Daisy’s eyes snap to me, startled, before flicking over to Paige, who’s happily chatting with Karen several seats away. “Daisy?”
“Tell him,” Daltrey urges. “See what he says.”
Daisy sighs. “Fine. We’ve been talking about the wedding and we’re not quite agreeing on certain things.”
Daltrey snorts. “We agreed just fine a few weeks ago.”
“Yes,” Daisy says through gritted teeth. “But that was before.”
“You guys,” I cut in. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Tell him,” Daltrey says again.
Daisy takes a deep breath then says in a rush, “we had decided to scale back the wedding.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Really? Isn’t it, like, a month away?”
Daisy groans. “I know. We were going to talk to Paige about it but then…” she gestures helplessly and I know she’s referring to the illness. “Now it feels like it’s too late.”
“It’s not too late,” Daltrey says firmly.
“Hang on,” I say. “What does this have to do with Paige?”
Daisy raises her eyebrow. “Seriously? Do you know Paige? Have you listened to a word she’s said about this wedding?”
I laugh, thinking about the way Paige had been obsessed with wedding planning for the last few months. “You’re right, that was a stupid thing to say. But why can’t you tell her you want to scale it back?”
Daisy looks unhappy. “She’s been so excited about it, Reed. I was afraid to tell her even before all of this happened. Now it just feels…” she shakes her head. “She planned this entire wedding for us. I can’t take that away, not now.”
Daltrey cuts in. “And I keep saying that all Paige would want is for us to be happy.”
“That’s true,” I murmur, my eyes drifting over to Paige. She’s laughing at something Karen is saying and God she’s so beautiful. So beautiful and happy and here, and I’m so damn grateful for that.
Daltrey is still talking, but I’m not really paying attention. “You want to have something small, Daisy, and that’s what we should do. It’s just a day, we can cancel things.”
“She worked so hard,” Daisy says. “She was emailing the wedding planner while she was in the hospital, for God’s sake. She’ll be so disappointed if we cancel it.”
“What if you didn’t have to cancel it?” I ask, an idea starting to take shape in my mind. A crazy, perfect, completely amazing idea.
“What do you mean?” Daisy asks. “We either have this huge fancy wedding of Paige’s dreams or we cancel it for something smaller.”
Wedding of Paige’s dreams.
I turn back to them, grinning now, the idea starting to feel less and less crazy the more I think about it. “What if you could have your small wedding and Paige could still have her huge fancy one?”
Daisy looks confused but Daltrey’s eyes go wide and knowing. “Oh my God,” he whispers.
My eyes go back to Paige across the table, and I know this is right. Fuck, it’s perfect. Yes, it’s a little crazy but, seriously. This is Paige. And if there’s anything in the world that Paige loves, it’s adventure. The unexpected. Really awesome, crazy surprises. “Daisy,” I say, my heart pounding hard. “Do you think you’d remember which dress Paige tried on that day at the shop?”
“Of course,” Daisy says, sighing a little at the memory. “God, that was a good dress.” Her eyebrows pull down. “But why do you want to know?”
I reach for Daltrey’s glass of whiskey, my hands shaking, needing something to take the edge off this feeling in my chest—the raging joy and nervousness and certainty that this is exactly what I should be doing. I take a sip before grinning at my brother and Daisy.
“Because if this goes the way I want it to, she’s going to need it.”
* * *
Four days later, I pull up in front of Cash’s house and glance over at Paige. She’s smiling serenely as she looks out the window, completely oblivious to the fact that I’m freaking the hell out. I’m not nervous about my decision, not in the slightest. But I am nervous to see her reaction. Nervous that I could mess this up somehow, that it won’t be the perfect special moment she deserves. Paige loves special moments.
But then she turns that smile on me and the nerves fade away. This is Paige and me. I can do this. “Let me get your door,” I say, unbuckling my seatbelt.
“Are you going to stop treating me like I’m on my deathbed any time soon?”
I freeze, my fingers on the door handle. “Don’t joke about that.”
Her hand comes out to brush against the back of my neck. “I’m sorry. But I’m fine, Reed.”
I close my eyes, trying to imprint the words in my heart. Fine. She’s fine. I wonder if I’ll ever really believe them.
I hop out of the car and head around the hood before opening the door for her. In spite of her complaints, she waits patiently for me, taking my hand when I offer it and leaning into me as we start up the driveway. She’s still not too steady on her feet.
“I’m glad we came out tonight,” she says, tilting her head back to look up at the sky. “I knew it was going to be so great, having everyone in LA with us.” I follow her gaze to the darkening sky. The sun will be setting over the ocean soon, and the horizon has turned a dark pink in the distance. I grin to myself. Paige’s favorite color.
She starts to pull me towards the porch when we get up to the walk but I stop in place, tugging her hand a little. She looks over her shoulder at me, expression expectant. “Come this way with me first,” I tell her. “I want to show you something.”
Her face lights up at the prospect of a surprise and I know I’m shooting the same expression back at her. Had I been nervous about this? That seems stupid now, looking into her excited eyes. Like every other adventure I’ve had with this woman, this is going to be fun.
I lead her around the house and through a gate and then we’re out on the beach, the waves crashing nearby. Cash did a good job, setting everything up just the way Daisy and I had decided on. There’s a row of tiki torches burning softly at the edge of the ocean, flower petals laid out in a thick path stretching back towards the house. Right where the petals meet the torches he’d placed a blanket. And sitting on it, her knees drawn up to her chest as she looks out at the water, is Daisy.
“This is beautiful,” Paige breathes next to me. “Is that Daisy? Reed, what’s going on?”
“You’ll see,” I tell her, bouncing on the balls of my feet with excitement. I lead her across the sand, calling out a soft hello to Daisy. She turns and sees us approaching, her grin huge.
“Hey, you guys. Come sit down and look at how gorgeous this view is.”
“Come on,” I tell Paige, leading her to the blanket. I hold her arm while she lowers herself to the ground, her legs shaking a bit with the effort, then take my place at her side so she’s sitting between Daisy and me.
“Okay,” Paige says, laughing as she looks back and forth between the two of us. “What’s this all about?”
“Well, Paige, I have some kind of bad news—everyone is fine!” Daisy adds quickly, most likely realizing how Paige might take her words after the month we’ve had. “But I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this so I thought the nice scenery would help me tell you about it.”
I squeeze Paige’s hand as she frowns over at Daisy. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, I promise,” Daisy assures her. “I should have talked to you about this a long time ago, but I didn’t want to bum you out. And then you got sick—”
“Dais,” I say, a warning note in my voice. She’s making too big a deal out of it. I just want to get this part over with so we can get to the good stuff. She meets my eyes and nods, grinning.
“Paige, I don’t want to have a big fancy wedding.”
Paige is turned toward Daisy, so I can’t see her expression. From Daisy’s wince, I imagine she looks surprised. Maybe upset. “It all just got to be too much
for me, but I didn’t want to disappoint you or waste all that hard work. Then, that day with the paparazzi? That made me realize that I really, really don’t want a ton of people looking at me on my wedding day.” She shrugs a little. “I’ve gotten much better about that kind of thing these last few years, but I guess I still don’t like being the center of attention.”
“Daisy,” Paige says, her voice tight with tears. I squeeze her hand again. “I should have known that. God, I totally pushed you into this when I know you don’t like crowds—”
“You did not,” Daisy says firmly. “I let myself get carried away. And I should have talked to you ages ago. Because I know you love me and just want me to have a wonderful, special day.”
“Of course I do!” Paige cries, and Daisy takes her other hand.
“You were such a huge help, Paige, and I think the biggest reason I didn’t want to cancel was because I loved all of your ideas and your excitement. You planned such a beautiful day!” She tilts her head to meet Paige’s gaze. “So I wanted to make sure to get your opinion on this.”
“On what?” Paige says, wiping at her eyes.
Daisy gestures around us, at the sand and the flower petal aisle, the torches and the ocean, the setting sun in front of us. “On this. As a wedding location. When I picture marrying Daltrey, this is what I see. All of us standing here together and—” her words are cut off when Paige launches herself at her. Daisy laughs, putting her arms around her friend.
“Daisy this would be beautiful!” Paige cries, voice muffled against Daisy’s shoulder. “You should totally get married out here. I can see it so perfectly!”
“That’s good,” Daisy says, “because I’ll definitely still need your help, even if it’s all low-key.”
Paige pulls back, turning to look at me, beaming, wanting to include me in her happiness, the way she always does for everyone. I feel wetness prick my eyes and I blink it away. She’s so good, this girl I love.
“I promise I won’t be pushy,” Paige says. “We’ll totally keep it simple, just how you want.”
“That sounds perfect.” Daisy meets my eyes over Paige’s head, her eyebrows going up a little, checking to make sure I’m ready. I nod and she grins, looking back to Paige. “I’m still feeling a little sad though. I know you planned such a great wedding. All of those vendors you found! I don’t want any of that to go to waste.”
“Oh, sweetie, don’t even worry,” Paige begins, but Daisy holds up a hand, her grin huge now.
“Actually, Reed had a really good idea to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Daisy says, standing and squeezing my shoulder. “You’re up, buddy.” Then she turns and walks back towards the house, where I’m sure the whole family is now waiting, probably watching us through the windows. Paige turns to me, her confused expression morphing into shock when she sees that I’m now on one knee, facing her.
“Reed?” she asks, her hand going to her mouth. I grab it, pulling it towards me and kissing her knuckles.
“You know I love you, right?”
She nods, apparently too overcome to speak. I grin—this is a first. “You’re my family, Paige. You’re my best friend and the person I love most in the world. You changed everything, when I met you. You brought me color and happiness and adventure. So many good adventures.” She’s really crying now and the wetness is back in my eyes too. “I can’t imagine a better adventure for us than getting married.”
She gulps a few times, her eyes huge in her face. “You…you want to marry me?”
“I really, really do.”
She shakes her head a little and my heart drops. But then she’s talking, her expression still shocked. “But that day at the wedding dress place, you seemed so…freaked out. I figured you were panicking to see me in a dress and I thought—”
“No,” I say quickly, grabbing her other hand so I can hold them both. “I was freaking out, but I wasn’t panicking. I was freaking out because you looked so beautiful in that dress. And I could see you wearing it when we got married.”
“Oh, my God,” she whispers.
“I guess I haven’t officially asked the question yet,” I say, reaching for my pocket. She holds up a hand, her eyes widening even more, huge in her face now.
“Wait,” she squeaks. “Reed. You’re not just doing this because of what Daisy said, are you? About wasting the vendors and stuff?”
I snort. “No, Paige. I don’t want to marry you just to keep Daltrey from losing some deposits. We don’t have to do this next month, or use any of the stuff you picked for their day. We can plan something different. We can go to Vegas. We can do whatever you want, Paige, just so long as you’ll marry me.”
“Is it because I was sick? Because the doctors all say I’m going to be fine. So I don’t want you to feel like you have to—”
I raise an eyebrow. “Are you trying to talk me out of this?”
“No!” she says quickly. “I just…” she closes her eyes, a few tears streaking out, and I use my thumbs to brush them away. “I just want to make sure that you’re really sure.” She opens her eyes again and they’re steady and fierce on me, fiery in that way they always are when she’s really determined about something. “Because I think I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything, so if you’re not totally sure, or doing this for the right reasons—”
I have no idea how that sentence was supposed to end. I’m too busy covering her mouth with mine. “I love you, Paige,” I say against her lips. “That’s my only reason. I want to be with you, always.”
“Oh, Reed,” she whispers, her face so close to mine I can see the tears clinging to her long dark lashes.
“When you were in the hospital, I was talking to my dad.” I don’t tell her that my mom was there too. It doesn’t seem like the time to bring that into this. But I will tell her, I’ll tell her all about it, and soon. I want Paige and I to be the kind of family that talks about things. I swallow, focusing on her. “We were talking and I realized that I have a really great life. A really great family. And you’re the center of that, Paige, the center of everything for me. Let’s be happy together, okay?”
“Okay,” she says, her smile huge.
“Does that mean I can ask the question now?”
She laughs, clapping her hands, completely delighted and so adorable my chest hurts. “Please!”
I pull the ring box from my pocket and open it, showing her the antique diamond in its platinum, art deco setting. It reminded me of her when I saw it—flashy and elegant and unlike anything else I’d ever seen. Paige gasps a little, and I make a mental note to thank Daisy for helping me to pick it out. Cash had come, too, but he’d been much less helpful, trying to convince me to get her a sterling silver skull and crossbones ring instead.
“Reed,” she breathes. “That’s gorgeous.” Her eyes flick from the ring to my face. “You still haven’t asked, you know.”
A laugh bursts from my lips. She could always make me laugh. More than anyone else in my life.
“Let’s do this,” I mutter, looking into her face. Her smile is huge, eyes dancing through her tears. “Paige Brennen, will you marry me?”
I expect exuberance, maybe shouting—this is Paige after all. But she’s perfectly still as she gazes at me, her face serious, the fierce look back in her eyes. “Yes.”
“Then get over here.”
Then it’s time for exuberance. She flings herself at me, knocking us both back over into the sand, laughing as she kisses me, my lips and my chin and my cheeks. She kisses away the few tears that have escaped from my eyes, her lips warm and soothing and so perfectly familiar.
From the house behind us, a roar of cheers and wolf-whistles echo across the beach and Paige laughs. “They were all watching that, weren’t they?”
“I would bet on it.”
“Think they’re still watching?” She holds herself up on her elbows, her face inches above mine. I reach up to run a finger over her lips.
“Probably.”
> Her smile turns more than a little wicked. “So we should give them a show, huh?” Then her lips are on mine again, my arms wrapping around her to draw her close to me. I can feel the beat of her heart against my chest, steady and strong, proving to me that she’s real. That she’s okay. That she’s still here with me. And all the while she promises me, with her kisses and her tears, that she’s going to stay right here for as long as she possibly can.
Daisy
Daisy, what are you doing?”
I look up from where I’m kissing Rose’s sweet little tummy to see that Paige has joined me and is now gawking, her expression horrified. “I’m changing my daughter,” I tell her, holding up the diaper rash cream. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“You are in your wedding dress!” she cries.
“Well what was I supposed to do?” I ask, not understanding her reaction. “I wasn’t going to take the dress off. The ceremony starts soon and—”
Paige throws up her hands. “I know it starts soon. That’s the point! You shouldn’t be changing dirty diapers in your wedding dress fifteen minutes before you get married!”
“Okay, nut job,” Karen says calmly, taking Paige by the shoulders and pushing her further into the room so she can shut the door behind her. “Let’s chill with the crazy a little.”
I roll my eyes at Karen, finishing up with the diaper. “There,” I coo at my daughter. “Doesn’t that feel better?” She reaches for one of my curls, tugging hard, and I can practically hear Paige wince at the possibility of the baby messing up my hair.
“How’s it going in the other room?” I ask, feeling a little flutter of nerves.
Karen rolls her eyes. “You know guys. They were basically ready in five minutes and now they’re playing beer pong.”
“Totally not fair,” Paige says, coming around to smooth out a lock of my hair.
“Just so long as they’re not fighting, I don’t really care what they do.”
Paige looks scandalized. “They wouldn’t fight on your wedding day!”
I snort. “They absolutely would. They would probably consider it a stress reliever.”
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