Audrey and Aunt Dorothy are my bridesmaids. With Daisy gone, I cross the room to the three-way mirror that Audrey set up. I put on the pearl necklace I wore on my first date with Griffin.
“That’s yours now,” Aunt Dorothy tells me.
I touch the pearls. “Are you sure?”
She comes up behind me, fussing over the necklace and making sure it’s right. She’s shorter than me, barely coming up to my shoulder. “That’s how family heirlooms work. They get passed from generation to generation.”
“Don’t start,” Audrey warns, reaching for the tissues when she sees me tearing up. I’ve gone through so many of them today. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy.
When she’s finished, Aunt Dorothy wraps a bony arm around my waist and gives me a squeeze. “I couldn’t have asked for a better daughter.”
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close for a hug. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Thank you for loving my boy,” she responds, her voice thick with unshed tears.
Audrey’s phone dings, and she glances at the screen. “It’s time.”
The three of us step into the back of the church as the music begins. Sheriff Luke and his wife, Austin, start down the aisle. He’s Griffin’s best man.
Audrey and Logan are next down the aisle. Over dinner last week, we asked them to be godparents to Daisy. They were thrilled and immediately agreed.
I scan the crowd, giving Lorna and Ernie a little wave when I spot them. For our wedding gift, they bought me a new car. It was kind of crazy to me, but that’s the type of generous people they are.
My eyes go to the man at the front of the auditorium, the one who takes away my breath in his simple black suit and that bushy beard. He’s making all my dreams come true today by giving me his name and his family.
Aunt Dorothy holds out her arm to me, and I take it, grateful she’s by my side today. She walks me down the aisle, practically strutting the entire time. I’ve never seen someone as proud as she is of me.
When she lifts my veil, she presses a soft kiss to my cheek and whispers that she loves me. Then she’s melting away and I can focus on my groom.
We repeat our vows, promising to love and cherish one another. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy or be surrounded by this much love. It’s a palpable energy that I can feel in the church today. It’s not just the love between Griffin and me, although that’s definitely strong. It’s the love of Aunt Dorothy, Audrey, Luke, and dozens of others that came together to celebrate this day.
Griffin reaches for the ring, but before he puts it on, he tilts it so I can see the inscription. He gives me a wink, and I love that we have inside jokes and a secret language all our own. The inscription is one word with four letters etched on the gold wedding band: Mine.
I can’t help giggling when I see it. I wouldn’t expect anything less from this crazy cowboy who spends his time watching over me.
The pastor announces it’s time to kiss the bride, and Griffin brushes his lips against mine. It’s gentle at first but quickly turns so passionate that half the church is clutching their pearls and the other half is chuckling.
When he pulls away long enough to let me catch my breath, my cheeks are flushed, and my body is humming with awareness. This cowboy is now my husband, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.
Epilogue
Griffin
* * *
For the third night in a row, I’ve been called away from my beautiful wife to chase down vindictive raccoons that keep getting in Emma May’s trash cans. It’s not exactly what I had in mind when I signed up to serve and defend my community.
Maybe that’s why I find it so irritating when Luke strolls into the police department with a spring in his step this morning. He’s sipping from a mug of coffee and whistling a happy tune while I’ve spent the night chasing raccoons and telling off teenagers for spray painting crude things on the water tower.
“You look well rested,” I snarl as he hands me my own chipped mug.
“It’s what happens when you have a deputy you can rely on,” he taunts. “You sleep good at night.”
I take a sip of the hot swill he’s provided before I set it down on my metal desk. I scribble my name on the department tablet with the stylus that barely operates. I swear under my breath when it fails and give up, opting to use my finger as a stylus instead.
There’s not as much paperwork as the city, but it’s still too much if you ask me. The fact that I said I was there should be good enough for everyone. If I were given back all the hours of my life I’ve spent on useless forms, I’d do something meaningful with them. Probably go fishing. Better yet, spend some more long nights with my wife.
Missy and I have been married for three months. The home we’re building is set to be completed within the next few weeks, which is not soon enough. I know Missy loves living with Aunt Dorothy. But there are moments when I want to come home from work, lay my wife out on the kitchen table, and feast on her.
