I Pretend You're Mine

20. Real Love

Dave let Amy sleep while he went out onto the beach to set up tables and chairs for the surprise wedding Lucy said she and Tim wanted to have. He asked some neighbors to pitch in to string lights and gather table cloths. One of their neighbors owned the town flower shop and donated some bouquets.

By the time Lucy and Tim arrived in Carmel, they were surprised to see how much work Dave had coordinated on their behalf.

"It's beautiful," Lucy complimented to Dave.

"Anything for you two," Dave replied and hugged Lucy. "Now, why don't you head into town and get your dress that Amy already bought for you?"

"Oh, dress shopping? I'll go with you!" Andy volunteered. "Come on, Lucy. I'll drive."

"I'll help with setup and keep Amy company," Tim said and kissed his fiancée's temple.

"We won't be long," Lucy replied. Thankfully, when she first tried on dresses, her measurements were taken, so her gown was hemmed well enough for a last minute wedding, and she was grateful her devious aunt purchased the one Lucy mentally deemed was her perfect dress.

"I'm not exactly good at hair and makeup, but I'll try to help," Andy said on the drive back to Dave and Amy's house.

"Thanks. Honestly, I don't care about anything other than that I'm marrying Tim today."

"That's how I felt on my wedding day. So much went wrong. Seriously, it was a wild day, but the second I saw Sam at the other end of the aisle, nothing else mattered. When you know you're marrying the right person, the actual wedding doesn't feel important," Andy grinned, reflecting on her wedding day.

"Can I ask you a question about you and Sam?"

"Sure."

"We were interviewed by H.R. about working together and being together, and you work with your husband, so do you have any advice?"

"From one set of married coworkers to another, I gotta tell you, it's pretty great. I don't get sick of Sam or annoyed that I see him all the time...well, usually. Most days, I love that I don't have to say goodbye to him. I love that I get to be by his side all day, then we go home, spend time with our beautiful daughter, and then we can just...be. We don't have to tell each other about our days, because we spent it together, so I can sit with him and let him hold me in his arms, and we get to enjoy the silence. It's like meditation. It's centering. It's everything."

"After shift, we do that, too. He likes to snuggle up with me and turn on mindless TV. It's amazing."

"That's what you have to look forward to for the rest of your life...until you add a kid to the mix, and it gets harder to find alone time, but you'll make it work. I promise you will."

"Any other marital advice?"

"Let your husband win an argument every once in a while. Sam's usually wrong like I'm sure Tim is, but it's a good ego boost for them."

Lucy chuckled. "Good to know."

"Can we stop by my house? I've gotta let Boo out."

"Who's Boo? Is that your dog?"

"Yeah Boo Radley is getting a little old, but he's a good dog."

"He can come to the wedding."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! I'm sure Kojo would love to make a friend."

"That'd be great," Andy smiled and turned onto her street.

♡ ⋆˙⟡ ♡ ˙⋆ ⟡ ♡ ⋆˙⟡ ♡˙⋆ ⟡ ♡

Sam Swarek is a man of few words, and so is Tim Bradford, which is why they set out tables and chairs together mostly in silence until Sam said, "A surprise wedding will definitely lift Amy's spirits."