My heart rate picks up speed with every word he says, and by the end it’s racing. Strangely, my euphoria doesn’t stop the tears. It seems to fuel them. Not in my wildest dreams have I imagined Lucas Deiss promising to love me for the rest of his life.
“I want more,” I blurt stupidly as a rogue tear makes it all the way down to my neck.
Deiss laughs and covers my mouth with his, kissing me in a way that makes my knees weak.
“Sorry to interrupt,” says an unwelcome voice I recognize as Mac’s. “But this thing is trying to kill me.”
Deiss’s arm tightens around my waist before he reluctantly pulls back. “We’re having a moment here.”
“It’s my wedding day,” Mac says, holding his arms out in front of him as a wriggling ball of fur claws at his hands. He looks casually gorgeous in his khakis and white linen button-up, except for the red marks that line his left arm. “And now I’m going to be all scratched up in the photos.”
“Sorry,” Deiss says. “She was at Sounds with me when you called and told me you were in trouble. Maybe if you’d just been a normal person and said you wanted to meet up, I would’ve realized I had time to drop her at home.”
“Is that . . .” I squint at the proffered kitten before pulling loose from Deiss to grab her. “Fluff Daddy!”
I cradle her to my chest, and miraculously, she calms, staring up at me as if she remembers me. “How did you get her?” I ask, staring back at her in disbelief.
“I took a little drive down to Brantley,” Deiss says, sliding his hand down her side and eliciting a rumbling purr before she swipes at him. “I thought we could raise her together. If you want to move back in, that is. If not, I’m willing to cede custody to you.”
“But I don’t understand,” I say, despite the fact that everything in me is warning me not to ask questions and simply say, Yes! Yes, please! I’d love to move back in with you and this perfect, gleefully violent creature! “I walked away. Why would you drive all that way just to get a cat for me?”
“Because I knew you missed Cat Stevens,” Deiss says. “And whether we ended up together or not, I thought Fluff Daddy would make you happy.”
“I love you.” I breathe the words, feeling as if they’re coming somewhere from deep inside my soul.
“Then you’re going to love me even more when I tell you I’ve found Cat Stevens.”
I gasp, my heart squeezing. “You did?”
“Well, not exactly me,” he admits. “But it turns out there are upsides to having an army of self-proclaimed fans who won’t leave you alone. Those tweens are savvy online. It only took them four days to hunt him down. Apparently, a couple came home and discovered he’d gotten in the cat door while they were out of town. They turned him into a shelter on Wednesday.”
I close my eyes, not wanting more tears to spill over. “And he’s okay?”
“They said he tilts his nose up at everyone and turns his back when the other cats attempt to engage him.”
I choke out a laugh. “Then he’s okay.”
“Perfect-ola,” Mac says before Deiss can respond. He lets out a piercing whistle, waving Phoebe down when she peers over the edge of the top deck. “You guys are good. And everyone’s good with Simone. Now, Phoebe will let me marry her.”
“Does that mean that Phoebe is good with me?” I ask hopefully. “Because she hasn’t returned any of my calls all week.”
Mac scoffs. “That wasn’t because she was mad. We were just on our honeymoon. Everyone knows you don’t take calls on your honeymoon.”
“You took your honeymoon before the wedding?” I ask.
Mac shrugs, his attention fully on the stairs where Phoebe is descending. “Why not?”
Watching his eyes light up at the sight of her, I don’t even consider arguing. What would I even say? Love rarely follows the rules.
* * *
—
The wedding lasts for two and a half songs, played on Deiss’s phone, which he holds in the air. It’s just long enough for Mac and Phoebe’s vows, the former of which gets a little ramble-y when Mac decides to list the things he loves about her. The sunset is in its final, most magnificent blaze as Connor declares them man and wife, and Elena yells at us to squeeze together while they’re still kissing, capturing the dying day before the bright colors burn out.
Deiss winces as Phoebe demands he play “I Will Always Love You” but acquiesces, reaching for my hand as she and Mac begin to dance. He pulls me to him, scooping the sleeping cat from my arms and passing him to Connor, who is too unaware to be properly afraid. Then he dips me, tugging me into his chest as I come back up, and together we sway to the movement of the waves.