Chapter 9       

Cece stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out into the open.  For the past few days, this had been her favorite place to go.  It was the place that she was bombarded with emotions.  Was it odd that she enjoyed the sensation?  She knew it was her own fault.  She fell in love with the man standing a few feet away from her, and once she realized it, it was too late to turn back.

She inched away from the edge a little as the wind blew at her face.  Looking over at Paul, she sighed in happiness.  How long ago had it been since she first visited here?  She closed her eyes, letting the smell of the leaves brighten her mood; she let the sound of the music heighten her excitement.  When she was first here, she was with Paul.  A large smile spread across her face as she let her thoughts go where they wanted.  They had started to date, and it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. 

He had talked to her hours on end about everything.  From his stepfather to his birth father, they had covered every subject.  She had sat on this edge and told him things she hadn’t even told Abby.  She told him about her family, how they didn’t speak to her because she refused to support them after years of doing so.  She had expected him to look down on her, but he had merely shrugged, telling her that she could only do so much for a person before they had to do something on their own.

She had tried to push the only man that she wanted to stay away, but Paul had been the one to return to her, had been the one to stick with her through all her secrets.  It didn’t matter that they were so early along in their relationship.  She was happy, and she could honestly say that Paul was happy too.

Gasps made her open her eyes and stare at her best friend.  Abby walked toward them, her eyes directly on the man standing next to Paul.  The complete happiness on Abby’s face made Cece smile.  At one point, she had felt longing for what her friend had with Lance, now, she could only smile.  She had what Abby and Lance shared; she had that with Paul.

Abby stopped as she handed the flowers to Cece.  As soon as both of her hands were free, Lance reached out and covered both her hands in his.  As the preacher began to talk, Cece turned her gaze to Paul.  He was smiling at Abby and Lance with complete happiness on his face, and as he turned towards Cece, love was what she saw in his eyes.  When he winked at her, she had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing.  Yeah, she was more than happy; she was in bliss.

The ceremony concluded, and Cece glanced away from Paul briefly to see Lance kiss Abby with such passion that Cece knew Paul’s theory on Abby’s pregnancy had to be true.  Or maybe it was the way Lance cupped her face with one hand while the other rested on Abby’s belly.  The man was definitely going to be a proud father.

They pulled apart.  Abby glanced in her direction.  Cece smiled at her best friend while holding out the bouquet.  Abby shook her head with a small laugh.  “Keep it,” she whispered.  “I don’t need to throw it to know who the next person getting married will be.”

Lance must have heard Abby because he turned towards Cece with a large grin.  Pulling Abby closer to him, he wrapped his arms around her.  “Sorry,” he mumbled as he pressed a kiss below Abby’s ear.  “I don’t think having a ceremony will work.”  He glanced up at Cece, and she let out a laugh at the look in his eyes.

“I’ll handle the guests.”

An arm wrapped around her shoulders.  “We’ll handle the guests,” Paul said from beside him.

“It’s not like there is that many here,” Lance said quickly as Abby opened her mouth to protest.  “You remember that surprise I told you about?” he whispered.  Abby nodded, a smile forming on her mouth.  “Well, it requires us to be somewhere in,” he paused to look glance over Abby at his watch, “twenty minutes.”

She let out a sigh before looking at Paul and Cece with a happy expression.  “You don’t mind?”

“No,” Cece answered.  “You wouldn’t let me get you a wedding gift.  So it’s the least I can do.”

Abby’s eyes sparkled.  “I have one other thing you can do for me.”

“I’d love to be his or her Godfather,” Paul said, making Abby glare at him.

Cece laughed as Paul hugged her from the side.  “And I’d love to be the Godmother.”

“Thanks,” Lance said with a proud expression, “but we need to go now.”

“Run while you can,” Paul said as the two of them darted off.  Cece watched them as the waved and smiled at guests.  “You know, that will be us some day.”

She glanced up at Paul with a smile.  “I know.”

“Good,” he mumbled, “because my mom already has plans.”

Another laugh escaped her mouth, but even as a little worry hit her, she knew she would be fine.  Times would be tough; there would be moments that they fought.  It would be worth it though, because every time they fought, every time there was a bump in the road, she knew that they would make it out even stronger than they were before. 

“We’re doing things backwards, don’t you think?”

Glancing down at her he frowned before understanding lit his face.  “I love you, Cece.  Will you do me the honor of one day becoming my wife?”

“You never do things the conventional way, do you?  You’re supposed to be down on one knee.”

He glanced down at his pants before raising an eyebrow at her.  “Do you know how much these pants cost?”  The smile in his voice let her know that he was joking, and when he went to kneel down, she stopped him.

“I was joking,” she mumbled as she stood on her tiptoes.  “I love you too,” she whispered as she brushed her lips across his mouth. 

“And?”

“And of course I’ll marry you,” she finished.

He let out a small, victory shout that made her laugh.  As his lips pressed against hers, all laughter was forgotten.  The guests around them could wait, right now, she was exactly where she wanted to be and no one was going to make her leave.  By the way Paul tightened his grip on her, she had a feeling he felt the same.

The End