Some people would find having a wedding in the late fall to be a little morose. I mean, the leaves are down, the trees are bare, and the wind coming off the lake has a chill to it in the evenings that reminds us that before too long we’re going to be bundling up to go out.

But for me, it’s been the perfect day. The lot where we’re going to build our new house is smooth and clear, and as soon as we can next spring, we’re going to have the cement foundation laid. While Dan and I both agree that the rustic look might be nice, we’re going to build our new home with some modern guts.

“I cannot believe how awesome today is,” Willow says as she helps me with my hair. My touch up dye job is perfect, silvery white waves that go perfectly with my dress. “And congrats on the dress. Kinky as fuck.”

“What?” I ask, looking down at the knee high white leather high heeled boots. “Dan thinks I look sexy in boots, so… besides, you one upped me, you skank!”

Willow looks down at her ‘bridesmaid’ dress, a beautiful all black dress that makes her look sexy as sin and more than able to dish out some sin along with it. The skirt’s scandalously tiny, but Willow of course pulls it off with no problem. “What can I say? When you guys told me I could dress how I like, I was like my main bitch is goth, so I’m gonna do it Willow’s Way.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “And you’re going to behave? Or are you going to be my scandalous best friend?”

“Behaving… for now,” Willow admits. “I didn’t know Dan knew so many sexy as fuck firemen though!”

There’s a knock on the door of the cabin and Torrie Guerrero sticks her head in. “Ready, ladies?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I admit, standing up. “How do I look?”

Guerrero, who’s dressed in her Fire Department dress uniform, nods in appreciation. “Wish I could have pulled that off my wedding day. You’re gonna star in a lot of the guys’ bridal fantasies, no offense. And Willow… fuck’s sake, girl!”

“What? Bridesmaids get to star in a few fantasies too,” Willow says, fluffing her hair. Torrie chuckles and leaves, and I glance at Willow.

“She’s really interesting, you know that?”

“Damn straight she is,” Willow says, grinning. Quickly, she leans over and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. It’s on my scar, which I’ve kept. It’s not large, only about an inch, and it helps me feel connected to Dan more. He says he understands, and it only makes me more beautiful. “See you out there.”

We do the ceremony on my dock, which escaped the fire and Dan and I worked together to renovate and redo all by hand. Dirk’s the officiant, it sort of makes the paperwork easy, but more importantly fits considering how important he’s been for us. Gerald serves as best man, but my eyes never leave Dan as he stands next to me, his eyes full of love as he looks so handsome in his tuxedo.

Of course our thunder’s partially stolen by Ellie Manheim, our flower girl. She’s so proud to be here at her ‘Uncle’ Dan’s wedding, she practically hops down the aisle, making the dock bounce on the water and sending ripples far out into the lake. It sets the tone for the entire ceremony, and I love every minute.

“You may kiss the bride,” Dirk says, and Dan takes full advantage, ripping the breath from my lungs with a full on deep kiss, complete with a twist and bend back that makes the half dozen or so firefighters who came for Dan break out in applause. Dirk chuckles, then clears his throat. “I do think that’s enough.”

“I’ll tell you when it’s enough,” I growl, grabbing Dan and kissing him again. I can feel him swell in his tux pants and I pull back, grinning. “That’s enough… for now.”

The reception is beautiful at a nearby hall, and the music’s perfect as Dan and I dance our first dance as husband and wife. “I loved the boots,” Dan tells me as we dance slowly together. “Do me a favor, leave them on tonight?”

I grin, nodding. “I totally planned on it. But only if you leave on that bowtie. It looks gangster as hell on you.”

Dan nods, grinning as our first dance ends and the toasts begin. Willow’s is surprisingly touching. “Sometimes, you find a special person in your life, and things just click. A lot of times, you know that time might be temporary, so you just hang on as long as you can, cherishing every moment. Friends, classmates, people who move in and out before the stream of time takes us our separate ways. But when we’re really, really lucky, that person sticks. I hope that I’ve gotten stuck in Chrissy’s life… oh, and you too Dan.”

The group chuckles and Dan lifts his glass. “Same atcha, Willow.”

“But you two, you show us all what really stuck means, and how wonderful it is. So to my two favorite stickees. May life see you two drifting down that river together forever.”

Gerald stands up to follow us, and he clears his throat. “God I suck at these. I met Dan almost a decade ago now, going through the Academy together. And you know what the first thing he said to me was? He said… damn, I hope someday I meet a really hot artist chick and burn down her house.”

Everyone laughs, even Dan, who gives me a shrug. “He’s my friend, what can I say.”

“Oh, you can say a lot,” Gerald quips, chuckling. “Dan, we went through a lot together. Those long days at the Academy, you saved my butt more than once. It was because of you I got through the course, and because of you that I got through probie year. Man, that first day in the 48th… after Guerrero got done hazing us to the point I was ready to turn in my badge and see if Jiffy Lube really was hiring down the block, Dan pulls me aside and say ‘Jerry… just think of it this way. You get to go home to a loving wife, a nice bed, and at least one day a week of real cooking. Me, I gotta figure out how to clean this damn thong all on my own!”

Riotous laughter greets that, and the rest of the toasts are just as well received. Afterwards, the food starts, and Willow comes over. “You never told me you had to wear a thong in the fire department,” Willow teases, smirking. “Seems we’ve got more in common than I thought.”

“Give it time Willow, you might just get to peek under all the layers of this onion,” Dan says with a raised glass of champagne. “Anytime you want to come by the cabin, you go right ahead. Just give us a heads up first so we can be decent.”

“And ruin all my fun?” Willow asks, smirking. “I’ll think about that last part. In the meantime, I’m gonna go mingle.”

I sit next to Dan, receiving well wishes from all of the firefighters who stop by the table. “Hey, I’m gonna need my gift to you guys back by next week,” Guerrero says with a smirk as she gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Captain’s gonna be pissed to find a hundred feet of two and half line missing. Dan’ll explain.”

I turn to Dan, who grins and leans in. The story leaves me in stitches, and I shake my head. “Is everything in the fire department about sex?”

“Duh,” Dan replies, laughing. “You have a bunch of testosterone laden idiots who play with hoses all day. Speaking that, I’m going to go take care of this bladder, I’ll be back.”

Dan gives me a kiss on the cheek and gets up, and I follow, mingling around. Near the back I find Willow, who’s casually sipping a champagne. “So, found anyone?”

Willow raises an eyebrow, smiling. “Now why would you think I’m looking for someone? I’m getting ready for my final big filming before retirement, and you think I’ve got the energy for guy hunting?”

“I know you, and I know your type, remember?” I ask, taking a ginger ale. “Blue collar real man who knows how to treat a girl like you. Ring a bell?”

“Five alarm correct,” Willow hums, looking across at one of the fire fighters. Tall, thickly muscled, he looks like one of those hunks that fire departments put in calendars to raise money for charity, and I give Willow a look.

“Hmmm… you could do worse,” I admit. “He’s got nothing on Dan though. No offense.”

“None taken,” Willow replies before blushing. “Actually, he and I have already talked. And he said he knows who I am. It was actually a little flattering.”

I nod hopefully. I know it’s got to be tough for Willow, regardless of her outer give no fucks attitude. “And?”

“And he said that he thinks I’m beautiful,” she admits. “I’ve had guys who know who I am tell me a lot of things. I’ve been called sexy, hot… some guys start right off with asking about my work. But the way Jason said it, I’ve never heard anyone tell me I’m beautiful like the way he said it before.”

I look Willow in the eye, taking her hands and touching foreheads with her, glad that my boots are giving me those extra inches. “Listen to me babe. You are beautiful. From the first moment I laid eyes on you, and you introduced yourself, I knew you were beautiful. You’ve made my life better, you’ve made this marriage possible. You’ve made… everything. So if there’s a guy out there in this room who realizes you’re as beautiful as I see you, I better see you dancing with him, and just maybe taking him home by the end of the night. You feel me?”

Willow nods, blinking back tears and hugging me. “I love you, Chrissy. Bitches like me, we don’t get sisters often. But you’re mine.”

“I love you too. By the way, in case I forget, call me tomorrow. I’ve got a secret to tell you.”

Willow lets go, giving me a puzzled look. “Tomorrow?”

“I should tell Dan first,” I reply, laughing as Dan comes up. “Speaking of which, I need another dance with my husband. Let’s find something good for the DJ to play.”

Thankfully the DJ does have a good mix, and as Dan and I dance to Camila Cabello, he pulls me closer. “Everything okay with Willow?”

I nod, cutting my eyes over to the side where Willow’s dancing with the handsome firefighter, and Dan glances over, smiling. “Good… I know Jason, he’s a good guy. Tell Willow if he fucks up, I’ll handle it.”

“That’s you,” I reply, putting my arms around his neck as the beat changes and I grin. It’s nasty, and I can see Willow giving me a thumbs up as Nine Inch Nails’ Closer’s beat starts pounding through the room. “I see someone put in a request.”

Dan pulls me against his body, lowering his lips to my ear. “I told her to. Because I plan on taking you to the hotel and giving your body every fucking thing you’ve ever wanted.”

“Mmm… keep that up and we’ll need to make a bigger home,” I purr, scratching the back of his neck. “Is that what you want, Mr. Benson?”

I feel Dan swell against my thigh as we start to grind, and he nods. “Damn right, Mrs. Benson. When do you want to get started?”

I grin, pulling his ear close to my lips. “Little secret, my love. We already started. I took the test this morning. So this honeymoon, it’s all about us having fun.”

“And about love,” Dan says, his voice cracking. “So what will be name it?”

“We’ll figure that out later. But can we make Willow the godmother?”

Dan nods, grinning. “Damn right. Now, let’s dance.”

The end. Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review and let me know!