"No, no. It's not like that..." Debbie shook her head vigorously as she noticed the look in Carlos' eyes. She realized that her big mouth might have gotten her in trouble. The singer might have earned herself another sleepless night.
Blair's face was red with embarrassment as she heard the group of friends talking about the men's strong waists. Damon echoed the joke. "Oh, I see! Niles told me that Blair visited a gynecologist once. So Wesley indeed has a strong waist!"
Everyone in the room was grown-up. Of course, they understood what he meant. They all joked around with Blair, laughing and making off-color comments.
With his own name being brought up all of a sudden, Niles panicked and jerked his head to look at Wesley. He looked at him with sad, puppy-dog eyes and explained, "Don't look at me. I didn't tell him anything!"
Blair felt so embarrassed. How did Niles know? Thanks to Damon's big mouth, now everyone knew!
"What are you talking about? I didn't. Niles lied to you," the bride denied, her face now a deep shade of red. She wished the ground would open and swallow her whole.
Wesley squinted at Niles. "It's my big day. So you got lucky. Tomorrow, you'll know."
"Brother..."
"Out of my way! I'm taking my wife to our wedding now!" Wesley carried his blushing bride in his arms and headed to the bridal car.
Ten green off-road vehicles led the way, followed by dozens of black and red supercars, all luxury models bankrolled by ZL Group.
The procession of fantastic cars caught the attention of all the passersby along the road. It was a breathtaking spectacle. People stopped and took out their phones to snap pictures.
In the wedding hall of the hotel, the guests were all seated. Among them, the large group of soldiers dressed in green uniforms made a magnificent sight. They were all Wesley's former comrades-in-arm.
Adalson, clad in his dress uniform, walked Blair down the aisle and gave her to Wesley. Without exchanging a word, the two men saluted each other, and a look passed between them. Adalson's look meant, "Take care of her." In Wesley's gaze, he could see an unspoken vow to do just that.
The ceremony was both solemn and happy.
About halfway through the reception, Wesley bounded up on stage, grabbed the microphone, and took in how his wife looked. Blair wore a scintillating white wedding gown. He said in an affectionate voice, "My lovely wife, thank you for waiting for me for the last 15 years. You are the most incredible woman I've ever known."
Blair didn't expect him to say such sentimental words. She was shocked, eyes brimming with tears.
Yes, it was nearly fifteen years. She fell in love with him when she was seventeen, and now she was over thirty, a mother with a child. It was a long and difficult road. More ups and downs, twists and turns than a roller coaster. But she finally made it here.
"I swear, from now on, you won't suffer if I have a say in it. I love you, Blair. I'll protect you and take care of you, forever." He paused and relaxed his tone a little. "I'll learn from my dad—I'll spoil my wife as much as he did. Even when you're forty, fifty, sixty or older, you'll still be as happy as a child."
His words made the guests want to cry and laugh at the same time. Blair, of course, was moved to tears.
She didn't want any long and complicated love story; she just wanted to have a normal, peaceful life with Wesley. Her wish came true now. She felt happy from the bottom of her heart.
Taking the microphone from Wesley, she took a deep breath to calm her emotions. She responded, a lump in her throat, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Li. I'm your wife. I may have to bug you in the future..." When she dropped the last word, she couldn't help but bury her face in his chest, weeping.
More than ten years ago, in order to get closer to Wesley, she deliberately moved into the apartment across from his and became his neighbor.
When they met there for the first time, she said those words.
Back then, she simply wanted to be his neighbor and see him every day. She didn't expect that she would eventually marry him.
The guests looked at each other, confused. But Wesley, of course, understood them. Many years ago, Blair had spoken those words to him. When Blair wasn't with him, he would remember everything about that moment. Her scent, the look of her, her voice when she uttered those lines.
Moved, he came in for a kiss.
The ceremony finally ended. The couple descended the stage under the guests' warm applause. Blair was led to a room so she could change. Joslyn leaned on Hartwell's shoulder, her eyes reddened with tears. "Honey, Blair's finally happy." She had been worried about her best friend for so long.
Finally, Blair's efforts paid off.
Hartwell caressed her hair. "Yeah. Blair's happy now. What a relief."
"Mm hmm."
Debbie wiped the tears from her face. "Blair has suffered so much. Fifteen years! She devoted all her best years to Wesley, and now she finally gets to marry him. I don't think I could wait that long..."
Carlos squeezed her hand. "Really?" he asked calmly, betraying no emotion.
Debbie paused. "Well...maybe I could. After all, I was patient and got you. I love you so much. You know that, right?"
The CEO smiled satisfactorily. "Good girl."
On the other side of the table, Dixon was picking food for the woman sitting next to him. "Hey Garnet, you want to get married?" He wanted to.
Garnet's hands froze. After a while, she said, "Maybe. Maybe not. So what will you do now?"
Dixon took a sip of the juice. "If you want to get married, I'll propose to you; if not, I'll just wait."
"Mmm...maybe in 3 months?"
"Sounds good to me! So we'll tie the knot in 3 months."
Garnet nodded, "Okay! You make the plans. I'll put in for some leave."
"No problem."
Just like that, these two decided to get married. They discussed their wedding as if they were talking about the weather.
Later, on the day when Dixon proposed, Garnet fished out the brocade box from his pocket, even before he could do anything. She opened the box, took out the ring and put it on herself. "Wesley and Blair are always making googly eyes at each other and kissing. I can't stand it anymore. Dixon, let's get married as soon as possible."
Dixon couldn't think of anything to say. His relationship was certainly unique. Nonetheless, he nodded, "Okay. Let's get married."
"I'm warning you now. If you cheat on me, I'll put a bullet in your skull." Garnet made a fist, like she was threatening to hit him.
Dixon flashed a helpless smile. "I'd never dream of it. To cheat on a wonderful woman like you is a crime. Besides, I want to live."
"Great. So when are we getting married? My mom keeps nagging me about this every day," Garnet complained as she took his arm.
"Everything's ready. Just wait for your vacation."
"Really? You're so efficient. I like that. Okay, I'm going to find my CO and ask for some leave!" she said excitedly.
"Okay." Dixon looked at her, eyes full of love.
Now, Wesley and Blair's reception ended, but their life together was just beginning. After sending off the guests, Wesley booked a private room in the hotel and arranged another party with their close friends.
The kids went to their grandparents. So the guests at the party had not a care in the world.
Damon threw a set of car keys to Wesley. "Your wife had her eye on the latest model produced by ZL Group," he explained. "Consider this a wedding gift."
Blair gaped at him. 'That car is worth a million easy. He gave it to me?'
Wesley had wanted to buy that car for Blair, but he hadn't had the chance. He was hard at work preparing for the wedding. He didn't expect Damon would do that for them. Without the slightest of hesitation, he took the keys and handed them to his wife. "Thanks!"
Curtis pushed his spectacles up, cleared his throat and said, "I heard your wife wanted a house in Cloud Mountain. Right? With a view of the sea? I just bought one. Two hundred square meters. Is that roomy enough? Here, take the keys. You can move in at any time."
Wesley was silent for a while. He didn't hurry to take the keys. "How did you know?"