Garlands of pine wove around the rafters, filling the barn with the sweet scent of the forest. At the front of the room, an arch covered in white roses provided a focal point for the celebration that was about to happen.
He found a seat, said hello to the people beside him, and tried to look as though he belonged.
He’d searched for Willow when he arrived, but couldn’t find her. If he had her cell phone number, he would have called to make sure she was okay. Because, if there was one thing Zac knew, she wouldn’t want to be late for her friends’ wedding.
“Is anyone sitting beside you?”
Zac looked at Mabel Terry and smiled. “The seat is all yours.” He looked over his shoulder for Mabel’s husband. “Isn’t Allan coming?”
“He had to keep the store open, but he’ll join us for the reception. Isn’t the barn lovely? I always knew it would make a beautiful wedding venue.”
“Is this the first wedding they’ve held here?”
Mabel shook her head. “No, but it’s the first one I’ve been to.” She opened the wedding program and sighed. “Brooke and Levi have chosen some lovely readings.”
A door opened at the side of the barn. A man who wasn’t much older than Zac walked toward the rose covered arch, followed by Levi and Caleb.
“Oh, my. I’ve never seen Levi look so nervous. I just hope Caleb hasn’t forgotten the rings.”
As if hearing Mabel’s voice, Caleb’s hand lifted to his jacket pocket. Even from where he was sitting, Zac could see the relief on his face.
Another group of people entered the barn. Willow wasn’t one of them. “Have you seen Willow?”
Mabel’s eyebrows rose. “I thought she would have been here ages ago.”
“So did I.”
“She’s probably waiting at the front of the barn for Brooke to arrive.”
Zac had no idea why she would be waiting outside. Even though the sun was still shining, it was a lot warmer in the barn.
The jazz music that was quietly playing in the background drifted into silence. In its place, the first notes of Nat King Cole’s, “When I Fall in Love,” filled the barn.
“Brooke must be here,” Mabel whispered.
The atmosphere inside the barn became electric, then softened to something much gentler as the bridal party arrived.
A little girl walked down the aisle holding a basket filled with pale pink rose petals. With an impish grin, she dipped her hand into the basket and threw the petals high into the air.
Mabel leaned closer to Zac. “That’s Nora, Megan’s niece.”
“She looks different from the photos I’ve seen of her.” While Zac was in Afghanistan, William had sent him photos of Megan and Nora. Three years ago, Nora’s mom and grandparents were killed in a car accident. Megan had given her niece a happy and stable home and William had become the father she’d never known.
“It’s the pretty dress and flowers,” Mabel whispered. “She’s usually wearing jeans and a T-shirt.”
When Nora disappeared from sight, Zac turned to the back of the church. Megan walked slowly down the aisle. The deep blue, floor-length dress she wore looked beautiful. In her hands, in front of her baby bump, she held a bouquet of roses.
Mabel took a handful of tissues out of her bag. “Megan looks so pretty.”
Zac nodded and waited for Brooke to arrive. When she did, he turned and watched Levi.
His friend was wiping tears from his eyes.
Zac swallowed the emotions clogging his throat. Levi had been through so much. In the aftermath of Afghanistan, when peace seemed like a dark and distant goal, Levi had returned home to find a new kind of normal. Brooke became his anchor. But it had taken another three years and many miles of separation for them to realize they’d never stopped loving each other.
“There’s Willow,” Mabel whispered.
Zac followed the direction of Mabel’s gaze. Willow stood on a chair, her camera poised in front of her. As Brooke walked down the aisle, she moved slightly, capturing the moment Levi saw his bride. “I didn’t know she was the official photographer.”
