Her mom laughed and reached for her hands. She squeezed them and then helped her to her feet.
“Let me fix your gown. Your father will be pacing outside the door. You know how he hates to be late for anything.”
She fussed with Ashley’s dress and then there was a knock on the dressing room door.
“That will be him now. Are you ready, darling?”
Sudden nerves gripped Ashley and her palms went sweaty. But she nodded. Oh, God, this was really it. She was about to walk down the aisle and become Mrs. Devon Carter.
She threw her arms around her mom and hugged her tight. “Love you, Mom.”
Her mother squeezed her back. “Love you, too, baby. Now let’s go before your father wears a hole in the floor.”
She went ahead of Ashley to open the door and sure enough, her father was outside checking his watch. He looked up when he heard them and his expression softened. A glimmer of emotion welled in his eyes and he held out his hand to take hers.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” he said in a tight voice. “It seems like only yesterday you were learning to walk and talk. You look beautiful, Ash. Devon is a lucky man.”
She leaned up to kiss his wrinkled cheek. “Thank you, Daddy. You look pretty spiffy yourself.”
The wedding coordinator hurried up to them and motioned with rapid flying hands. She shooed them toward the entrance to the aisle and then spent a few seconds arranging the train of her dress.
Ashley’s mom was escorted down the aisle and seated, which only left Ashley to be walked down the aisle with her father.
The music began, the doors swung open and every eye in the church turned to watch as Ashley took her first step.
Her bouquet shook in her hands and she prayed her knees would hold up. The dress suddenly seemed to weigh a ton and despite the cold outside, the church felt like a sauna.
But then she caught sight of Tabitha, Carly, Sylvia and Pippa all standing at the front of the church, their smiles wide and encouraging. Pippa winked and held a thumbs-up then pointed toward Devon and made a motion like she was fanning herself.
And finally her gaze locked on to Devon and she forgot about everyone else. Forgot about her nervousness, her sudden doubt. Nothing but the fact that he awaited her at the front of the church and that from now on, she’d belong to him.
It gave her a warm, mushy feeling from head to toe.
And then her dad was handing her over to Devon. Devon smiled reassuringly down at her as they took the step toward the priest and the ceremony began.
It pained her to later admit that she didn’t remember most of the ceremony. What she did remember was Devon’s eyes and the warmth that enveloped her standing next to him as she pledged her love, loyalty and devotion. And the kiss he gave her after they were pronounced husband and wife scorched her to her toes.
Suddenly they were walking back down the aisle, this time together, as a married couple. They ducked into an alcove to await the others and Devon pulled her close into his side.
“You look absolutely stunning.”
He kissed her again. This time slower. More intense. Long and lingering. He took his time exploring her mouth, and when he pulled away, she swayed and caught his arm to steady herself.
Around her, the noise of well-wishers grew and she realized that guests were coming out of the church.
“Darling, they need you back inside the church for pictures,” her mother called as she hurried towards Ashley and Devon. “All your attendants are already gathered. The others are going ahead to the reception. The car is waiting to take you and Devon after you’re finished with all the photos.”
Devon looked less than happy at the idea of posing for so many photographs but he gave a resigned sigh and took Ashley’s hand to lead her back into the sanctuary.
“It’ll be over soon,” she whispered. “Then we can be off on our honeymoon.”
He smiled down at her and squeezed her hand. “It’s the only thing making the next few hours bearable for me. The idea of you and me locked in a hotel suite for days.”
She flushed but shivered in delight at the images his words invoked. She too couldn’t wait for them to be alone.
But at the same time, this was her day and she was going to enjoy every single moment of it. She smiled as she was swarmed by her friends. She was surrounded by countless cousins, her uncles and aunts, her parents, her brother, distant relatives, friends.
It was truly the happiest day of her life.
