A Wedding Worth Waiting For (18 page)

Sam stared at the name on the slip, then looked at Dylan in confusion. “This has my name on it.”

He nodded, unable to hold back a smile. “I know.”

She shook her head. “But I didn't enter any of the raffles.”

He stepped closer, his hand gripping the ring in his pocket. “I know. And I'm not much of a prize, but this was the best idea I could come up with on short notice.”

The crowd went silent, sensing that this wasn't part of the scheduled program.

“Sam Finley, you have had me head over heels since you held me at gunpoint in the woods.” Laughter floated up from the crowd as Sam's eyes widened. “I am so proud of you and what you have accomplished, not just this weekend with the festival, but every day. You risk your life to protect this special place, and I can't imagine a better person for the job. I know I haven't been as supportive as I could be, but I promise you, that's going to change. I'm going to stand behind you. The truth is, Paradise needs you, doesn't it?”

A cheer went up from the crowd, with a few catcalls and fox whistles thrown in. Sam blushed, but he could tell she still didn't know where this was going. It was time to clear things up. Sinking to one knee, he pulled the ring from his pocket, letting the sun's rays catch the deep blue of the single sapphire.

“What's more, I need you. I want to have you in my life, every day, for the rest of my life.”

Sam covered the microphone with her hand, panic in her eyes. “Are you crazy? You don't have to do this. My job's safe. I'm not going anywhere.”

He grinned, hoping the love and pride he felt would shine through somehow. “I know I don't have to. I want to. This isn't about your job or a fake relationship. It's about how I feel when I'm with you. Well, that, and about how awful I feel when we're apart.”

Turning to the crowd, he yelled, “I think I need a little help here!”

A heckler in the back, probably Dani, yelled, “Sam, make him beg!” but then, one by one, the people in the front row held up cards, each with a single word on it, spelling out WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Sam's mouth dropped open, and Dylan thought his heart was going to pound right out of his chest. This was it, the moment he'd been waiting for.

“So, Sam, what do you say? Are you ready to take a chance on me?”

* * *

Sam couldn't believe her eyes. Dylan had a ring? An engagement ring? And he'd gotten other people in on his scheme? Closing her eyes, she willed herself to wake up, but when she opened them again he was still there, love and hope shining in his eyes.

From below, chants of “say yes” started to grow, and she found herself inexplicably laughing. As a girl, she'd imagined a proposal to be something very serious and private, but somehow this felt right. She'd fallen in love not just with Dylan, but with the people of Paradise, and it was only fitting that they were all in this together. Crazy, but fitting.

Actually, the idea of getting married at all was crazy. They'd only known each other such a short time. But waiting around hadn't gotten her anywhere in life, and deep down she knew her feelings were real. “I love you, too, Dylan. I have ever since I saw you holding that orphan deer, and I always will. So yes, I'll marry you.”

She felt him slip the cool band over her finger, and then he was back on his feet, lifting her into his arms. This time, there was nothing to keep them apart, no fear to spoil things. Just love, and a sense of finally being exactly where she belonged.

Below them the crowd roared in approval, and somehow the band started playing again, this time a bluegrass version of a wedding march, as Dylan escorted her off the stage.

She'd barely stepped foot on the ground when she was sideswiped by a huge hug. “I can't believe it! You're engaged!” Dani squeezed hard, then let her go to inspect the ring. “This is gorgeous. Dylan, you did good.”

“Thanks,” he drawled, putting a protective arm around Sam. “The sapphire reminds me of the ocean and Paradise, but if you want a diamond, we can shop for something more traditional.”

“Are you kidding? I love it.” She watched the play of light within the facets, so similar to the reflection of the waves in the waters that surrounded the island. “It's perfect. But when on earth did you get this?” She'd only realized her feelings for him a few days ago, and they'd both been busy with the festival ever since.

A sheepish grin tipped his features. “It's actually a family heirloom. I had my mom bring it with her so I could give it to you. But I can buy you something else. You don't have to keep it.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Just try to get it off of me.”

She felt someone pull at her shirt, and looked down to find at her feet a munchkin of a little girl with strawberry blonde pigtails. Behind her was Cassie, a tiny baby asleep in her arms.

“Well, you must be Emma. You look just like your mother.”

“Uh-huh. And I have to tell you something.”

“Okay, honey, what is it?”

“I'm six years old, and I'm going to be your flower girl.”

Sam tried to hold back her laughter, but a small chuckle burst through. She'd been engaged for less than five minutes and already had her first attendant. Weren't brides supposed to be the pushy ones?

Cassie grabbed Emma with her free hand, pulling her away. “Emma!”

Emma looked up at her mom, her blue eyes wide with innocence. “What? I'm always the flower girl. I just wanted to make sure Officer Sam knew.”

Cassie winced, but Jillian, standing right beside her laughed out loud. “She has a point, Cass.”

“Well, then, we wouldn't want to break with tradition.” Sam winked at the little girl. “It might be bad luck.”

“Hurray!” Satisfied, Emma skipped off toward her father, who'd been standing at the edge of the group.

“Sorry about that.” Cassie gave her an apologetic smile.

“Not at all. I'm flattered she wants to be a part of it.”

“We all want to be a part of it,” Jillian said. “You have to at least let us help you plan. We can have another girls' night, and look at bridal magazines, and pick out your colors, and—”

“Whoa, give the girl a break!” Mollie pushed her way into the crowd of women. “She's going to change her mind and elope if you guys don't back off a bit.”

“My baby girl isn't going to elope, not if I have anything to say about it.” Her dad's grin, rusty from disuse, warmed her heart. “I want to walk you down the aisle, if you'll let me.”

She nodded, blinking back happy tears.

“What's this about eloping?” From around the side of the stage came Dylan's family, some of them still holding signs from his crazy proposal. His mother gave her a kiss on the cheek, taking her place in the gathering. “I was hoping you might want to get married on the ranch.”

“Actually, I think I'd like to do it here, on the island. A way to bring things full circle and really mark that I'm home for good.” She looked up at Dylan. “Unless Dylan really wants to do it on the ranch.”

“What I want is a few minutes with my fiancée. Alone. We'll catch up with the rest of you later.”

Without another word, he steered her down a sandy path between the trees. She turned to him. “Thank you. I love that everyone is so excited, but...”

“But they can be overwhelming. Yeah. Welcome to Paradise. You'll get used to it.” He urged her to walk faster, and as they came out of the trees she gasped.

“How beautiful...it's like something out of a fairy tale.” In front of her, the trail led through an open field full of wildflowers to a white gazebo with a high-peaked roof. Behind that was an unobstructed view of the ocean. Stepping into the late afternoon sunshine with Dylan by her side was like stepping into a storybook. Except this was her life now, her very own happily-ever-after.

She entered the gazebo, marveling at the ornateness of the woodwork. “This is gorgeous.”

Dylan nipped at her neck, sending delicious shivers down her spine. “Not half as gorgeous as you. I can't believe you're going to be mine.”

She twisted in his arms, rising up on tiptoe to find his lips. One long, sultry, soul-stirring kiss later, she leaned dreamily against him. “I don't ever want to move. Let's stay here forever.”

“I like the forever part, but at some point I think we might get hungry.”

“Mmm, good point.”

He traced the shell of her ear with his finger, tickling and seducing at the same time. “Speaking of forever, do you have anything you really want, as far as the wedding goes? I'm afraid if we don't make up our minds quickly, our friends and family will plan it all without us.”

She opened her eyes and took in the tropical beauty around her. “How about here?”

“On the island, you mean?”

“I mean here, in this gazebo. It's perfect. Wild, yet beautiful.”

“Just like you.” He kissed her again, and her toes curled.

“And I think we should do it soon. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for you, and I don't want to wait anymore.” She ran a fingernail across the skin at the open neck of his shirt. “Think you can handle a short engagement?”

He growled deep in his throat, the vibrations sending new waves of need through her. “Baby, I'd marry you this minute if I could. Just tell me when, and I'll be there.”

Chapter Sixteen

A
month to plan a wedding
turned out to be the bare minimum, but even that felt too long. Between her work
and Dylan's, the new women's task force, and the actual wedding preparation, she
felt like they'd barely had any time alone since the day he'd proposed.

But the little time they had they had made the most of, with
stolen kisses in the corner of the grocery store and long nights curled up on
the couch while she considered menus and seating charts and he wrangled
spreadsheets. She'd asked him time and again what he would like to incorporate
into their wedding, but every time he simply said “you.”

Which meant she'd had free rein to make today the wedding of
her dreams. Thankfully, the Sandpiper had been available, and Jillian had gone
to great lengths to make sure everything was ready on such short notice. It
helped that they had decided on a small, simple ceremony. One attendant each,
immediate family and their closest friends. All the people that mattered to
them, with the exception of one. Her mom.

As if reading her mind, her father took her hand. “You look
every bit as beautiful as your mother did in that dress. I know she'd be so
happy that you chose to wear it.”

Sam looked down at the simple white dress, one of the few
things her father had held on to after her mother died. Short on time, she'd
been panicking about getting a dress until her father had shown up at her
apartment with it one evening, unannounced. She'd instantly fallen in love with
it and miraculously it had only needed a few alterations to fit like it had been
made of her. Sleeveless with a sweetheart neckline and an A-line skirt, it
transformed her from tomboy to princess. Now she just needed to marry her
prince. “Is everything set up?”

Dani, her maid of honor, gave a thumbs-up. “Just waiting on
you, babe.” Wearing a blue sheath dress the color of Sam's ring, Dani stood
watch at the French doors leading from Jillian and Nic's bedroom out to the
lawn.

“I guess this is it, then. Jessica, can you tell them I'm
ready?”

“You got it.” Since Jillian, Cassie and Mollie all had children
to wrangle, Cassie's sister-in-law had been pressed into service, serving as a
sort of lady-in-waiting. The younger woman had kept up such a stream of chatter,
sometimes switching between English and Spanish, that Sam hadn't had a chance to
feel nervous. And now it was too late for cold feet, not that she had them.

A moment passed, and then the sound of music filled the
air.

“That's our cue, baby.” Her father held out his arm, and she
took it, letting him lead her through the doors onto the sun-drenched patio.
From there it was a short walk to the clearing, now transformed with folding
white chairs set up in precise rows on either side of the path. And there,
waiting for her on the steps of the gazebo, was Dylan.

Her lungs seized at the sight of him in his tuxedo, looking
like he'd walked out of one of the pages of the wedding magazines she'd scoured.
How was she supposed to keep her hands off him during the ceremony when he
looked like that? Catching her eye, he winked, and she would have fallen if her
father hadn't been there to steady her.

Somehow she made it down the aisle to Dylan, muffling a laugh
when she realized Toby was waiting for her as well, apparently refusing to be
left out of the fun. It was smooth sailing from there, and before she could
catch her breath it was time to recite the vows they had written.

Dylan took both her hands in his, so impossibly handsome she
was afraid she'd forget to breathe.

“Samantha Finley, I vow to love you, to listen to you, to stand
by you come what may. I promise to be your friend, your partner and your lover,
today and always. And most of all, I promise to try every day to be the kind of
man that deserves a woman like you.”

Tears filled her eyes, and a glance at their audience showed
her she wasn't alone. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she spoke.

“Dylan Turner, today I promise to spend my life with you, at
your side, equal partners in life and love. I promise to share my hopes and
dreams and fears with you, and never leave you in the dark. And most of all, I
promise to love you with all my heart, because I know that it will always be
safe with you.”

Cheers rang out from the crowd, almost drowning out the
minister's final words, but at last she heard the words she'd been waiting
for.

“You may now kiss your bride.”

And he did. So well and so thoroughly that she would have sworn
her lips were still tingling hours later when Dylan carried her over the
threshold of the cabin they'd rented for their honeymoon. Tonight she'd danced
until her feet were sore, stuffed herself on barbecued brisket and cake and
laughed until her sides hurt. But when she looked in her husband's eyes, she
knew the best was yet to come.

* * * * *

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