Page 109 of Tank
The nurse walked in with IVs on a cart. “Ready?” she asked cheerfully.
“Let the guinea pigging commence,” she said brightly, but Rylee turned worried eyes to Dakota and squeezed his hand tighter.
He brought their hands to his heart. “You’ve got this, Rylee. And I’m not leaving your side.”
Epilogue
Dakota’s yard was filled with baskets of pink flowers.
White wooden chairs were lined in neat rows over by the arbor where Jasper and Neesa had taken their vows.
A three-man band was set up on his deck while the wedding attendees gathered on the slate patio.
Neesa stood with her back to the women as she raised her bouquet for the toss.
Rylee stepped forward with a grin on her face.
When Neesa counted down, “Three. Two. One.” And tossed the flowers over her head.
Rylee used her tall stature and the length of her arms to whip the flowers out of the air before the single women could grab them for themselves.
Neesa turned around with a grin to see who had won.
“Rylee,” she scolded. “You and Dakota got married last month. Why are you out there catching the bouquet?” she turned to Dakota. “She’s done with you already?”
Dakota slipped his hand in Rylee’s and raised their hands over her head to show off the brand-new gold band. “Can’t get rid of me, Neesa. Rylee and I are golden.”
“It’s not for me.” Rylee laughed as she turned and pressed the flowers into Kumar’s hands. “Kumar wants to get married next. I thought he needed a little magical help getting Veer and him to the altar.”
Veer was laughing.
Rylee held up a finger, then plucked a single flower from the center. “And one for Tank, so he gets his happily ever after with Fifi.” She looked over to where Tank and Fifi lay side by side in Fifi’s yard, watching the wedding. Turning back to Neesa,Rylee said, “Also, you’re terrible at tossing. I was standing over here, minding my business.”
“There’s a reason I sit in an office and crunch numbers,” Neesa said.
Jasper came to stand beside his new bride.
Neesa raised her voice. “I know many of you think that Jasper and I met when the Secret Service was hot on the trail of a counterfeiter, who risked WorldCares’ reputation and therefore our integrity and viability. WorldCares is both my job and my passion. I believe it’s the reason I was put on this big, beautiful, dangerous Earth. That horrible man, I'm pleased to tell you, has started his new life in a prison jumpsuit and will be processing his poor choices for the next seven years. All that’s to tell you that Jasper and I, my maid-of-honor, Rylee, and her husband, Dakota, all set out together on a very unusual journey. And I suppose some part of me has to begrudgingly thank that horrible man for being evil.”
The crowd chuckled.
Neesa turned and smiled at Jasper, then turned back to the guests. “For those of you who don’t know the whole story, though, Dakota and Rylee, Jasper, and I were all caught up in the machinations of the Universe one crazy week two years ago. During that week, Jasper and I met over a telephone call when his dear friend Benny was suffering from a broken heart.” She looked up at Jasper with a soft smile. “I fell in love with the sound of a stranger’s voice on the other end of the phone. The steadiness and love that voice held for Benny was the fuel I needed to keep up the fight.” She turned to Benny. “I would like to thank Benny for being well and being here with us. I know it’s typical for the bride and groom to have the first dance. But I’m going to be perfectly honest, Jasper is a great dancer, and I cannot untangle my feet. So we’ve decided to request that Benny and Martha do us the honor of dancing our first dance while westand over here and sway. Martha and Benny, Dakota and Rylee, will you honor us?”
The music started.
“Did you know she was going to do that?” Dakota asked as he pulled Rylee into his arms, and she lay her head over his heart. “Look at poor Martha’s face.”
“Too many emotions all at once. Do you remember when we were on the plane to Turkey and I told you I wanted years and decades of sunsets?” She tipped back to see Dakota’s eyes. “That’s what you’re seeing on her face. All the things. All the years. All the good, all the difficult, and all the terror-filled. All of it.”
“We’re going to have that,” Dakota said, wrapping her tighter. “We already have. You were a successful guinea pig, and now you have a bright horizon in front of you. In front of us.”
“And it’s going to be an amazing life.”
The END
