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“See you soon, Walker.”
“You betcha,” he responded. Then he walked away, and the door shut softly.
He and Matt entered the church through a side door. Now, he was nervous. People made his gut ache not marrying Danni. This is what she wanted though so he would do it for her.
They stood by Pastor John waiting for the service to begin. Matt clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t lock your knees,” Matt whispered. “I don’t want to have to catch your ass.”
The pastor cleared his throat. He had heard Matt’s curse word. Then he leaned over and confirmed that Matt was indeed correct. He should not lock his knees only Pastor John refrained from cursing.
The music began, and all three men looked to the back of the church. He couldn’t see Danni yet, but Layla looked beautiful in a soft, lavender dress that was off the shoulder and fitted to her waist then flowed to the floor in waves of fabric that billowed when she walked.
He hadn’t even looked at Layla when she opened the door a crack. Her hair was piled on her head with soft curls framing her face. Her hair was naturally straight, so they had worked hard to make this style look like this. She looked beautiful.
/> Then Layla stopped on the other side of the pastor and she winked at him and Matt. He turned back to the doors of the church and there she was. Her dress wasn’t so dissimilar to Layla’s, but it was creamy white and shimmered in the church lighting.
She wore no veil, but her curls were pulled back from her face and cascaded down her back with tendrils framing her face. Flowers adorned her curls. Danni took his ability to breathe away on many occasions but today she was simply stunning.
Matt squeezed his shoulder and he glanced over at his friend. He smiled at him reassuring him that all was well.
He rubbed his hand across his face. Dammit, he couldn’t cry in front of all these people, but he wasn’t sure that he could stop the tears especially when Danni smiled at him halfway down the aisle.
When she stood in front of him, the pastor asked, “Who gives this woman to this man?”
Simon beamed at Walker and replied, “Her mother and I do.” They had been spending more and more time together. Who knew maybe there would be another wedding soon?
Then, Simon handed his daughter to Walker. He squeezed her hand and tucked it into his arm and the pastor began the service. He was on automatic pilot doing exactly what they had rehearsed last night. Repeating his vows like they practiced. Slipping the ring on Danni’s finger with hands that trembled so badly Walker was sure he would drop her ring. Then he was grateful when he didn’t.
Then it was done. The pastor smiled at them. “Walker, you may kiss your bride now.”
He turned Danni slightly towards him. He cupped her face in his hands. She was his wife now. His forever to love, honor and cherish as his vows had promised. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, nervous because so many people were watching them. A roar went up through the church and he raised his head and looked around. Danni chuckled at him.
“May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Walker Wild.”
They turned to the guests at their wedding. The reception was at pub following the service. They were all partying till midnight or later. Walker planned on getting Danni home earlier than midnight. He wanted to watch the ball drop with his new wife, just the two of them.
They walked down the aisle, seeing the smiling faces of their family and friends and he was happier than he had a right to be. He stepped down the steps of the small church with the big steeple that housed the church bells that the town of Sherwood could hear for miles and he knew that moving forward was only going to get easier for him.
“See my shoes,” she said at the bottom of the stairs. “And my bracelet?”
He nodded running his fingers over the familiar bracelet that he knew well. His mother had very little, but this bracelet meant a lot to her. She took special, care with it.
“Your mother gave them to me. The bracelet belonged to your grandmother. She wanted me to wear them today. The shoes she found shopping with Mom for the fabric of my dress. So, she was part of today in spirit, Walker. It means so much to me that I have these things. Someday, I’ll ask our daughter if she wants to wear them to her wedding. If she can fit in my shoes.” Danni had a long foot. If they had kids, Walker was sure that they were doomed to have big feet.
He tugged her to him. “Thank you,” he said.
“For what?”
“Just thank you,” he replied.
Then he tucked her into the old red Ford and ran around the front to get into the driver’s seat. He still didn’t have his license, but no one seemed to care about that.
Walker drove her to their wedding reception at Ike’s where they partied until eleven. He got what he wanted. He took her home early where they changed out of their fancy clothes and watched the ball drop on New Year’s Even as husband and wife alone in each other’s arms in Danni’s cabin in the woods.
The End
