The Best Year - 58. Chapter 58 - Epic-Log Part Five - End

“Jackson, we’re about ready to head down,” Mom said from just outside of my mostly empty bedroom. The only thing really left unboxed and out of the way, was my bed. Looking around, there were already some of the twin’s things scattered about, as they spilled into a lot of the rooms now. Smiling, looking down at my jacket, crisp right out of the dry cleaning bag. My heart rate picked up and I took a deep breath.

“I need your help,” I answered and when my door squeaked open I turned to see her. Dressed in a dark green dress that brushed the floor because she was still barefoot. “I can’t get this stupid tie right, and my cufflinks.”

“I know,” she said laughing as she walked up to me. First she straightened my collar, but when she went to tie my bow-tie, she grimaced.

“What?” I asked as I felt the tightness around my neck loosen. Glancing down, she unbuttoned my very white and uncomfortable dress shirt twice. A little bit of my chest hair was poking out. Luke said he wanted a relaxed day, but I didn’t know how that was going to play out.

“There,” she said as she smiled and I lifted my arms one at a time and allowed her to fix my cufflinks from prom. I hadn’t seen them since, not really thinking I was all that sentimental. Opening the box that held them this morning took my breath. It was the first real time what I was about to do really hit me.“You look a lot more comfortable.”

“Thanks,” I said just as a minor explosion sounded from the living room and Mom smiled and shook her head.

“Even I didn’t wreck the house,” I offered and when she slapped my shoulder she turned and started back towards my bedroom door.

“Not that you remember anyway,” she said, placing her hand on the door frame. She had lost the baby weight a year after the twins came. On her wrist was a gold bracelet, with three birthstones linked with the chains. Mine in the middle, since two of them were the same. I got her that as a mother’s day present after my first year in college. Luke told me it would make a great gift, and since I sucked at that sort of thing, I went along with it. She squeezed me so hard I thought she was going to burst a blood vessel in me, he had been right. It was one of the first Mother’s day gifts I ever spent money on.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” I said remembering I still wanted to brush my teeth and look at myself in the mirror. I knew I needed to calm down, but every nerve in my body seemed to fire at will when my mind would race towards what I was about to be doing.

“Take all the time you need, we’re waiting on you and we have all evening,” she said smiling briefly before she turned and rushed back at me. She had her arms around me before I could fight her off, and when I felt her rise up onto her tip-toes she kissed my temple. She broke the hug and I watched her look up to make sure she hadn’t smudged me with her make-up. I ducked out from her reach smiling as I picked up my jacket.

“Enough fussing over me, woman,” I groaned, but I watched her dot her finger under her bottom eyelids, catching tears before they fell.

“We’ll get through this,” she whispered as she turned and left me alone in the room.

Not wanting to make people wait, knowing I didn’t really have all evening like she said. I grabbed my black velvety jacket and smoothed it over my elbow. Stepping out of my bedroom I walked across the hall to the bathroom. I took one last long look at myself in the mirror. I promised Luke I wouldn’t shave the stubble, he had enjoyed it too much. My hair was longer, combed as best as I could get it, knowing the breezy day would just mess it up anyway. After so long with it short, my hair just brushing the tops of my eyebrows was a massive change for me. Swallowing, I draped my jacket over the towel rack beside the counter. I brushed my teeth and triple checked to make sure I put on deodorant. I sprayed myself with cologne anyway, just for good measure.

“Fuck me,” I groaned staring at my reflection until I noticed I had toothpaste on the corner of my mouth. Wiping it with a washcloth, I turned and picked up my jacket before I bolted from the bathroom and down the stairs to where Mom was wrangling the twins. Abel Colin Forrest, and Emma Avanlee Forrest were born the day of my State Championships where I swept all but my medley, but still managed a distant third.

They were a couple weeks early, but they came out smooth enough, textbook Dad said as he watched them being born. Mom was fastening jeweled clips in Emma’s curly red hair, the shimmery silver glinting in the light of the living room. Abel looked a lot like me, finally proof that I came from my parents at all with them making another one.

“Henry just texted,” Dad said as he entered the living room from the kitchen. He was tugging on his tie, seeing me without mine he rolled his eyes. “He’s here.”

“Okay, we’re ready,” Mom announced as she turned back to me. After the twins were born she cut her hair all the way up above her shoulders. She kept it like that until they were much older, just letting it begin to grow out this year. Cutting it had taken a lot of the curls out of it, now it was just hitting her at the middle of her back. She had it loosely braided. Seeing me, she smiled. The plan was for me to wait for Henry to come back for me, not having the room to take us all.

“No one has to potty?” Dad asked, looking past Mom towards the twins, who were already moving towards the door.

“They just finished,” Mom said as she playfully slapped his wrist. “Leave the tie alone or take it all the way off.”

“It’s coming off,” Dad grunted and I laughed as he deftly untied it and tossed it over the back of the couch.

I figured they would have already sold this house, they had talked about needing the space. There were just enough bedrooms for them and the twins, but only after I moved out. They were at the age where they felt brave enough to sleep in separate rooms. Instead of the converted master bedroom they slept in since their birth. Talk of selling stalled out not long into the process and they had turned down an offer or two, wanting more time. Eventually, they started remodeling the bedrooms, painting them the way the twins wanted. My bedroom will be purple soon, Emma’s favorite color if she doesn’t change her mind before then. She liked horses and dolphins, I couldn’t picture my room looking any different. As plain as it was with its off white walls and dark stained wooden floors. I never cared enough to settle into it, everything I valued resided outside that room anyway.

“We’ll see you in a minute,” Mom said as she grabbed some distracting toys, her ever present bags, even though the twins were told enough not to really need much now. They were five years old already, time flew by for them and I had only seen it all in glimpses.

“If I don’t run off,” I said and she rolled her eyes.

“I’ve never seen someone more ready for this than you,” Dad said as he glanced over his shoulder as he guided the twins on out the door. Seeing Henry they took off, squealing and leaving Dad and Mom behind. Dad had grayed more around his temples, but otherwise looked a lot more relaxed. Mom started coloring her hair to hide her own, but the twins hadn’t aged them as bad as I thought they would have. It didn’t stop them from reminding me that I was their practice child, nothing the twins did was never new.

Following them to the door, not wanting to be inside the house without them, I watched them all get into the rented Golf Cart. Mom sat up front, with Dad sitting between the twins. Henry’s hair was windswept in all directions, like usual and he had a little color to his cheeks. The front yard was full of parked cars that threatened to spill out onto the main road. There were a few more parked over at Luke’s. Watching them back out of the drive and hit the road heading away from town, I waved just before they disappeared beyond the tree line.

Glancing over, spring had filled out on the trees. I couldn’t see Luke’s house, but the sun was getting lower, with the oranges dominating the sky. There weren’t any clouds, despite the breeze that washed over me and caused Cindy’s windchimes to jingle, I could just hear them from here. I wanted to see him though, I almost expected him to materialize out of the tree line, but even squinting didn’t make him appear and I only realized I was staring when Rick’s golf cart pulled into the driveway. Quiet as they were, I blinked and looked away from the tree line. He was dressed in a light gray suit, it was going to be wrinkled before all this was done.

“Come on, Forrest,” he bellowed and I smirked and walked down the steps. I wanted to rush into tonight, but my body also wanted me to stay put. When I made it to the golf cart, I slid into the passenger seat and looked back towards the house.

“Are we picking up Luke?” I asked as he started backing out of the driveway.

“Henry was supposed to,” Rick answered, reaching over and nudging my shoulder. “Are you freaking out yet?”

“I have been, all damn day,” I answered, shaking my head.

“You have your vows and shit?” He asked and I freaked out until I felt them in my pocket. I had them mostly memorized, but didn’t doubt my nerves not to fuck me over when it came down to it. They weren’t anything special, not wanting people to hear them at all really. Everything was teetering on being too much for me as it was.

“Yeah, just drive,” I groaned and he smirked as he hit the gas, and the thing jolted forward but barely sped up.

Despite the slower speed, after we hit the cut out road with trees on either side of it, I wanted him to slow down. To allow me to take a few steadying breaths on the off chance it would calm me. I didn’t tell him to, instead I felt myself leaning forward, not really knowing what it all would look like. I wasn’t allowed back here, we had general plans, but it was all meadow the last time I saw it, that was a week ago. Luckily it hadn’t rained, remembering the puddles and dampness of the place the last time Luke and I were here together. Camping alone over the breaks had become more of a pastime. I needed him to be out here with me for what time and distance had done to me. Remembering the last time we were here together, I blushed and hoped it went away before I stepped out of this golf cart.

“Here you go,” Rick said as he slowed at the bend on the road. It was just before the forest opened onto the meadow. I knew I’d be stationed here and when I looked over at the enclosed white canopy tent, I slid out of the seat.

“Thanks, for all this,” I said and Rick smiled before he gently pressed the gas and the cart hummed to life and he left me where I stood.

My heart hammering in my chest, I walked around the tent to the entrance. No one could see into it, no one was allowed back here either. I knew this was going to be the worst part of the evening, sitting in this tent, but when I turned the corner and looked inside I saw a second chair sitting next to mine. Standing at the corner of the tent with his back to me, was Luke. He was adjusting his shirt collar, his tux jacket folded and draped over the back of the metal white chair in the center of the tent.

“Hey,” he said when I bumped into the side of the tent, it caused the zippers to jingle and he turned to face me.

“Hey,” I greeted as he turned around and I felt the catch in my throat that had threatened me since I stepped off the golf cart.

“How are you?” He asked, offering me a smile as my eyes ticked over every inch of him. My heart picked up a quicker pace when I saw the necklace, just to do it again when I saw the cufflinks that matched mine.

“I’m about fucking spent,” I answered and when he laughed I felt myself relax.

“Me too,” he said as he walked to the center of the tent where the chairs were. It was just large enough for the chairs and a small table with bottles of water. Reaching for one, I untwisted the top and downed half of it, hoping it would ease some of the tension.

“How did you talk me into this?” I asked, screwing the lid back on and placing it back onto the table.

“We both know who’s fault this is,” he countered as he stepped around the chairs and held out his hand. I saw it shaking, so I grabbed it and he smiled.

“I was coming down from a drunk off my ass kind of night when I said I wanted all this,” I said, shaking my head. “You were there, it was right after we…”

“Shut up,” he hissed, looking past me towards the entrance of the tent. “No one needs to overhear that.”

“You went along with it,” I countered, remembering the first summer after we left for college. I hadn’t been able to come home for the winter or spring breaks. Derek and Toby fed me too many drinks and Luke just got buzzed enough to agree with everything I was saying. We woke up naked, curled up under a tree freezing our asses off, dew had fallen and soaked us both. I had scratches from briars all over my arms, legs, even my ass and it took us both a chunk of the next morning for me to find what was left of my clothes.

Showing up at my house in ripped shorts, covered in dirt wasn’t something I was able to live down. To get Mom off the subject of what we got up to that night, I had told her I couldn’t wait, that I needed Luke in my life now. She talked me into waiting until after college, and she was to blame for us sitting together in this tent. I had unlocked the wedding plans thoughts in her brain. Something I should have known all mothers had before I opened my big assed mouth. Even calling her predatory in my time of weakness hadn’t swayed her, and I was too proud to ever admit that I was scared to stand up to her when she showed that much determination. I also knew I wanted Luke and was willing to go along with it, if that is what it took to get to keep him in my life.

“And don’t blame your mother,” he whispered as he leaned forward and placed his forehead against mine. “You ran your mouth, I tried to stop you.”

“She saw dirt and hickies,” I groaned and I heard him snicker. “I didn’t want her to see dirt and hickies.”

“And scratches,” he said and I jumped when his hand touched my hip. “You still have that scar on your left butt cheek.”

“I hope it never goes away, I earned that fucker,” I said and he lifted his head away from mine and laughed.

“Maybe they’ll forget about us,” he whispered and I turned to look out the small plastic window in the white tent. All I could see was the outline of the forest though. Out here darkness fell faster, so it didn’t surprise me to see the deep blues. There wasn’t a light in this tent, knowing we wouldn’t really need one. Our Dads will be retrieving us soon enough.

“We could make a run for it,” I offered, smiling when he seemed to ponder the idea.

“They’d just drag us back here,” he said as he reached for his jacket. I watched him unfold it and smooth it out before he handed it to me and turned around. I held it up and helped him shoulder into it and when he turned around I buttoned it.

“Are you really ready for all this?” I asked as I turned after he grabbed my jacket and smoothed it out for me. Reaching my arms back, he slid my jacket up and over my shoulders and I felt him smooth it out down my back. I turned and he buttoned my buttons for me. I had asked the question a lot leading up to this night, not because I wasn’t, I was more than ready. I just didn’t like that it had become a big fussy mess. I wanted it over, I wanted the freedom to be his already.

“Yes,” he answered, smiling like he always did and I was about to lean in and kiss him, but a tapping on the tent stopped me.

“Hey guys,” Henry said as he popped his head into the entrance. “We’ve got it all ready.”

“Okay,” I offered and when he disappeared I felt Luke squeeze my hand before releasing me and I realized I hadn’t noticed him taking it in the first place. Swallowing, I led him out of the tent. I saw Dad holding up a lantern, a fake one with a lightbulb that mimicked the erratic blinking of what should have been a fire. It was just dark enough that we needed light to see by, but Luke stepped around me, walking ahead.

Just around the bend, solar lights started lighting up a path, when it opened into the meadow I let out a breath. It was completely open, the guests sitting in rows of white chairs, each row on both sides lit up by soft solar lamps, larger than the one Dad carried. The twins were standing with Mom and Cindy at the back of the rows waiting for us. There was soft music playing, just guitar strings to break up the silence. I couldn’t make out the faces of anyone from here, but then I heard Henry whisper something into a handheld radio, and I knew that was a cue for someone to start generators well out and away from the meadow where they wouldn’t be heard. Overhead lights, strung in a crisscross over us flickered on. There were a lot of them, small and resembling stars at the height they were strung. They were just powerful enough to light up the faces of our families and friends, seeing them I swallowed as everything started to settle into my mind.

People started looking around for us too, not really being in on the plans themselves, when Mom turned I watched her lean into Cindy just as Cindy reached for her. Dad gently sat his lantern down leaving it behind us, leaving it behind. Seeing Cindy and Mom leaning on one another for strength still sent a small jolt through me. I hadn’t been able to picture what this would all look like including her, but she had agreed to the plans and Luke was happy. Mom and her had worked through their issues and forgave one another, it had happened without me there. The twins had been most helpful in doing that, all they had to do was come at the most inconvenient time they could have.

Mom went into labor on Dad’s busier day of his week. Henry had also been gone doing some odd jobs he volunteered for, because he’s Henry and helps out everyone. It was Cindy that answered the call from Mom. Cindy drove her to the hospital and stayed and held her hand while Dad assisted in the delivery. It took longer for Luke and Henry to bring Cindy around on the idea of me and Luke. What all that meant, but she had gotten there over the years, even though I still didn’t really know where I stood with her. We both knew tonight, we were pushing her boundaries. She was here, wiping her eyes right along with my mom, more than what I ever expected.

After the lights came on, Mom gently nudged Emma and instead of flower petals, she was dropping small led lights attached to magnets, so we could retrieve them later. They were a mix of blue and white and it made her glow as she went. Abel was standing with Derek, Toby, Tim, and Charlie. Derek had his hands on his shoulders holding him there, I knew he was upset being just the one holding our rings, in a little box. Opposite them was Lily with a swollen belly, Heather, Ally, Tara, Olivia, and Shay all wearing dark navy blue dresses with silver embellishments that shimmered when the light hit them. All along the outer side of the rows were silvery reflective strings, the breeze helping the effect of them as I saw reflected light hitting the guests on both sides like a shimmer of light when it hit rippling water.

“There’s a reason why mothers don’t walk their kids down the aisle,” Mom whispered when I broke from Luke and started walking. She grabbed my hand and I felt the weight of her on my side and I glanced at Luke to see Henry peeling Cindy off him so he could follow me. Dad was walking quietly on my other side and I felt my stomach tighten and release only when I took deep enough breaths that I knew I needed.

I got to the end of the aisle first and after a quick nod towards the guys and Pastor Alan, the longtime Pastor from Luke’s church, I turned around. I watched Dad and Mom step to their seats in the front row, Emma feeling more eyes than she liked on her, darted over to Dad and he sat and scooped her into his lap. I smiled, but when I finally willed myself to look at Luke, I felt my legs turn to jelly as I watched him making his way.

“Stay strong, man,” Derek whispered and I felt his hand fall gently on my shoulder. The squeeze of it brought me back a little, and I hated when he released me thinking I needed the strength to keep me standing.

“Hi,” I greeted when Luke joined me and broke from his parents.

“Hi,” he whispered, smiling and after Cindy and Henry found their seats beside my parents in the front row off behind Luke, Pastor Alan cleared his throat gently and kicked off the ceremony. He read Luke’s favorite scripture, I only knew the words because it was tattooed on his side. I tuned him out when that transitioned into more scripture I knew nothing of, turned fully to Luke, willing myself to breathe evenly and to stay firmly planted where I was. Pastor Alan had a gentle speaking voice though so that helped a little. These pieces of scripture was something Luke wanted, it was parts that was actually rehearsed in front of it. All of that happened in the small back yard behind our house though, not out here. His voice was far less comforting out here in the moment of all this.

“Jackson,” Alan said and I blinked after I felt Luke brush my hand with his.

“Yes?” I asked and I heard soft laughter behind me, and Luke smirked.

“Are you ready with your vows?” He asked and I swallowed, offering him a small nod, the folded up piece of paper in my front pocket there if I forgot the words I wanted to say. I didn’t want to break eye contact with Luke to look down and retrieve it, it would be what it ended up being.

“Luke,” I whispered, then cleared my throat when I felt the weakness in my voice, thankful that it didn’t crack. “When we met I thought I had all this figured out. I was ready to bolt from this town, never looking back. Nothing was worth my time, I had bigger ideas that just never would have fit here. That year was supposed to be as easy as breathing, I just had to live through the passing of time and I’d be free. Then you looked at me and smiled, you took every bit of bullshit that I came at you with. When I finally, after days of trying, went too far you threatened to kick me out of your truck. I couldn’t will myself to get out, something I didn’t understand kept me there, told me to apologize for being an ass and I was thankful you didn’t leave me on the side of the road. Later you kissed me, after I failed miserably at teaching you how to swim. I felt you about to run from me, I saw you working up to an apology and all I wanted was for that to go away, to keep you there with me so I kissed you back. I didn’t know what that meant, but every day since I wanted to be in your presence, even though that scared the hell out of me. You made me see this town through your eyes, you slowed my impatience down and I fell in love with you. You were the one I fought for, the one Henry made me promise not to hurt. To have patience and wait for, and I’m so honored to be the one standing here across from you. If you’ll have me, I promise for as long as I live to be where you are, to slow down, and to love you.”

“Well spoken, Jackson,” Pastor Alan said and I glanced over to see a smile playing on his lips as he turned towards Luke. “When you’re ready, Luke.”

Turning to look at him, I saw Luke blink and the muscles in his jaw clench and relax before he glanced out towards the crowd. Smiling, I reached forward and I looped my pinky and ring finger into his. I felt him squeeze my fingers. Neither of us told the other what we were going to say tonight, I didn’t think I said half the things that I wanted to, stumbling to remember the words. I would need to see the footage later to know if I said the things I wanted to or not. I had zoned out, so focused on Luke, that I allowed myself to forget everyone else around us, the darkness made it easier.

“Jackson,” he said and I felt my name on his lips hit me squarely in my chest. I watched a series of reflected light race across his face, soft and unobtrusive as he took a breath. I wanted to kiss him, to get all this over with so that I could keep kissing him. To get the food and cake and drinking into the night out of the way, so that I got to see him in the morning and know that I would be waking up to him finally being mine. “You saved me, I was so close to closing myself in and giving up. I wanted out of this town too, but it broke me because everyone and everything I knew I loved was all here. My family, friends, every waking memory of worth, most of the beauty of my world was here. I was willing to run away, because I didn’t think I deserved a single second of any of it, that I was cursed to want it. Kissing you was the first brave thing I think I ever did, I fully expected you to punch me. It scared me more when you kissed me back. I had already convinced myself that I couldn’t have love, that I was a weak man for wanting the things that I did. I was ready to never let that happen again, but you stayed and you held me there. You told me to just be Luke and you promised to just be you. You made it all sound so simple, you told me it was just you trying to calm me down, but instead it gave me the push I needed. I found myself again, because of you. I found myself with God again because you. You allowed me to stay where I wanted to be, you showed me that I deserved to be loved by the people in my life. You showed me that I deserved to be loved by you, and I promise you that I will love you, forever.”

“Thank you, Luke,” Pastor Alan said and I smiled, feeling a tear slide down my face. I could hear people sniffling behind us. I didn’t want to look away from him, I wanted to commit every second of him on this day to memory. The flashes from the wedding photographer, as intrusive as they were only because we decided to do this at night, where it made her job more difficult, couldn’t even touch me. “Now, little man can we have those rings?”

“Yes sir,” Abel answered and I smirked when Derek finally released him and I looked away from Luke just long enough to see him opening the wooden box in his hands. Inside were two rings, made from the same cut onyx and silver from my necklace. Being rehearsed in all this, we got through reciting what Alan wanted us to and when Luke slid the ring on my finger, and I slid his ring on his, I forgot all about the rest of it and rushed to kiss him. Hearing laughter and more rapid flashing from the camera, I stepped back and laughed when Luke’s mouth hung slightly open just as surprised as everyone else.

“Well I guess I’m done here,” Pastor Alan said as he closed up his notes. “Congratulations, gentlemen, it was an honor.”

“Thank you, Brother Alan,” Luke said and I nodded as we were invaded by Cindy and Mom, who pulled us away from one another. Mom crashed into me and Derek, clapped me on the shoulder. I glanced around at people standing and breaking from their rows. Abel and Emma were picking up the lights that Emma had dropped instead of flowers along with the other smaller kids that had come along. After being done with me, Mom wrapped Luke into a hug just as Cindy broke her own grip on him. When she looked at me, she offered me a small smile and held out her hand. When I took it, she gave my fingers a gentle squeeze then leaned in towards me.

“I didn’t understand all this, not until he spoke here tonight,” she whispered as a tear fell down her cheek. “Thank you for saving my boy.”

“You’re welcome,” I whispered, swallowing as she let her hand fall away with another smile before Henry and her hugged Luke again.

After the crowd dispersed into smaller groups, Luke and I signed our papers making everything official. Alan took them and promised to get them to the courthouse first thing Monday. The signatures side by side with the date took my breath, and I was relieved when Mom announced that the food and cake was waiting in the tents, to just follow the paths of solar lights. Looking past the wedding arch, I finally realized it was white and laced with ivy and white Christmas lights. I saw the large tent with people funneling towards it a couple yards down the meadow.

“Ready?” Luke asked as people finally started leaving us alone, even the photographer followed the crowd.

“If we have to,” I groaned, smiling when he laughed. “I do want the food.”

“I figured that would be the only reason,” he countered as we turned to follow the last lingering people.

When we entered the music had already shifted to what the D.J had queued up. It wasn’t overly loud and people cheered when they noticed us. We were bombarded by bubbles blown by Emma and Abel as we made our way to our designated seats along the farthest wall opposite the entrance of the tent, where the cake waited. All of this I could have skipped, but after the parents got involved, and then most of the town I knew I wouldn’t be able to escape it. It was already later in the evening, since we planned to have the wedding just at dark, so I figured the limited hours before it hit midnight would save me eventually.

“If you smash cake into my face know that paybacks are hell,” I said as I sat down at the table and saw the thing. Too big, at least it wasn’t covered in flowers, just a simple tiered cake with flakes of edible gold and silver mixed with dark blue. It was supposed to look like the night sky with stars, but I knew there was chocolate under all the fuss of it, and that’s the part I wanted.

“Fine,” he said and I already knew I was going to have cake smeared all over my face whenever they told us we could cut it.

“We’ll try to get rid of everyone pretty quick,” Mom said as she sat down on the other side of me. “We know what you really want to be doing.”

“Mom, please,” I groaned and when her mouth fell open, my face got hot.

“I meant the bonfire, Jackson,” she hissed then slapped me on the arm. “I mean honestly.”

“What’s he done now?” Dad asked and I coughed shaking my head as Mom laughed as our plates of food were placed in front of us. Thanking the caterers that dropped them off and the girl that followed behind them dropping off the champagne we all settled down to eat.

There were no speeches, all of those were said days before the wedding and as foul mouthed as they were, I was grateful everyone else had been spared. The only two that didn’t make me blush and want to kill them were Lily and Ally who both cried and made me feel a different kind of weird all together.

“And remember your flight is tomorrow at ten,” Dad said as he leaned forward.

“I will,” I said smiling because I had forgotten all about the damn flight. We were using my last bit of the wedding gift money from our parents to go on a week long trip. Not feeling like a city, mostly because Luke hated them, we decided on Costa Rica, a pre-packaged planned out trip that I figured we’d mostly ignore after we got there.

“And then you two will be off to Georgia,” Mom said wrinkling her nose as she cut up her chicken. I had picked the steak, but now that I was looking down at it I hated to guess how much my parents were spending on the wedding. They had kept it from me and shrugged me off when I mentioned helping to pay for it. I had a full ride for the four years at Georgia, now I was in my second year of graduate school. It took one summer of elite training for me to realize that I wasn’t cut out for the Olympics, even though we had helped Georgia to two SEC titles and a better national ranking overall. I was studying physical therapy, with the emphasis on sports injuries. Scott and Emily had helped me decide on the major after I dragged my feet my freshman year. Luke would be working as a field biologist with the parks services a couple hours drive away from our apartment until I completed my education. We would have to see where we ended up after that, as we hadn’t planned much past the next two years.

After the cake was cut and the champagne ran out, people started clearing out after saying their goodbyes. I got more kisses on the cheek than I wanted, and Dad had to pull Mom off of us with Abel and Emma getting fussy about not being at home in bed. The caterers were clearing away the excess food, Cindy hounding behind them to make sure they kept everything separate for leftovers later.

“Ready guys?” Derek asked, carrying a bottle of champagne in one hand and a plate of cake in the other.

“You’re really serious about the dad bod,” I said as I stood, feeling a little buzzed by the champagne and being a bit of a light weight since Scott’s diet and rules I found out were way more strict than Tony ever thought being.

“Fuck off,” he hissed when I made to grab his stomach. “I’m still fit as a bull.”

“I am ready to get out of this dress,” Heather said as her husband, who I barely knew, stood slightly behind her. The weirdness of him being there still lingered over us, but Toby and her hadn’t made it a semester into college before breaking up.

Luke and I ended up leading the way towards the bonfire. Henry was there stoking it up and adding more wood to it. Seeing us arriving, he smiled, the golf cart idling behind him. I didn’t expect to see him, having to chauffeur people back to their cars after the reception. Rick, Troy, and some people from Luke’s church were helping out with that as well.

“Have a great night guys,” Henry said as he walked up and shook my hand before hugging me briefly. Then he hugged Luke and said a quick goodnight, we watched him turn the golf cart around and take off, as fast as it would go.

Instead of our usual dry rotting folding lawn chairs, we had bales of straw and logs of wood around the fire. The bonfire itself was just beside the pond, which had a new more sturdy looking deck that Henry and Luke had built. Off to the side of the largest log was a pair of coolers already stocked with cold beers and the fruit drinks that the girls preferred and water for Lily.

“Tara and Ollie are next,” Shay said as she grabbed a beer from the cooler and sat down next to them. Oliver smiled at the silly nickname Shay had for him.

“Y’all should have thrown a football or something, since you didn’t have flowers,” Toby said as he sat down next to Heather’s husband Conrad and I shook my head knowing he only did that to make the dude feel uncomfortable.

“When are we going to get to see your new woman?” Derek asked as he helped Lily take a seat on a bale of straw after he draped a blanket over it.

“When I want you to,” Toby answered leaning back on the log, glancing down the path as Ally and Bailey Fucking Ashton joined us and sat down beside me and Luke. We all knew it was someone from town, but we didn’t know who yet. Troy had just started dating Mrs. Chapel, our old English teacher and that had given him a complex when he found that out after he graduated with his certificate to be an electrician. Derek and him had already discussed going into business together since no one around town really did that kind of work anymore. Derek studied general carpentry and welding.

“Want a drink?” I asked Luke as Charlie and Drae walked up and sat down beside Shay. It had been a small reunion for them, most of them still busy. Drae was in medical school now, he stopped swimming entirely after his sophomore year to focus on his education. Charlie got into Texas and was gearing up for Olympic training as soon as he left here. Simon was doing some sort of charity work overseas, I had caught Charlie looking down at his phone every time I had scanned the crowd of people during the reception.

“Just a water,” he answered and I nodded and reached behind me to the cooler hoping this one had water so I wouldn’t have to get up. Finding one, I handed it to him as I grabbed myself a beer, already telling myself that I was limited to just two or three, no more than four.

“Do you want something, Ally?” I asked since Bailey hadn’t offered and I still had the cooler open.

“No, I can’t drink,” Ally answered and then her eyes widened.

“What?” Heather asked as I let the cooler fall. “Since when?”

“I’m due in August,” Ally answered, rubbing her belly. Bailey fucking Ashton was grinning ear to ear and I glanced at Luke who was smirking.

“Knocked up before marriage, what’s people going to say?” Olivia asked and I jumped, having not seen her approach.

“We all thought you were going to end up that way in high school,” Ally countered, smiling as she let her hand fall back to her lap. “If Connor wasn’t so perfect, it probably would have.”

“Where is Connor anyway?” Olivia asked, but they didn’t last after he graduated and left her there in town.

“D.C, interning,” Lily answered, which surprised me because I hadn’t really kept up with him much over the years.

“I guess me and Conrad need to get on it then, if we’re going to have kids all around the same age,” Heather said, glancing in his direction. He looked scared shitless and I honestly wondered how the two of them lasted long enough to get married. Lily went into teaching, but Ally and Heather both went into nursing, Ally going on to be a practitioner and Heather stopping at becoming a registered nurse.

“Do you think our shitheads will get up to as much trouble as we did?” Toby asked after chugging half his bottle of beer and I noticed him glance at Olivia and smirk. Following his eyes, I saw her smile and roll her eyes. Seeing them I turned to see Luke looking straight ahead hoping he missed that not so subtle exchange. I was already picturing Luke pushing Toby into the pond and smiled.

“I hope not,” Lily answered, leaning back and resting most of her weight on her hands stretched behind her, “because I don’t think I’d have much of a defense if they ever found out.”

“Lily you never did anything too wild,” Heather countered, “what are you scared of, I’m the one that’s fucked.”

“None of you ever got floor burns on your asses from sliding across a gym floor,” Derek said as he raised his beer to his mouth. “Right, Jackson?”

“I mean, because we’re not stupid,” Ally countered, glancing in my direction.

“I remember two other idiots running bare assed as the gym teacher chased us back to the locker rooms,” I said and everyone laughed as Luke leaned against me both our jackets slung across chairs left behind back at the tent. I watched him look up at the sky after the laughter fell into an easy silence, everyone probably reminiscing about the last high school year of our lives. All I could think about was getting Luke back to the hotel close to the airport, so I could wake up in the morning next to him, preferably naked.

“What?” He asked and I blinked realizing that I was staring at him and he had looked down to catch me.

“Nothing,” I answered smiling as I turned to watch Toby toss more wood onto the bonfire before he grabbed another beer. I followed the sparks upwards until they died to the darkness before settling in knowing without a doubt I had been too damn lucky to have all this. Looking back, my senior year wasn’t the start of the best year of my life. I felt lame for fighting so hard to picture it now, how it was all supposed to look. Out here in this meadow, five years down the road and a ring on my finger. Still so new, that my brain kept bringing it to my attention and I would rub my thumb across the smooth band. I had the life I wanted, it just took the best year falling into a mess of my own fumbling, love, and failed expectations for it to lead me here. I’m so glad it did.