“A note!” I sing as Holly does a nervous dance between the door and me.
“There’s no time for notes,” my sister blurts. “Ruby says we’re on in five.”
I make a face. It’s almost amusing the way Holly keeps referencing my wedding as if it were a musical. I peel back the envelope and pull out a beautiful card with a familiar picture on the front, and I catch my breath, my body already bucking with tears. It’s the picture we took at the lake last Christmas—Graham, Noel, and me with our lopsided snowman photo bombing us from behind.
I land my hand over my mouth as I read it.
Sprig,
Are you nervous yet? Don’t be. In a few minutes, I’ll be holding your hand and I’ll continue to do so as your husband until my very last breath. Today is the happiest day of my life, and I plan on drinking down every single moment. I already know you will glow like a shining star as you make your way down that aisle. Just know that I already have tears in my eyes at the thought of seeing you. I have a smile on my face knowing that I’ll get to kiss you before too long. And I have hope in my heart that our future will bring us much love and laughter. I know it will. It’s inevitable, just like we were all along.
All of my heart forever,
Graham
Holly sobs from over my shoulder. “Oh, for Pete’s sake!Myrna!”
And just like that, Myrna pulls off a mascara miracle for both Holly and me.
Before long, Holly is gone, and I watch as Savy holds Noel by the leash as they ready to head in after her mother.
“Savy,” I whisper, hoping that Ruby won’t hear. She’s a bit high-strung and has warned me that Italian lace and yellow labs that have a propensity to hug you are not a match made in bridal heaven. “Bring Noel over.” I wrinkle my nose as I give a quick look around.
There aren’t any windows into the sanctuary, so I can’t even get a glimpse of how handsome Graham must be. I already know he is. It’s a given.
Savanah swishes over in her petal pink dress, a rhinestone encrusted tiara pressed over her head. “I won’t tell,” she whispers back. “Go ahead and give her a hug.”
And I bend over and do just that. “Hey, you?” I try to fight the tears, and she licks my cheek. “You’re the reason Mommy and Daddy are together, you know that? I love you so much. You be a good girl today, okay? We’ll play again later, I promise.” I stand and flatten my hands over the front of my dress.
Savy pulls Noel a safe distance away. “You should really look into getting her a brother or a sister.”
“Right.” I avert my eyes at the thought. “I can hardly handle one puppy, let alone two.”
“Not even ahumanpuppy?” Her violet-colored Winters women’s eyes widen with glee. As much as I appreciate Tom, I’m glad Savy’s genetics swayed toward the Winters’ gene pool.
“A human puppy?” A quick chuckle bounces from my chest. “You mean a baby?” I whisper so low it sounds like a secret.
“Yes”—she nods heavily as if she couldn’t annunciate it enough—“ababy. Plus, that way, I’ll have a real live doll to play with.”
The frazzled wedding coordinator pops up, and she sheds a soothing crimson smile. “You’re up, girls.”
“Oh my goodness.” Suddenly I can’t breathe or think or move.
The bridal march begins, and all of my senses suddenly feel heightened, and tears spontaneously blur my vision. My body goes numb, and my feet move just the way they’re supposed to as I follow Savy and Noel to the entry of the church only to find every pew filled to capacity, and each and every body standing at attention, looking this way. A fiery panic rips through me, and the sudden urge to bolt and avoid all this attention hits me. But my eyes follow that white runner right down the aisle until my gaze lands on a tall, dark, and devilishly handsome Graham Holiday.
Dad comes in close and threads his arm through mine, offers a kiss to my cheek, and we start down the aisle. I don’t dare take my eyes off that handsome man waiting for me with a wide smile, tear-filled eyes. And when Savy and Noel do something so cute it has the entire congregation giggling, I totally miss it. I can’t seem to take my eyes off my future husband. Don’t want to.
My father lands me safely next to Graham, kisses my cheek once again, and this time the tears glide down my face.
The ceremony moves quickly, and before I know it, it’s time for Graham and me to read our vows to one another.
I nod a quick thank you as Holly hands me my notes.
“You’re going to kill it!” she whispers before jumping back to her post.
I look up into my precious fiancé’s bright blue eyes and get lost for a brief moment in the tranquility they exude. A part of me wishes we would have saved the vows for later when we were alone. But then I’m pretty sure we’ll be a bit busy once we’re behind closed doors. A naughty smile curves on my lips, and his left brow rises with his amusement.
“Graham”—my voice breaks, and I do my best to clear my throat—“it seems I have known you all of my life. And for as long as I can remember, I have looked forward to seeing you. Just having you near me was as soothing as it was annoying at times.” A gentle laugh fills the room. “And once you came back to Gingerbread, I knew instantly I felt something for you, something new that I didn’t quite know what to do with.” I glance to the crowd. “I guess most of you are familiar with that story.” A rumble of laughter circulates once again. I look back to Graham and hook my eyes to his. There’s something spellbinding about the moment, and a part of me wants to hit the pause button on the festivities. “But I want you to know that I do know what to do with you from this point forward. I’m going to love you. I’m going to support your hopes and dreams. I’m going to be there for you through the highs and lows, and I’m going to listen when you need me to listen. I look forward to starting and ending each and every day with you for the rest of our lives. I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Thank you for choosing me.”
