CHAPTER 1
I wanted her the first second I saw her. She was sitting on the bride’s side. By herself. As a groomsman I had a view of everyone in the church. She was the only one I saw. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
I made my move at the reception.
“Care to dance?” I ask.
“I don’t really––”
I scoop up her hand in mine and raise my hand lifting her from her seat.
“Oh––”
We dance on the grass near the gazebo. The bride and groom had decided to have the reception outside. A perfect choice. Seventy-seven degrees. The smell of fresh air. I didn’t know how the barman would be able to keep up with the demands for rosé spritzers and cosmos from the ladies and vodka tonics, jack and cokes, and beers from the guys.
After three dances I take her to the photo booth. We take some silly photos and then jumped back out to wait for the prints. In the first one we make serious faces. The second I gave her “the tiger claw.” She’s laughing. In the third she has a look of shock as I bite her earlobe. In the fourth she leans on my shoulder with her right hand and snuck in bunny ears behind my head with her left. We laugh.
“You’re quite the spontaneous one,” she says.
“Not the first time I’ve been told that. I take it as a compliment. See something you want and go for it.” I tell her.
“And what exactly do you want?” she asks.
“I want to make memories today that will last forever. To enjoy my brother’s wedding. To live in the moment.” He may not be my blood brother, but we became brothers through the obstacles we’ve overcome in life and the knowledge that we’d die in battle for each other. That and I’ve been in this town enough to visit him and other SEALs that I feel like a real member of the family.
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“I think so.”
“So this living in the moment plan. What comes next?”
“This.” I grab her by the waist with my left hand and the side of her face with my right. I dipped her back and kiss her hard on the lips. The moment our lips touch she seems shocked, but quickly I feel her return the kiss. I pull her back upright.
“Well. I guess that definitely qualifies as living in the moment.” She says.
“I would say so. Care for another drink?”
“Let’s.” We refill at the outdoors bar and make our way back to the dance floor. We dance, drink, play games, eat cake, and enjoy the perfect day. Time passes quickly. I’m having the time of my life. Soon it’s the golden hour. My favorite time of the day. Those last 90 minutes of sun before it sets for the day. The last few years I have always tried to spend those last 90 minutes by myself. Reflecting on the day. Appreciating being alive. Thankful for my brothers. My team. My family. The freedoms that our country offers. Watching the sunset over the Middle East desert. Those memories are still all too fresh. Today I want to forget them. Even if just for one day.
“The house is beautiful, have you seen it?” I ask.
“No, but I’d love to.” She says.
I take her by the hand and we go inside. It’s a beautiful house. A craftsman with plenty of wood and brick. It’s more than a house. It’s truly a home.
“My guest room is upstairs. You can see the entire backyard and into the hills from the window. I’ll show you.”
The minute we enter the room it’s obvious there would be no admiring the view from afar. The views to be admired would be each other. As soon as the door shuts I have her against the wall. Hands wandering. Tongues exploring each other’s mouths. She lifts up my shirt and feels my abs.
“Wow. There really is such a thing as a 12 pack.” She says.
“You can’t drink this 12 pack, but you can definitely put it to your lips.” She kneels down and kisses the middle of my abs moving upward. Right along the crease that defines the muscles.
“You’re like a bronzed sculpture.”
“And you’re like the Grand Prix of Monaco. Elegant with curves in all the right places.” She looks up at my eyes. Stands up, puts both hands on my face and kisses me hard. Her back arched. A moan escaping her lips.
Three taps come from the door. Someone is knocking.
“Caleb, open up you son-of-a-gun. I know you’re in there.”
I try my best high-pitched voice. “Caleb’s out fighting bad guys. Come back later.”
“We’re doing the bouquet toss. We need Grace.”
“Grace, huh?” I say.
“You never asked.” She says.
“I like it. It rolls off the tongue well. You don’t hear it every day.”
“I think a lot of things are happening to me today that definitely don’t happen every day.”
We hold each other’s eyes. Trying not to be the to first laugh, but we both lose it at the same time.
“We’ll be right there.”
“Hurry. We’re about to start.”
Grace straightens her dress and I tuck my shirt back in. We head back outside and rejoined the reception. Late afternoon turns to evening and evening turns to night. Before I know it most of the guests have gone. Grace is nowhere to be found. She hadn’t even said good-bye. Grace wasn’t going to be mine, yet. At least not tonight. Although I wanted her now, I knew I wanted more than just that. We had only spent the afternoon together, but it was the most enjoyable afternoon I’d had in months and I had her to thank for that. Now I had to find her.