They had sent each other silent messages with their eyes—ones filled with love and promises. From this day forward, they would be each other’s world. He would be her protector, and she would be his. Their love was a gift from above, and they both knew it.
“By the powers invested in me, by this great state of Louisiana, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Stonewall, you may kiss your bride,” Father Jon Martensite announced.
With a huge smile on his face, Stonewall lifted Joy’s veil and pulled her into his arms, giving her the kiss that would seal their love forever.
• • •
Joy smiled at Toni, glad she’d been able to find a few minutes to speak with her without any others around. “Why weren’t you out there with all those other single women trying to catch my bridal bouquet, Antonia Oliver?”
“You know why,” Toni said, grabbing a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter. “I don’t ever intend to marry, so why would I want to catch your bouquet?”
Yes, Joy did know, though she was one of the few who did. “I see you and Andrew are doing your best to ignore each other again.”
Toni took a sip of her champagne. “We were cordial to each other at the rehearsal dinner.”
“What happened, Toni? The two of you were together for ten months.”
“It should not have lasted that long, Joy. It started out as a one-night stand, and I let him talk me into seeing him again. Then we became sex buddies.”
Joy lifted her brow. “Sex buddies?”
“Yes. The sex was so good between us, we agreed to continue it—sort of like an extended one-night stand. Recreational sex. And we agreed that at any time either one of us wanted to end things, we could, no questions asked,” Toni said.
“And?”
Toni didn’t say anything for a minute. Finally, she admitted, “And then we began doing things outside the bedroom—talking about our work, sharing little things about each other, talking on the phone when we were apart, and increasing the amount of time we spent together.”
Joy nodded. “The two of you were getting to know each other. What’s wrong with that?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be that way, and then…”
When she stopped in mid-sentence, Joy asked, “And then what?”
Toni finished the rest of her champagne. Then, in a soft voice, she said, “And then one day, I realized I had fallen in love with him.”
“So you broke things off with him.” It was not a question.
“Yes. Because we had agreed that we could end things whenever we wanted...so, I did.”
“But you had been seeing him for ten months. Surely things had changed, Toni.”
“Not in my book. Don’t you see, Joy? I couldn’t risk losing my heart to him...or any man. Besides, it was not supposed to get serious.”
“But it did,” Joy said.
Toni released a sigh. “Only on my part. Drew never did or said anything to make me believe he wanted anything other than what we agreed to in the beginning.”
Joy reached out and took her friend’s hand. “But what if you were wrong? What if he wanted more?”
“It doesn’t matter. That was four years ago. I’ve moved on.”
Joy smiled at her friend. “Have you really, Toni? This is Joy, remember? I know how miserable you’ve been. Is this the first time you’ve seen Drew since you ended things?”
“Yes. The first and probably the last.”
Joy studied her friend and knew she was fighting back tears. “Toni…”
“No, Joy, it has to be this way. I can’t fall for him or anyone else. I refuse to be my mother.”
“But you’ve admitted you love him,” Joy reminded her.
“Then I need to fall out of love with him.”
“It’s been four years, and you haven’t managed to get over him yet. Do you think you can?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Toni forced a smile. “I am trying. Now enough about me. Are you ready for your honeymoon? Where are the two of you going? And more importantly, are you happy?”
A huge smile touched Joy’s lips. “I am extremely happy. Stonewall is the best.”
“Then, I am happy for you.”
“Thanks, Toni. But I want you to be happy, too. I’ve watched how you and Drew have been watching each other when you think the other one won’t notice. You two should at least talk.”
“What if he asks me why I ended things? There is no way I can tell him how I feel, Joy.”
Joy glanced over Toni’s shoulder and smiled. “My husband is trying to get my