Page 110 of Mountain Void

Just certainty. As she started walking down the aisle, she looked utterly certain.

The show of trust floored him.

A memory hit him, then, of the last time they’d done this. It hadn’t been in a church, that time. They’d gotten married on a boat in one of the Amsterdam canals. Charlie had looked beautiful that day as well, in a fuller, puffier wedding dress.

And they’d loved each other back then, as well. God, they had. But they’d both been younger. And when things had gotten tough, he’d mistaken silence for strength, and she’d mistaken his silence for a lack of love.

This time, he knew what he was committing to.

Terry’s gaze met his as she stepped aside near the front pew. There was happiness in her gaze, but also a warning, which he heard loud and clear.

Don’t fuck this up.

He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. He was going to take care of Charlie until his dying day.

He became dimly aware of the priest, who had started talking, but it was hard to pay attention to anything other than Charlie.

“You’re staring,” she whispered softly.

“You’re beautiful.”

Her cheeks went pink, as if she hadn’t expected the compliment.

“You don’t think it’s too much?” she asked, pointing to her dress. “For a second wedding?”

“It’s perfect for a last wedding,” Lorenz replied, taking her hand in his, even though he wasn’t sure he was meant to at this point in the proceedings. He knew he had to wait until the end to kiss her, and that moment couldn’t come soon enough.

Charlie

Married.

Again.

She liked what Lorenz had said, about this being their last wedding. She felt the same. They would treasure this marriage, because they both already knew how hard it was to make a marriage work. How easily even the strongest love could be damaged.

And she would never—ever—keep something important from him again.

When the time for children came, they would face the decision together and discuss their options. And they did have options. Adoption. Foster care. Whatever shape their future took, they would choose it together. No more silence. No more secrets. No more lying to protect the other—

She caught sight of Beau and lost track of her thoughts. He had a napkin pressed to one eye again. Beside him, Val patted his arm with patient resignation. Apparently, Beau didn’t just cry during wedding ceremonies. He cried through wedding brunches, as well.

She’d wanted to keep everything simple. A simple ceremony. A simple meal, instead of a formal lunch. A simple dress—Terry and Carmen had insisted she buy something new, and she was glad she’d listened to them. The ivory fabric skimmed softly over her body, and felt elegant but not overdone. In it, she felt truly beautiful.

Lorenz and all the male guests wore dark suits without ties, in keeping with the formal but relaxed atmosphere. Of course, Lorenz looked like a million bucks in his suit. She was going to have to get him to wear suits more often.

She hadn’t planned on flowers, but Kat and Carmen had surprised her with a small bouquet of mountain flowers—tiny green and white blooms that had been picked by all her kids at school. They were perfect.

Everything was perfect.

The truth was, Charlie had already done the wedding thing. She was ready to get on with the marriage.

And so was Lorenz, by the looks of it, from the way he kept looking at his watch.

“When can I take you away?” he asked.

“We can’t be the first to leave! Your friends—“

“My friends are all making bets about how long I’ll last before escaping with my wife.”