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She rested against Levi, grateful for the contentment she found in his presence. His minty breath blew warm across her cheek, and she shifted her head slightly to look up at him.
“You look like a princess in that pretty dress, Grace.”
“Thank you, kind sir. You look quite dashing in that suit.” She adjusted his tie slightly, then patted his chest before settling back against him.
The wedding music began, and the ceremony proceeded smoothly. When Grace sniffled as the couple exchanged vows, Levi handed her a snowy white handkerchief. She dabbed at her eyes and nose, then clutched the linen square, breathing deeply of Levi’s scent. Unless she surprised him at the farm when he was dirty and sweating as he worked in the fields, he always smelled so good.
She couldn’t believe he drove all the way to Holiday just to attend the wedding with her, but she was beyond thankful that he had. With him there, everything that had seemed wrong before now suddenly seemed so right.
Throughout the afternoon reception, she introduced Levi to relatives, friends, and even her fourth-grade teacher, who was related to the groom on his mother’s side. She excused herself to the powder room and was on her way to find Levi when she heard her mother speaking to her long-time best friend.
“I could hardly believe it, Janie. She’s never been like this about anyone before. I hate to think I might lose my little girl, but he seems like a wonderful young man, so polite and smart. Did I tell you his family has a potato farm? Four generations, I think Gracie said. I think he comes from a solid family, and I’m so pleased for Gracie.”
Delighted her mother approved of Levi, Grace returned to find him speaking with Micah and her father. She edged around them to listen to Levi asking questions about their dairy, a favorite topic of both her father and her brother, and answering their queries about growing potatoes and sugar beets.
Grace knew her father could talk farming for hours without coming up for air, so she interrupted them, grabbed Levi’s hand, and tugged him toward the dance floor. Although he claimed to have two left feet, he could hold his own, and she’d thoroughly enjoyed dancing with him. Levi tended to want to stay where he could see the exit or have his back to the wall, but other than that, he seemed to have fun.
By the time the evening ended and they’d tossed handfuls of rice at the departing newlyweds, Grace was ready for some peace and quiet, not to mention food. Between helping where she was needed and trying to keep her relatives from relentlessly interrogating Levi, she didn’t get a chance to eat more than a handful of cocktail peanuts, and a few of the pastel buttermints served in crystal dishes on the end of the cake table.
Levi removed his suit jacket and joined the men in putting away chairs and tables while the women washed dishes and tidied the kitchen.
Grace was wiping off a counter when Cindy bumped her with her elbow. “Get out of here and take that hunky fella of yours for something to eat. Cake and peanuts aren’t enough to sustain a growing boy, you know.”
“I’m hungrier than he is. He at least got cake,” Grace joked, then handed the dishcloth to Cindy. “If anyone asks, we’re going to get dinner, and then I’ll be back at the house.”
Before anyone else waylaid her, Grace rushed out of the kitchen in the church’s basement to find Levi helping carry gifts out to her aunt and uncle’s car. The happy couple would open them when they returned from their honeymoon in California. They’d decided to go camping in the redwood forest, which did not sound like fun to Grace, but she hoped they enjoyed it.
When Levi set a box in the trunk and turned around, Grace held up his suit jacket and tipped her head toward the church parking lot. He grinned and hurried toward her, taking her hand in his as they walked over to his pickup.
Once he’d seated her and slid behind the wheel, he gave her a long look. “You really are beautiful, Miss American Pie.”
“Thank you, Levi, and thank you for being here. It means so much.”
He gently squeezed her fingers, then started the pickup. “Where to?”
“I’m starving. We can get burgers and take them out to the lake. I know just the spot to eat them.”
“Just tell me where to go.”
Two hours later, after they’d watched the sunset from the dock at the lake, toes trailing in the water, and kissed so many times Grace felt both euphoric and lightheaded, Levi drove her home.
“Do you want to stay here tonight? We could find room for you somewhere.”
“I think I’d better head on home, but I had an amazing time with you today, Grace, and I really like your family. Jason is a kick in the pants, and Micah is really cool.”
“I’m glad you like them, Levi. If you detested them, would you tell me the truth?”
He looked her in the eye and nodded. “I would. You have a great family. I enjoyed talking farming with your dad. I see your classic beauty comes from your mom.”
Grace smiled, wondering how Levi always seemed to know just the right thing to say. “Are you sure you won’t stay? I hate to think of you making that long drive in the dark. What if you hit a deer or something?”
“I’ll be fine, but thanks for worrying about me.” He got out of the pickup and walked around it, opening the door for her. He took a small box from the seat next to her, tucked it under his left arm, then took her left hand with his right. “Would it be okay if I said goodbye to your parents?”
“Of course. They’ll like that.”
Grace led the way into the house and found her mom and dad in the kitchen, eating ice cream and leftover cake with Micah. Jason had taken the rest of their houseguests for a drive and hadn’t yet returned.
“You’re just in time for dessert,” Grace’s mother said as she and Levi walked into the room. Before her mother could rise to serve them, Grace hurried to set slices of cake on plates and added generous scoops of ice cream. She carried them to the table, poured two glasses of iced tea, then sat down next to her mom, leaving Levi to sit between her and Micah.
