Alice nods, misty-eyed. “You’ve built something beautiful here, honey. Don’t ever forget that.”
I swallow hard, trying not to cry because I just finished my makeup. “I still can’t believe this is happening. I mean… I’m actually marrying them. All of them.”
Violet grins, eyes sparkling. “You’re marrying three men who’d do anything for you. That’s not crazy… that’s magic.”
“Magic,” I repeat, laughing softly. “Yeah. That’s one word for it.”
I glance around the little room, Alice’s sewing kit on the dresser, Violet’s bouquet on the nightstand. The room smells of lavender and hairspray and something sweet, like the wedding cake waiting outside.
Alice brushes a stray hair from my shoulder and exhales. “You ready to go, sweetheart?”
I take a deep breath and nod. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
But my voice comes out soft, because under the nerves, there’s this incredible calm. My heart already knows it’s safe.
Alice opens the door, and sunlight floods in, golden and warm. Outside, I can hear faint laughter, music, the wind brushing through the pines.
It’s so Colter Creek it almost hurts.
Violet picks up my bouquet and hands it to me with a wink. “You’ve got three cowboys waiting for you. Don’t keep ’em hanging.”
I laugh. “Three cowboys. What a sentence.”
“Your sentence for life,” she teases.
“Yeah,” I whisper, smiling. “And I wouldn’t change a thing.”
When we step outside, I see them. Clint in his dark vest, Reid with his sleeves rolled, Sawyer fussing with his tie because of course he is, with Charlie right beside him in a matching suit because that’s the one he wanted. And when they look up, when they all see me, time sort of… stops.
Every late night, every storm, every heartbreak, it all led here.
To them.
To us.
Under the canopy strung with fairy lights and wildflowers, Colter Creek feels like it’s holding its breath. The whole town showed up, of course they did, but somehow, it still feels it’s just us.
The pines rustle gently, the creek babbles behind the ranch house, and everything smells faintly of hay and sugar and home.
Clint’s the first to step forward, his hat in his hand, his smile soft but a little shaky. He looks at me as if he’s still not sure I’m real.
His thumb brushes along my knuckles when he takes my hand, and the warmth of it anchors me.
“Hey, darlin’,” he murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “Didn’t think I could get nervous, but… you do that to me.”
I grin through the lump in my throat. “Good. Keeps you humble.”
The small cluster of laughter ripples through us, and it breaks the tension in the best way. Even the officiant chuckles quietly before clearing his throat and lifting his hands.
“Friends and family, we’re gathered here today at High Ridge Ranch to celebrate love… the kind that grows slow and strong. The kind that weathers storms and comes out shining brighter.”
The words feel like they’re meant for us. Maybe they are.
Clint’s eyes never leave mine as the vows begin. He’s steady and solid, his voice deep and sure when he says, “You’re my home, Dakota. Always have been. And I swear to never let another storm take you away again.”
Reid’s grin softens when it’s his turn. “You made this place feel like more than fences and feed. You made it alive. And I’m gonna spend every day making sure you never forget how loved you are.”
Sawyer’s hand trembles slightly when he speaks. “You made me braver. You taught me that family isn’t always something you’re born into—it’s something you choose. And I’ll choose you, every day, for the rest of my life.”
