50 Shades of Drake 5 and 6

More Life: Chapter Seventy-Three

    Calm ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, bordered by white sand beaches that came together to form a long, narrow sandbar. Three people stood at the tail end of that sandbar: two suited men. One of the suited men was tall with a fade perfectly etched into his scalp, a diamond chip in his tooth (with matching cufflinks), and the most beautifully downturned, wide set eyes.

    The second suited man had demanded to be in charge of the wedding colors, because otherwise Destiny would have fucked it up. He stood tall near Aubrey with his hands clasped behind his back. Hair, once long, was now shorn into a shorter, high fade. The baby pink satin tie he wore matched the diamond chip in Aubrey's tooth. That was something else he'd insisted on, although the two weren't getting married.

    The dark-skinned girl standing slightly ahead of the two of them beamed towards the other end of the sandbar. She wore a stylish, blush pink dress that stopped at the knees. Her curvy frame did the dress justice. Loose curls were pinned up at the back of her head, and a pair of clear-framed prescription glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. Expectantly, she stood clutching a thick book to her chest.

    The two suited men turned towards the other end of the sandbar, the way they'd come. 

    Aubrey clasped his hands together in front of him at the sight of his bride.

    She was a beautiful vision in white. The hem of her long, sleeveless dress fluttered in the breeze that started to pick up. Tanned, brown skin glowed in the sun. A thin veil shielded her eyes from view, but couldn't hide the bright, wide smile she wore on her face. The sun's rays bounced off of the diamonds encrusted on her dress. Other than those few diamond details, her dress was modest. There were no shoes encasing her feet; she'd chosen to walk barefoot.

    The smile Aubrey flashed back at her was so dazzling, it was nearly blinding. He raised a hand and bent his index finger in a beckoning gesture.

    Destiny started moving forward and walked the length of the sandbar. No music. Just the sound of ocean waves and families playing off in the distance. No audience to watch them and gawk at them, or judge them for the choices they'd made for their wedding. Just them, the officiant who would marry them, and the witness of the event. 

    "Witness?" Carlos had echoed when he heard that would be his role. "Don't you think I've fucking witnessed enough at this point? Couldn't my role be something that sounds prettier? Like...like maid of honor, or groom, or groom of honor, or maidsman, or...shit, anything other than witness? Just that word alone gives me PTSD."

    "Okay, okay," Destiny had replied. "You can choose the name of your role, how about that?"

    "But the word on the paperwork is going to say 'witness,'" Aubrey had informed Carlos. "The courts don't want none of that pretty shit on the paperwork."

    Destiny had cut him a look. "You sounded like your old self just now, the one who raps."

    Aubrey had shrugged and walked away.

    "Choose whichever name you want," Destiny had told Carlos. "But...I'm kind of partial to 'groom of honor.' Sounds super cute."

    The groom of honor reached into his inside jacket pocket as Destiny approached. 

    Once Destiny was standing in front of Aubrey, it took all of the willpower she could muster not to collapse into tears. Standing this close, Carlos and the wedding officiator, friend and former college newspaper editor-in-chief Jasmine Brown could clearly see that Destiny's arms were bound behind her back with rose gold rope. The rope was laced up both forearms. A small bouquet was clutched in both hands. 

    Aubrey looked her up and down and circled around her, making note of the fact that she was still holding the bouquet. He'd been the one to bind her arms together behind her back. While he was tempted to see just how long she could manage to hold that bouquet in her hands, that wouldn't be a test he'd put her through today. Today, he was eager to give her his last name. So, he circled his way back around here so that he stood before her. Bearing a proud smile, he used both hands to lift her veil. 

   Her beauty took his breath away, although it was beauty he'd seen earlier today...earlier that month...earlier that year. It never ceased to amaze him, just how beautiful she was. Big brown eyes peering up at him so innocently, so sweetly, so filled with love and adoration. Full, shapely lips. Hair that was previously died a horrendous blonde color that even she couldn't stand had grown out into a beautiful, curly crown coming close to hitting her shoulders. That was the one request he'd had, other than the binding of her arms; he'd wanted to see her beautiful curls. After he swept the veil back, they shared a long look.

    It was no longer new to them, communicating with just their eyes. The habit had started so long ago now, neither of them could pinpoint just how long they'd been doing it. But their ability to communicate with each other that way had grown. Between them flashed a ton of memories: the start of their relationship, the struggles they'd had to deal with in their relationship, the brief period when their relationship had another participant in Brian Davis, the loss of Brian Davis, everything Palmer put them through...fast-forward past all of that and the trial sentencing, and Aubrey and Destiny were free to love and be loved by each other while surrounded by friends and family.

    Just because Palmer was sentenced to life in prison didn't mean that struggle was a think of the past for Aubrey and Destiny. After multiple paternity tests of a child conceived while Aubrey was mourning her, a new member was added to their family. A son was lost, but a son was also gained.

    Aubrey had expected the worst; he'd expected for Destiny to be furious with him. He'd expected that although he'd finally got her back, he'd done so only to lose her again. But she'd taken the news a lot better than expected.

    "I spent what felt like an eternity without you," she'd told him. "You thought I was gone and wasn't coming back. I can't blame you for trying to cope while I was gone. And...your son is such a cutie face. I'll love him as if he was my own."

    There are moments when you know you're with the right person, when your soul has found its match. Aubrey had experienced those moments more than he could even count, with Destiny. But this was another moment when he was certain that she was his person. She was the person that was specifically crafted for him.