Book 1 in ~The Ocean Series~
An ancient prophecy; a new world in another dimension; a ruthless king bent on destruction; a battle to save lives no one knew existed-how can a hero fight an enemy he's never before seen nor heard of?
William 'Billy' Sm...
"Ok, ok- it's fine, just leave it! Will you stop fussing, Gavin," Jace tried swatting Gavin's hands away.
"Chill, Jace! Will you stop fussing?! I'd have finished this by now if you weren't fidgeting so much," Gavin was trying to pin a flower to Jace's shirt, but with the way Jace kept shuffling his feet he was afraid he'd poke him in the chest.
"Why do I even need a flower, anyway? It's so girly," Jace put his hands on his hips and tried to take a deep breath. But that was rather hard when it seemed his thumping heart was fighting for all the space in his chest. He was getting married today. Today!! He still couldn't believe it. But the set up all around him and the people who had come to celebrate with them kept reminding him that it was indeed today.
A few days ago Emily and their families had come back through the Gateway to be here for their wedding and to say their final goodbyes – well, final for the foreseeable future, anyway.
Emily had gone to Earth when everyone else had gone home to properly resign from work and say farewell to her friends. Cyrus had promised that the Gateway would be open for her when she was ready to come back. She had contacted her parents, and they were able to take leave from their mission in the Ukraine and fly home to see her; so along with Jace's parents and sister, a few of their friends from church, Emily and her parents had swam and paddled out at their favorite beach and crossed through the Gateway into the Land of Sen Cyrus. It was an exciting time for everyone, and Jace was so grateful to see his mom and future parents-in-law.
Now, here he was, standing up the front of the picturesque outdoor set-up that had been planned mostly by the governors' wives while Emily was away, then finished by Emily and Amy just this morning. It was beautiful, Jace had to admit.
They were going to be married under the large spreading poinciana in Cyrus' garden where they had shared their first kiss. Chairs had been brought out and placed on the smooth grassy area, a few thin white sheets of fabric were strung through the tree boughs, and an arch made from flower-wrapped branches had been constructed for them to stand beneath.
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Jace was standing there now, waiting...waiting... Emily wasn't late, he was just early. He'd been ready for over an hour, had been up since before dawn as the strange fluttering feelings in his stomach and his racing heart had prevented much sleep.
Soon Cyrus joined him and Gavin at the front as the guests took their seats. The sun shone down on them through the whispering leaves, and Jace felt the breeze pick up slightly. He'd noticed a few dark clouds on the horizon earlier, but he wasn't concerned even as they drew closer. Even if it stormed down on them, he wouldn't be any less ecstatic on this joyous occasion. After a few minutes of excited chatter, everyone suddenly hushed and looked towards the mansion.
Jace's heart sped up and nearly thumped right out of his chest as he saw her – on her father's arm, she carefully made her way across the paths through the garden before reaching the start of the aisle. Her smile was enough to light a dozen cloudy days. He forgot to breathe as their eyes met – the strength of the feelings he had for her continued to amaze him. She started towards him, her long white dress swishing around her ankles, her long blonde hair blowing around her shoulders.
