Page 35 of Protecting Bree
Smiley heard a loud bark of laughter, and he glanced over and saw Marley, who was Remi’s best friend, sitting in a corner with Blink’s dad, who had come up from Florida. Everywhere he looked, Smiley saw people having a good time. Happy to have come together to celebrate with their friends and family.
For a moment, regret struck so hard, Smiley had to close his eyes to get his equilibrium back. He wished his own mother was still around. That he’d had a more normal relationship with both her and his father growing up.
“You good, Smiley?”
Opening his eyes and turning, Smiley saw Tate “Casper” Davis standing next to him. For a split second he thought it was Blink, and he’d been about to ask him what the hell he was doing out here and not in the back, getting ready for his wedding.
Blink and Casper were twins. One had gone into the Navy and the other into the Army. They had a competitive relationship, but when push came to shove, they’d do anything for each other.
“Yeah,” Smiley told the other man a little belatedly. “It’s good to see you.”
“And it’s good to seeyou,” Casper returned. “How’s Blink been doing? I didn’t get much time to talk to him after that shit went down with him and Josie. At least not in person. And it’s sometimes hard to gauge how someone’s doing over the phone.”
“He’s good,” Smiley said, not blowing smoke up Casper’s ass. “Really good. Josie’s been his rock, and while the man certainly doesn’t talk a lot, he makes up for it by kicking some ass in the field.”
Casper nodded. “That’s my brother. He’s never been a big talker, but he was always the first person to stand up and fight for what’s right. I met Bree earlier.”
It was an abrupt change of subject, and Smiley narrowed his eyes in question.
Casper laughed. “Don’t go all squinty-eyed on me. All I was gonna say is that I like her. She’s spunky. And friendly. The opposite of you. You’re a good match.”
Smiley wasn’t sure if he should be offended or not, eventually deciding that since Casper wasn’t saying anything he didn’t already know, he couldn’t exactly get pissed at him. “Just don’t get any ideas,” he warned the hotshot helicopter pilot.
Casper grinned. “Never. I’ve got my own woman. She’s bummed she couldn’t come out here with me, but maybe next time.”
Smiley hadn’t heard that Casper was dating anyone, but he was happy for him. Which was a weird emotion, since he’d never really thought much about the relationships the men around him were in. They were just something the men did…dated women, broke up, found someone else.
But after being surrounded by men in serious, healthy relationships, he had a different take on girlfriends and wives now.
“If I can have your attention!” Jessyka said loudly from where she was standing on the bar. “We’re going to start, if you can please form an aisle leading from the front door to the pool table landing, it would be appreciated.”
Looking around, Smiley searched for Bree. He was relieved to see her making her way toward him with a smile on her face.
“See you around,” Casper told him, but Smiley barely heard him. All his attention was focused on Bree.
She looked happy. A little tipsy already. Her reddish-brown hair wasn’t quite as perfectly made up as it had been when they’d arrived. As if she’d run her hand through it a few times. Her smile was crooked. And her hazel eyes bore into his as she approached.
“Isn’t this awesome?” she asked, as she snuggled into him the second she got close enough. Her arm was wrapped around his back and she gave him her weight.
A feeling of…rightness settled in Smiley’s chest. He held her against him and said, “Yeah.”
The crowd shifted until there was a space wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side toward the makeshift ceremony area Jessyka had created, where one of the pool tables usually sat. There was a wooden arch decorated with flowers, which was where the couples would say their vows.
Neither couple had any bridesmaids or groomsmen, insisting they wanted to keep things simple. But Smiley knew it was also because neither wanted anyone to feel leftout, and since they had so many friends, it would be impossible to pick anyway.
Everyone turned as the front doors opened, and Remi and Kevlar stepped into the bar. They were arm in arm, and smiling so wide it was almost blinding. Remi had on a cream dress with tiny sleeves, and Kevlar was wearing his dress white uniform with all his medals. They paused a moment, and then Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” blared from the speakers in the bar, and they started walking toward the arch.
Everyone clapped and whistled at the nontraditional song. It was a great choice for the two of them. It wasn’t a terribly long distance from the door to the arch, but it took quite a while anyway, because Remi kept stopping to hug her friends and family lining the walkway.
When they finally reached the platform with the arch, they turned back toward the front door. It opened again, and this time Josie and Blink walked in. Josie looked so tiny next to Blink, and she positively glowed as she looked up at her husband-to-be. Blink was also wearing his dress whites, but instead of white or cream, Josie chose a pink dress that reached her ankles and made it seem as if she were floating rather than walking, as she and Blink made their way toward the platform.
“I barely know them, and I love this so much,” Bree murmured from next to him.
They chose the chorus to Pink’s song “Trustfall” for their walk down the aisle together. Which Smiley had to admit fit the pair perfectly.
They joined Remi and Kevlar at the altar, and once they were in place, Remi and Josie reached out and heldhands, as their soon-to-be husbands wrapped their arms around their fiancées’ waists.
To Smiley’s surprise, Wolf stepped in front of them with an open folder. Itshouldn’thave surprised him that the couples had chosen one of their mentors to officiate, but it somehow still did. Wolf wasn’t in his uniform, instead wearing a suit and tie. He looked distinguished and professional.
