AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The women were just as beautiful as the view, Ria thought. Sara with her dark hair and white gown stood out in the middle of the three sisters with their varying shades of blonde hair and pink dresses. With only a few weeks to plan the wedding before Sara started to show her pregnancy, they'd foregone the matching dresses and instead had decided on a theme of short, silky cocktail dresses in some shade of pink.
Ria had tried to decline when Sara first approached her with the idea of being a bridesmaid, but she'd lost that battle in about two minutes, especially since Megan was thrilled by the idea. Sara was also very persuasive in her arguments. She was an excellent lawyer who knew how to win a case. So Ria had agreed to be part of the wedding party. How could she say no after Sara helped her navigate murky legal waters with both local and international law enforcement? With Sara's help, Ria's name had been cleared, and she'd been granted legal custody of Megan.
The Valdez family had been shattered by Enrique's death, and also the death of his right-hand man, who'd been one of the victims on the yacht that terrible night. With their leader gone, the rest of the Valdez family just wanted to live in peace. No one had come forward to challenge Ria for Megan's care, and as far as Ria and Megan were concerned, they were completely done with that part of their lives. They were concentrating on the future now; a future that looked nothing but bright and hopeful.
"Phew," Emma said, coming over to Ria. "I'm already tired of smiling, and we haven't even gotten to the ceremony yet."
"I know what you mean," Ria said.
"Sara looks beautiful, doesn't she?"
She followed Emma's gaze to Sara, who was now caught up in conversation with Megan.
"She does," Ria agreed.
"And Megan looks happy, too. So do you," Emma added. "I'm so glad everything worked out."
"Thanks to all of you, I have my life back. Actually, that's not true, because my life now is much, much better than any other life I've lived."
"I have a feeling my brother has something to do with that."
"Everything," she admitted.
"So maybe this wedding is a good time for you two to make an announcement," Emma said with a sparkle in her eyes.
"No announcements. This is Sara's day. And we have your wedding coming up in August, so I think there's enough action happening for a while."
"Actually, we're pushing our date back to the fall," Emma said.
"Really? Why?" she asked in surprise.
"The venue we had selected for August is too expensive for me and Max on our own. We had originally planned to share it with Sara and Aiden, so we had to let it go. Unfortunately, it's been difficult to find another place in the summer. But now I'm thinking maybe a Christmas wedding."
"That sounds lovely, if you don't mind waiting."
"Max and I are so happy together that it doesn't really matter. We want the marriage, of course, but we already have the most important things, love and a life together." Emma blinked moisture out of her eyes. "Good grief, I can't believe I'm tearing up already. I'm not usually the girl in the family who cries. That's Nicole."
"Are you talking about me?" Nicole asked, as she joined them.
"Yes, I said you're usually the one who cries at these things," Emma said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
"True," Nicole admitted. "But I think I'll wait until the actual ceremony to start weeping. Are you all right, Emma?"
"I'm just happy," Emma said. "Sara has loved Aiden for so long. They're finally going to seal the deal after all these years."
"I think the baby-on-the-way has already done that," Nicole said dryly. She glanced over her shoulder at the parking lot. "I wonder where the guys are. Shouldn't they be here by now?"
Ria smiled, and Nicole gave her a curious look. So did Emma.
"What do you know, Ria?" Emma demanded.
"I think your brothers want to arrive in style," she said, the sound of an approaching helicopter drowning out the end of her sentence.
Megan, Sara and Shayla joined them as the helicopter came in for a landing on the grass beyond the church.
"Oh, wow," Megan muttered.
"Wow is right," Sara said, as Aiden hopped out of the helicopter in a black tuxedo.
