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“Take your time. The guys are looking a little nervous but they’ll be fine,” she added with a giggle.
Her mother and father both had tears in their eyes as they looked Lucy over. Her dad arched an eyebrow as he stared at Lucy’s hemline but he smiled at her and carefully kissed her cheek and said, “Honey, there’s still time. I have the SUV right outside. We can be gone in a couple of minutes.”
Lucy giggled with her mother and whapped her dad on his forearm. “The only SUV I want to ride in is the white one out there that screams ‘Just Married,’ but thank you Daddy for having my back.”
“We brought you something, honey,” her mother said as Mr. Carter handed Lucy a velvet box. Maizy could plainly see that both Lucy and Seth shared their unusual eye color and jet black hair with Mr. Carter. Both of her parents were also quite tall and it was obvious Lucy had inherited her curvaceous figure from her mother.
Lucy whimpered when she opened the box. “Great-grandma’s silver locket!” Her voice caught on the last syllable as she stroked the antique jewelry and then carefully lifted it from its bed of white satin.
“She told me years ago to give it to you on your wedding day as your ‘something old,’” Mrs. Carter said, tears in her eyes and her own voice catching a little. She gently took it from Lucy’s trembling hands and clasped it around Lucy’s throat. Charity and Jayne fanned Lucy’s face as she flushed and tears welled in her eyes.
Lucy’s parents hadn’t been too surprised to discover that their daughter had fallen for Patrick and Beck. They’d spent enough time in Divine, visiting their grown children and their grandchild, to get to know some of the ménage groups. Once they’d seen evidence of the deep, abiding commitment between the members, they hadn’t been all that shocked. Although Maizy knew her mom would cheer Patrick on in finding his own happiness, Maizy lamented that her dad wasn’t as accepting of the lifestyle Patrick had chosen. She knew she probably wouldn’t be able to look back on a sweet memory like the one she was witnessing, if she was ever in Lucy’s shoes.
“Okay, sweetheart. Ready to go strap on a ball and chain?”
Lucy burst into laughter. “Daddy!”
He gestured with a thumb in the direction of the front door. “There’s still time. Just sayin’.”
Grace ushered Rose Marie and PJ onto the back porch as she whispered encouragement and instructions to them. With the door open, Maizy could hear soft guitar music playing as the kids and Grace took their places at the bottom of the steps. Before long the kids found something to squabble about.
The adults all burst into restrained laughter when they clearly heard Rose Marie yell, “You’re not the boss of me, PJ! You hush up! Talk to my hand, ugly boy!”
Charity chuckled and said, “Clearly taking after her Auntie Charity, there.”
Because PJ delighted in bossing Rose Marie around, which inspired wall-eyed fits in the young lady, it had been decided that Grace would escort the young attendants up the aisle. Lucy had been happy because she’d wanted to include Grace in the ceremony all along and Grace had been excited as well. Now all she had to do was get the warring youngsters down the aisle.
On cue, they began the processional with the change in the music and the wedding got under way. When Grace and the kids reached the halfway point, Maizy stepped onto the porch at Rachel’s direction and moved forward. This was the hard part for her because taking her time in the slow methodical march down the aisle didn’t feel natural. She tended to hurry wherever she went. She breathed deep and thought of her men, wondering what they’d think when they saw her, and tried to get into the spirit of the occasion and enjoy the ritual.
She looked up as she came within view of the assemblage and smiled when she caught Rose Marie sticking her tongue out at PJ and he returned the gesture. He seemed to enjoy pushing her buttons.
Maizy scanned the crowd and spotted her bears when they turned in their seats and all three of them reacted to her appearance. Spencer jerked his sunglasses off and stared with intense golden eyes. Heath grinned and looked like he wanted to get out of his seat and go to her as he lifted his smartphone to take her picture. A slow, sexy smile crossed Cody’s handsome face as he licked his lower lips and his bedroom eyes told her exactly what he was thinking. If her lipreading skills were any good, Heath said, “Baby, dayum!” before he shook his head like he was dazed.
