Page 25 of The Castle
Mark’s smile softened. “Yeah, well. My gravity’s a tricky bastard, so we’ll see how it goes. But I’m glad you—”
From the opposite side of the church, a piano started playing. Everyone in the pews stood and Henry beamed.
Shit.
“Gotta go!” I told Mark, then I crouched down and super-sneakily snuck down the middle aisle and into position next to Dare two seconds before Cal and Ash started their procession.
Oops.
Dare grinned down at me and shook his head, then he pulled me in close and pressed a kiss to the top of my hair. “Nicely done.”
So apparently I wasn’t cursed toalwaysmake shit awkward.
But maybe it didn’t matter if Iwas,because Dare’s dark eyes looked down at me with nothing but love and acceptance even though heknewme—knew every terrible, embarrassing situation I’d ever gotten into, knew every dream of my stupid, naive heart—and I knew he loved me anyway.
It was enough to make me weepy evenbeforeCal and Ash started their vows.
“Ashley Martin,” Cal said a few minutes later, the emotion in his voice nearly palpable. “You walked into my life one snowy day, you dripped melting snowall overmy clean floors, you made a silly joke, and my heart—this prickly little walnut-sized thing I’d kept locked in a vault behind ten-foot walls—woke up and whisperedthis one.” He paused to clear his throat. “And when Itoldmyself you were too good to be true—when I logically, factuallyconvincedmyself that what we hadcouldn’tbe a forever thing? You leapt over that wall, broke down the door, and very politely insisted I reconsider. So I did. And choosing to love you was the best choice I’ve ever made.”
“Goddammit,” Daniel sniffled from behind us. “They’re just so damn sweet.”
I turned my head just enough to watch Marci hand Daniel a tissue from her purse and pat his arm consolingly.
“Before you came into my life,” Cal continued, “I had a business I enjoyed. I had a town I liked. I had friends I cared about. But before you, I hadnothing, Ashley Martin, because I hadn’t learned toappreciateany of the things I had. You, with your endless strength and your big heart, helped me see that my life was already amazing… and every day since then, you’ve made it even more amazing, just by being with me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for choosing me right back.”
In front of us, Everett wrapped his two arms around Silas and squeezed, and even I blew out a breath.Jesus.
I was pretty damn glad they hadn’t practiced these vows, or I’d have been bawling like a baby.
Then Ash took his turn.
“Caelan James. When I walked into the bakery that day and made avery intelligent and witty remark—”
Cal laughed out loud, and the rest of us did too.
“—I had no idea my life was about to change. But then… that’s the thing about life, right? It’s a rollercoaster in the dark. And if you’re very, very lucky, for a little while you get to sit next to someone who holds your hand through the twists and turns and makes the ride fun instead of terrifying. Thank you for being that person for me.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Constantine lift Micah’s hand to his lips and press a kiss right over his wedding ring.
“Cal James, you are the best man I’ve ever met, and your heart is the brightest, most beautiful thing I’ve ever encountered. The way you love me, the way you love your friends and your town, the way you’re driven to make everyone’s life better, inspiresmeto be a better person every day. Thank you for keeping that heart safe for me. Thank you for trusting me to be inside those walls with you. I promise, you will never, ever regret it. Even when life gets busy, and we’re not as careful with one another as we should be, I promise that you and the life we’re building together are at the core of everything I do, and I will chooseyouover and over and over again. You are the center of my personal universe, Caelan James. I didn’t know I could love someone this much. Thanks for always being my valentine.”
Cal, who was clearly crying, whispered loud enough to carry, “You’re such a competitive bastard, Ashley Martin. You’ve always got to have the last word.”
“I do,” Ash said solemnly.
And then, as all of us looked on, Cal pulled Ash down into a tight embrace and the whole place exploded into pandemonium.
Later, after the cake and the dancing, Dare took me home to his house. We sat on his back deck, looked up at the stars, and talked a little bit about the future, just like we’d done a hundred times… except now it wasn’t his future and mine, butours. Waffle Sunday tomorrow. Me moving in next month. How we might spend Christmas. The night was quiet and still, except for the crickets, and for once in my life my mind was still too. Still… and happy.
I couldn’t help but think thatthiswas the real magic of O’Leary. Not that they’d cornered the market on love, because love existed literally everywhere, and the whole world hummed with the infinite possibility of it.
But somehow in O’Leary, the world slowed down enough for you to hear it.