Never mind the fact that I’ve got brothers. I guess they come after me and my Harper. I’m okay with that.
“Oh, Daddy.” Now it’s my turn to cry. Wrapping my arms around him, I tell him, “I love you so much.”
“I love you more, monkey.”
Oh crap on a cracker. He broke out my old nickname. One he never uses anymore, and rightly so because it used to be “mychunkymonkey.” He wisely dropped the middle word when I told him how much it bothered me. He had no idea because he didn’t mean it in a bad way.
Wiping my eyes, I watch as Robbi takes her first step into the ballroom. Until this moment, she had no idea Bull was here. I know the minute she sees him up at the front because her steps falter. She turns to look at me, and in a quiet but squeaky voice, she asks, “Bull’s here?”
Nodding, I say with my best smile, “Surprise.”
“Thank you,” she mouths silently.
“You’re welcome,” I return.
The next to go is Susannah, then Saffie, then Patsy. My best friend, Tayler, my matron of honor, goes last.
Oh, did I forget to mention Tayler’s married? Well, she is. To Luke, of course. We had no idea it was happening. They flew to Vegas one weekend and got hitched. Sure, I was pretty upset that she didn’t include me, but I was in London at the time, and they wanted to do it right away. I can’t blame them. So yeah, now she’s Tayler Sorenson-Green, an up-and-coming interior designer. After she finally talked Luke into redoing his entire bar, it turned out so well that offers from other businesses to do redesigns around town starting to roll in. Needless to say, there are some pretty amazing-looking bars and restaurants around Ames now thanks to my bestie.
As soon as Tayler starts to walk, Bridget shuts the doors to the ballroom and waves my dad and me forward. She wants a grand entrance for me so Cooke sees me for the first when the doors open.Iwant to be surprised when I see Cooke too.
“You ready for this?” Bridget’s looking expectantly at me now.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I turn to my dad. “Are you?”
“No.” He releases a nervous laugh. “But I love you, Harper, and I even love Cooke.” He chuckles this time. “As long as you promise to visit a lot, I’ll be okay.”
“We’ll visit, and you’ll come visit us too.” I know that’s hard for him. He’s got a farm to run. “My stupid brothers can take over so you can visit.”
“Stupid.” He laughs. “They can be.”
Chapter Four
“Here we go.”I look over at Bridget as she speaks into a headset. “Cue the ‘Wedding March.’”
I hear the music. The traditional music played at every wedding I’ve ever attended. As soon as it starts, my stomach flutters. It’s really happening.
Bridget and another assistant open both doors at once. Everyone is standing now, but I look straight ahead, and my breath catches the second I see him. He’s magnificent in his tailored tuxedo. He places his hand on his chest, and I can tell by his face that he’s getting emotional. It’s then I watch his lips move. “I love you,” he says just to me.
“I love you too,” I reply.
As Dad and I walk slowly up the aisle, my eyes stay on Cooke. I can’t seem to see anything or anyone else. Just him. That is until a squawk erupts from somewhere up front. Harper. It’s just one, though, thankfully. Cooke smiles at the sound, as do I. If we get through this ceremony with only a squawk or two, we’re going to be lucky.
When I reach the front, we stop walking, and I turn my eyes to Gage, who was kind enough to get ordained so he could perform the ceremony today. I wanted him to be part of this day, and this is the perfect role for him.
My dad kisses my cheek as he takes my hand in his. “Love you, Daddy,” I say just to him. Then I kiss him on the cheek and turn to Cooke. Stepping up, he places my hand into Cooke’s.
“You look stunning, my love.” Cooke’s voice is husky and only loud enough for me to hear.
“So do you.” And he does. Even in a light pink tie and matching pink pocket square, the man is dashing.
We turn to face Gage, who looks a bit nervous himself. I give him a small smile for encouragement, and he returns one. Taking a deep breath, he begins, “Everyone, please be seated.”
I hear chairs scrape a little as people sit back down.
“First, I’d like to begin by welcoming everyone and thanking each and every one of you for being here on this happy occasion. I know many of you came from quite a distance, and Quinn and Cooke would like to thank you for that. It’s no accident that each of you are here today, and each of you were invited to be here because you represent someone important in the individual and collective lives of Quinn and Cooke.”
I want to snort at that. I mean, I’ve never laid eyes on half the people here. But the sentiment is true. They mean something to Cooke, so that’s good enough for me.
