“I imagine there will be some difficult days. Every marriage has them,” Oakley said. “And yes, you’re bringing two darling girls to the mix. But my son knows this, and whatever he’s not ready for can be learned—because he has you, and he has God.”
Tears pricked Savannah’s eyes at such a beautiful testament. She pressed her lips together and nodded. Oakley slipped an arm around her and guided her into the house.
“I haven’t been inside for weeks,” Oakley said. “The cabinets are amazing, aren’t they?”
Savannah’s mood brightened. “I was a little skeptical of the robin’s-egg blue, but Gal was insistent. Trap showed me pictures of it in other houses and said it could be changed, so we ran with it.”
“It’s amazing,” Oakley said.
Savannah had no trouble knowing where to go; Fawn stood next to a barstool, waving her in like an air-traffic controller. Savannah sat, and from there she let Wilder’s sister, cousins, mother, and aunts fix her hair and makeup, feed her breakfast, chat, and keep her company.
With only an hour to go, the front door opened and little-girl voices burst into the room.
“Momma! Momma, we’re here!” Gal called.
Fawn went to meet them. After quick hugs and a flash of their pretty new nails—Gal’s a bright pink and Sequoia’s a pale violet—Fawn herded them down the hall to get into their dresses.
The three of them would walk down the aisle together. Savannah’s dad had died a few years ago, and she could give herself away as long as her girls were at her side.
Things moved quickly from there. Her mother and Oakley helped her into her dress, doing up every pearled button and placing the veil just-so.
Camila rose from the couch. “Gun says the llamas are ready.”
A nervous flutter moved through Savannah’s stomach. She pressed both hands over it. “Well, if the llamas are ready, sounds like it’s time to get married.”
Oakley laughed with her, and everyone joined the exodus out of the farmhouse and up to the main part of Shiloh Ridge Ranch.
They parked in front of the main homestead, where Wilder still lived with his parents in the West Wing—at least until after the honeymoon. She found Mocha, Nacho, and Sheepskin in the front yard.
“Momma, where’s Carl?” Gal asked. “You said Carl was going to be in the wedding.”
“Carl is going to be with Wilder, baby.” Savannah checked therearview, unbuckled, and turned. “It’s how we’re going to get the llamas down the aisle without causing a scene. Remember?”
She smiled at her mother and let everyone get out first. Many of the Glovers had gotten married at True Blue down the road, but today the ceremony sat in the large family gathering area by the fire pit, outdoor barbecues, and ring of seats. Cars lined the road in front of the ranch house where Wilder’s aunt and uncle lived, and all the way to the end where another aunt and uncle always hosted a Christmas light show.
Nerves ran rampant through Savannah now. She gathered Gal and Sequoia to her side like a hen protecting her chicks. “Stay right by me, babies,” she said. “Remember, Grandma and Granny Oakley will have to go sit down as part of the wedding party.”
“When is it going to be our turn?” Gal whispered, though they were outside and alone.
“Very soon,” Savannah said as her mother and Oakley crossed the street in their diamonds and heels. Savannah’s best friend, Cissy, had been tasked with telling her when everything was ready. In the rehearsal yesterday, Cissy had met her at an opening between two buildings; that sidewalk became the aisle, leading to an altar at the back of the graveled area where Wilder would be waiting with Carl.
“Let’s get our llamas,” Savannah said. “Remember, Gal, you’re taking Mocha, and Sequoia, you’ve got Sheepskin.”
She expected Gal to argue—they’d fought about who got to lead which llama—but either Savannah had been forceful enough earlier, or God had comforted her child, because Gal simply skipped to Mocha and picked up the lead. “Come on, girl,” she chirped. “Momma’s getting married today.”
Once everyone had a lead secured, they started across the street at a slow crawl. Savannah didn’t have her phone and would have to rely on others for cues. Back in the more private area behind the buildings, trees ringed the space and a slight breeze ruffled across Shiloh Ridge.
“Let’s wait here, girls,” she said, her nerves growing wings. Yesterday,Cissy had showed up almost immediately. Today, seconds ticked by, and still her best friend didn’t appear.
Savannah was about to send Sequoia ahead when Cissy stepped out from between the buildings in a gorgeous, apricot dress with wide shoulder straps and her hair piled on top of her head. She smiled widely, her peach-tinted lips gleaming, and beckoned. “They’re ready,” she whispered as Savannah got close. “Now remember, you girls go down side-by-side and then wait for your Momma.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sequoia said, drawing a deep breath like she was about to make the hardest walk of her life. Savannah loved her with her whole heart and watched Sequoia reach for Gal’s hand. The two latched on to one another and took the first step. Tears pricked Savannah’s eyes at the way her girls loved one another.
Cissy hooked an arm through Savannah’s. “This is a gorgeous dress.”
Savannah glanced down at the lace bodice and the frilly tulle that started just below her bust and flared in every direction. She had no train; the dress stopped at her heels, her cowgirl boots peeking out—perfect for marrying a cowboy billionaire like Wilder, and sure to make him smile, laugh, pull her close, and say how much he liked them.
She floated down the sidewalk, and the entirety of her future opened before her. Then she stepped into place, and everything snapped into reality.
