Hank clapped Colby on the shoulder, the weight of his hand solid and reassuring."Let's go get you married."
They stepped out onto the little porch of the cabin, the wooden boards creaking softly under their weight.
The field had changed so much since that first day, when Colby had driven his truck up the rutted access road and found nothing but stakes and string and a woman with fire in her eyes and fear in her heart.The transformation still caught him off guard sometimes, the way a place could become something entirely new while still carrying echoes of what it had been.
Gravel paths curved clean and smooth between the cabins now, pale stone catching the last of the daylight.String lights hung from posts set at regular intervals, casting warm pools of amber glow along the way, turning the ordinary into something magical.The carved wooden sign at the drive, Norman House Retreats in Bree's careful lettering, caught the fading light and seemed to glow with its own quiet pride.
Chairs filled with people stretched across the grass, a sea of familiar faces turned toward the arch at the far end.Kara sat near the front, her eyes already bright with unshed tears, a tissue clutched in her hand even though nothing had happened yet.The florist from town fussed with the arrangements along the aisle, adjusting a bloom here, a ribbon there, with the focused intensity of someone who took her work personally.
Diaz stood near the back, out of uniform for once, but with the same alert posture she always carried, her eyes scanning the gathering with the automatic vigilance of someone who had spent too many years watching for trouble to ever fully turn it off.She was talking quietly with one of the officers who had helped the night of the second fire, their heads bent close together.
When she saw Colby approaching, she lifted two fingers in a small salute, a gesture that carried more warmth than her usual professional demeanor allowed.He returned it, feeling something ease in his chest.
Music floated from a speaker Bree had borrowed from the shop, something soft and unobtrusive, just enough to say this was a ceremony and not another construction meeting.The melody wove through the evening air like a promise, mixing with the rustle of leaves and the distant call of birds settling in for the night.
Colby took his place at the front, under the arch he had helped build with his own hands.The wood was solid beneath the greenery, sturdy and true, and he let himself draw strength from that.His palms were damp despite his best efforts, and he wiped them discreetly on his trousers and told himself to breathe.
Brian stood to his left, spine straight and expression surprisingly serious for a man who usually couldn't resist a joke.Hank took his place on Colby's right, solid as always, a steady presence that had anchored him through more hard moments than he could count.
"Still zero?"Hank murmured, barely moving his lips.
"Zero," Colby confirmed."Unless falling over counts as bolting.Because my knees feel like they might have opinions about staying upright."
"Not allowed," Brian said from his other side."I've got money on you making it through this without incident.Don't let me down."
The music shifted, the melody changing from background ambiance to something more purposeful, more significant.
Everyone turned.
Sabrina stepped out from between the trees at the edge of the path, her hand resting lightly on Bree's arm.
For a moment, everything else blurred.The chairs full of people, the string lights, the arch, the cabins glowing behind him, all of it faded to soft focus, leaving only her.
She wore a dress that followed her lines without swallowing her, nothing fussy or overdone, just simple and clean with a skirt that swayed gently when she moved, catching the last of the daylight like water.Her hair was half up, half down, soft waves pinned back with tiny clips that caught the light and scattered it in small sparks.The bouquet she had chosen in the flower shop, the one she had held onto through everything that happened that day, rested in her grip, soft coral and white blooms nestled against green stems.
She looked at him like he was the only thing in the field.Like everything else, the people, the decorations, the weight of the past year, had narrowed down to this single point of connection.
His chest hurt in the best way, a pressure that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the sheer overwhelming fact of her.
Bree kept her pace slow, matching Sabrina's steps, giving her time to breathe, to take it all in.Halfway down the aisle, Bree leaned in and whispered something that made Sabrina laugh, the sound brief and bright, a flash of joy that cut through the solemnity of the moment.
Diaz watched from near the back, her gaze scanning the crowd even now, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
When Sabrina reached the front, Bree kissed her cheek, a gesture full of tenderness, then handed her off to Colby with a look that clearly said,Take care of her.I will end you if you don't.
"I will," he murmured, quiet enough that only Bree could hear.
She nodded once, satisfied, and stepped back to take her place among the witnesses.
Colby turned to face Sabrina, taking her hands in his.Her fingers were cool against his palms, trembling just slightly, and he wrapped his own around them, steadying her the way she had steadied him so many times before.
The officiant, a local judge Kara had strong-armed into service through means Colby suspected he didn't want to know about, cleared his throat and began.
Colby barely heard the opening words.His attention was fixed on Sabrina's face, on the way she looked at him, on the ring he had placed on her finger months ago when he went to one knee in cabin three and asked her to spend her life with him.Her fingers tightened once in his grip, quick, like a signal, like she was saying I'm here, I'm ready, I'm not going anywhere.
"Repeat after me," the judge said, his voice carrying across the gathering."I, Colby…"
He did.
