Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Someday, it’ll be your turn, I told myself. I refused to succumb to any negative thoughts or to dwell on my conversation with Abby. Just believe.
If only it was as easy as mind over matter.
Photographing the rehearsal dinner was effortless—the scenery was beautiful, the temperature perfect, the breeze soft, and the golden-hour light falling just right. It didn’t hurt that the guests were incredibly photogenic or that the grooms were clearly in love. Every shot I took was magic, and I was in my happy place. In fact, the only hitch was that several guests, including some of the wedding party, had been seriously delayed due to traffic.
As dinner ended and the sun started to set, the party moved from the grassy lawn down to the beach, where a bonfire had been set. One of the waiters popped champagne, and everyone took a glass. I waited for the toasts to begin, but instead, everyone gathered to watch as the sun sank into the ocean.
I approached Brant and his wife, Karlie, who held their sleeping baby in a wrap. “What’s going on?” I whispered.
Brant grinned. “Sea Sprite tradition. Make a wish, and if you see the green flash on the horizon when the sun sets, it means your wish will come true.”
“Does it work?” I asked dubiously. Hell, at this point, I’d try anything for my happy ever after, even wishing on a green flash.
“It did for me.” He laid his hand on Karlie’s shoulder. She looked over at him and smiled, reaching her hand up to cover his.
Well. Okay, then. If Oscar could joke about manifesting me a horse in our last text convo and manage to deliver me one—literally—so soon after, why couldn’t I wish on the sunset? I knew exactly what I wanted to wish for.
Please, let me find the right guy. Let him appear right now…
As the sun dipped lower, I allowed myself to not just want it but to imagine it. Someone standing behind me, his arms wrapped tight around my chest, and his lips next to my ear. But when that imaginary someone whispered my name, he sounded way too much like Oscar.
I remembered then why I never let myself indulge in thoughts like this. Because it hurt to want something so badly when you knew you could never have it.
Like I always did when my feelings felt too big to contain, I picked up my camera. I ignored the setting sun and instead turned my back to the ocean, snapping photos of the guests as they gazed at the horizon, the last of the sun bright in their eyes. I ignored the green flash and instead focused on capturing the wonder on the faces of the partygoers when they saw it. The true love that filled the air around the happy couples who looked at their partners and knew their own wishes had already come true.
That was my job, after all.
I was so focused on taking pictures that I didn’t hear the motorboat approaching until I noticed one of the guests point toward the water. I swung my lens around to find a speedboat roaring out of the distance, the engine growing louder as it drew near. Once it reached the shallows, the motor cut off, and the driver allowed the resulting momentum to finish guiding them to shore.
I glanced up the beach to where security was stationed, wondering if perhaps the paparazzi had gotten word about the wedding weekend and were trying to crash it. But they looked unconcerned.
“The best man,” Brant snorted beside me. “Always loves to make an entrance.”
Just then, a familiar silhouette appeared on the bow, wearing loose linen pants rolled up to his calves and a white button-down shirt. I sucked in an unsteady breath, my heart hammering in my chest.
He waved at the crowd gathering on the beach and flashed a wide grin. “Sorry I’m late! Had a meeting I couldn’t miss, and the traffic was terrible.”
Roman cupped his hands around his mouth. “Show-off!”
Oscar laughed. He looked so beautiful and perfect in that moment, with his tanned skin and wind-tousled hair, the riot of colors from the sunset lighting the sky behind him. He was warm and vital and alive, right in front of me for the first time in months, but it felt like I was caught in a dream.
It was harder than it should have been to focus on lining up my shot, getting the lighting just right, and capturing the moment. Oscar’s eyes were alight with amusement, his smile wide and genuine, and for once, I didn’t want to simply observe him through the viewfinder. I wanted to be by his side.
The boat neared the edge of the surf, and Oscar crouched, ready to jump down to the beach. I shifted, trying to get a better angle for my photo. The movement must have snagged his attention because he glanced my way.