He stood there for what felt like a long time, nodding and smiling to the wedding guests as they entered in classic, traditional fashion—one couple or family at a time. His daddy had missed the memo, and he sent Keri, Clay, and Avery running down the aisle toward him, filling this reverent, beautiful space with their calls and laughter.
Harry knelt down and received his siblings into his arms, laughing with them. Then Ev called them back to her, and they sat in the very front row while Daddy hugged Harry again.
He hadn’t seen his mother yet, but he watched each of his aunts and uncles enter and find a seat.
His former bandmates waved to him from further back.
Belle’s family entered together—including her mother,so she must be ready to go. His blood started to hum in his veins then, because he couldn’t wait to see his bride.
The wedding party hadn’t arrived yet, and Harry still hadn’t seen his mother. Surely it wouldn’t take that long to drive out to the gate and get her. Boston had been lined up with everyone else, so someone else must’ve been tasked with getting her.
He glanced up, catching movement at the top of the staircase. His pulse did back handsprings, because only Belle would be coming down the staircase.
He told himself he couldn’t control what happened with his mother and her international flights and her refusal to honor his requests. He didn’t want to be thinking about that right now anyway, not when his bride was about to walk toward him, and the love of his life was going to become his wife.
Pretty music started, and the crowd made a gasping, almost groaning noise as they stood and turned toward the back where Harry had been looking all along. Boston and Beth stepped down the aisle first, both of them dressed to the nines and beaming brilliantly, but Harry’s eyes had caught on the movement at the top of the staircase.
Belle had to come down twenty-four stairs, and she did it one at a time while their wedding party moved down the aisle toward Harry in a slow—measured—steady—pace.
He watched her feet approach, and then the hem of her dress. It belled at her knees and then clung to her curves in a gorgeous mermaid style gown of pure white. Lace covered the whole thing, and pearls caught the sunlight coming inthe pink glass, which made them glisten like pale, opaque rubies.
She carried a small bouquet of red roses that stood out among the snowy whiteness of her dress, and when she reached the floor, the aisle had been cleared of all groomsmen and bridesmaids. They’d separated and now sat in the second row of the congregation, and Belle alone stood at the head of the aisle.
Harry could not stop smiling, and Belle leaned into her father’s kiss, and then they proceeded toward him. He’d loved living life with her, off the grid, out of the spotlight, and the whole world slowed down the way it usually did when she finally arrived in front of him.
“Wow,” he whispered, taking her hands in his. “You are gorgeous, and I love you so much.”
She half-laughed and half-cried, and Harry took her unto himself and turned to face the pastor.
The pastor smiled warmly at them and then addressed the congregation. “Dear friends and family of Harry Young and Belle Graves, I am thrilled to be here with you today.” He had a loud voice that carried in the open space.
“We are gathered here today to witness the union of Harry and Belle in holy matrimony. Their love is a testament to the strength and beauty that two people can bring into each other’s lives. Now, it is not easy to take two different lives, from two different families, and merge them into one. It will take patience, sacrifice, compromise, love, and faith.”
He held up a finger for each thing he named. “I hopeyou’ll approach each situation you find yourselves in with those five things,” he said. “Really try to see things from the other person’s point of view, and take anything and everything possible to the Lord. He can help guide you both to a place where you can come together, counsel together, and build a life together.”
He turned to Harry, who had done his best to listen to every word, the way he’d promised his daddy. “Well, I think it’s time to get married, yes?”
“Yes, sir,” Harry said, and his voice sounded like a boom in the great hall. Several people laughed, and Belle’s low giggle was one of them.
“Harry, I believe you have vows for your lovely bride.”
Harry took a deep breath, turned toward Belle, and centered himself by looking straight into her pretty eyes. “Belle, from the moment I met you, I knew you were someone special. You bring light and laughter into my life every day, and I promise to support you and stand by your side through every challenge and triumph. I vow to listen to you with compassion and understanding and to speak to you with encouragement and respect. I promise to create a life with you filled with learning, laughter, and love—and cats. I vow to honor and cherish you for all the days of my life.”
He nodded. “I love you endlessly, and I want nothing more than this small-town life with you at my side.”
Belle reached up and swiped quickly at her eyes. “I suppose it’s my turn.”
A laugh burst out of Harry’s mouth. “Yes, baby. It’s your turn.”
She grinned at him, and he loved her steadiness. “Harry, you are my rock and my best friend. With you, I’ve found the love and care and compassion I needed in my life.”
Sniffling sounded around them, but Harry kept his focus on his almost-wife.
“I promise to stand by you in life’s joyous moments, as well as its challenges, to lift you up when you are down, and to always celebrate your successes. I vow to trust and respect you and to grow with you in mind and spirit. I promise to create a home filled with laughter, patience, and understanding. Today, I choose you and promise to choose you every day for the rest of our lives.”
She nodded, and Harry leaned in and pressed his cheek to hers.
“All right.” The pastor spread his arms wide and brought them back together as Harry and Belle turned back to face him. “Harry, do you take Belle to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”
