Willow smiled. It would have to be a huge extension to be felt at Zac’s home, but she was happy to answer his question. It was better than talking about why she was still living in Sapphire Bay.
“It looksas though everyone’s getting ready for the bridal dance,” Pastor John said from beside Zac.
Willow had left the table a few minutes ago to make sure the band was ready.
“Have you heard Willow sing?” Zac asked.
John smiled as another wedding guest returned to their seat. “Not often enough. She sounds like an angel. Giving up her career must have been a difficult decision.”
From what Willow had said, he thought she’d stopped singing because she’d been working too hard. “Was it more than exhaustion that stopped her from performing?”
John’s face became guarded. “Willow will tell you the whole story when she’s ready.”
Zac’s gaze was caught by the woman walking onto the stage at the front of the barn. Willow’s crimson, off-the-shoulder dress looked beautiful in the daylight. Now, with the spotlights focused on her, she was breathtaking.
She stood behind the microphone and smiled at Levi and Brooke. They were standing in the middle of the room, ready to dance for the first time as husband and wife.
When Levi nodded, Willow turned to the band.
As the opening notes of the song filled the barn, a hushed silence fell across the wedding guests.
Levi and Brooke took their first steps, holding each other close as they gently swayed to the music.
When Willow started singing, Zac held his breath, stunned by the purity of her voice. His eyes never left her. Not for one moment would he have believed that this was the same woman who made jams and preserves for his home. The same woman who gave up a music career to take photographs.
Her voice rose as high as the rafters, then dropped to a quiet whisper, taking everyone with her as she told the story within the song.
Willow’s body swayed with the music. She was as lost in the melody as Zac, transported to a world filled with love and laughter, a world full of second chances with no time for regrets.
Her hands wrapped around the microphone, holding it as gently as a newborn babe. As the last note left her lips, Willow closed her eyes until there was nothing but silence surrounding her.
Like an ocean wave, the wedding guests stood, clapping and cheering as much for Levi and Brooke as for Willow. It was a moment Zac would treasure, a turning point that could change his life forever.
Tears stung his eyes as he thought about his life and the choices he’d made. In that moment, as Brooke rushed across to Willow and hugged her tight, he knew there was a reason he was here, a reason to look forward to each day.
And that reason was standing in front of him.
After she’d finishedher second song, Willow returned to the table where Zac and Pastor John were sitting.
Zac handed her a napkin and a pen. “You promised me an autograph.”
She searched his face, looking for any sign that he’d enjoyed what he’d heard. “Did you like the songs?”
The serious expression on his face deepened. “You should be singing every day. You have an amazing voice.”
Willow’s shoulders slumped forward. “I thought you were going to tell me the songs were awful.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you don’t like country music.”
Zac frowned. “How did you know…? You saw my music collection.”
“It’s impossible to miss. You have an entire wall of albums arranged alphabetically by each artist’s name. I couldn’t find any country music singers.”
“If I’d heard you sing, I would have filled my office with your albums.”
Willow smiled. “I only made seven.”
