Page 8 of Killer Honeymoon
Rita gestured to the open double doors leading to the outdoor dining area. The space was awash in warm light, and the energy buzzing from their guests reminded Royce of the bumble bees happily meandering through his flower gardens at home. They stopped just before reaching the exit to exchange a smile and quick kiss before stepping out to cheers and clapping from their family and friends.
If Royce had been impressed with the minigardens behind the Hummingbird Café during the day, he was bowled over by them at twilight. Thousands of fairy lights twinkled in the trees above, and Rita had tucked ornate lanterns into each of the gardens and along the red brick pathways winding throughout them to add extra glow. The tables were covered with crisp, white linens and were adorned with colorful wildflower centerpieces and white candles. The garden pathways led to a circular gathering space in the center that Rita had converted into a dance floor. The DJ had set up his equipment on the far right, and Ryan, Rita’s husband and café co-owner, had set up the lavish buffet on the far left. Rita and Ryan had optimized every square inch of space and made it beautiful beyond words.
Royce turned and mouthed “Thank you” at Rita, who stood smiling on the other side of the double doors. She winked, then made a shooing motion, encouraging them to take their seats at the grooms’ table.
“As happy as your guests are about your nuptials, I think they’re more excited that you’ve finally arrived so they can eat,” the DJ slash emcee said. “The food smells incredible.”
And it tasted even better. Royce was so caught up in sampling the food and sharing it with his husband that he forgot about the other guests until the emcee announced it was time for the best men to give their speeches.His husband.
“We’re married,” Royce whispered in awe to Sawyer, earning a brilliant smile in response. “You and me. We’rehusbandsnow.”
Sawyer leaned forward and brushed a soft kiss against his lips. “We certainly are.”
“Do the two of you need another minute?” the emcee asked.
“Always,” Evangeline called out. “Trust me. They’ve forgotten we even exist.”
Royce smiled at his mother-in-law and shrugged innocently. She winked and blew him a kiss. Royce turned his attention to the emcee and said, “You have our full attention now.”
Jace must’ve drawn the short straw because he went first. The piece of paper in his brother’s hand trembled, and Royce realized Jace was nervous, so he blew out an exaggerated breath and dramatically braced both hands on the table.
“I can take it,” Royce said with mock bravado. Everyone laughed, including Jace, whose hand no longer shook.
“Do you see what I’ve had to put up with?” Jace asked the crowd. “This is a best man speech, not a roast.”
“Uh-oh,” Killian said. He pulled his speech from his jacket pocket and scowled down at it. “I clearly misunderstood the assignment. Does anyone have a pen I could borrow? I need to make a fewminortweaks.”
“Clown,” Sawyer grumbled good-naturedly.
Jace’s and Killian’s speeches were very different in tone but were equally touching. Jace took a more serious approach when honoring the couple, whereas Killian used his witty humor. Both methods brought tears of joy and laughter to the grooms’ eyes. Once Killian finished, the best men lifted their glasses.
“To Royce and Sawyer,” Killian and Jace said.
“To Royce and Sawyer,” the crowd responded.
Royce had eaten their combined weight in food but still couldn’t wait for dessert. Rita had explained they’d kept the carts with the desserts in the walk-in cooler to protect them from the Savannah humidity. Heoohedandahhed along with everyone else when Sherry Rigby and Rita wheeled the cupcake and pastry towers onto the patio.
“May we have the grooms front and center, please?” the emcee asked.
Royce and Sawyer walked hand in hand to the stunning dessert displays. They hugged Sherry and thanked Rita again before Whitney took several shots of them posing with the desserts. The topper on the grooms’ cake had a blond husband dipping a brunet husband low for a kiss. Royce gathered Sawyer in his arms and mimicked the pose to much applause. Whitney laughed and snapped several pictures.
“Seriously, you make my job so easy,” she said elatedly.
“At least someone can say that,” Mendoza called out, earning delighted chuckles from the grooms and their colleagues.
Royce had been disappointed when their chief arrived without a plus one, but he wasn’t surprised. He’d never met anyone as mysterious and private as Emilio Mendoza. Then again, there were few people Royce respected more, so he needed to let his Lio-hearts-Abe obsession go.
Sherry hovered nervously nearby, but she didn’t have anything to worry about. She’d done a test run with his mother’s chocolate cake recipe and asked him to swing by the bakery to taste it. She’d knocked it out of the park, and Royce had no doubt their wedding cake would be anything less than perfection.
They both gripped the knife and sliced it through the cake.
“Mmmm,” Sawyer said. “Chocolate.”
Royce slid the cake knife under the wedge of decadent goodness and transferred it to the plate. He picked up a fork, cut a generous bite, and lifted it in the air.
“Not going to smash it into my face, huh?” Sawyer asked.
Royce smiled. “Disappointed?”