With that, he entered the gardens and took them across perfectly manicured grass to the end of the tent. Ty stepped down and moved to help Winnie as their guests got to their feet.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Pastor Knowlton said into a mic. “Please stand for the bride and groom.”
Ty was used to people looking at him, having spent a lot of years in the spotlight. This felt different as he offered Winnie his arm in front of everyone, and she willingly took it. She beamed at him, and he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple just before the wedding party started parading along the back row of the tent.
They would meet in the middle where Ty and Winnie already stood, and then go down the aisle in front of them. Bryan led the way, and Ty grinned at him and moved over to hug him.
“Thanks, brother,” he said.
“You’re going to love being married,” his brother said.
Bryan met his wife Ellie in front of Winnie, and they linked arms and turned at the same time, heading down the aisle in the next moment.
Colt came next, and Ty laughed as he hugged his friend. Colt met Winnie’s sister, Taylor, and escorted her down the aisle.
Trap came next, and he grabbed onto both Winnie and Ty, his smile as wide as the sky. “It’s a great day to get married,” he said, and then he met one of Winnie’s coworkers, Jackie, and they went down the aisle.
Carolina and Hugh went next, and then Winnie’s brother, Brad, and his wife Steph after that.
With those five couples now walking down the length of two tents, Ty took a deep breath. “Last chance,” he murmured. “You sure you want to do this?”
“Yes.” Winnie looked at him. “Are you?”
“With all my heart.”
She smiled and reached up and wiped a corner of her eye. “Don’t make me cry yet.”
“Okay, don’t look at me,” he said, and together they faced the aisle stretching in front of them. It sure seemed like a long way to go, and Ty told himself to conquer it the way he had everything else in his life: one step at a time.
He took that first step, and Winnie moved with him, the two of them moving as a unit.
“Is she wearing pants?” he heard one woman whisper, but he kept his eyes forward, his goal singular, because yes, Winnie was wearing pants on her wedding day, and he loved her all the more for it.
38
“We need to double with them,” Lila Mae said. “She is justso much fun.” She picked up her flute of apple cider and took a long drink while Trap sat beside her. He’d looked beyond handsome as he’d walked down the aisle with one of Winnie’s coworkers.
They’d just come off the dance floor, and she leaned into Trap, glad when he raised his arm and put it around her.
She’d honestly had no idea that a relationship could feel the way hers with Trap did. They’d been steadily building and rebuilding everything between them in the past six weeks, and while neither of them were perfect, Lila Mae now knew that she could have a discussion with him about anything.
He might agree with her and he might not, but they couldtalkabout it, and at least gain some understanding. Lila Mae had never seen understanding from her mother. It was her way or no way, and in truth, everyone went along with her. She’d never really been challenged, and Lila Mae found she liked being challenged.
She looked over at Trap when he turned toward her, “You ready to go?” he asked.
“Any time,” she said. “It’s your best friend’s wedding.”
“I think they’re wrapping up.” He looked over his shoulder. “Yeah, see? The band’s taking things down.”
Lila Mae nodded and got to her feet. “Then, yeah, we can go anytime, because I believe you promised me some ice cream.”
She’d just experienced her first Texas wedding, and she’d never seen so many cowboy hats in one place, that was for dang sure. Trap wore a dark brown one, though his suit was black, and Lila Mae had realized that cowboys preferred certain colors for their hats, no matter what they wore.
Trap disappeared for a few minutes to go say good-bye to Ty, and Lila Mae helped clean up one of the tables. When he returned, he slid his hand along her waist. “All right, let’s head out.” He took her hand and led her toward the exit.
Outside, Texas had settled into darkness, and Lila Mae took a deep breath. “When we get married, do you think you’ll wear a black cowboy hat like Ty?”
Trap pulled in a breath. “Mm, is that what we’re talking about tonight? Marriage?”
