“You know it’s not your fault, darlin’.” His mom had tried to reassure me and we had stood off to the side of the theatre room at Law’s first race back.
“I know it’s not.” I smiled at both of them, believing the words I spoke. I knew none of it was my fault. I had contemplated it the day the wreck happened, but I didn’t hold onto it. Things happened and Law was in a sport when those things happened more often than people thought. It wasn’t uncommon for racers to have multiple wrecks in a season. They had both hugged me and it felt comforting to know that somehow my in-laws and my parents had come together as one.
When my father had landed in Alabama, he hadn’t spoken a word to me. He’d just grabbed me and held me in his arms. He’d kissed the top on my head and I’d felt the tears he shed hit my shoulders.
I held on to him as tight as I could every time he came in for a hug over the last month. My mother had been right, I was his little girl and in each look he gave me and Law, I knew he could tell he was losing the little part and now I was just going to be his girl.
I sat at the dinner table at Law’s parents’ house now, the night before my and Law’s wedding, with both of our families wrapped around the table, stuffing their faces and wrapping up Jordan almonds into tulle bags for gifts.
We had only invited like half the town, but knowing this town, they would all show up, invitation or not. Law hadn’t let me see the invitations either, letting the location of the wedding be a surprise to me. I hadn’t tried to spoil it, not even when Leah had tried to bribe him to tell me, but I wanted no part of it. Law wanted this to be special and I wanted him to have that.
He squeezed my hand under the table and I turned to him and then back to the rest of the table. I loved watching all of us together. We were one and you could feel it in the air. That no matter how many miles were between any of us, this family here was one that would always stick together.
Leah looked back at me and gave me a smile, then went back to her work. Law tugged on my hand and pulled me away from the table, trying to not cause a disturbance in the work that was being done. We snuck away to the back patio, where you could see the sun setting along the edge of the farm. Law stood behind me and wrapped his arms around me, the cooling air of the fall night coming onto us. I was all too happy to welcome the season, having been so used to colder weather before, that the ninety degrees every day had been suffocating.
“Not seeing you till you walk down the aisle tomorrow is going to kill me.” Law kissed the top of my head and held me tighter.
“We don’t have to wait till I walk down the aisle,” I suggested. I had seen a few things online about couple doing reveals before the walk, that way there were no obstructions in the photos and the tears would be out of the way then and there and not during the ceremony. I hadn’t talked to Law about it, but with him being the way he was, I thought he might actually go for it.
“What did you have in mind?”
I leaned my head to the side and looked up at Law. A smile was spread across his face and he leaned down to press his lips to mine. No matter how many times he did this, I felt myself falling more and more for him. It was just the simplest of gestures and it was one that would bring me to my knees for this man.
“We could do an early reveal. Just us,” I quickly added. If we were going to do this, I wanted it to be just us, in the moment.
We stood there with me looking up at him and him contemplating my suggestion.
“I know of a perfect spot we can do it at.” He kissed my nose and pulled his phone out of his pocket to rattle off a text. I had no idea, but my best bet that it was to his mother or Leah, telling them what we had just talked about. When I had said Law was all over this wedding, I wasn’t exaggerating.
“You know,” I continued the conversation. “We never talked about a honeymoon.”
“Already planned.”
I turned around in his arms and pouted.
“Tell me.” I drew out each world, acting like a child who wouldn’t be allowed to have her way.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Everything is a surprise!” My response was exasperated as I threw my hands into the air.
“Not everything.” He tried to object.
“Name one thing that isn’t a surprise.” I put my hands on my hips.
“The rings, the colors.” He ticked off each thing with his fingers. “Oh, yeah, your dress isn’t a surprise, to you at least. I would love to see it. Why don’t we head upstairs to take a—”
Law tried to walk away, but I grabbed for his arm and pulled him back.
“Fine!” I laughed at him and his silly ways. “You can have your secrets!”
“They won’t be secrets for long. I promise.” He leaned down and tried to give me another kiss before Leah popped out on the patio. I hadn’t realized the sun had set completely and that it was already getting so late.
“You.” She pointed to Law. “You need to leave.”
She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back inside with me hot on their trails.
“At least let me have a goodbye kiss!” I yelled at her as she tried to shove Law out the door with my father. The guys were going to be staying at the wedding location tonight and I would be here, then blindfolded and driven to our destination, which gave me hope, since I knew it was close then.
