Our honeymoon was going to be a week in Colorado, and Austin had arranged the entire thing. It was something we had argued about because I was having separation anxiety about leaving our son behind.
I tried to appreciate his efforts, but deep down, I didn’t feel right leaving Travis. But to be fair, Austin didn’t feel safe about traveling with him across two states, with eighteen-wheelers weaving in and out of lanes.
Maizy lifted the veil over my head, fanning my face with her hand. “It’s only going to last a few minutes, and then you’ll be off to your honeymoon. Austin packed the car this morning, but I have to warn you, the boys tied all those tin cans on the bumper. I don’t think that’s legal anymore, so I hope you don’t get pulled over by a state trooper.”
I laughed and felt my panic diminish. I looked down again at the scar on my shoulder where I had applied makeup to blend it in. The area was still pink, but Edward promised me that would fade with time.
“Stop nitpicking about every little thing,” she said. “My big sister looks like a fairy princess.”
“I feel like an ornament for the Christmas tree.”
Maizy glanced at the door and then back at me. “Okay. I’m going to take my seat, and this time you’re coming.”
I nodded back in acquiescence, deciding that if Maizy had to come all the way back up to the house to get me, she was probably going to bring a lasso with her. I listened to her heels click on the wood as she went out the front door.
I didn’t have heels. I’d opted to wear flats because I was too afraid of falling.
God, my throat was so dry.
I glanced back at the kitchen and briefly thought about the back door. I might be able to hide out in the fort, or if I kept going, there were always the bunkers. Knowing Austin, he’d track me down in those woods and carry me back on his shoulder.
Anxiety was an irrational beast. You could go through hell and back, and yet the most seemingly innocuous thing could set off a flurry of panic. I should have had nothing to be nervous about, but I was. I felt like the hands of time had rewound, and I was a bride taking her first walk to an unknown future.
I drifted toward the door and pulled it open. The porch railings were lavishly decorated with ivy and flowers that twisted around them, and a white carpet stretched from the bottom of the stairs straight into the yard, leading past the tree with the rope swing and through neatly arranged chairs where people were sitting.
Lots of people.
I raced back into the house. “My bouquet!” I frantically searched the room until I found it sitting on the sofa where I’d thrown it when racing back inside the first time around. It was a simple arrangement that matched the wreath on my head.
When I emerged onto the porch, there were low murmurs up ahead. Austin had his back to me, facing Turner—our Councilman, who was officiating the ceremony. Despite the unorthodox request, Turner had dressed in a handsome blue suit that made him look even more like Sean Connery than he usually did.
To Austin’s right, all the Weston men were standing in a semicircle so that no one held rank over the other. The idea of one best man hadn’t gone over well, so Austin had made peace by declaring they were all best men in order to avoid a third world war. When they caught sight of me on the porch, they whistled and erupted in applause.
I gripped the rail and carefully stepped down, lifting the ends of my dress so I could see my feet. As soon as I made it to the bottom and my eyes followed the path of the white carpet, that’s when it hit me.
The absence of a father to walk me down the aisle.
I looked at the empty spot on my right and thought about my big brother. “I wish you were here, Wes. You always said you’d do this for me.”
My chin trembled, and I fought back tears. I’d chosen this day of all days because it was the anniversary of my brother’s death—a day that had marked a transition in my life. This day had always been mournful, but it was time to give it new meaning and make it a day I could cherish. Wes would have wanted it that way.
Melody and Hope—my two flower girls—had dressed the carpet with pale rose petals dusted in gold glitter.
Almost everyone I knew was in attendance. Atticus, Prince, Kat, Lorenzo, Charlie, and even Jericho’s band—just to name a few. I didn’t know the manager at Howlers very well, but he’d given Rosie time off to attend the wedding. She and Izzy were close since they used to waitress together.
Ivy stood near the back in a pale green dress, her hair in two lovely braids instead of one. I floated toward her, but the moment she began singing “Landslide,” I got goose bumps and stood frozen in place. Her voice, the words… the memories.
My lip trembled.
Suddenly George rose from his chair and stalked toward me with a look on his face that actually made me turn around, afraid a psychopathic bride-killer might have snuck up behind me with an axe.
He filled the empty space on my right and held my hand. “You’re not doing this alone.”
I smiled and hooked my arm through his.