“Ready?” she asked. “These first look pictures are going to be amazing.”
“Will you and Kian take some too?”
Hannah’s mouth twitched, and she lifted the blindfold to tie it around my head. “After yours. So you two can be a part of it.”
Once the knot was secured and I officially couldn’t see anything, Raleigh and Hannah led me to James. I was turned around by their hands on my shoulders, and then I felt his back pressing against mine. I let out the breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding all morning, and like a magnet, my hand dropped to find his. Our fingers laced together, and suddenly nothing else in the world mattered. Whatever else happened thatday, James and I would come out of it married, and that was all I wanted. Hands untied the blindfold, and it fell away. Hannah twisted my hair back into place, and then stepped to the side with Noah, who’d been joined by an assistant.
“Whenever you two are ready,” the photographer said.
The words were barely out of his mouth before I spun so fast that it made me dizzy. The breath whooshed out of me.
James smiled, steadying me with a hand on my waist as I swooned. “Easy, love,” he said, eyes raking over my body. “You look amazing.”
“So do you,” I said, breathless. Our suits were identical, but he wore it so much better. Black on black fabric clung to his body inallthe right places. The only difference was that where my bow tie was red—so dark of a red that it was almost black—his was an equally dark shade of blue.
Our eye colors. As the thought occurred to me, I glanced at my daughter, who offered a proud, watery smile.
I returned my attention to James, refusing to cry anymore today.
Ryder Clark wasnota crier.
We stood under the shade of a large mesquite tree, its great branches blocking us from most of the sun. What little light filtered through its leaves caught in James’s eyes, making them twinkle. His black hair was swept away from his face, and for a quick moment he let his guard waver, and a cloud of red swirled in his beautiful irises before it vanished as quickly as it came. My lips curled into a silly grin.
“I…” I didn’t know what I’d intended to say. I didn’t know how I was supposed to even think with James looking at me like that, much less string together a coherent sentence. Finally, I just blurted out, “I can’t wait to marry you.”
James let out a surprised gasp as I tugged him close. I leaned in, close enough for him to feel the wash of my breath across his lips?—
“Hey!” Hannah cut in. “None of that yet!”
He smiled against my mouth. “Let’s go get married.” He stamped a kiss to my cheek when Hannah wasn’t looking.
We stayed to watch Kian and Hannah’s first looks, then walked hand in hand to the ceremony space.
“How was Kian this morning?” I asked.
James laughed. “At first, I thought he would either cry or throw up. Once I told him that Erin and Ben were in on it though, he perked up. I think he’s still a bit nervous though.”
A light breeze rustled the trees, making the lights strung across their branches sway and catch the sun. I couldn’t wait to see what they’d look like lit up at night. I found myself nearly skipping through the park with eagerness at the events ahead. The ceremony space was set up at the end of the clearing, and the closer we got, the more I heard the low hum of gathered people. My heart raced a little faster with each step.
A free-standing barn door stood at the top of the aisle, separating us from the guests like a majestic version of a room divider. It slid open to admit Hannah, then she shut it behind her to keep us hidden as she and Kian took their seats. The door was big enough to hide James and me until we were ready, but I couldn’t hold back: I sneaked a peek around its edges. Every black wooden chair was filled, wine-red bows tied to their backs.
With Hannah occupied, James snuck another kiss. Cupping my cheeks in his hands, he pressed his lips to mine and lingered long enough to curb the energy buzzing through my veins. I let out a long exhale through my nose, settling my hands on his hips.
“Let’s do this,” he whispered when we pulled away.
Raleigh poked his head around the doors then, stealing my attention. “Ready?”
James and I shared a look and nodded at the same time. “We’re ready.”
Music started, the low twang and drawl of Rascal Flatts filling the space around us. Before the doors opened, we peeked around the side, watching Raleigh push Evie down the aisle in her black Gothic stroller. She couldn’t sit up on her own yet, but that didn’t stop Raleigh from helping her toss black silk petals to the blood-red runner.
With a smile, James and I took our places. I had insisted that we walk down together, rather than the traditional way of one by one. So when the doors opened and twenty sets of eyes turned our way, mine were on my vampire.
Slipping his hand into mine, he nudged me forward with his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
I didn’t need to look around at the faces in the crowd. The person who mattered the most to me was holding my hand, and in just a few minutes, he would be my husband. I trusted this man wholeheartedly. In such a short time, he’d become my whole world. I’d never had a big circle of friends, I’d never needed one, but as James and I approached the altar—decorated with black and deep-red roses—I could finally admit to myself that I’d never stood a chance with him. Hewas my happy ending.
The music faded away when we reached the end of the aisle, and I turned to face my fiancé, taking both of his hands in mine. I couldn’t have told you what the officiant looked like, nor what any of our guests were wearing: James was my sole focus. He even had to nudge me to speak when it came time to exchange vows.
