Page 163 of Sheltering You

One side of the formal living room was open to the foyer. The Christmas tree towered in the corner, and beside it, a low fire flickered in the fireplace. Flower arrangements in blues and whites draped from stands that had been placed around the seating area. Bows made of puffy white fabric adorned every surface, and a white carpet stretched down the aisle created by the chairs.

Derrick had no idea how his family had pulled this off so quickly. At first, he’d thought it was silly to have a fancy wedding with only a few weeks’ notice, but now, seeing the beauty of it, he understood.

They’d all pitched in, these people he loved so much, to honor him and his bride. They’d always loved him so well, and they’d already made Jasmine one of them.

Mom and his brothers and their wives, girlfriends, and kids were seated in the first few rows. Besides Jasmine and her twin sister, only Eliza and Levi were missing, but they’d come soon enough.

Behind Derrick’s immediate family, Uncle Gavin sat at the end of the row beside his oldest daughter, Alyssa, and Aunt Evelyn. Funny how similar Alyssa and Evelyn were with their long silvery-blond hair, though Evelyn’s was more silver than blond these days. The rest of the sisters sat in the row behind them. Delaney, Brooklynn, and Cecelia were bent over one of their phones. Kenzie, the youngest, seemed not to mind that her sisters paid her no attention. She caught Derrick’s eyes and smiled.

In the next row of seats back, Logan sat with his girlfriend, Darcy, who’d come as his date. Or were they engaged now? If not, they would be soon enough. Logan was the caterer for the retreat center where Leila and Jasmine worked, and both he and Darcy had gone out of their way to make the twins feel welcome in Shadow Cove.

Derrick nodded to them and the other guests, who were all beaming at him.

His heart rate spiked for the first time all morning. These must be the jitters everyone kept asking about.

He took his place between the minister and Bryan. And waited.

Finally, Levi came down the stairs and around the corner, holding a little black pillow with the fake rings. The ones Derrick and Jasmine had chosen were safely tucked in Bryan’s pocket. Eliza guided the now five-year-old, whispering in his ear, and he practically skipped down the aisle toward Derrick.

The kid was so cute in his tiny tuxedo and those little blond curls, and Derrick stifled the urge to muss his hair.

He sat beside his dad, and Eliza scooted down the outside edge of the aisle and settled on his other side. They were the perfect little family.

Leila came next, pretty in a shimmery pale-blue dress. Funny how everyone said the twins were identical. They were, but Derrick could tell them apart in an instant. Leila was pretty, of course. But she was not his beloved. As she passed him to take her place on the opposite side of the minister, his almost sister-in-law gave him a smile that said, just you wait.

Finally, the music changed.

And then, there was Jasmine, on his father’s arm.

Holy moly.

Somehow, in a couple of weeks, she’d found a gown. Pure white and…gorgeous. Above the bodice, the lace rose to just below her neck and stretched down her arms, showing off her gorgeous dark skin. It flowed out from her waist in a wide skirt and trailed behind her. It was beautiful and modest and absolutely, perfectly Jasmine.

She was…

Wow. Just…

Wow.

He swallowed, swallowed again. Swiped moisture from his eyes to keep her image from blurring. This was a picture he never wanted to forget.

This…this woman. He was marrying this woman.

She gave him a shy smile. Her eyes were bigger, her lips redder. Her cheekbones higher. Her black hair was in some sort of updo with little bits curling down by her face. Her veil hung behind her like…like a halo.

And okay, maybe he was going too far, but he didn’t care. He saw what he saw. Beautiful, holy, pure, and perfect.

His bride.

She walked slowly, and he savored every moment.

When she reached him, Dad kissed her on the cheek and stepped back.

Derrick took her hands.

“Who gives this woman in marriage?” the minister asked.

Leila, her twin and her best friend, answered. “My sister owns herself, chooses for herself, and gives herself, and I stand with her in her choice.”