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Steven’s eyes shone with unshed tears as he wrapped his arms around her waist and dipped her in a kiss. Cheers and whoops could be heard from the crowd, but Rose barely heard them. In spite of the trials they had faced, in spite of almost losing him twice, they had finally done it. And he was hers. Forever.
When he finally released her, breathless and grinning, he turned her to their gathered loved ones and raised their joined hands in triumph. Rose giggled at the silliness of the action. Soon, she found herself jostled away into the arms of her family, both old and new alike.
The first faces she saw were those of her parents, and she pulled them into a hug. Their presence had made the day so much more wonderful.
Lanie embraced her next, and the warmth and joy exuding from her now sister-in-law touched Rose. But she should have known nothing could break their bond. She and Lanie were soul sisters through and through.
Then she threw her arms around Max. Her father-in-law’s hug was stilted and awkward, and he shifted away too soon.
“Welcome to the family.”
“Thanks,” she said with a wry smile. “So, now that your two children are paired up, don’t you think it’s your turn?”
Lanie laughed. “The day my dad remarries is the day hell freezes over.”
Crossing his arms, he shook his head. “I gave marriage the old college try. It’s the bachelor life for me.”
“Pity for the rest of us,” Carissa said as she reached them, a clipboard in hand. “Not to break up this celebration, but we’ve got a schedule to keep.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Not everything has to be planned out to the second.”
“Just because you live life by the seat of your pants doesn’t mean the rest of us have to,” Carissa retorted. Then she wrapped an arm around Rose’s shoulders and led her over to Steven.
Rose grasped his arm and gently pulled him away from his friends. “We’ve got to go get photos taken.”
Her parents and Lanie and Max met up with them outside. Rose wondered whether they shouldn’t have skipped formal shots and stuck with candid photos. Neither of them had a very large family, and there were only so many ways to position their small group.
After posing for several photos, Rose was ready to eat. The photographer told their families to head into the reception hall while he finished up with a few shots of just Rose and Steven.
As soon as they were released to join the festivities, they quickly made their way to the reception for their grand entrance. Rose danced from foot to foot, anxious to get inside and enjoy a well-earned meal.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the new Mr. and Mrs. McAllister!”
Their friends and family clapped as Rose and Steven made their grand entrance. Her vision for the wedding was inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tea lights hung in small globes from the rafters. Scalloped glass vases filled with white and pink roses and rich green leaves sat in the center of each table. Wreaths of hydrangeas and ivy adorned each window and twinkled with hidden fairy lights. The beauty of the room momentarily took Rose’s breath away.
She headed straight for their table, hoping to scarf down some food. But before she got to her seat, Steven grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop just as the DJ called them back to the dance floor.
“What’s going on?” she hissed, following Steven. “We agreed no formal dances.” It hadn’t seemed right at the time because her parents hadn’t planned to attend and Steven’s mother was gone.
Instead of responding, Steven smiled. Though he still had a slight limp, she’d been amazed at how steady he was on his feet.
“Are you sure?” Her eyes strayed to his legs, and she worried he would tire if he pushed himself too much.
“I am,” he said, drawing her in close and taking her hand. “I’ve been practicing.”
“You have?”
“Lanie and I started before the accident.” His lips twitched. “She didn’t want me to make a fool of myself for our first dance.” He shrugged. “And once I’d made enough progress in PT, Dr. Bhati thought it would be good for improving my dexterity and coordination.”
Taylor Swift’s This Love began to play, and Steven led Rose in a simple waltz. She stared into his eyes, overwhelmed at the realization of how hard he’d had to work to make the moment happen.
“Oh my goodness. I can’t believe you did this for me.” Tears spilled over her cheeks, and she knew Ellie would kill her if she saw her.
He twirled her before enveloping her in his arms again. “I wanted to make today as special as I could, to show you how much you mean to me.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “It’s just like the swans.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
