“Did you go to the Retreat?” Natalie asked.
I nodded. “I did. And everything looks amazing. The flowers are all set up, and it looks like they’re ready for the day.”
“Good. Thank you. I can’t believe this is all happening,” Natalie whispered, almost to herself. “I never thought I’d get married, and now I’m marrying the freaking mayor.”
“You’re not marrying the mayor,” Casey said, moving in front of Natalie and taking her hands. “You’re marrying the man who loves you. The man you can’t wait to spend the rest of your life with. The man who likes you and all your crazy.”
Natalie laughed. “I can’t believe you remember that. I was so drunk.”
“You were, but you were also happy. You asked me what makes a good marriage. What to avoid. Why mine didn’t last. Do you remember what I said?”
“Avoid bad dicks,” Natalie said.
I snorted a laugh.
Casey slid me a look. “Yes. And make each other laugh. Find out what the other needs and be the one who gives it to them. Open yourselves up to each other. A marriage isn’t about today, or about who you each are in this moment. It’s about the rest of your lives. It’s about finding someone who is always there for you, who knows what you need before you do. A marriage is more than one day. It’s a lifetime of shared secrets and stolen moments and finding joy when life is crazy and you’re not sure where the joy is coming from. Find joy in each other.”
Natalie nodded, rolling her lips in. “Thank you, Casey.” Natalie hugged Casey hard.
Daisy sniffed, dabbing under her eyes. “Your ex is an idiot.”
Casey laughed. “No, he’s not. We weren’t right for each other. We got married for the wrong reasons for us.”
“Maybe next time you’ll get married for the right reasons,” Natalie said.
“Maybe I will,” Casey said, her gaze straying to me.
My lips turned up without conscious thought. She wasn’t saying no. She wasn’t rejecting the idea. And she was looking at me.
The woman I loved was thinking about marriage, talking about forever, and looking at me.
Maybe teaching her how to flirt was the second best thing I ever could have done.
Right after falling in love with her.
20
I went home after dropping off the flowers to Omar and reassuring him that Natalie was as excited about getting married as he was. He looked like the happiest man on earth. He sure was the luckiest. The woman he loved felt the same way and was going to be his in a few hours.
Damn, I wanted that.
Gail and Carson were handling the store, so I went right upstairs to get ready. I had my suit already picked out and laid out on the bed. I scrubbed a hand over my stubbled jaw and decided to shave before I took a shower.
With my face clean and smooth, I jumped in the shower and hurried through the rest of my routine. I checked my reflection before I headed downstairs, hoping the charcoal suit was good enough for the wedding.
A whistle pierced the air when I stopped at the bottom of the stairs. I looked up and saw Carson waving at me.
“Looking good, boss. I’ve never seen you in a suit.”
I laughed. “Usually I’m covered in dirt.”
“Same,” Carson said. “Yo! Come see the boss all cleaned up.”
Gail appeared a second later and whistled low. “You’re looking nice, boss.” She looked at Carson. “Can I say that without it being weird?”
“You tell me when I look nice for a date,” Carson said.
“True. I didn’t mean any offense, boss,” Gail said.
