“True,” he said. “Then I asked you to marry me today.”
“And the answer is … yes,” she said, with a great big smile.
Together they walked up to the minister, and right there, in front of everybody, were married as well. There were gasps of joy as another simple ceremony happened, and tears flowed in copious amounts as everybody realized just how special this was.
And dammit if Kano and his partner, Catherine, didn’t step up right afterward.
Katie watched openmouthed, as one by one, every one of Bullard’s men and their partners, silently but happily, stepped up and got married, all on the same day.
“I thought they were just talking about this. Was this all preplanned?” Katie asked Dave.
“Well, it was kind of free-flowing and preplanned, in the sense that the women hadn’t given a definitive yes. But, once they got to the island and realized what it would be like to get married here, I think the guys worked on it pretty hard to convince their partners.”
By the time Quinn stepped up to the preacher with Izzie, the place was cheering madly, and the two were married just as fast. Then Quinn turned to look at Dave, raised an eyebrow. “Your turn.”
Dave shook his head and smiled. “No, not today.”
Katie frowned. “Why not?”
He looked at her in surprise. “I didn’t want to rush you.”
She smiled. “You know what? You’re right. You shouldn’t have rushed me. I think I’ll rush you instead.” And she linked her fingers with his and dragged him up to the altar.
He protested the whole way, but everybody was clapping, cheering them on. When they stood in front of the minister, Katie turned to look at Dave. “I’ve waited years to truly have you in my life, but, if you’re not ready, then, no. We won’t do this right now.”
He stopped and stared at Katie, feeling the tears burning the back of his throat. “I’ve waited a long time too,” he murmured. “I just didn’t think this would ever happen again.”
She kissed him ever-so-gently. “It’s time for us now. It’s time for all of us,” she said, with a hand motion to include the others. “It’s time to let the ghosts of the past rest in peace, while we make new lives, new futures, for all of us.”
Dave linked his fingers with hers and turned to the minister. “Say what you need to say, but the bottom line is, I do!” Everybody loudly cheered, and Dave believed his heart was breaking, as it was so full of joy. He’d never thought he would come to this point again. But, as he quickly shared vows with Katie at his side, he realized that nothing had felt so right in a very long time. Afterward he kissed her before all his good friends and held her close.
All the newly proclaimed couples swayed gently in the arms of their spouses, as the river rose and fell around them, spurred on by the morning tides of the ocean, while the sun shone brightly, and the breeze gently moved around them.
Finally Katie turned, looked around at everybody, and said, “This was unexpected, but I have to tell you that it is pretty damn perfect. But, more than that, brunch is ready!”
“You should see what she’s got. It’s amazing!” Dave added.
“I went all-out,” she explained, “because it was Bullard’s wedding. I had no clue it would be my wedding breakfast too.”
With tears and laughter, she led Dave and the rest of the crowd to the deck area, where the tables were laden with a beautiful brunch buffet. Another table held champagne, fresh coffee, and a stunningly beautiful punch fountain. It was a tropical breakfast for the wedding party and guests and for everyone from the island. Nothing had ever looked better.
Dave stood here and stared at the complete chaos that she had turned into something so extraordinary, and he turned, snatched her up, and held her close. “Did I tell you how perfect you are?” he asked.
“Nope.” She patted his cheek. “The good thing is, now I know you’ll have lots of time to remind me.”
He burst out laughing. “Well, there is some truth to that.” He paused. “We didn’t even talk about—” And he stopped, shaking his head.
“Like, where will we live? Where will we work? How will we sort it all out and all those good things?”
“Yeah,” he said, with a crooked smile.
“That’s because none of it is as important as our relationship,” she replied. “We’ll work it out.”
“Are you still okay to work for Bullard?”
“She damn well better be,” Bullard roared from beside them. “I’m not having you guys all split off and leave me now.”
Katie looked at him and grinned. “No, I’ll still be the same old Katie,” she said.
He grinned, grabbed her into a great big hug, and then literally picked her up and handed her over to Dave. His other arm was snaked around Leia, tucking her in close.
Katie was still laughing, as Dave placed her down on the ground gently. “See? It’s really not a problem,” she explained. “I don’t know how big your room is at the compound, but maybe it’ll be big enough for me too.”
He immediately kissed her and held her close. “I actually have a suite to myself,” he stated, “so, technically, yes. There is plenty of room for you.”
“And, if you want to start a family down the road,” she murmured, gently touching her lips to his, “we might have to look at getting another house.”
At that, Bullard snorted. “Hell no. There is plenty of land at that compound, so I suggest we start building houses. If we all have kids sometime in the future, then we’ll need playgrounds and spaces for them to run around and play, and maybe a small soccer field or baseball field,” he said, warming up with enthusiasm.
Leia laughed. “So far, Levi and Ice are the only ones with children,” she said, “so there is definitely time to plan for more little ones.”
Bullard looked at Ice, who was grinning madly. Her beautiful blond son beamed in her arms. “What do you know that you haven’t shared?”
Ice immediately dropped a hand to her rounded belly. “Number two is on the way,” she proudly said, “You guys need to catch up.”
At that, cheers erupted once again, as Levi wrapped her up in his arms, his one-year-old son tucked up against his shoulder. “Dammit, Bullard, now you finally made a change that you won’t regret.”
“I know,” Bullard said. “It feels so damn good to be at this stage of our lives.”
“It only gets better,” Levi added. “I promise. It’ll only get better.”
Dave looked down at Katie and whispered, “What do you think about that pronouncement?”
“I think it’s perfect,” she said, her voice gentle, “because, when you think about it, look at all we’ve been through. Look at all of the things in our lives, the ups and downs, the people we’ve met, the people we’ve fallen in love with, and those we’ve lost—one way or another.”
He leaned over and kissed her gently.
“This is the cycle of life. We fall down, and we stand back up again, and we start all over, if we need to. At this moment in time, we’re all exactly where we want to be,” she said. “Look at us. This is the beginning of a whole new future, and I, for one, can’t wait.”