Epilogue
(one year later)
He resisted the intense urge to swat Marnie's hand as she adjusted his tie for what felt like the thousandth time. She'd spent the morning fluttering about making any last minute adjustments that she could, despite it all having been set the night previously. He made eye contact with Jas who shrugged as she adjusted her own dress.
"I just... I just... oh!" Marnie cried, her eyes welling with tears.
Shane grasped her hands between his own, "it's all good, Marnie."
"I know! I know!" She sniffled, unable to hold back her emotion.
Before she could fully break down, Lewis scuttled around the corner. "Looks like it's all good to go on this end." He said in a very loud whisper, "whenever you're ready Shane, we can start."
Shane nodded stiffly. "Let's get it over with."
Lewis ignored his tone and looked to Jas. "Alright young lady, I'm going around the side. When you hear the music, you can start us off."
Jas nodded dutifully but once Lewis disappeared she looked up at Shane. "You know I'm way too old for this, right?" She held up her basket of flower petals, glancing at it doubtfully.
"Yeah well, so am I."
"Nonsense!" Marnie said right before blowing her nose.
The gentle swell of music began and Jas gave him one last searching look before disappearing around the corner of the saloon. He heard the gentle din of conversation quiet and his stomach seemed to surge towards his throat. Yoba, how the hell was this happening?
Across from where he and Marnie waited, there was a white tent that held the other members of the ceremony. Ry ducked out with Haley on her arm. She was wearing a grey suit, Haley in a blush pink dress holding a bouquet of wild flowers. Ry caught his eye from across the road, giving him an exaggerated look up and down. He shook his head at her but she just grinned and flashed him a thumbs up before disappearing with Haley into the town center.
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was a real possibility he might throw up. It wouldn't be the first time he'd done it right in this very spot.
"Well, it's us now." Marnie said, voice sounding slightly steadier. She looped her arm through his. "Ready?"
He nodded curtly, allowing the nerves one more moment, before marching swiftly around the corner.
"Slow down! " Marnie reprimanded him, hissing through her smile. He pretended not to hear. He didn't look at anything but his destination. Arriving, Ry winked at him. He ignored her, taking a shaky breath and turning to look down the aisle.
Alex couldn't help but peak around the corner early. Haley had given him the tightest hug before she'd left with Ry, and he just couldn't not take a little look. He knew Shane had shaved that morning, but he could already see his stubble coming back in. He was scowling, and went so quickly around the corner Marnie practically had to jog to keep up.
The laugh caught on the emotion in his throat.
Evelyn smiled up at him, holding a handkerchief in her bony hand. "It's going to be wonderful, dear."
Alex smiled, accepting the offering, and dabbed away his tears.
"You keep that, I have a feeling you'll be needing it again." She said, and he pocketed it.
He took in a deep breath, "ready?" He asked her.
She smiled warmly, "of course, dear."
The two of them walked out into the sun, at a considerably slower pace than Shane had gone. Alex had to lean lower on the one side to accommodate his grandma as they shuffled along. It was the perfect autumn day, the sun shinning its blessing down on the patiently waiting crowd. Everyone smiled up at him. Haley was already crying. And Shane, standing beneath the arch that was entwined with wildflowers, was blinking a little too often.
"Fuck" Shane mumbled, unable to help it. He thought he heard Ry snicker.
The shimmering blue mermaid pendent was around Alex's neck in place of a tie. It glimmered in the sun. All because some crazy old man had appeared out of a storm and sold it to him. He'd had it forever. Niggling at the back of his mind. It was stupid. Alex would hate it.
He'd put it in a drawer and tried to forget about it. But one day he'd turned around and Alex had it dangling from his fingers, an expression of utter shock on his face.
When he saw that Shane was watching, he'd tried to put it back. "Sorry, I shouldn't have!" Flustered, bright red, hands shaking.
"We'll you've already seen it, so." Shane said gruffly.
"What?"
"So what's your damn answer?"
Yes.
And here they were, with everyone they knew as a witness.
By the time Lewis began the ceremony, Shane's eyes were leaking.
"Maybe this will be you next year," Caroline whispered into Abbi's ear as Alex and Shane sniffled their way through their vows.
"Mom!" Abbi hissed, in an attempt to end that conversation here and now.
"You never know!" Caroline quietly sing-songed. Abbi rolled her eyes, but nonetheless, she looked up at where Haley stood by Alex's side. She had been a trembling mess since the moment Alex walked around the corner, which Abbi would have teased her about if she hadn't started tearing up a few moments later herself.
After the ceremony in the town center, the festivities moved up towards the community center where they'd all share dinner and dancing. There was an excited thrum among the villagers. It had been a long time since they'd joined in a celebration like this.
Abbi, avoiding further comments from her mother, slunk off into the shade of a tree. She watched as the photographer shuffled the wedding party together for photos. First beneath the arch, and then up towards the fountain by the community center. Haley looked radiant. Even a blotchy tear stained face couldn't make her less so.
Sebastian joined Abbi in the shade, passing her a plate of of Gus's delectable hors d'oeuvre.
"Thanks. Ready for your speech?"
"Excuse me?" He snorted.
"I wonder how many there will be." Abbi mused before taking a bite of her snack.
"Ry's giving one. Probably Marnie, Evelyn. Haley?"
"Yep. It's a tearjerker, get ready."
"If I didn't know better I'd think they did this just to make everyone cry. Did you see Gus?"
Abbi laughed, "I wouldn't be surprised if this food is salted with his tears."
"And Clint?"
"That was a surprise," she snorted. In truth, the old cliche of not a dry eye in sight applied. They'd all been starved for this kind of thing, even those that would never want a wedding for themselves.
"Smile!" Haley interrupted, holding her camera up to her eye.
Abbi was sure the photo would come out with her and Seb looking shocked and awkward, with mouths half full of food. Haley didn't seem to mind. Smiling, she took a seat beside Abbi.
"I thought you weren't going to take photos today." Abbi knew that Alex had offered the job to her, but being in the wedding party caused too many complications. Haley said she wanted to be fully present for the celebration and not feeling like she had to focus on work.
"I can still take a few shots. I would be sad not to have any."
"Luann told me your behind the scenes photos for the brewery are turning out really well." Sebastian said to her.
Haley smiled softly, "yeah, it's coming along nicely." For the past six months, she had been working in marketing for Mountain Breeze. She'd taken quite nicely to the job.
"Oh good, Haley, you're free!" Caroline exclaimed loudly, pulling her husband behind her as she made a beeline for where they were sitting. "Come on Pierre, we need to get some photos of our own."
"Oh no..." Abbi muttered.
Sebastian gave her a sympathetic look before quickly disappearing.
Caroline didn't waste a second before she began cajoling her, Haley and Pierre together. "Please just one more!" She said about eight times. She loved to take pictures now that Haley could make up for Abbi's lack of appropriate attire. And Haley put up with it much better than Abbi did.
"Why don't I take some of the three of you?" Haley offered, after what felt like a year of posing.
Caroline suddenly became shy, "no, I couldn't ask you to do that..."
"You could!" Pierre piped up, "come on Caroline, it's not family photos without you." Despite the fact that he clearly hated the process of the picture taking, he knew it meant something to her.
"Oh... okay then..."
Haley, being considerably more practiced, only had to take a few moments to get a variety of nice photos.
"Oh, thank you Haley!" Caroline exclaimed, "Pierre, look at this one!"
Alex couldn't hold back his beaming joy, Haley could tell from across the lawn.
She watched him pulling Emily into a hug, and then Sandy. She smiled to see it, letting the exchange happen for a moment before she wondered over herself.
"I would never miss this, Alex." Emily beamed at him. "You and Shane look so beautiful together."
Alex tried to say thank you but there was too much raw emotion bubbling up inside for him to get any words out without sobbing.
"I never knew you were such a crybaby," Haley laughed, rubbing his back, as she joined their conversation. Too overcome to say anything, Alex just leaned appreciatively into her side.
Emily pulled something out of her bag and slipped it into Alex's jacket. A small sprig of a dried yellow flower stuck out in front of his pocket square. "This is for good luck. Not that I think you need it."
"Thank you, Emily." He croaked.
"You're going to be so fucked when we start giving speeches." Haley laughed, knowing she was fucked too. She'd already cried more today than she had in months.
Alex laughed, but it half came out as a sob. "I really... wasn't... anticipating this." He sniffled, dabbing at his eyes.
Shane sat Evelyn down at her place of honor at the dinner table. Apart from the catering staff rushing around to finish setting up, they were the only two inside. The windows and doors were open, letting the golden light and gentle breeze waft in. They could see the rest of the party enjoying the late afternoon sun.
"Ah, it's so nice to be back in Pelican town. I've missed these flowers." She remarked, admiring the overflowing vase of them on the table. Jas and Marnie had made all the bouquets the night before, and while some might say Jas had gotten a little overzealous with the size, nobody could say they weren't delightful.
"I swear I've seen you planting these in your garden, Evelyn." Shane pointed out, taking his seat beside her.
She waved him off, "oh, it's not the same. There are so many memories here... George and I, we were married in the spring."
"Daffodils and tulips?"
She smiled, "tulips and peonies. Peonies are good luck for romance, you know."
"Seems it worked for you."
"You should plant some in your garden. I'm not superstitious, but you can never be too careful."
"Some might say that means you are superstitious."
"Can you blame an old fool?"
"You're no fool."
"You're right. And I know you'll treat my Alex right, as he will you."
Shane had to look away, feeling the tears begin to prick his eyes again. "I hope you're right."
She patted his hand gently, "you'll make sure I am."
Maru was seated with her family, plus Pam, Penny and Penny's new boyfriend, Steve. Maru had only met him a couple of times before, and she was still suspicious of him. He hadn't given her a reason to be, but given Penny's history with Sam... Maru worried she had bad taste.
When the two of them were preoccupied in their own conversation, Maru leaned over to Sebastien and whispered "do you trust him?"
He nearly choked on the mocktail he was drinking. "Um, what?"
"Steve. He seems nice but I'm worried it's a front..."
Seb shrugged. "He seems fine."
"She doesn't have a great track record with picking guys..." Maru mused.
"Maybe you don't know her track record as well as you think you do," he said a little too quickly.
Maru narrowed her eyes at him, "I had a feeling..."
He blanched, "I don't know what you're talking about."
She shook her head at him. "That's my best friend."
"You're literally half moved in with one of my best friends - my boss. "
"What are you two being so secretive about?" Robin inquired, noticing their whispering.
Seb shrugged, "Maru said she wants her wedding to be like this."
Robin's eyebrows shot up, and her gaze immediately went to find Ry in the crowd.
"I didn't say that!" Maru spluttered. Somehow her and Sebastian had reverted to their much younger, bickering selves.
"Ry did give an excellent speech, she would be likely to host a great celebration." Demetrius pointed out, with zero tact as per usual. Maru felt her face burning but before she could defend herself, the lights dimmed.
Half the room had been cleared for dancing. Alex, smiling, led Shane, scowling, into the middle of the floor. They took position.
At multiple points, Maru thought Shane wanted to give up. Alex, being an athlete, had a level of grace that did not exactly transcend to his partner. Many times Shane seemed to lose his footing and stumble, to which Alex giggled.
The first partners to join them were, to everyone's shock, Lewis and Marnie. Robin and Demetrius, who everyone knew loved to dance, soon followed after. Elliott swooped Harvey up in his arms, and twirled him around the room with ecstatic joy, as Haley and Abbi gently swayed with their foreheads pressed together.
Maru looked around for Ry, and spotted her chatting with one of the kitchen staff. As the best man, she had been heavily involved in planning the evening, and was responsible for the scheduling. She was probably discussing when they would roll out the dessert table or some small detail. Maru had hardly had a moment to speak with her all day. She knew they'd get their chance later.
To especially Shane's relief, the music soon changed to something more upbeat and everyone relaxed into party mode. Jas began teaching Luann how to do the worm and Vincent let of a firecracker right outside the window, scaring the shit out of his mother. Maru joined Penny and Steve on the dance floor.
The carefree flow of wedding dancing was a relief to Maru. She had been so preoccupied with her studies lately, that she rarely let loose. Though she had many wonderful evenings with Ry, and in the lab, it was not often she got to indulge in this type of fun. And even if Steve turned out to be a piece of work, he was a hilarious dancer, and getting to see Penny laugh and smile, so happy in love, was a joy.
She didn't know how long she was on the dance floor when Ry appeared to her through the crowd. She was smiling, her suit jacket and tie discarded. She slipped an arm around Maru's waist and said into her ear, "you look amazing tonight."
She leaned up to Ry's ear and said "it feels amazing to be here with everyone. It's a beautiful night."
"I must have mentioned how good you look in that dress."
Maru rolled her eyes, "you might have said something, yes." After an hour or so of dancing, the two of them slipped outside.
Ry had barely taken a breath in weeks. Planning a wedding during harvest time wasn't ideal, and though Alex and Shane would have been fine having it in winter, everyone else had told them fall would be much nicer. Initially they'd wanted to do it on the farm, but that plan had quickly changed when a summer storm made sure they needed to rebuild the barn.
So the town square it was. Ry, as best man, had been heavily involved. More so than she'd anticipated, having never been apart of a wedding before. But what kind of year would it be if not a little unexpectedly crazy? And this time it was all for something good.
Even so, Shane was apologetic, for even having the idea at all, let alone having other people put in effort. But tonight, it was obvious it had been worth it. The ceremony, the food, the speeches, the dancing. A celebration of love was much overdo, for everyone in Pelican town.
They had been blessed with perfect weather too.The night sky shone down on them with uncountable stars. Ry and Maru sat a little precariously on the edge of the fountain, letting the joys of the day wash over them.
Maru was dazzling in the moonlight. Her hair piled on top her head, showing off the graceful curvature of her bone structure. She wore a silky deep purple dress that cascaded down her body in a way Ry found particularly irresistible.
Ry slipped her hand into Maru's and lifted it to her lips, kissing the inside of her wrist. "What if we fell in?" She whispered against her soft skin.
"What?"
Ry looked into the pool of water, the moon's reflection rippling under the endless steam of droplets. "It would be kind of like..."
Maru shook her head in understanding. "You don't need to get me into a body of water to kiss me now."
Ry closed the distance in response. She had been dying to kiss her all night, all the responsibilities keeping her away only heightening the anticipation of it. Getting a little too into it, they teetering backwards dangerously close to losing their balance.
Maru broke away, laughing as she steadied herself.
"That was an accident, I swear." Ry chuckled.
They heard the door to the community center open and Shane stepped out. He stumbled into the lawn, almost in a daze.
"Running away already?" Ry called to him.
"Fuck, I just need a breath." He said, and he did sound out of breath. He came towards them and took a seat on the fountain's edge. Like Ry, he had disposed of his jacket, loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves. His face was flushed pink, and he had an expression of shocked amazement. He didn't say anything, and appeared to stare down at the ground, but Ry thought he was probably staring at the ring on his finger.
"How does it feel?" She asked.
He just shook his head, unable to put his emotions to words. He didn't need to. They'd all seen it today.
"Your man's looking for you." Ry nodded towards the door of the community center, where Alex was peering out, holding an extra jacket. When he spotted Shane he smiled and began walking towards them.
"I just needed a breath." Shane called to him apologetically.
"I know." Alex smiled softly, and Ry thought there was a good chance he hadn't even noticed her and Maru. When he got to them he placed a hand on Shane's shoulder, and Shane lifted a hand to Alex's waist.
Suddenly Ry felt the need to be elsewhere. Hand still clasped with Maru's, they both got up and silently walked back towards the party. Halfway there, they heard a loud splash and sudden yelp of laughter.
Turning around, Ry saw Alex and Shane's entwined bodies had tipped backwards into the fountain.
Ry snorted, "honestly, I'm glad somebody went in tonight."
Maru clapped her hand over her mouth and tried, unsuccessfully, to hold in her laughter.
Giggling, they left the new husbands to their antics. Ry was halfway to opening the community center door when Maru stopped her. "Wait."
Ry raised an eyebrow, "didn't take you for a voyeur."
Maru shook her head, "there's something I want to show you."
Ry had no clue what it could be. She nodded, "okay." Maru took her by the hand and began leading her up the mountain.
"Should I be nervous?" She asked. Some of the things Maru had wanted to show her had been some rather odd experiments. She didn't think she would reveal anything like that tonight, but she honestly wasn't sure...
"No, it's nothing weird, I promise."
"Okay..."
"What?"
"Well, your idea of weird is sometimes not aligned with mine."
"Says the one who's literally magical." Maru huffed.
"That doesn't invalidate my point."
They arrived at Maru's door. "Wait here." She instructed and Ry did as she was told, leaning against the fence as she waited. She could hear the crickets clearly, and the breeze gently rustling through the trees. It sounded like home.
She shivered gently, wishing she'd brought her jacket with her. As the thought crossed her mind, Maru reemerged and handed her a sweater. She was now wearing a practical cardigan over her dress and carrying a tripod with a telescope on it.
"I wasn't going to mention it but... there's a comet passing tonight." Maru said, sounding half embarrassed but busying herself with setting up the tripod.
"Why didn't you want to mention it?"
"There was better things to worry about tonight..."
"Hmm, but not that much better, huh?" Ry chuckled. There wasn't much that could distract Maru when her curiosity was peaked.
She lined up the telescope and Ry watched her intently. She never tired of watching her partner work. She had such efficiency and skill, it was a satisfying display.
Maru stood up straight and checked her watch. She looked up at the sky. "There!" She pointed, and sure enough a purplish streak was faintly appearing in the sky.
"Wow." Ry said, admiring the spectacle.
Maru bent to the telescope again. "Okay, now look." Again, Ry did as she was told. She was rewarded with the brilliant display. A light blue comet was burning through the sky, leaving a trail of purple star dust behind it (or so it appeared to Ry's unscientific eye).
"I've never seen anything like this before."
Maru smiled at her, before bending down to look herself. Ry looked up at the sky with her bare eye, watching the faint light. She placed a hand on Maru's waist. "I'm glad I get to see the world through your eyes."
She could see Maru subtly shaking her head as she continued to peer through the telescope. Ry bit back her smile, knowing she'd get a response later. It didn't take long, before Maru pulled her into a kiss, the comet's glow soaring above them.
Breaking away, Maru said "I do actually want to go back and dance some more."
Ry laughed against her lips, "lead the way."