“I’m so glad to see Eli and Sarah finally get hitched,” Cady murmured.

  “Oh?” Jerica raised her eyebrows.

  “Eli moves slow as molasses, you know.” Cady grinned. “Sometimes she needs someone to give her a good shove. Isn’t that right, Bridget?”

  “Yeah,” Bridget answered, but she didn’t really seem to be paying attention. She worried her thumb over the tips of her fingers repeatedly until Jerica grabbed her hand to still the nervous gesture.

  “I’ve been cheering them on from the start.” Cady grinned broadly and crossed her arms until MaryBelle sat next to her with another drink.

  “They’re certainly a beautiful couple together. I only started to get to know them recently, but I’ve taken to both of them.”

  Cady nodded and gave a pointed look to Bridget. “Sarah’s made herself right at home here in town. She’s very welcome.”

  Jerica wasn’t quite sure what was going on between the two of them, nor was she sure she wanted to know, but she stayed in her lane and didn’t ask or pry. At least not yet. She would get that information from Bridget later that night or sometime that week, but she wanted to know what was going on in the silent conversation.

  Thus far, every person Jerica got to know at the wedding and in Bridget’s life seemed like someone who would support her in being out, other than her parents. She couldn’t figure out why Bridget hadn’t taken this step before.

  Cady even said she’d known about Eli and Bridget for years. Bridget had frowned but said nothing. Jerica slipped a hand onto Bridget’s thigh and gave her a gentle squeeze before Bridget leaned in and whispered into Jerica’s ear. “I’ll be right back.”

  Jerica frowned as Bridget shifted out of her chair and walked away. She tracked Bridget’s movements until Cady caught her attention again. “How long have you two been dating?”

  “Oh, a few months now.”

  “Yeah?” Cady looked excited at that information. She sipped her beer and leaned in her chair.

  MaryBelle shook her head. “Now you’re going to start an inquisition.”

  Jerica smiled and lowered her gaze. “It’s fine. I’m sure there are lots of questions as to who I am. Bridget is from here. I’m not.”

  “No, but are you from around here?”

  “I grew up in Garden. Went to school in Hays and then moved back as soon as I could. I missed it, most days. But I got my dream job working in the ER. I’m a nurse.”

  “Oh!” Cady’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t know that. Did you hear that MaryBelle?”

  “I did,” MaryBelle answered, giving Cady a cheeky look. “She’s not your personal nurse, remember that.”

  “I’d never think that.”

  “She would,” MaryBelle interjected. “And if she starts in on that, just walk away. She won’t be offended.”

  Jerica giggled, grabbing her own drink. The two of them were precious together. Jerica rarely found lesbian couples who had been together so long out in their area of the country, but she was loving the dynamic between these two. “How did you two meet?”

  Cady grinned broadly. “We were high school rivals.”

  “What?” Jerica nearly choked on her drink.

  MaryBelle shook her head. “She makes it seem worse than it was.”

  “It was bad!”

  “No, it wasn’t. We weren’t rivals. We didn’t even go to the same school. I was calling on Cady’s brother’s best friend, so I was around a bit when Cady was there. She’s two years younger than me, and let’s just say Cady wasn’t always so outgoing.”

  “No, I had to find you for that.” Cady chuckled. “It’s true. She was dating Ernie’s best friend, and they’d double sometimes, and she’d come by the house. Ernie had a car, and John didn’t, so they doubled a lot.”

  MaryBelle’s lips curled up. “Actually, I always suggested we take Ernie’s car so that I could see her, but she’ll deny that.”

  “I will not.” Cady pouted. “It took until the summer after she graduated for it all to start to fall apart. She came around less, and John sulked. Ernie thought he’d ask her out, so he sent me—who knows why—to talk to her.”

  “And the rest is history,” MaryBelle murmured into her drink.

  “No, it’s not.” Cady pouted. “Ernie sent me to her house to see if she’d go out with him, but instead, I got the girl. There, now the story’s done.”

  Jerica laughed again at the two of them. She’d never met a more animated couple before, especially not one that had been out for so long in such a small town. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, none of which were relevant or even considered appropriate, but she wanted to know every detail about their story.

  She tried to find Bridget in the crowd dancing. Her gaze swept through the people, but she wasn’t coming up with anyone who resembled her Bridget. Sighing, Jerica grabbed her drink and distracted herself. She didn’t mind being left alone, but Bridget had been acting odd since the reception started, and she wanted to make sure that it wasn’t panic at coming out to so many people at once.

  Whatever song was being sung died down, and Sarah stood up at the front of the makeshift stage they’d built. She had Jerica’s attention as she grabbed a microphone, and Jerica was not-so-secretly hoping they’d get a private performance by none other than Sadie Bade. She sipped her drink as Sarah calmed the crowd down.

  “You know,” Sarah said, “that Eli and I tend to not be very traditional in anything we do.”

  There was a roar of laughter and agreement.

  “So, it’s no surprise Buddy joined us for the wedding, or that we didn’t do things the proper way. One thing we didn’t want to do either was to toss the bouquet.”

  Eli showed up at the front of the stage, in her hands a bouquet Jerica hadn’t seen before. She furrowed her brow at it, wondering if they’d gotten a special one just for this.

  “However, would all the unmarried ladies and gents and enbies come up here please.” Sarah grinned as people shifted toward the front of the stage.

  Jerica stayed firmly seated, having zero desire to participate in something so pedantic. Cady bumped her shoulder. “Get on up there, girl.”

  “No, I think I’m good here.”

  “No, go up. This is for you young people. Go on.”

  Chided, Jerica set her drink down and walked her way up to the crowd. Sarah arranged everyone, getting them to move so she could see everyone’s face. It meant Jerica was suddenly thrust into the front of the crowd. Kara was nearby with her camera in her hands, ready to take a picture.

  Jerica crossed her arms, once again looking for Bridget in the sea of people and not finding her. She just wanted to make sure she was okay—at least, that was what she kept telling herself.

  “All right,” Sarah started. “Y’all ready for this?”

  The crowd cheered. Jerica cocked her head at the stage and at Eli, who was staring directly at her. Everyone became hushed as they waited for Eli to throw the bouquet as was tradition. Time moved so slowly as they impatiently stood before both Eli and Sarah until finally, Bridget walked out in front of Eli.

  She looked pale, her gait still off because of the cast on her foot, but she also looked far more confident than she had in weeks. Jerica grinned at her, finally glad to have found her again. Bridget walked right up to her, grabbing her hands and pulling her into the center of the semi-circle surrounding Eli.

  The crowd of people moved back, splitting so the rest of those still sitting could see. Jerica’s stomach had butterflies rampaging around in them as Bridget carefully slid down onto one knee, a ring she produced from somewhere in her hand.

  Jerica swallowed hard, her heart racing as her mouth went dry. “Bridge, what are you doing?”

  “Just give me a second.”

  Time slowed down until seconds took minutes or maybe even hours. Jerica was lost in nothing other than Bridget’s cool blue eyes as she stared up at her from the ground. Finally after what seemed like forever, Bridget spoke.

  “I know it hasn’t been very long, that we’re only just starting to get to know each other. But you said to me once that you didn’t want to be looking for anyone else, and I have to say, I feel exactly the same way. I love you, Jerica Alvarez, and I want to marry you, if you’ll have me.”

  Jerica pressed her hands to her mouth as she stared down at Bridget, this beautifully strong and amazing woman who kneeled before her. Tears stung her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. She had no words. She couldn’t utter anything she was so stunned. Instead, she got down on her knees and wrapped her arms around Bridget’s neck, dragging her into a kiss as she held on as tightly as she possibly could.

  “I love you,” Jerica whispered when she pulled away, tears hot on her cheeks. “I love you so much.”

  “So…you’ll marry me?” Bridget’s face was tight with anxiety, through and through.

  “Yes. Of course. I love you.”

  They kissed again. The sounds from the people surrounding them came roaring into Jerica’s ears, but she ignored it. All she wanted was to focus on Bridget and on no one else. This was their moment.

  Eventually she stood up, and Sarah started the band going and sang with them. Jerica was so taken up by everything that she could focus on nothing other than Bridget and being close to her. They danced together for the first song, Jerica sure to not hit Bridget’s cast in any way. As soon as the first song ended, everyone came up to congratulate them before Sarah took off with another song.

  Jerica’s heart was so filled with joy and happiness. She’d had no idea Bridget had planned this. The ring on her finger, however, felt absolutely perfect, and it was for her. There were no large diamonds. Instead it was a gold band with three small diamonds embedded in it so it wouldn’t break gloves or anything. She might get away with wearing it at work if she wanted.

  Leaning in, she kissed Bridget again and lingered this time. She didn’t want to leave Bridget’s side ever again. She’d known for longer than Bridget perhaps that she’d wanted to be with no one else, and this sealed it. It may not have been very long, but they were meant to be together. Jerica was convinced of that, and it was something she would never give up. Bridget was hers, and she was Bridget’s. Now they would be together forever.

  CHAPTER 21

  One year later…

  Indigo looked gorgeous this time of year. Bridget had been spending more time there in the past few months, hanging out with Eli and Sarah. Jerica had come too. Election season was coming up, and she was already working her ass off to try and keep her position, but so far, no one in town was running against her. While it wasn’t exactly the way she wanted to win, she’d take it if she managed to keep her position.

  Bridget was in the basement, moving in and out of the bedroom to the bathroom as she got dressed. It was one of the most important days of her life, the second one, actually. There was no way she was going to look like a run-down idiot as she walked down that aisle.

  Sarah rapped her knuckles against the door. Bridget blew out a breath and closed her eyes as she leaned over the sink in the bathroom. “Yeah, come in.”

  Sarah smiled, which gave Bridget a thrill of hope for the day. “Well, you’ve got one gorgeous bride. Did you know that?”

  “Yeah.” Bridget grinned, thinking of Jerica. She hadn’t seen the dress, something Jerica had insisted on even though they were far from a traditional couple. She wanted to do whatever Jerica wanted in order for this wedding to be perfect. “I think I got lucky with that one.”

  “We both did.” Sarah bumped her shoulder into Bridget’s. “However, if we don’t get you dressed, Karen is going to come down here and throw a fit about how no one is listening and no one is ready.”

  Bridget eyed her. “You’re not dressed.”

  “It’s more important that you get dressed.”

  Snorting, Bridget sighed. “Fine.”

  She straightened her back and started stripping off her clothes, dropping the comfortable ones she’d worn up there that morning onto the floor. Sarah turned around and left. As soon as Bridget had her pants and shirt on, she stepped out of the bathroom.

  “What else do I need to do? Other than finish getting dressed that is?”

  Sarah shook her head. “We’ve got everything covered.”

  Frowning, Bridget pulled the ice blue vest out of the clothing bag and held it out to inspect. Jerica had chosen the color, specifically to match her eyes. She wasn’t sure it did match, but it was probably decently close. Sarah eyed her curiously, and Bridget ignored her as she pulled the vest on, buttoning it.

  As soon as she they were both dressed, Bridget started up the stairs, but Sarah stopped her. “Uh-uh. That’s not allowed.”

  “What do you mean it’s not allowed?”

  “You don’t get to see the bride before she’s walking down the aisle.”

  Bridget growled lightly and crossed her arms. “Are you really going to stop me from going upstairs?”

  “Yes.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to get out of the house to get to the gazebo then?”

  “I will make sure the coast is clear when the time is right.”

  Bridget pouted and flopped onto the couch, putting her feet up on the coffee table and not even caring that Eli would be pissed about it. She was not happy that she couldn’t even go upstairs to get something—not that she needed anything.

  It took another hour for Eli to come down and grin at them. “You ready, Bridge?”

  “Been ready,” she grumbled.

  “Then come on.” Eli’s perpetual happiness annoyed her, though Bridget knew it wouldn’t last long.

  She went through the motions. Eli took her out to the gazebo while Sarah grabbed her guitar and strummed a song as she and Eli walked down to the front where Pastor Scotty was waiting. Her wedding wasn’t as large as Eli’s and Sarah’s—well, at least her side of it. Jerica had more than enough family to make up for Bridget’s lack of family.

  It still stung that her parents refused to even acknowledge she was getting married. She’d sent them an invitation on a whim, not telling Jerica until after she mailed it, and had hoped somewhere in the back of her mind that they would answer and come. The pain from not seeing them as she stood at the front of all her friends and family was more than she’d anticipated.

  The music changed, and Bridget’s breath caught. Jerica’s bridesmaids walked down one at a time, and it seemed to take forever for the last one to get there. When the music shifted again, Bridget stared up, looking straight into Jerica’s eyes as she appeared from around the corner of the house.

  God, she is stunning. Her dress flowed around her, catching in the wind. Her hair was in long ringlets down her back, and a crown of white daisies adorned her head. Bridget couldn’t help the smile that grew on her lips. She wanted to run up and wrap her arms around Jerica, swinging her around in a circle.

  She shared a look with Eli, leaned over and whispered, “Think she’ll get mad if I go hug her?”

  Eli grinned. “I think you should do it.”

  Not needing any more encouragement, Bridget jumped off the top step of the gazebo and ran. Jerica looked surprised at first, but then her gaze softened, and she opened her arms in a welcoming embrace as Bridget grabbed her around the waist and did exactly as she had wanted. Jerica cupped her cheeks and kissed her tenderly until Bridget finally put her down.

  “You’re supposed to wait.”

  Bridget snorted. “I couldn’t.”

  “Could you ever?”

  “Nope. And there isn’t really a need to, is there?” She looked at Jerica’s father and nodded to him. “Sorry.”

  He laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t be. I couldn’t have picked anyone more perfect for her.”

  He held his hand out in front of them, indicating they should walk the rest of the way together. Bridget wrapped their hands together and started down the aisle toward the gazebo, helping Jerica up the two steps to stand in front of Pastor Scotty who just shook her head at them with a grin.

  “You two are incorrigible.”

  “You like it, don’t lie,” Bridget quipped back.

  “I do. But now, I think we should do a wedding. What about you?”

  “Yes! Let’s do this. I’ve got everyone I need here.”

  Jerica’s eyes glistened with tears of happiness.

  “I don’t need anyone else.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Adrian J. Smith has been publishing since 2013 but has been writing nearly her entire life. With a focus on women loving women fiction, AJ jumps genres from action-packed police procedurals to the seedier life of vampires and witches to sweet romances with a May-December twist. She loves writing and reading about women in the midst of the ordinariness of life.

  AJ currently lives in Cheyenne, WY, although she moves often and has lived all over the United States. She loves to travel to different countries and places. She currently plays the roles of author, wife, and mother to two rambunctious toddlers, occasional handy-woman. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or her blog.

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