It’s about moving forward.
It’s about honoring a promise I made when she was too weak even to open her eyes properly. She made me promise I would marry Effa, that I wouldn’t waste time, and that I wouldn’t let fear dictate my future.
So that’s exactly what I’m here to do.
The sun is blazing through the canopy of lush green trees lining the forestry of Linn Run State Park. We’re just under seven miles out of Ligonier, but this place feels like another world entirely. When Effa said she wanted somewhere picturesque, connected to the earth, and alive, I knew Linn Run would be perfect.
Evergreen forest, a natural trout stream winding through stone, somewhere where nature is untouched.
It’s grounding.
It’s wild.
It’s Effa.
When I brought her back here at Christmas, she stood still for almost a full minute just breathing it in. Then she turned to me with that smile of hers and said,‘This is it.’
We booked it that day.
And now, six months later, I’m standing at the edge of the stream waiting for her, adrenaline pumping through me like I’m about to step on stage for the first time.
Except this is bigger.
Way bigger.
I glance at the guests gathered below, and my chest expands. Half of Ligonier is here. And not one paparazzi asshole in sight. The town protects its own, and right now, I’ve never been more grateful for that.
I lean toward Tank. “Do you think she’ll be here soon?”
He grins at me, dressed up for once in black pants and a crisp white shirt, sans tie, looking almost respectable. “Calm your farm, bro. She’s not even late yet. And isn’t that tradition or some shit?”
Jay chuckles beside him. “Yeah, Mercs, I swear if you smile any more, your face might actually explode.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I mutter, adjusting my shirt for what has to be the fiftieth time.
At the end of the aisle stands a circular arbor draped in white and pale pink fabric. Flowers cascade down its sides in soft waves. A white silk carpet stretches toward me. The entire setup screams boho elegance. It’s whimsical, it’s intentional, it’s us.
Toward the back, I spot Lilah and Shane seated together. Shane’s arm is wrapped around her shoulders, and she leans into him naturally. It makes me smile. Things have settled. The past isn’t as sharp as it once was. Shane and I have rebuilt what we broke, and Lilah deserves someone who looks at her the way he does.
Then I see Gran. She’s moving carefully through the crowd, and she’s arm in arm withher.
My chest constricts.
Kiera walks beside her in a soft purple dress, looking breathtakingly delicate and impossibly strong at the same time. Her hair is growing back in delicate tendrils of chocolate, brushing over her scalp in silky waves. It’s not much yet, but it’s all hers.
And she’s here.
Roaul is standing guard behind her, like the protective boyfriend he is. I swear the guy hasn’t left her side since she coded in the hospital. He even took time off from the tour to spend with her, while I stayed on tour, to make sure she was okay.
I hate to admit it, but that did give him bonus points—the guy is okay in my book.
But he better not knock her up!
I don’t even think. I run down the aisle toward them. “You made it,” I murmur, bending down to kiss her cheek.
She smiles at me. That smile that once nearly vanished from the world. “Of course, you think I’m going to miss the wedding of the century because I’m a little weak?Please.”
I laugh, though my eyes sting.
