Page 75 of Blue Jean Summer

“Mr. Allen, if you’d like to join the rest of the guests in the garden for cocktail hour, there are some appetizers being served before dinner,” Hallie said, quickly dismissing the man. She followed him out, along with Mason and Levi, leaving the two of us alone.

“Why did that seem a little calculated?” I asked when we were completely alone.

Hayes smirked. “Lewis can hem and haw all he wants, but no one can argue I’m actually married and meet the criteria to inherit the estate when the signature of the will’s executor is on the witness line.”

A sly smile curled on my own lips. “You’re devious.”

“I learned from the best,” he said as he peered out the large window that overlooked the rose garden.

Guests milled about, but I could sense where Hayes’s gaze landed. Walt’s headstone. It wasn’t lost on me that Mildred’s headstone was visible from where Walt would often sit at the desk. He never wanted to be far from her.

I ached for that kind of love.

Chapter 19

Hayes

“Ladies and gentlemen, for the second time ever, Mr. and Mrs. Wilder!”

Catherine’s smile was unmatched as we made our way into the white tent, hand in hand. There had been no need for a rehearsal for the ceremony. Walk down the aisle. Hold hands. Repeat after me. Done and done. The reception was a bit more of a circus.

Like we had planned, the music swelled when Catherine and I stopped in the middle of the wood floor that temporarily covered the grass. I held her hand and pulled her into my frame as the two of us began a respectable first dance.

“Quite the turnout,” I said as we swayed.

Catherine’s smile was soft. “It is a Wilder wedding, after all. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

I spun her under my arm, then pulled her back into me. “Hanging in there?”

“I should be asking you that,” she said as she looked up. The string lights overhead danced in her eyes.

My god, my wife is beautiful.

Catherine cocked her head. “You alright?”

I couldn’t look away from those eyes, soft like the ridgeline in the morning mist. “Can I kiss you again?” I asked as I moved my hand from her waist to her cheek.

Catherine’s laugh was light. “This is our wedding. You don’t have to ask.”

“Yeah, I do,” I said as I brushed her lips in a chaste kiss. Our guests all joined together in a chorus of “aww”s.

When we broke the kiss, Catherine avoided my eyes as she swallowed. “This is getting complicated, isn’t it?” she said softly.

“Just today,” I murmured. “It’ll get easier once it’s just us again.”

We danced the rest of the song in silence, but I didn’t miss the way Catherine pressed closer to me. I held her tight with no intention of letting her go.

But once the last note of the music faded, I had to.

The guests clapped and cheered as we made our way to the table that had been set for two.

“I’m starving,” Catherine whispered as plates were placed in front of us. Servers appeared in droves, quickly serving the rest of the guests. “I was too nervous to eat earlier, and that sucked because I really love Hallie’s cherry coffee cake.”

“Just wait until apples are in season and she makes apple coffee cake instead of cherry. It’ll change your life.”

Catherine groaned in delight. “Think I can bribe her to make it out of season?”

I chuckled. “Probably.”