Amy shrugged. How did she put into words the strong feeling she’d had the first time she’d met Will Collingsworth? How did she explain that when she looked at him, she saw a future with him in it? “It’s just how I...feel. Ever since I met him that Christmas we all came here, I’ve just felt like he isthe one God has for me.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand that,” Cami said, her tone gentle. “I didn’t even feel confident that Josh was the one God had for me until we’d known each other quite a while. But of course, that doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t real.” She paused. “You do realize, right, that Will is quite a few years older than you?”
Amy plucked at the fabric of her leggings. “Yes, but not too many. I know it wouldn’t work now, because I’m not old enough, but I believe God will keep him for me.”
“Have you told anyone else about your feelings?”
Amy shook her head vigorously. “My parents have always told us to pray for the person God might have us marry, but I don’t think they’d quite understand this.” She looked at Cami again, needing her to understand. “He’s everything I prayed that my husband would be. And I know I’m young. I know it doesn’t make sense.”
“So you loveWill?” Cami asked. “Even though you hardly know him?”
Put that way, it sounded a little ridiculous even to Amy. “Don’t you believe in love at first sight?”
Cami gave a little laugh. “Sweetie, until I went through everything with Josh, I didn’t believe in love at all. Have you prayed about it?”
“Every day. Every single day,” Amy told her. “I pray for Will, and I pray that if it’s not God’s will that He would take away what I feel for him.”
“You know more about praying than I do,” Cami said. “Who am I to argue with God? If He’s given you this love for Will, there must be a reason.”
“You won’t tell anyone, will you?” Amy asked.
Cami shook her head. “It will stay between us. And I’ll pray for each of you, too. I want everyone to be as happy as Josh and I are.”
Amy leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Cami. “Thank you.” As she settled back on the seat, she said, “I hope Will comes to love me as much as Josh loves you.”
“I am very blessed,” Cami agreed. “And I love Josh more than I ever thought I could love another person.”
“I can hardly wait for tomorrow,” Amy said with a shiver of excitement. She slid off the window seat. “I’ll let you get some sleep. If you can. I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”
Cami stood and hugged her tightly. “See you in the morning, sweetie.”
Amy left Cami’s room with even more excitement zipping through her body than earlier. Will was going to be there tomorrow. She could hardly wait. It felt good to share how she felt with someone else,even though she knew Cami probably dismissed her feelings as teenage puppy love. She just knew that somehow, some way, she and Will were going to be together in the future.
The next evening Amy stood in the bridal room with Cami and Lily. The other Collingsworth sisters had left a couple of minutes earlier, so it was just the two of them. Amy had been thrilled when Cami had asked her to be her maid of honor. She’d been worried about what Cami’s sisterswould think, but they had assured her they were fine with her standing up with Cami as maid of honor. Lily was the other bridesmaid, while Colin was a groomsman. LancewasJosh’s best man. It was going to be a small intimate wedding with only a handful of non-family members present. Unfortunately, last she’d heard, the one person Amy wanted to be there still hadn’t arrived.
Amy looked over to where Cami stood, her bouquet clutched in one hand. She wore a mermaid style dress that skimmed her curves without being too tight and had a softly flared skirt. The sweetheart neckline framed the beautiful necklace Josh had given Cami the night before, and the elbow length lace sleeves were perfect for their winterwedding. Amy thought Cami looked beautiful in her dress, but she also felt beautiful in her bridesmaid dress.
She turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror. The dusty rose color Cami had chosen suited her as did the fit of it. Chiffon fabric flowed from an empire waist band in a long handkerchief-style skirt. The layers were different lengths and swirled as she walked. The bodice was gathered from the empire waist to a band halter-style neckline that left her shoulders bare and had tiny sparkles of bling along it. The dress wasn’t bare in the back like a regular halter, which was the only reason her mom had let her wear it.
Amy didn’t argue much with her mom, but she would have fought over the right to wear this dress if she’d said no. Her hair hung in long loose waves down her back, and her shoes were silver strappy heels that added a few inches to her height. She felt like a fairy princess, and she hoped that Will thought she was pretty when he saw her.
There was a quick knock on the door before it opened to reveal Lance standing there. “Ready to go?”
Because Cami didn’t have a father or mother to walk her down the aisle, she’d asked Lance to do fill in before he joined Will at the front as his best man. Amy wondered if any of the Collingsworth siblings had ever tried to find their biological fathers. She couldn’t imagine getting married without her dad there.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Cami said. “Is Will here?”
Cami didn’t look at her, but Amy was pretty sure that she asked the question for her benefit.
“Sorry. Haven’t seen him yet.” Lance’s brow furrowed. “Did you want to wait for him?”
“Nope.” Cami grinned. “I have a man to marry. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“No doubt.” Lance stuck his elbow out. “Let’s get you hitched.”
Amy followed Lily out the door, a bit disappointed thatWill wasn’t there yet, but still very excited for her brother and Cami. As she walked down the aisle, she smiled at her brothers. Colin grinned in return, but Josh’s expression was tight with nerves, and he barely looked at her, his gaze going to the rear of the chapel. Her heart swelled with the thought of one day having a man—Will, hopefully—be so eager for her appearance that he had eyes for no one else. Once she’d taken her place on the small stage with Lily, the back doors opened again, and Lance and Cami appeared.
As the two slowly walked toward them, Amy looked at Josh and saw that the tense nervousness had left his face. His gaze was glued on his bride as she made her way to him, and Amy could see the love radiating between them. Oh, how anxious she was for the day she would be in Cami’s position on her way to Will. Just before Cami reached the front, Amy looked out over the people gathered there, but still didn’t find the face she sought. Though it was just family and close friends, they still managed to fill over half the pews. And more than one woman was dabbing at their eyes as they watched Josh take Cami’s hand.
