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Hazel walked excruciatingly slow, and there was nothing that was going to rush her. Today he looked at the woman and didn’t see her sister in her. Not anymore. Hazel had grown up where her sister hadn’t had the opportunity. From the first time he had met the twins, he could tell them apart. There was just something that made them each unique. After the accident, Hazel lost that, but over the last few months, she had started to gain it back. She was becoming who she was again.
Her eyes met his, and she smiled, dimples and all. It was the same smile she had started giving him months ago, usually followed by asking why he put up with Natalie. Smiling back at her, he had recently started asking her the same thing. Their friendship had grown slowly but steadily until the pain of their shared loss was dulled.
As she got to the front of the church, she and Ruston exchanged a look, and Sam let his eyes look back at the double doors. Everyone was now looking at those doors, waiting for them to open.
When the wedding march started, the entire room got to their feet and turned toward the closed doors. He knew that Mia was making her perfect, except she was already perfect, and nothing Mia did in a few minutes would change that.
When the doors still didn’t open, his brother leaned over to him and whispered, “Do you think she will marry the next guy?”
He nearly slugged his brother, except someone had grabbed his hand, stopping him. Turning at the touch he recognized, he stopped breathing when he saw Natalie in an off-white low-cut wedding dress that fit her like a glove. Better than a glove.
Before he could do anything, she leaned into him and kissed his shocked lips, her hands slipping under his tux jacket and pulling him close. He kept kissing her until he felt Ruston rest his hand on his shoulder. Stopping Sam instantly. It was only then that he heard the laughter coming from the guests and the wedding party.
Pulling away, he looked at his bride, who was just grinning at him. It seemed that she was not over playing tricks on him. And he knew he would happily put up with it for the rest of his life. At least he would once they were married.
“I didn’t want to wait and needed to kiss you desperately, sexy Sam,” she whispered as beside her, Hazel groaned loud enough for him to hear. Then she whined, “And the kiss isn’t until the end.”
“There isn’t going to be an end, Natalie. This is forever.” Taking her hand, he knew it would be the last time he saw it without his ring on it. He felt lucky that he was here, that he was the one who was marrying her, that they had come so close to missing this moment. He was glad he was the one who caught her that day and was able to be a part of her adventure.
“I like the sound of that.” She leaned toward him, and he knew she was going to kiss him again.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together…” Ruston’s voice got everyone’s attention and stopped her movements instantly.
Once the vows were said, Sam was able to give Natalie the kiss she had been looking forward to, the kiss that would bind them forever. It was not nearly as special as the one she gave him minutes before when they were nearly alone in the full church, but it was just as important.
Turning to leave the church, he saw all the people who had come to celebrate this moment with them. There were a lot of them.
“So, how long until we’re alone?” He took her hand in his as he whispered.
“Hours, maybe six or eight.” She smiled and squeezed his hand, feeling the ring she had so recently placed there. The one she had ‘borrowed’ from her dad to go with her ‘borrowed’ one. From the moment she had seen Sam’s grandmother’s ring, she knew that it would match her dad’s perfectly. It did, and now they were a set.
Walking down the aisle, he gave a pained expression and suggested, “Maybe we can sneak out of here and be alone a lot sooner.”
Natalie laughed. “A runaway bride and groom? I like the sound of that.”
“Me too, Mrs. Sullivan.” He picked her up in his arms and headed down the aisle, just like he carried her to his pickup months before.
“I think I’m rubbing off on you, sexy Sam.” She squealed and grabbed his neck as the church started to laugh with them.
EPILOGUE
The weatherman had promised rain,but Natalie was excited to see the morning sun peeking out from behind the clouds. In her dreams, this day was always sunny. Today her dreams were coming true.
Today her son was starting kindergarten in Landstad, North Dakota, with Hazel’s son. To her excitement, the kids that were starting school today were John Henry and the boy that Natalie and Sam were in the process of adopting.
Actually, they were adopting two boys, a five-year-old and a three-year-old. Natalie had told Sam that she had wanted to start the adoption process as soon as possible, which meant soon after they became engaged, knowing it might take years. They had even gone through the same company Natalie had been adopted through years before.
By the summer after they got married, they had gotten word of brothers who needed a home. Milo and Theo had joined them within a few weeks, changing their lives completely. Natalie had known it was meant to be when one of the boys was only a few days younger than John Henry. It was like she and Hazel would have twins. Not that anyone would ever think of them as similar since John Henry was blond-haired and blue-eyed, and Natalie’s Milo was dark-skinned with black hair and brown eyes. But the boys got along as well as she had with the twins at that age.
Natalie had decided that they would walk to school the first day, but tomorrow they would drive as a family. Today Sam would drop off Theo at the sitter and drive on to the school. Tomorrow they would drop him off together and take Milo to his second day of kindergarten.
At the corner that she had told Hazel they would meet on to walk the boys to school, Natalie and Milo stopped. But today was for Hazel and their boys starting a tradition.
Biting her lip, she wondered if she had pushed Hazel too much again. Usually, Hazel would point out that she was being too pushy, but sometimes not. Natalie had really been trying to reign it in, but sometimes Hazel needed the push.
“John Henry,” Milo called and danced a little. Her son was super excited to start school. Grabbing his red backpack to keep him from running to his friend, she waved at Hazel with her other hand.
But Hazel hadn’t been able to grab John Henry in time, and he came toward them at top speed. Once he was close enough, Natalie let go of the backpack, and the boys met a few feet away, already chatting.
