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Jack grinned at the two dogs. “Hunter tried to eat Princess’s collar.”
I laughed. “Of course he did…”
Jack squeezed my hand. “Hey, I’m pretty grateful for his pain-in-the-ass streak. After all, without it, we’d have never ended up here.”
I met Jack’s eyes and nodded. “Don’t tell him though. It’ll go to his head and he’ll demand even more attention.”
We laughed softly together as the music finished playing and then the minister cleared his throat, switched on the mic pack, and addressed the small crowd of a few dozen of our closest family and friends. The minister led us through the ceremony but if someone asked me what he’d said, I wouldn’t have been able to answer them. I spent the entire time lost in Jack’s eyes, seeing the love and promises held there. When the minister handed over the mic to Jack for the vows, I drew in a breath, trying to fight off the inevitable waterworks as long as possible.
“Holly, where do I start?” He started, drawing a soft laugh from the audience. “Whenever I think about us, I can’t help but go back to the first moment I saw you. It’s forever locked in my heart, this picture of you, running down the beach after your crazy dog,”—he paused again for the crowd, most of whom looked over at Hunter, who was sniffing all over Princess, probably wondering if she had any food. “You were—are—the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I couldn’t wait to find out everything about you. Well, fast-forward three and a half years later, and I’m still learning about you every day. You fascinate me and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I promise to love you for the rest of my life. To be your best friend, lover, and partner in all that life has in store—good and bad. I love you with everything I have inside, Holly. You make me a better man and I am honored to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“I love you,” I mouthed to him and by some miracle, I made it through my vows even as I cried quietly at the beautiful words Jack had written just for me. When I finished, the minister took the microphone and Jack took my hands again. “I love you,” he whispered in my ear, sneaking a kiss on the cheek.
“I love you, too.”
The minister walked us through the ring ceremony and when Jack and I were both wearing our wedding bands, he proclaimed us husband and wife and instructed Jack to kiss the bride—which he gladly did.
Jack swooped me into his arms and carried me back down the aisle as everyone threw rose petals at us. He didn’t set me down until we were alone, around the side of Aaron’s house where Gemma had cultivated a garden that was going to serve as the backdrop for our wedding pictures. Jack backed me up against the house and kissed me hard until we were both breathless.
“I’ve got you now,” I teased, holding up my left hand to show off my sparkling wedding band.
Jack smiled down at me. “Baby, you’ve always had me.”
“Please join me in standing as we welcome this beautiful couple to their reception. For the first time, I am pleased to introduce Mr. And Mrs. Jack McGuire!”
Cheers and applause and the sound of champagne bottles popping greeted us at the reception.
Everything was flawless. Dancing, great food, and when things started to wind down, I snagged the mic from the wedding party’s table and addressed the crowd. “We want to thank you all for being here, to join in our celebration of love and the union of our hearts and lives. Before you go, I did have one last little thing.”
Jack shot me a puzzled look and I smiled in anticipation.
One of the catering staff brought out the top tier of our wedding cake and set it down on the table in front of us. “Now, normally, the tradition is that you’re supposed to save the top tier, freeze it, and enjoy on your first anniversary. But we’re going to do something different with it.”
“Food fight!” Aaron cheered, swiftly earning an elbow from Gemma.
“As some of you know, I had a doctor’s appointment last week. Well, at that appointment, he gave me an envelope with baby McGuire’s gender in it. I gave that to our wedding cake baker and once we cut into this very cake, we’ll know whether we’re having a little boy or girl.”
“Are you serious?” Jack asked, staring at the cake with gleaming eyes.
I nodded. “What do you say? Want to find out?”
“Hell yes!”
“Where’s the knife?”
“Right here, baby.” He pulled his sword from its sheath and looked at me with a twinkle in his eye. I could tell he was just as excited as I was. We held the handle of his sword together and sliced into the cake, both holding our breath until we pulled the blade away to reveal a baby blue cake.
