Chapter 19: The Wedding

When Cole and Harper finally got up, it was around 9. The wedding was at 2 so they had time to get ready. When they were both decent, Cole swung by Paige’s first and dropped Harper off. Then, he went to his brothers’ and got himself ready for the wedding. At 10:30, he arrived at Harvey’s house. “How do you feel?” he asked Harvey. Harvey laughed nervously. “Getting cold feet?” Cole asked. He had to make sure Harvey was certain although he already knew he was. Harvey glared at him, “Of course not. I’m just nervous I might forget what to say for the vows.” Cole shook his head, “I’m sure it will come to you.” “Says the man who’s never been married.” “Hey!” Cole mocked hurt. Harvey shook his head, “With the way you look at my sister, you won’t be too far behind me.” Cole decided to ignore that comment and keep the focus on Harvey and Kira. It was their big day. “Where’s Kira?” he asked. “She went to Kate’s about an hour ago.” “Okay. Do you have your suit ready?” “Yup.” “Did you brush your teeth?” Harvey rolled his eyes, “When I kiss my wife for the first time, I won’t have bad breath.” Harvey pulled a pack of breath mints out of his pocket. Cole laughed; yeah, Harvey was going to be just fine.
At 1:30, he found himself running around making last-minute upgrades. Kate was of no help. The only reason she was the maid of honor was because she was Kira’s sister. Cole made sure the venue for the reception was perfect and the cake was there in the fridge. Once he was absolutely certain, he headed to the wedding hall. It was beautiful. It had been Kate’s job to decorate it but she couldn’t manage that and he ended up selecting the flowers with Kira’s approval. He was proud of himself; his best friend was going to have the perfect wedding.
Around 1:45pm, guests started to arrive. He quickly spotted Harper who wore a beautiful white dress that matched with Emeralds. He smiled when she caught his eye. She walked over, “Well look at you, handsome.” “Why thank you. You look beautiful.” “Thank you,” she said with a blush. “What about me daddy?” Emerald asked. He picked her up, “You look gorgeous honey.” She beamed. “We’ll talk after the wedding,” Harper said, motioning to people being seated. He nodded, gave her Harper, then found his place.
The wedding went without a hitch. Even Kate remembered her parts. When the bride and groom kissed, they received a standing ovation. The reception hall was next door and everyone migrated over. There, Harvey and Kira had the first dance of the night. Then it was the brides’ maids and grooms’ men turn next. Cole begrudgingly took Kate onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed so close to him that he barely had breathing room. He chanced a glance at Harper and was relieved to see she wasn’t even paying attention. She was talking to her brother and his new wife. “This is nice,” Kate murmured. He only grunted. “I want a wedding like this,” she continued. Like hell. “Kate-” The song ended and she pulled out of his arms, “You’ll come around soon.” She walked off the dance floor. He shook his head and went over to Harvey and Harper. “How does it feel to be a married man?” he asked Harvey. Harvey grinned, “Wonderful.” “That’s good.” The next song came on, “But I’m going to have to steal your sister.” Harvey nodded, “Let me go find Kira so we can get another dance in.” Cole turned to Harper, “Dance with me?” She nodded and took his hand. When he pulled her into his arms, it felt so right. He pulled her against him.
“Cole,” Harper whispered. “Hm?” “I love you.” He smiled and barely murmured “I love you” before when he kissed her. He kissed her in front of everyone, including Kate, but he doubted anyone saw them since it wasn’t their wedding. He didn’t care either way. He loved this girl and wanted to make their relationship work no matter what. He’d be so stupid letting her go two years ago. He would never understand why he’d done that in the first place. But that wasn’t important. What was important was that she was here now and willing to try and make something work between them.
After their dance, despite his wishes, they stayed and mingled with the other wedding guests. Kira had forgotten to do the bouquet toss so she was going to do it now. Secretly, Cole hoped Harper would catch it. He just wanted a sign that this would work out for them. “One, two, three!” Kira said and tossed it. It was in slow motion. Kate lunged for it, causing Harper to stumble back. She lost her balance and fell on her rear end. The bouquet landed in her lap. Silence. Utter silence. Then a deafening applause. Cole couldn’t keep the smile off his face even if he wanted to. A quick glance at Kate showed she wasn’t happy. She was positively fuming. One of Kira’s bridesmaids helped Harper up and congratulated her. Harper was grinning like a fool. Her eyes collided with Cole’s and he knew she had been thinking the same thing as he had. They had their sign.
When Harvey and Kira made their getaway around 6:30 that evening, Cole snagged Emerald and Harper and they made their getaway as well. After an evening of dancing, he just wanted to relax with his family. Instead of sticking around, he drove the two hours to his house. When they arrived, it was already 9 at night. Emerald was fast asleep in the back. He got her out then took her inside, followed by Harper. “Nice place,” she murmured. “You like?” he asked. She smiled and nodded, “I do.” “Can you see yourself living here?” “...Cole…” “In the future of course: when you’re done with college. Or, I could move out there.” She shook her head, “I wouldn’t want to live so far from here. Coming back showed me what I’ve been missing out on.” He smiled and put Emerald to bed then led Harper to his room. “Do you have something I can change into? I want to take a shower.” “Tee shirts are in that drawer.” “Thanks.” “Need company in the shower?” She deadpanned. He laughed, “I’ll behave!” “Uh-huh,” she said wryly. They ended up sharing a shower anyways then fell into bed. “Did you have fun today?” he asked, rubbing lazy strokes up and down her thigh. “Mhm. You?” “Yeah.” “Harvey looked so happy.” “He did.” “Will we be that happy one day?” “I hope.” She turned to face him, “Cole?” “Yes, sweetheart?” “Will you marry me?” At first, he thought she was joking but when she looked at him expectantly, it dawned on him. “Of course!” She kissed him, “I don’t need a ring.” He shook his head; he was going to get her a ring whether she liked it or not. The thought of her wearing his ring brought a smile to his already smiling face.