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“Madeline Anne!” Grace chided, using her middle name so we both knew her mom was serious. “Get off that floor! You’re going to get your dress dirty.”
I helped her to her feet, and we tried to contain our chuckles.
“Anne like Anna,” Madeline said as if putting two-and-two together.
“Yep, you’re named after me!” I told her. “And I was named after our Grandma Anne.”
“Anna Banana!”
Madeline started spinning again, but I took her little hand and stopped her before she fell down again. She smiled at me. She looked so much like Grace with her big, blue eyes and blonde hair. My heart swelled with love. I had no idea it was possible to love someone as much as I did my nieces and nephews.
The coordinator poked her head in the door. “Are you ready to line up or do you need a few more minutes? The guys are lined up in the front and ready to start when you are.”
“I think we’re ready,” I said, looking around at the women of my family. My brothers were at the altar with James. “Are you ready, Em?”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears, which she wiped away, careful not to ruin her makeup. “Yes. I’ve been ready since senior year of high school.”
Anyone would be lucky to find someone who made them feel the way my sister felt about James. My smile wavered as I realized what I was thinking.
Maybe I have…
I tried to push any and all thoughts of Levi out of my head, and as I walked down the aisle, I kept my eyes to the front of the room, on my brothers and James. Nicholas did, indeed, look adorable in his little suit. I chuckled as I noticed him picking his nose. Others noticed and giggled along with me.
I took my place in the front and focused my attention on the back of the church. The music changed and my sister waltzed down the aisle accompanied by our mother and father. Tears welled in my eyes as I noticed she was crying. I looked at James; tears shone in his eyes.
To be loved like that…
Emily looked gorgeous. Her dress fit her perfectly, and the veil spilling down around her shoulders made her look angelic. She smiled at me as she took her place next to James.
My eyes moved over the guests, and before I knew what I was doing, I found who I was looking for. Levi was looking right at me, his gaze never wavering.
My heart thundered in my chest, and I felt dizzy. I took a deep breath and focused my attention on the happy couple.
I would have to talk to him eventually. I couldn’t hide from Levi forever, but for now, I at least had the wedding to focus on and to keep up apart.
I felt weak in the knees thinking about him.
Of telling him it was time to end this arrangement.
My eyes filled with tears again, and this time, they weren’t tears of joy.
* * *
Many people don’t want kids at a wedding, and to be honest, I couldn’t understand it. I mean, I did… but they also seemed to just bring so much fun with them.
They were the first to enter the reception venue, rushing inside and marveling at the massive dance floor. They started wiggling even before music had started.
To think, I had another niece or nephew on the way. A baby. One I could actually watch grow up if I decided to stay local.
But you’re not staying in Sunville, I reminded myself.
My eyes darted around the room, my heart racing as I caught sight of Levi in the corner. He hadn’t seen me yet; he was focused on the kids. His eyes were so bright and his smile so genuine. He really loved them. I never knew I had a soft spot for men who were good with kids until that moment.
I stepped into the room, and his gaze moved from Nicholas trying his best to do the worm in the middle of the dance floor to me. I audibly gasped as the air exited my lungs. I forgot how to breathe for a moment.
His green eyes were like emeralds, and they were completely focused on me. The look on his face was one I’d never seen before in any man’s eyes, not when it came to me. It was the way James looked at Emily, the way Brad looked at Grace. The way my brothers looked at their wives.
He slowly walked toward me, and I had nowhere to run. Not that I could. My legs turned to jelly and forgot how to move. I placed a hand on the column next to me to steady myself.
