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“Oh, pipe down. I’m sure your time is coming,” I tell Lori playfully. “Julianna said Levi has been hitting on you. That’s always an option.”
Julianna bursts out laughing as Lori flips me the bird. “Funny. That’s real fucking funny. I don’t think he’s even legal.”
“Oh, he is,” Julianna replies between fits of laughter. “But he’s still ten years your junior.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” I add. “I think it’s a fad to be a cougar these days.”
Julianna and I are both caught up in a fit of laughter at poor Lori’s expense when my father walks in the room, and my laughter quickly dies out as my nerves kick in.
“You look stunning, baby girl,” my father says, giving me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. “Are you ready?”
I nod as my pulse begins to race. Taking his arm, we follow my bridesmaids out of the room, making our way outside to the ceremony.
“You’re shaking,” my father notes as we step up to take our place. “Are you nervous?”
“Very,” I breathe, stretching in a failed attempt to see Brenden as the gate parts for my maid of honor.
“Don’t be. Brenden is a great man. A blind man could see how much he loves you and my grandbabies. As your father, I couldn’t be more pleased that you’re marrying him. I know he’ll do everything in his power to be sure the three of you are loved, protected, and taken care of. I’m very happy for you, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, Daddy,” I choke out, tilting my head back to prevent my tears from running down my face as the gate closes behind the final bridesmaid.
The beginning melody of Can’t Help Falling in Love by Ingrid Michaelson begins to play, and I take another deep breath. I know I’ll feel much calmer the second my eyes land on Brenden.
“We’re up,” my dad says.
My heart pounds as I step up to the gate. It reopens and my breathing becomes more erratic with each face that comes into view. I’m nearly frozen with fear.
Then I see Brenden, my soulmate, standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me.
Looking impossibly sexy in his black tux, he smiles as he waggles his eyebrows.
I let out a laugh, a peaceful calm washing over me.
Brenden
“You’re one lucky son of a bitch,” Jon whispers as Lizzy makes her way down the aisle.
There are no words that could ever describe how beautiful she looks right now. Though I already considered her to be an angel, she looks the part today. Her dark hair is pinned up, showcasing the white lace decorating her shoulders and chest, the dress hugging her curvy frame before flowing out into a short train.
“No shit.” I keep my eyes focused on her, fighting every fiber of my being from running toward her.
I can’t believe this incredible woman loves me and agreed to be my wife. Lizzy may have beaten me to the punch when she hinted she wanted me to give her my last name, but there was a romantic proposal with me down on one knee a few weeks later.
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with Lizzy, but it was long before we were officially dating. I think maybe I’d been falling for her little by little all along. Starting that day in the library.
I love everything about her—even the things that drive me crazy—but the fierce way she loves her children is without question on the top of the list.
Coming to a stop at the end of the aisle, she turns to her father and smiles as the minister asks for his blessing. When Mr. Shea looks over at me with what can only be described as pride and approval, I feel myself getting emotional for the first time today. Her parents have been so kind and loving; it means the world to me.
Her father lifts her veil, giving her a kiss on the cheek before taking his seat, and my breath catches.
In a few minutes, Elizabeth Shea will officially be Elizabeth Scott—my wife.
As I hold out my hand for her to take, everything except Lizzy fades away. It’s like we’re the only two people standing here.
She places her hand in mine, taking her place beside me.
“You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she whispers, her cheeks blushing slightly, as if I don’t tell her that every single day, several times a day.
“Are you ready to soak up the rain with me for the rest of your days?”
My heart swells inside my chest as a smile spreads across her face. “So ready.”
