Sera grinned. “And to catching the wedding fever!”
Chapter Thirty-Three
The chapel wasaglow with flickering candlelight, their flames dancing gently against the cool hush of winter morning air. Red winter flowers, vibrant and velvety, lined the pews in garlands that twisted with greenery, their petals a striking contrast to the season’s pale stillness outside. The sweet, earthy scent of pine and floral notes mingled faintly in the air, warming the space as it filled with soft whispers and rustling fabric. High above, the stained-glass windows caught the slanted rays of morning light, splashing hues of crimson, gold, and sapphire across the stone floor in a kaleidoscope of color. The light breathed life into the shadows, turning the chapel into something almost otherworldly, a cocoon of warmth and beauty against the frost-laden world outside.
The soft murmur of voices faded as the chapel doors creaked open, the sound cutting through the stillness like the hush before falling snow. Maddie’s fingers fidgeted with the hem of her gloves, her chest tight as she sat between Sebastian and Charlene. Her ice-blue gown rustled faintly when she shifted, the fitted lace around her bodice an almost-too-tight reminder of the storm swirling inside her. Quiet gasps drew her gaze forward, where everyone had turned toward the bride.
“You look beautiful,” Sebastian mouthed.
Would she ever stop blushing under his attention?
Then the organ started to play and the doors at the back of thechapel opened.
Ashley stood silhouetted against the soft glow of the snow-dusted day outside, her arm looped through her father’s. Her blonde curls tumbled in soft waves over her shoulders, catching the light like spun silk, and the palest blue of her gown shimmered faintly beneath the white ermine draped over her. Maddie’s chest tightened, and her fingers involuntarily stilled. Ashley was a vision, so effortlessly radiant that Maddie could do nothing but stare, her hands frozen in a knot of nerves.
She wasn’t sure if it was the beauty of the moment or the weight of everything she felt pressing into her chest. Maybe both.
Ashley’s father led her forward, a vision. Maddie’s eyes drifted to Thomas at the altar, his expression filled with trepidation and delight as they fixed on his bride. His love for Ashley was there in every line of his face, so open that it felt too intimate to watch.
But it wasn’t the groom who held her attention for long. It was Ashley’s gaze, skimming across the aisle before it stopped on Maddie. A small smile danced at her lips, blooming like the first brave petals of spring. There was no mistaking the warmth there, the unspoken words carried in that look alone: Be brave. Have faith. You deserve this.
Maddie’s throat tightened as her vision blurred. The tears came before she could stop them, slipping hot over her cheeks. She blinked quickly, but there was no stopping the tremble in her breath. Then she felt it. Fingers brushing over hers, warm and steady.
Without looking, Maddie curled her hand around Sebastian’s. His palm was firm, grounding, and when he gently squeezed her fingers, she turned her face toward him. He didn’t say anything at first, just looked at her in that way he had, like he knew every thought tumbling in her head without needing her to voice it. The curve of his lips softened as his thumb traced a small circle into her palm.
“You’ll ruin your gloves,” he teased, his voice pitched low, meantjust for her. His mouth twitched faintly at the corner as if holding back a grin, but his eyes never wavered, intent and unshakable.
Maddie bit her lip to keep herself steady, shaking her head. “I can’t help it,” she whispered. “It’s all too much.”
“It’s supposed to be,” Sebastian said simply, his voice easing into her like warmth by the fire. “Some things are meant to feel this way.”
The certainty in his tone, the way he said it as though it was the simplest truth in the world, left her breathless. For a moment, her grip on his hand tightened. She wanted to say something, to tell him he was the reason tears spilled so freely now, but the words tangled somewhere beneath the weight in her chest.
Ashley and her father reached the altar, and the ceremony began, the vicar’s words ringing low and sure through the candlelit space. Maddie tried to listen, her gaze flitting between Ashley and Thomas, but everything blurred at the edges. Her focus drifted back to the quiet warmth next to her. It was Sebastian’s presence, his hand still holding hers, that softened the sharp ache of emotion inside her.
Charlene leaned closer from her other side, nudging Maddie lightly with her shoulder. “Breathe, you goose,” she whispered, her smile wry but kind. “It’s a wedding, not a tragedy.”
Maddie blinked rapidly, a nervous laugh escaping her. “I wasn’t prepared, that’s all.”
Charlene’s grin widened, and she nodded toward Sebastian. Maddie felt the weight of Charlene’s amusement before she even spoke. “I think someone else was.”
Maddie’s cheeks warmed, and she dropped her gaze to their entwined hands. Sebastian didn’t seem to notice Charlene’s teasing, or if he did, he didn’t care. His thumb continued its steady motion against her knuckles, grounding her in a way she didn’t realize she needed.
The archbishop’s voice rose, drawing her attention back just as Thomas reached for Ashley’s hand. The vows unfolded like poetry, each line drawing a thread of light throughthe quiet of the chapel. Maddie could feel the stillness pressed around them, the quiet awe from every guest as Ashley and Thomas sealed their promises with words that seemed to hover like frost-kissed breaths.
When it ended, and the vicar declared them husband and wife, the room erupted into applause. Ashley and Thomas turned together, their hands clasped as they began the walk back down the aisle. Ashley’s expression was luminous, her joy infectious as she passed Maddie’s row, her smile stretching into something beautifully familiar.
“Thank you,” Maddie whispered, though she knew Ashley couldn’t hear it. The words fell into the space between her and Sebastian instead, and she realized with startling clarity that they were meant for him too.
When the guests began to rise, Maddie moved to stand, but Sebastian didn’t release her hand. His grip firmed for just a moment, holding her back when she turned to face him. His gaze caught hers, steady and unyielding.
“You don’t have to say it yet,” he murmured, his voice so quiet she wondered if she had imagined it. “But I need you to know—I’m staying. Whatever it takes, whatever it means. I’m here.”
Maddie breathed in sharply, emotions cresting inside her like a tide she had no way to stop. He looked at her like there was nothing else in the world that mattered, nothing except her. She squeezed his hand, her voice barely more than a whisper. “You don’t have to stay, Sebastian. You already are.”
He smiled then, a small, knowing smile that carried more weight than words could. The press of his lips to her knuckles was soft, fleeting, but it left her trembling.
And with that, Maddie realized that this moment wasn’t about the wedding or the vows ringing through her thoughts. It was about him. It was about them. Snow swirled softly outside the chapel, but she had never felt warmer.
