Honestly, no, it’s not. It’s something to do. We have a real rehearsal next week.”
“Then we can stop this.”
“Look across the pool, Sterling. Tell me what you see,” Ramsey says softly.
I do as she says and see Alyssa. Her hair is now falling around her shoulders. Her coverup is tied around her waist to look like a skirt, and she’s got her head tilted back, laughing at something Palmer just said.
“Play along, yeah?” Ramsey asks.
I nod because words fail me. My best friend is a goddess. That’s not new information, but when she’s looking like she does, all sun-kissed and happy, and I can still feel the press of her tight little body against mine, a nod is the best I can do.
The next thing I know, the wedding march plays through the outdoor speakers, and Alyssa slowly begins to walk around the pool toward me.
I keep my eyes locked on her. She smiles, and it’s that simple gesture that has a series of events flashing in my eyes. Alyssa dressed in white, walking toward me. Alyssa growing round with our babies. Falling asleep with her curled up next to me every night and waking up the same way every morning.
I swallow hard.
I’m in love with my best friend.
That internal confession almost knocks the air from my lungs. I inhale deeply and slowly exhale as she reaches me. Without being told, I reach out, taking her hands, and guide her to stand before me.
“You’re beautiful,” I tell her.
“Oh, he’s good.” I think it was Kennedy who whispered that, but I don’t take my eyes off Alyssa to find out.
Instead, I do what any decent groom would do on his wedding day. I bring her hands to my lips and kiss her knuckles.
“Damn.” I think that was Jade, but I can’t be sure.
“Dearly beloved,” Ramsey starts, and I tune her out after that. I can’t seem to focus on anything but Alyssa’s brown eyes and the way they’re watching me intently. There’s a question in those deep orbs, and I’m sure she thinks I’ve lost my damn mind, and maybe I have.
All I know is that the seed has been planted. Hell, it was planted years ago, but it’s just now being watered, and it’s starting to grow. I can see my life with her, not just as my best friend, but as my partner.
As my wife.
“Sterling?”
I tear my gaze from Alyssa to look at Ramsey. “Sorry.”
She gives me a knowing smile. “This is where you say ‘I do.’ We’re skipping all the other stuff.”
I clear my throat and turn back to Alyssa. “I do.” My voice is clear, and there’s a certainty in my voice that I’m positive my family doesn’t miss.
“I do,” Alyssa says when it’s her turn.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Knowing I need to follow through, I lean in and kiss her cheek.
“Come on, Kincaid!” I hear one of my brothers call out. My head is too foggy to decipher which one. “You can do better than that.”
I open my mouth to tell them to fuck off, but then I see the way Alyssa's tongue peeks out and wets her lips. Sliding my hand around her waist, I pull her close. “They want a show.”
“Seems like it.”
“What do you think we should do, Tink?” Everything and everyone around us fades away. I’m aware of what’s about to happen and that my family is going to witness it, but the need to feel her lips against mine after all of these years is strong and overpowering.