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Quinn, peeked out the door and turned. “Seraphina, Noah, you three are next.”
I waved and blew raspberries at peanut as she passed in her bedecked vintage carriage. She laughed and waved back.
“Are you nervous?”
I looked at Elle, wondering if she asked out of concern or because that just seemed like an appropriate question for the moment. I could count on one hand the conversations we had this week. In the end, it seemed like a blessing that she hadn’t inquired about my dad or asked any follow up questions about the night of the rehearsal dinner.
“Not at all,” I told her honestly. “This is exactly where I was always meant to be.”
“Elle, you’re up,” Quinn called, and then I was on my own.
I stepped forward and the wedding planner smiled as Josette fluffed my hair. “Ready to become Mrs. Hale Davenport?”
I nodded and a rush of butterflies took flight in my stomach.
Quinn reached for the door as the first piano note played in the tune of Florence + the Machine’s Never Let Me Go. My spine tingled as the cymbals punched through the air, carrying over the New York skyline, and the choir hummed.
Just as the female vocalist belted out the chorus about being carried away in the arms of the ocean, the doors opened, bathing us in sunlight, and my breath hitched. The moment I crossed the threshold he was there, waiting at the altar.
And so our journey began.
When I stepped, he stepped.
It was perfect.
It was Hale and me.
I didn’t tremble or hesitate. As long as I kept my eyes on him my balance didn’t falter. Steady and sure, he remained my anchor through any storm.
When we met in the middle, he smiled into my eyes. “You made it.”
“We made it,” I corrected.
His gaze dropped to my dress. “You’re stunning.”
I blushed and touched his lapel. “Garage sale?”
“You know it.” He pressed his forehead to mine and grinned. “Ready, gorgeous?”
I slipped my arm into his. “Don’t let go.”
“Never.”
The angelic voices of the choir echoed his promise to never let me go as we stepped closer toward our future. Sunlight spilled over the guests and greenery, casting the world in pinks and gold. It was, indeed, the most surreal moment of my life.
I’d never forget how my mother looked when she smiled at me. Or how Remington nodded his consent and blinked back the tears clouding his sharp silver eyes. Or how Phina clutched her hands to her heart or how Barrett lovingly gripped his brother’s shoulder and winked at me when we reached the altar. Tyler bounced Elara on his hip and whispered in her ear, pointing and drawing her attention to us. She squealed happily and chattered our names.
Everyone I needed to be there was there.
As the minister stepped forward, chills danced over my arms. I wish I could recall what he said, but I couldn’t hear anything over the rapid beating of my heart in my ears.
When he told me to repeat something I did. And when he asked for the rings they magically appeared. Everything was so flawlessly orchestrated.
All I needed to do was hold onto Hale and say I do.
And boy, did I.
When the minister proclaimed, “By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife!” I threw my arms around my husband and kissed him like there was no tomorrow.
