Grace snorted. “Yeah. She didn’t exactly provide the staff with a choice. We all had to be here to celebrate our achievements. Her words, not mine.”
“I figured.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “But I’m glad we’re here. I haven’t seen you in a dress in a long time. It was worth the wait, even though I’d rather be getting you out of it.”
Giggling, she ran a palm over the smooth silk. “Tempting offer. Maybe we should head home now.”
“Too late,” Zeke said, lifting his hand to greet Cruz and Zoe on the other side of the room. “We’ve been spotted.”
She sighed. “Guess you’ll just have to imagine what I have—or more like what I don’t have—underneath this for a little while longer.”
He groaned and nibbled her ear.
Heat coursed through her body, and she cursed Brooke for keeping her away from the one place she really wanted to be…in bed with her husband.
Brooke and Lincoln appeared in front of the stone hearth in the center of the room. Brooke’s long hair was curled around her face. She wore a simple white dress that stopped mid-calf, her red heels bringing the top of her head to Lincoln’s shoulders.
Looking dapper in gray slacks and a white dress shirt with the sleeves pushed to his elbows, Lincoln cleared his throat and lifted his hands to quiet the crowded room.
Brooke stepped up on the hearth. “Hello and thank you all for coming. I’m so honored that Crossroads Mountain Retreat has come to mean as much to all of you as it does to me. This place saved me. It gave me something to pour my soul into as I healed. It gave my life a purpose.” She beamed up at Lincoln. “And it led me to my happily ever after.”
A collective awe hummed in the room.
“And today,” Brooke continued. “I wanted us all to celebrate what a huge milestone we’ve hit. Three years of giving back to a wonderful fraternity of law enforcement and veterans. There have been some ups and downs along the way, and now I want to add one more very huge up to the list. Lincoln and I would like to invite you all to gather on the deck and join us as we become husband and wife.”
Grace gasped and clung to Zeke’s hand.
“Wow,” he said. “Did you have any idea they planned to get married today?”
She shook her head, shock rooting her to her spot. “I had no idea, but it explains why she was so concerned with seeing this party through even with everything going on.”
“Well, we better get out to the deck. We don’t want to miss it.” He captured her hand and led her through the throng of people.
She smiled and waved at familiar faces of friends and coworkers. “Have you seen Penelope or Whitney? I told them we’d meet them here.”
“Nope, but we’ll look for them after the ceremony.”
She couldn’t hide her smile as she stepped outside. Floral garland wrapped around the railing, and a beautiful archway made of woven sticks and greenery was erected on the far side of the deck. Chairs were set up facing the archway, the lake and mountains beyond completing the awe-inspiring picture. “Damn, Brooke really knows how to throw a party.”
“Does it make you wish we would have done more than run off to the courthouse?”
“Not at all.” She grinned and hugged his arm as he escorted her to a pair of white-cloth chairs near the front. No way she’d miss a second of watching two of her closest friends commit their lives to each other.
Brooke and Lincoln took their spots, both grinning ear-to-ear, and Cruz stood between them.
“Looks like Cruz got ordained,” Zeke said. “That’s pretty cool.”
She linked their hands and squeezed. “Very special.”
“I’m so happy to see you all here today as we celebrate the love of Brooke and Lincoln,” Cruz said once everyone had a seat. “I still don’t know how my brother was lucky enough to win Brooke.”
Laughter bubbled in the air.
As he continued, Grace leaned her head on Zeke’s shoulder. She rested her palm on top of their joined hands and grazed her fingers over the wedding ring nestled back on his finger. Cruz continued to speak of love and kindness, joy and commitment—echoing the sentiments the judge had spoken to her and Zeke days before.
When Brooke and Lincoln faced each other to say their vows, Grace stared up at Zeke. She mouthed the words, and he said them back, reaffirming their devotion to one another.
Devotion she’d honor every day for the rest of her life.
* * *
