by Aurora Rey
“Oh, Mat.” How had she managed to win the heart of this amazing woman? “I’m yours, completely and entirely. We are so much more than okay.”
“Well,” Mat kissed her quickly, “as someone who technically could have died yesterday, I think that’s the best news I’ve heard this week.”
For a split second, Graham remembered the panic of the day before. Just the idea that Mat might have been lost made her shudder. “Promise me you won’t ever do that again.”
Mat kissed her again. “I promise.”
“Good. Because you really did scare me half to death.”
“And while we’re on the topic of promises.” Mat’s face grew stern.
“Yeah?”
“I know better than to think I can always be exactly what you want, what you need.”
“But?” Please, let there be a but.
“But I promise to try.”
“And to not shut me out,” Graham said.
“And to not shut you out.” Mat took a deep breath. Graham couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like one of those soul-cleansing breaths that only come around once in a great while. “I’m really over the moon for you, Graham.”
Graham smiled and had one of those deep breaths of her own. “Over the moon and all the way back.”
Chapter Thirty-one
One year later.
Mat curled her lip as Graham straightened the knot of her bow tie. Graham gave her a bland look. “Stop.”
Mat sighed. “I guess it could be worse. I could have to be in a dress.”
Graham dropped her hands to the lapels of Mat’s jacket and pulled her close. “That’s the spirit.”
“That said, you make an exceptionally beautiful bridesmaid.”
Graham took a step back and did a twirl. “This is a ton better than the taffeta monstrosity I had to wear to my cousin’s wedding when I was in college.”
“If anyone could pull off taffeta, my love, it would be you.”
Graham beamed at her. “That’s very sweet, but trust me. The dress was atrocious.”
“I’m sure you looked stunning nonetheless.” Mat kissed her, then stepped to the side to check her reflection. She wasn’t big on suits, but had to admit this one looked nice. Renata had good taste. Actually, she wouldn’t be opposed to wearing something similar for her own wedding. Mat smiled at the thought. It hadn’t been that long ago that she’d dismissed the very concept of getting married. Now, here she was, decked out for her cousin’s special day with an engagement ring burning a hole in her pocket.
“What are you grinning about?”
Mat wrapped her arms around Graham’s waist. She lifted her off the ground and turned a slow circle. Mat set her down and kissed her again. “You.”
“Really? That looked more like a cat who ate the canary kind of smile.”
Mat shrugged and tried to relax her features. She had everything planned and blowing the surprise seven hours early wasn’t part of it. “Just happy.”
Graham beamed. “I know, right? It’s hard to imagine a more perfect couple.”
Mat could think of one, but didn’t say so. “Or a more perfect day.”
She’d been nervous when Dom and Renata planned a November wedding so they could honeymoon during the off season. Mat imagined a blizzard or, perhaps worse, a sleeting, slushy, muddy mess. But the day turned out sunny and just above freezing. It didn’t get much better on the Cape at this time of year. “Agreed. You’re going to help Renata get ready?”
“Given the number of sisters and aunts and cousins who will be fussing over her, I think my job is to drink a mimosa and try to keep her sane.”
Mat laughed at the assessment because it was spot on. Graham had learned the quirks of her family, of the whole community, quickly. One of the many, many reasons she loved her. Mat slid a hand down her back and cupped her ass. “So, what you’re saying is that no one would notice if you were the tiniest bit late.”
Graham wiggled away and swatted at her. “You have a one-track mind.”
“Not true.” Mat shook her head and thought about how just untrue that was today. She needed to get a grip. “Okay, maybe a little bit true.”
“Yeah. I’m sure.” Graham took a step back but didn’t take her eyes from Mat. “I’ll see you at the church in a couple of hours?”
“You will. I haven’t decided if Dom is going to be as cool as a cucumber or a train wreck, so I may or may not sneak away to find you.”
“Stay with him. You’re so much better for him than his brothers. We’ll have the whole reception.”
Mat looked at her hopefully. “And maybe I can get you to sneak away with me for a bit.”
Graham folded her arms. “I am not having sex with you in a coat check room.”
“I won’t try, I promise.”
Graham narrowed her eyes but didn’t press. “Good.”
“Are you ready to go? I’ll drop you off.”
“I was so hoping you’d say that.”
“Give me a little credit.” Mat led the way to the living room. She took Graham’s coat from the rack and held it for her to slip on. She put hers on next, grabbed her keys. She put her hand on the knob to open the door but stopped. “I love you, you know.”
Graham dropped her head, then looked up at her through those gorgeous lashes. “I love you, too.”
The getting ready and ceremony passed in a blur. Mat had never seen Dom look more nervous, or more elated. Renata glowed. Mat managed to catch Graham’s eye once or twice. Each time, her heart rate kicked up a notch—in part because Graham was so damn beautiful and partly because of what Mat had planned for later.
They stood and smiled and posed through an interminable number of pictures. At the reception, they were forced to sit at a massive head table, bridesmaids on one side and groomsmen on the other. Mat gave the toast she’d slaved over, getting a couple of laughs and maybe a tear or two. Dinner was served. Mat sipped a beer and tried to tune out the conversation Dom’s brothers were having about soccer.
After the meal, Dom and Renata took to the dance floor. It gave her an excuse to get up and snag a seat abandoned by one of the other bridesmaids. Graham beamed at them. “Aren’t they the cutest couple ever?”
“I think they might be. Well, after us, of course.”
The DJ invited other couples to join them. Mat stood and extended a hand. “May I?”
“Yeah?” Graham looked at her with questioning eyes.
Mat didn’t hesitate for a second. “Oh, yeah.”
They danced to fast songs and slow, top forty hits and a traditional Portuguese waltz. Mat introduced Graham to relatives and family friends she hadn’t seen since the last wedding, or maybe it was funeral. Some of them seemed genuinely happy for her. A few of the older set were cool toward them, but it could just as easily be based on the fact that she was wearing a suit and had short hair. Mat realized having a woman she loved by her side made the whole thing easier rather than harder.
After sharing a piece of cake, Mat decided now was her chance. “Sneak away with me for a second?”
Graham looked at her, eyes a mixture of desire and suspicion. “I thought you promised not to seduce me in the coat closet.”
“I did. I won’t. Promise.”
“Okay.” Graham tucked her hand into Mat’s. “Lead the way.”
Mat clasped her fingers. The warmth, the certainty of Graham’s hand in hers, made Mat smile. “We do need our coats, though.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Trust me.”
They stepped outside. Mat led them along the side of the building and across the street. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” Mat unlatched the gate. She gestured for Graham to lead the way.
She’d scoped out the deck before renting the place, then again that afternoon when she handed off the supplies. Will, God bless her, had outdone herself. Fairy lights glowed, reflecting warm light against the wood of the deck and the small pil
es of snow against the rail. The air was still and she could just make out the sound of water lapping against the sand.
“What is this?” Graham, still holding her hand, turned and looked in her eyes. “Where are we?”
“I thought it might be nice to have a special place to stay after the chaos of the day.”
“You rented this place? Like the whole place?”
“Not the whole place. I think the building has four units.”
“You know what I mean.”
Mat smiled. “It’s ours for the next three days. Not technically a getaway, since we aren’t going anywhere.”
“That’s so sweet. It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
Mat swallowed. Her entire body had become a giant bundle of nerves. The reality of what she was about to do hit her like a ton of bricks. “I’m anything but perfect. But I hope I’m perfect for you. Because I’ve never been happier than I am when I’m with you.”
Graham offered her a slow smile. “The feeling is entirely mutual.”
Mat reminded herself to breathe. “Good. That’s good.”
“Are you okay?”
She let out a nervous chuckle. “I think so. I hope so. I mean, I will be.”
“What?”
Mat cleared her throat. “The thing is, Graham, I love you.”
“We’ve already established that. I love you, too.”
“Good.” Mat nodded. The entire speech she’d prepared vanished from her mind. Which was probably for the best. She’d not been all that happy with it anyway. “But, I…it’s more than that. You make me feel things I didn’t know I could feel, feelings I’d given up on years ago. You’ve given me hope in love and future and family and I want to spend my whole life doing everything I can to make you feel the same.”
“You do give me those things. I feel exactly the same.”
“Good, because I was kind of hoping we could make it official.” Mat dropped to her knee, opened the little black box. “Will you be my wife, Graham, and make me the luckiest, on top of the happiest, woman in the world?”
Graham looked at Mat, then at the ring in her hand, then Mat again. The rest of her surroundings faded to a dewy blur and her pulse became a mad flutter in her chest. She’d allowed herself to fantasize about this moment, had even started to believe it might happen one day. She wasn’t expecting it tonight, though, and it took her breath away. She nodded, blinked away the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “Yes.”
Mat looked for a moment like she might fall over. Graham hoped it was relief and not a stab of regret. She blinked a few times, took a giant breath. “Yes? Did you just say yes?”
Graham nodded again. “Yes. A thousand times yes.”
“Oh, thank God.” Mat took the ring from the box. It was a modest, princess-cut diamond in the most beautiful antique setting. Graham extended her hand and Mat slid it onto her finger.
Graham laughed then, a joyful sound that escaped her lips and permeated her whole body. She grabbed both of Mat’s hands and pulled her to her feet. “Come here.”
Mat stood. She slid her arms around Graham, between her coat and her dress, and pulled her close. “You said yes.”
Graham shook her head, then smiled. “Why do you sound surprised? I’ve been head over heels for you much longer than you’ve been for me.”
“I’m not surprised, I just.” Mat paused, looked away for the briefest moment. “I think I’m still floored sometimes by the fact that you want to be with me.”
Graham took Mat’s face in her hands. “You are the smartest, sexiest, most hard-working woman I know. Every single day, I wake up and find a new reason to be in love with you.”
Mat nodded. “I feel the same way about you. You’re my happily ever after.”
Graham leaned in and kissed Mat. The feel of her mouth and the press of her body warmed her from the inside out. “And you are mine.”
Mat pulled back slightly, but didn’t let go. “We should probably get back.”
The wedding. Despite standing out in the cold in her bridesmaid dress, Graham had forgotten all about it. “Right. Did Dom know you planned this?”
Mat nodded. “I wanted to make sure he didn’t feel like I was encroaching on his special day. I may have told Will, too. She’s the one who helped me pull off the setting.”
“If Will knows, Aunt Nora probably knows, too.” The idea of the two of them being in on it made her smile.
“Is that okay? I hope it doesn’t spoil you telling them.”
Graham shook her head. “Quite the opposite. It tells me you already think of them as family. And that makes me beyond happy.”
“Oh, good. And while we do have to go back to the wedding, it’s entirely up to you if we make a big announcement or not. Dom and Renata are cool either way.”
Graham thought about it. She liked the idea of basking in her own happiness for a bit before making herself the center of attention. Really, though, it was Mat’s family. She should get to decide. “I’d probably wait and tell the people closest to us first. And I believe they would be fine with it, but I’d rather let Dom and Renata have their day all to themselves.”
Mat nodded. “Now that you’ve said yes, part of me wants to shout it from the rooftops, but I agree.”
“That said, I’m not taking the ring off. I don’t plan to take it off ever.”
Mat lifted her hand, kissed each finger. “Good.”
They started back the way they came, but Graham paused. “We really get to come back here at the end of the night?”
“We do.” Mat squeezed her hand. “Nothing that tops this, but I might have a couple more surprises inside.”
Graham grinned. “I can’t wait.”
Mat stopped. She turned and pulled Graham into yet another kiss. This one was possessive, but sweet. Graham’s pulse, which had finally started to slow, kicked up again. “Do you know what I can’t wait for?” Mat asked.
“What’s that?”
“Everything. I get to spend every day of the rest of my life with you and I can’t wait for any of it.”
Graham’s heart swelled in her chest. She couldn’t think of a better answer.
About the Author
Aurora Rey grew up in a small town in south Louisiana, daydreaming about New England. She keeps a special place in her heart for the South, especially the food and the ways women are raised to be strong, even if they’re taught not to show it. After a brief dalliance with biochemistry, she completed both a B.A. and an M.A. in English.
When she’s not writing or at her day job in higher education, she loves to cook and putter around the house. She’s slightly addicted to Pinterest, has big plans for the garden, and would love to get some goats.
She lives in Ithaca, New York, with her partner, two dogs, and whatever wild animals have taken up residence in the pond.
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