“I am.” Cole reached up and adjusted his bolo tie for the third time.
“You want this though.”
Cole turned to look at him. “More than anything. I love her, Seth. That’s not what’s got me nervous.”
“Just breathe. You’ll be fine once you see her.” Seth navigated a turn, gravel crunching under the tires.
“I know.” Cole shook his head, sunlight catching the silver band on his black cowboy hat. “It’s just hitting me. I’m getting married.”
“To a wonderful woman.”
“She is.” He was quiet for a moment. “I almost lost her.”
“But you didn’t.” Seth kept his eyes on the road. “Trust me, I know what that feels like.”
“I know you do. I’m happy for you and Ryan. She’s good for you.”
“I think so too.”
They rode the rest of the way without talking. Seth pulled into the lot behind the church, the century-old stone building throwing long shadows across the asphalt, and Cole felt the color leave his face.
“Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
They stepped out into the warm morning air, the faint sound of an organ drifting through the open windows. Inside, the cool dim of the rear entrance settled around them and they found Ethan waiting, dressed to match. Cole shook his hand and then immediately started pacing the length of the wood-paneled waiting room, his boots leaving soft impressions in the faded carpet.
Seth leaned in the doorway and watched him with barely concealed amusement.
“This waiting is killing me,” Cole said, checking his watch for the third time in as many minutes.
“It’ll be time before you know it.” Ethan straightened a cufflink without looking up.
Cole stopped mid-pace. “What if she changed her mind?”
Seth laughed. “She hasn’t changed her mind. Relax.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one getting married.”
Seth caught Ethan’s eye. They both watched their brother remove his hat, drag his fingers through his hair, put it back on, and said nothing.
Then the crowd outside roared, and all three of them grinned.
“I think your bride just arrived,” Seth said.
Cole let out a long breath. “Thank God.”
A few minutes later they walked to the altar, Cole first, Seth behind him, Ethan last. They took their places beneath an arch of cream roses at the polished wooden altar and faced the church, packed to the walls with people Cole had known most of his life. He cleared his throat. Then cleared it again.
“You alright?” Seth murmured.
“No,” Cole said through his teeth. “My balls are sweating.”
Seth and Ethan lost it. The laughter that escaped them bounced off the vaulted ceiling before they could stop it, and the Reverend fixed them with a look over his wire-rimmed glasses, one grey eyebrow climbing toward the rafters. The guests near the altar snickered.
“Sorry, Father,” all three said at once, shoulders pulling in like schoolboys called to the front of theclass.
Cole’s mouth twitched. That made it worse. Seth and Ethan pressed their lips together and stared straight ahead.
