Always Loving You (Danvers #6)(71)
When Suzy moved back, Ella stood there holding her newborn baby, Sofia Grace, and doing a mixture of laughing and crying. They all gaped at their soft-spoken friend when she covered the baby’s ears and said, “Now, would I miss the wedding of my favorite whore?” Laughter rang out in the room, and they all knew they’d never forget Ella’s multiple-personality delivery and the laughs that it would bring to them for years to come. Ava smiled, thinking that now she knew how Brant had managed to get their mother’s necklace here so quickly.
“Now I believe we’re missing the borrowed and blue items, right?” Claire asked while holding a hand behind her back. When Ava agreed, the other woman brought her hand back around, showing Ava the pearl and diamond ring there. “My mother gave this ring to me when I got married and I thought it would go perfectly with your necklace and bracelet.”
Ava wanted to protest, not sure about wearing something so special to Claire, but the other woman seemed so excited. When the ring actually fit Ava’s finger, she found herself hugging Claire while trying to hold back her tears.
Next, Suzy and Beth stepped forward, holding out a long white box. Ava looked at it suspiciously, before shaking her head. “Please tell me that isn’t the Channing Tatum that you bought.”
Beth started laughing as Suzy winced, rubbing her lower back. “Um, no, Gray buried that at the bottom of the trash can. I think he may have stabbed it a few times for good measure.”
“Then he buried something else, right?” Beth joked, holding her sides while she laughed.
Suzy, never one to be embarrassed, gave a smug grin. “Yeah, he sure did, again . . . and again. God, I love pushing that man’s buttons.” Beth finally had to nudge Suzy to shake her out of what appeared to be some vivid memories. “Oh, right, so, anyway, Beth and I took care of the something blue.” When Ava hesitated, Beth opened the box, showing her the light blue garter belt nestled inside it. Ava sighed in relief before donning the last item.
Her friends left to join the rest of the wedding guests, while Brant and Declan returned and took their positions on each side of her. Strangely, she was barely nervous. Nothing had ever felt this right. The only thing she needed now was to be standing next to the man she loved. “Ready?” Brant asked, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Before she answered, she hugged both of her brothers once again. “I’m ready,” she said softly. “I’m finally ready.”
All three of them knew that her words had little to do with the ceremony and everything to do with where she was in her life.
* * *
“A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri was played by a pianist and cellist as the love of his life walked down the canopy-covered aisle holding the arm of each of her brothers. Lights on the surrounding trees twinkled against the darkness, giving the whole setup a storybook feel. As Mac stood waiting for her, he truly understood that all the heartache of the past had led them to this one defining moment.
Since their group of friends and family attending the wedding was so small, they hadn’t bothered with giving anyone in the wedding party formal titles. Instead everyone circled the altar, leaving just a small opening for Ava, Declan, and Brant. Mac’s mom and dad, Dominic, Gage, Ella, and Sofia Grace had been able to make the last-minute ceremony thanks to the generosity of Mark DeSanto. He was a friend of the Stone family as well as a business associate to Danvers. When Brant told him about the wedding, he had insisted on helping in any way possible. His private jet had picked up their guests from Myrtle Beach earlier, and they had arrived in plenty of time for the wedding. Mac’s parents were so thrilled that he and Ava were finally getting married that they wouldn’t have held a grudge over missing the wedding, but he could tell they were happy to be here.
When both Declan and Brant arrived at his side, placing their sister’s hand in his, they clapped him on the back, signifying without words their trust in him. He swallowed a huge lump in his throat as he nodded once to the men he thought of as brothers. Beside him, Gage whistled low under his breath as he glimpsed Ava. Dominic elbowed him in the stomach, causing the other man to let out a low groan before giving Dominic a dirty look. Mac was so grateful to have his friends there with him as he took the step he had always dreamed of with his forever girl.
He took advantage of the fact that Ava wasn’t wearing a veil to lean in and give her a quick kiss on her neck. “I love you, baby,” he whispered for her ears only. She mouthed the words back to him as the officiate started the ceremony. Both he and Ava had opted to have a simple service, including traditional vows. They had already said everything that was in their hearts to each other earlier in private. They answered the questions that were asked of them and repeated their promises when prompted, but their eyes never left each other. The world faded away as they were pronounced husband and wife. As Mac pressed his lips to hers, he felt the pain and sorrow of the past slip away and out of the ashes arose a beautiful commitment that staggered him with its perfection. Because he knew that, no matter what happened in the future, as long as Ava was at his side, life would be beautiful. And he intended to spend the rest of his life loving her—always loving her.