From the secondMcKenzie emerged from the back door in a silky black backless dress, I was mesmerized. It felt like my heart was leaping through my chest to get to her, though my feet stood still. I only looked away long enough to see Katie start down the aisle, but then my focus was drawn back to McKenzie. She radiated beauty and love and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. The way she watched Dallas and Katie with misty eyes made her look vulnerable and open in a way I hadn’t seen before.
It was different from that morning she’d told me about Brennan—when she’d looked as if she was the one lone soldier left on a watchtower, unwilling to abandon her post. Now, she was unguarded, the gate to her heart left unlocked, the wrought-iron bars swinging in the autumn breeze.
The preacher started the ceremony, but I kept finding myself looking at her as she swiped tears from beneath her lashes. Then Katie began to say her vows.
“Dallas, from the moment we first met, I knew you were special,” she said, her voice wavering. “At the time, I only knew you as the drummer of one of my favorite bands, but it wasn’t long before I saw everything that makes you who you are…the man I love. Your quiet confidence. The way you can take my bad days and turn them good with a single smile or one of your silly jokes.”
Katie paused, smiling through her tears. “You take the ordinary and make it extraordinary, just by being you. I promise to care for you and support you, to fight with you and for you, and to never go to bed without kissing you goodnight. You are the center of my universe, the golden sun that casts light on all the darkest parts of me. And I vow to always share every part of myself with you, even my shadows. Dallas Stone, I promise to grow old with you and love you, all the days of our life.”
I heard Dallas’ soft laughter before he spoke. “The first time I saw you, I think, deep down, I knew you were the one I was meant to be with. My heart recognized something in yours. Something that felt like home. You make me better, Katie. With your gentleness, your understanding, and with the kindness you show everyone lucky enough to be in your orbit. If I’m your sun, then you are my whole world. You’re the air I breathe. You are what keeps me going when it feels like everything is falling apart.”
My eyes searched for McKenzie’s, and I found myself blinking away tears when she gazed back at me.Shewas who had kept me going these last few weeks. I didn’t need to put on an act with her or pretend to be okay. She saw me as I was and accepted me all the same. McKenzie made me better.
Dallas’ voice broke, and he took a moment before continuing. “I promise to protect you and hold you when you ask me to and even when you don’t. As long as I live, you’ll never have to face anything alone. You’re my best friend and the love of my life, Butter Bean. And I’ll spend every day of forever loving you, cherishing you, and choosing you. Always.”
Choosing you.I swallowed hard, trying to rein in my emotions, but they would not be silenced. Maybe I’d been looking at this love thing all wrong. It was terrifying, yes. I knew, because as afraid as I was to admit it, I’d been falling for McKenzie since the night I ran into her at that dive bar. What made it scary was the lack of certainty, the fact that so many things could change. I could end up being too much or not enough and risk losing everything.
But maybe real love was never just about feeling. Maybe it was about choosing. Making the choice to stick it out for better or worse, through heaven and hell. Choosing to stand by someone in their not-enough-ness until they could find their way home again. After all, wasn’t that what my friends had done for me over the years? No matter how hard I pushed away, they always pulled me back.
I was lost in my own thoughts until I heard the preacher declare Dallas and Katie husband and wife, and they shared their first kiss post-ceremony. We all cheered for them as the quartet began to play. I found McKenzie once again, tears free-falling down her beautiful face as she clapped.
“Congrats, you two,” I said, making my way to the happy couple first and pulling them into a hug as Derek snapped a few pictures.
“I love you, brother,” Dallas said, clapping me on the back before leaning into my ear. “I’m glad you’re here.” The look in his eyes when he pulled away told me he meant more than just for the wedding.
“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”
“You make a lovely bride, Katie,” I said to her, and she pulled me in for another hug with Emilia tucked under one arm.
McKenzie stepped closer to me, and I felt my pulse vibrating throughout my entire body.
Just like Dallas’ heart had recognized Katie’s from the very beginning, there was something about McKenzie’s that called to mine. Without ever realizing it, I’d chosen her. I didn’t know what that meant for the future. All I knew was, I wanted to find out. I had to.
“McKenzie,” I started to say, but then Katie spoke up.
“Okay, ladies,” she said, holding up Emilia in her flower outfit. “Who wants to catch the bouquet?”
McKenzie laughed. “Normally, I’d sayew, gross, but this puppy bouquet is too cute to pass up. Besides, I don’t think it counts since it’s not a real bouquet. Gimme.”
She reached for the pup, and Emilia responded by licking her chin as she took her in her hands.
“This was perfect, Jo,” Katie said, throwing her arms around her best friend. “Thank you all for doing this for us. And thank you, Luca, for letting us use your place.”
“Seriously, this house is gorgeous,” Dallas added.
Derek nudged my arm. “I knew we’d get you to move here eventually.”
“It’s only temporary,” I said. “It’s a short lease.”
I could have sworn I saw McKenzie’s face start to fall at that, but she turned her attention to watch the quartet.
Jo grinned. “I guess that means we’ve got a little more time to persuade you to make it permanent, then.”
“You know what?” I said, my eyes lingering on McKenzie’s back. “I think I could be convinced.”
“This was the most perfect day,”Katie said, leaning into Dallas’ side as they sat on one of the outdoor benches. The preacher and the string quartet had long since left, the cake had been eaten, and we’d FaceTimed our friends who couldn’t be there with the good news. Afterward, we all ended up back outside, basking in the soft glow of the candles and twinkle lights as the outdoor heaters warded off the evening chill. Emilia was tucked away safely inside, snoozing on a pillow.
“Yes, it was,” Dallas agreed, kissing the top of his bride’s head. “Thank you all again for everything you did to make it happen.”
