Almost Easy

Couldn't Be Happier

The ending for @Life-Is-Ephemeral :)

Both Zoey and Brian make appearance in my other two stories, The Great Pretenders (high school) and its sequel! More to come!

Zoey' s POV

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a hot guy. Especially when he's kissing me senseless to the applause of our best friends. And especially the one I've been in love with forever. I mean, you'd fall for him too. Right? Of course you would. That's why you're sitting there reading our love story play out in front of you. :)

Forty eight hours later ,we were married at sunset on an isolated stretch of beach in a sandy cove in our home of Huntington Beach. Only seven guests stood with us: the minister along with Jimmy, who served as Brian's best man, and Leana; Matt and Val who managed to apologize sincerely for her sister's craziness, an apology I readily accepted. Hey now, it was my wedding day and I was feeling generous. And of course, Lacey and Johnny. Zacky and Gena were on their honeymoon and begged for us to postpone so they could make it back in time, and Brian refused to wait for them.

The sky behind the beach was filled with beautiful yellows, oranges, reds that gave way to blue and purples. It was an almost perfect Crayola box. The scent of hydrangeas and roses spilled from simple galvanized pails tied with ribbons that floated in the warm breeze.

I wore a simple white cotton dress, not at all unlike the one I wore years before after I graduated college, with a spray of flowers in my dark hair. Brian wore a white button down with linen slacks and went barefoot. The vows we'd written spoke of what we new, what we'd learned, and what we promised. After the ceremony, we all sat around a bonfire to feast on crab and cream-filled chocolate cupcakes, my favorite.

I was so busy watching my husband that I didn't notice when Jimmy took a seat next to me and pulled me into a warm embrace. "How are you doing, little sister?"
I hugged him back tightly as I noticed Johnny and Lacey wandering off, side by side, down the beach. Matt was feeding Val a cupcake and she wiped a dollop of frosting on his nose. Leana was laughing at whatever tale Brian was telling. "I couldn't be happier, Jimmy."

And I meant it.

Brian's POV

I watched my wife's beautiful face glow in the flames from the bonfire and
realized that the panic that had been my silent companion for as long as I could remember had disappeared. If a woman as wise as Zoey could accept me, flaws and all, then it was long past time I accepted myself.
As night settled in, Zoey finally noticed a dinghy approaching from a yacht
anchored offshore. "What's that?"
"My surprise,"I whispered against her hair as I wrapped my arms around her from behind. "I wanted our wedding night to be on a boat. To make up for the first time."
She smiled. "You didn't have to do that."
Our guests saw us off with a shower of bubbles that Leana and Jimmy had brought along.
As soon as we were on board,I led her through the quiet ship to the largest
stateroom. "Welcome to your honeymoon, Zoey Haner."
"Oh wow, Brian...seriously..."
Everything was just as I'd arranged. White pillar candles nesting inside
hurricane shades cast a shimmering light across the room.
"It's beautiful...," she said hoarsely. "I love it. I love you."
Her gaze moved past me to the bed, and she burst out laughing. "Are those rose petals scattered on the sheets?"
I smiled against her skin. "Too much?"
"Way too much." She threw her arms around me. "You're a fool."
I smirked as I undressed her slowly, kissing all that I uncovered: the curve of her shoulder, her breasts. I went to my knees and kissed her belly, her thighs,knowing I was the luckiest man on earth. She undressed me just as slowly, and when I couldn't endure it any longer, I took her to the bed, and the rose petal sheets.
Which had seemed like a good idea, but... I pulled a petal from my mouth. "These suckers are everywhere."
"I'll say. Even here." She eased open her thighs. "Do something about it, will
you?"
So maybe the rose petals weren't such a bad idea after all.