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“She’ll definitely turn up, won’t she?”
“Belle?” I give him an amused look. “She’s had a crush on you since she was six. Someone would have to lock her up to stop her coming here today.”
He breathes in, then out slowly, giving me a look that says,Jesus, I hope so.
“How did you know?” I ask, curious. “That she’s the one, I mean?”
His lips curve up. “Because I couldn’t stop thinking about her. When we weren’t together, I found it hard to concentrate on anything else. I wanted to be with her all the time. She’s my soulmate.” He gives me a wry look. “Now you can mock me. I know you don’t believe in all that shit.”
“I didn’t,” I say.
He lifts an eyebrow. “But now you do? Oh dude, you’ve got it bad.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” I sigh. “I should have brought our Nintendo Switches. We could have had a game of Mario Kart while we were waiting.” We both laugh.
People are starting to filter into the church, and Saxon, Kip, and the others hand out orders of service and direct the guests to the pews. James brings in Alice’s mum in her wheelchair, and it makes me think of Finn. He’s Snapchatted me a few times since we’ve been here, sending me photos of Zelda with the other dogs, and telling me what he’s been up to. I asked him whether he’s doing his exercises, and he sent me a selfie of him crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue, which made me laugh.
It reminds me that tomorrow we’re heading back to pick him up, and I give a little sigh. It would have been nice to have some more time with Missie, just the two of us. But it’s been good staying at the apartment, and I have to be thankful for the time we’ve had.
Gradually, the church fills. To my surprise, I realize I’m nervous too, mainly for Damon, but also because I’m going to see Missie. Weird. I only left her this morning. But when I glance down the aisle and suddenly see her walking with Kait, my stomach does a strange somersault, and I inhale, my heart lifting.
She’s wearing a champagne-colored dress in a kind of nineteen-twenties style, the underskirt falling to mid-thigh, and the whole dress overlain with layers of fringe in the same color that swish as she moves, the bottom layer reaching down to her calves. She has a matching clutch, and the sexiest high-heeled strappy sandals. Her hair is pinned up in an elegant twist, with one long curl by her cheek. She looks a million dollars, and so gorgeous I have to hold back from dashing down the aisle and sweeping her up in my arms for a kiss.
She sees me and gives a little wave, and I wink at her before smiling at Kait, who, I have to admit, also looks stunning today in a dark-blue jumpsuit. The two of them slip into a pew together. As mother of the bride, Kait’s supposed to sit at the front, but she obviously feels more comfortable sitting with Missie, and that warms me all the way through.
Everyone’s here now. As I scan the pews, I can see all our friends and family, and as my watch buzzes on my wrist, letting me know it’s 2:55 p.m., I see movement by the church door. James is there, watching the scene, and he looks down at us at the altar and gives us a thumbs up with a smile, telling us that Belle and the bridesmaids have arrived.
“She’s here, bro,” I tell Damon, and he inhales deeply, then blows out a relieved breath. I laugh and clap him on the back. “Come on, let’s get you married.”
A few minutes later, Belle appears with Mason. She waits for the bridesmaids to finish tweaking her dress, and then the music starts, and they begin walking down the aisle.
I glance at Damon, who only has eyes for his bride, then look back at my sister. It’s the first time I’ve seen her gown. She’s gone for a dress with a gazillion layers of tulle, and she looks like a fairytale princess, with a glittering tiara, a big veil, and thousands of twinkling stones sewn into the tulle that sparkle in the sunlight. She looks so happy, it makes my throat tighten with emotion. She’s made it through the tough times, and now she’s marrying the man of her dreams.
Beside me, Damon swallows hard.
“She looks all right,” I say.
He gives a short laugh and rubs his nose. “Yeah.”
She approaches the altar, and Mason brings her forward, then steps back, his job done. Behind her, Gaby, Catie, Alice, Kennedy, and Jo are dressed in long light-green gowns embroidered with colorful flowers that are perfect for a summer wedding.
The music slowly dies away, and the priest smiles at the congregation and begins his service.
It’s been years since I’ve been in a church, and, like most of the guests I would think, I don’t know many hymns. In New Zealand we have separation of church and state, so we don’t have any religious teaching at our schools unless they’re faith-based, and therefore kids don’t learn hymns unless their own family is religious. But Damon and Belle have opted for Christmas carols as it’s that time of year, which most of us know, so we sing toO Come All Ye Faithful,Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem, andSilent Night, which gives a great festive flavor to the wedding.
It’s a pleasant, touching service, carried out in the summer sunshine, with the smell of roses drifting in from outside to mingle with the scent of the polished pews. Halfway through, one of Saxon’s twins, who’s being looked after by a nanny, begins crying, and Saxon takes his boy and walks around the church with him, showing him the brightly colored tapestries while the priest carries on, unbothered, adding to the feel of this being a place for families to celebrate together.
A ripple of light laughter passes around the church when it’s time for me to produce the wedding rings, and Damon gives me an amused look, but I extract them from my jacket with a flourish, and he and Belle chuckle as I wink at them both and hand them over.
I stand to the side as they say their vows, and my stomach flips as Damon slides Belle’s ring onto her finger. In the past, I’ve thought rings possessive and old-fashioned—you don’t own your wife, and it feels as if you’re saying you don’t trust her, that if she doesn’t have a ring, there’s nothing to stop her pretending to be single.
But watching him slide it onto her finger, and seeing him give her a smug smile, suddenly I understand. They’re committing to each other, promising to love no other for the rest of their lives. The ring is a token of their vows. But it’s also a way for him to show other men that she belongs to him, and nobody else can touch her. Hmm. I kinda like that.
Wow, I thought I was a twenty-first century guy, but I’ve practically turned into a caveman. Am I going to drag Missie off by her hair and chain her to the kitchen sink, too?
I glance at her and find her watching me, looking amused, as if she can read my thoughts. She pokes her tongue out at me, just a tiny bit, but it’s enough to make my lips curve up.
They finish saying their vows, and then Damon kisses Belle as the choir starts singing. She’s his now, and I feel a sudden and surprising surge of emotion, the voices rising through me, lifting me up to the rafters with their beautiful song.
