Melody rests her head on my shoulder, and I breathe in the overwhelming peace. “This is the most perfect day, isn’t it?”
Oh, baby. You have no clue.
“Oh yeah,” I whisper back. “Don’t know how it could get better.”
“Robert and Sherry Rivera,” Andre asserts with a sophisticated nod, “I now pronounce you as…having…renewed your vows.”
Mom giggles and grins at my dad.
“A’ight.” Andre claps his hands together. “Y’all can kiss.”
We all laugh and cheer, and I lean over and kiss Melody’s forehead, holding her tight and hoping she can’t hear how fast my heart is beating.
As my parents walk back down the aisle, I study my father. My lifelong role model, whom I’ve never admired more than I do right now.
Dad pauses slightly at our row of seats and gives Melody a wink.
She shoots him a finger gun in return.
I look at the woman next to me, the woman who is basically solely responsible for my parents’ rekindled love and my dad’s remarkable mental health. I can’t freaking wait to marry her.
“Here’s to love and…shit!” Chase pops a bottle of champagne as the ceremony finishes.
“Language, Kennedy!” Jessica says through a stifled laugh.
“Dude.” I open my arms wide and offer Andre a huge embrace as he walks up to us. “You saved the entire thing today.”
“It’s true,” Chase adds. “Clutch at its finest.”
Andre laughs heartily and shrugs. “Hey, man. You guys are all there for each other. I’m just doing my part.”
“Still can’t believe you decided to come here,” Leo remarks.
Andre cocks his head and flicks his brows. “Like I said, I got reasons.”
“A man of mystery,” Chase teases. “I love it.”
I step out of the group of guys, feeling my heart rate pick up and another prickle of nerves curl through me. I touch my back pocket again. It’s still there.
I’m trying to use one of the breathing techniques Melody taught me, but I don’t think any amount of breath control can calm me down right now. The sky is blue, and the air is warm, and the ocean is crashing.
I look at Melody. The breeze blows back her hair as she laughs with her whole body.
“All right,” I whisper. “Field-goal time.”
My heart is slamming, and my head is pounding with adrenaline as I walk up to her.
“Can I steal this one for a second?” I ask Whitney. “It’ll just be…a second.”
Whitney smiles and gives Melody an exaggerated wink. “Have fun, you two lovebirds.”
“Hi, you.” Melody wraps both her arms around me as we walk down to the shore, where the water splashes up around our ankles. “Good day?”
“Amazing day.” I stand there with her, face-to-face, holding her gaze intensely.
I reach down and take both of her tiny hands in mine, lacing my fingers through hers. My heart is beating so loud, I’m pretty sure she can hear it.
Her brows knit together, and her blue eyes widen. “What’s up?”
I let my eyes linger on her sweet pink lips, her soft, delicate cheeks, feeling the warmth and light that fill her heart wrap around me.
“None of this would have been possible without you,” I say, holding her hands tight.
“Oh stop. Robert and Sherry would have found their way back eventually. I just—”
“Fixed everything. You fixed my dad. You fixed my family. You fixed…me.” My voice drops to a whisper as I dig through my mind for one of the thousand drafts of this speech I had in my head. Her eyes in the sunlight are making me draw a blank.
“I’d do anything for you, Dylan. You know that.” She stands on her toes and kisses me softly.
I press my forehead to hers and angle my head down, watching the little waves splash at our feet. “One time, you told me that you love the beach because the tide keeps coming back to the sand and kissing it over and over. And it’s like—”
“The earth is in love,” she finishes. “You looked at me like I was speaking Chinese when I said that. And you still make fun of me for it.”
“It’s true,” I say through a laugh. “I do. But you, Melody…” I draw back and hold her passionate gaze, heat and nerves pumping through me. “You’ve taught me an entirely new way of seeing the world. You changed everything when you brought your light in and shined away all the darkness. You’re hilarious and captivating and, yes, at times, very amusing. But you’re the embodiment of beauty. In every possible way.”
She smiles and squeezes my hands. “That’s so sweet. Thank you.”
“And I…” I take a deep breath and swallow. “I need your light. I never want to be in the darkness again, Melody. I want to spend my life with you. You’re my destiny. My…what did you call it?”
Her lips part, and she breathes rapidly as she starts to realize what’s going on. “Fated mate,” she whispers.
“Yeah.” I nod and let go of her hands, touching her lips lightly with my thumb.
I take in one more breath, and I drop my right knee onto the sand, reaching into my pocket for the little box and watching the entire world melt and fade and disappear around us.
“Oh my holy goodness!” Melody gasps as her hands fly to her mouth, and she laughs in shock.
“I want you to fascinate and enlighten and thrill me every single day for the rest of my life.” I gaze up at her, the sunlight behind her making her glow like a literal angel. “Will you marry me?”
My heart flips and tugs as the words come out of my mouth, and I’m vaguely aware that everyone is staring at us now.
“Abso-freaking-lutely!” Melody jumps and laughs and beams with joy. “Dylan…are you…oh my gosh!”
I stand up and slide the ring onto her shaky finger. We laugh and kiss, and I pick her up and spin her around, knowing that with this girl by my side, I’ll never falter. I’ll never miss.
We’re both barely able to catch our breath as I lower her feet to the sand.
She holds out her left hand and admires the ring. “It’s…it’s…pink!”
“It’s your birthstone. Tourmaline.” I smile and run a hand through her hair. “I just figured you aren’t a plain old diamond kinda girl.”
“It’s perfection!” She throws her arms around me and wraps her legs around my hips. “Every Libra’s dream.”
“Holy shit!” Chase, Leo, Elliot, and Andre run toward us and practically tackle me to the ground.
More champagne is sprayed, and everyone’s high-fiving and hugging. My parents kiss our cheeks and take a million pictures. Melody glows even brighter than usual, and I savor the warmth and peace and insane, unreal happiness of the day.
The salty air blows around all of us, and I hold Melody close and tight as we look out at the ocean.
Suddenly, there’s a splash, and two big dolphins leap out of the water in unison, forming perfect arches against the setting sun. Like a damn Florida postcard.
“Oh!” Melody gasps and squeezes me. “They’re so beautiful!”
“Yeah…” I shake my head and feel a smile pulling at my cheeks as I look down at the woman I love, lifting her chin gently so her gaze meets mine.
I give a wink. “I think it’s a sign, don’t you?”
The Ride Isn’t Over!
Coming soon:
ROUGH RIDE
Can Andre Smoke protect his best friend’s little sister while also protecting his heart? Click HERE to purchase Rough Ride, book 5.
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About the Author
Breezie Bennett has had her fingers on a keyboard since she was a middle schooler writing sports romances about her brother’s baseball team. A graduate of the University of Florida, she is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, can dance on pointe, and has been known to shotgun a beer in 5.2 seconds. When not writin
g romance, you’ll find her on a Florida beach with her two dogs, Ginger and Rosemary, and a playlist full of Pink Floyd and Lil Wayne.
Thrill Ride Page 19