Page 69 of A Case for Forever
“That’s enough shop talk, you two,” Flo admonished them.“I can just imagine those dinner conversations now that you’re both living at Tess’s place. Oops,yourplace now.”
“You’d be surprised,” Bree replied. “We’ve been so busy planning this wedding in our downtime we haven’t had a chance to talk shop, so we’re catching up. Now how about I give you a rundown of our honeymoon plans?”
“PG only. I’m too old to even consider what you two will be up to for fourteen days—and nights—at Tahoe. Just don’t worry about Thelma and Louise. They’ll do fine with Fred and me. They’re going to be so spoiled you’ll need a case of tuna to bribe them into allowing you back into their good graces.”
“Bribes! Now it’s you bringing up the topic.” Bree laughed. “I’m happy you’ll be keeping those feline girls happy so Tess can focus on me.”
“Just so you know, there’s a brand-new couch in the cabin.” Flo’s eyes were twinkling.
Tess smiled and glanced at Bree. “Well, I guess that means no more princess and the pea. Not that you’ll be sleeping on the couch.”
“I’ve heard this lumpy couch story several times. At least the PG version. Part of the reason for the replacement,” Flo said. “I actually came over to tell you that the DJ is ready to start if you’re ready for the first dance. I’m going to go find Fred so that I can rope him into a dance or two after you newlyweds take a twirl out there.”
“Thanks, Flo.” Tess turned to Bree, grasped her left hand, and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. She touched the new wedding ring. “You ready to show them how this is done?”
“You’re the debutante with the dance moves, but I’m ready to follow you anywhere.”
They headed to the dance floor and waited. Tess held Bree in her arms until the DJ announced this was their first dance as a married couple. Then Etta James filled the room with “At Last,”and they began to sway together to the music.
The notes and the lyrics, the end of lonely days and the promise of shared nights, enveloped them in a cocoon of appreciation for the journey of their lives, for this destination, for this moment together and all the moments to come. If it had been a dream, Bree would never have wanted to wake up, but it wasn’t a dream.
It was a Tahoe connection that wouldn’t stay in Tahoe.
It was an agreed upon reset that refused to be reset.
It was a confidential agreement that had proven to be no match for chemistry and caring.
It was their two hearts that had been on trial, that now reveled in the verdict that it was love. The kind of love that was hard won, had survived the drama of courthouse crime, and would hold them together through any future challenges.
“Do you know how long I’ve waited for you?” Tess breathed into Bree’s ear. “A lifetime.”
“Not even half a lifetime, because you’ve got at least another half century to spend with me.”
“No objection. No appeal,” Tess said.
“No chance of parole, babe.”
Tess leaned in and kissed Bree. “True love doesn’t end, princess. This is just the beginning.”
