Kipp clasped her hands tightly while they recited their vows in front of old Judge McGinty, as if she were the only person in the universe who meant it would keep turning. His usual laid-back grin had softened into something reverent as he leaned in and whispered something just for her, making her tilt her head back and laugh.
Finally, Judge McGinty cleared his throat and droned in that official voice, “Do you, Kipp Holt, take Josephine Harriet Harperto be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
Kipp’s throat bobbed. His voice was thick with emotion as he answered. “I do.”
Rhodes’ hand squeezed mine, and I wondered what he was thinking right now. His marriage had gone so wrong before, but it had started for the wrong reasons. Did he think the institution was a complete disaster? Catherine hadn’t shown back up again, but we knew she was still close by. Rhodes said she was living over in Alder Creek. I was hopeful that she’d leave us alone, but I also knew that together we could handle whatever mess she stirred up. Unlike my previous relationship, this one was built on a solid foundation. No ex-wife was going to mess it up, especially her. I slanted a look his way and then made myself look away.
Judge McGinty’s crinkly eyes smiled fondly at Kipp and Hattie for a second before he continued, “Let’s get to the next part then. Hattie? Do you take Kipp Holt to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”
Hattie nodded. “Yes. I absolutely do.” Her smile was absolutely radiant as they each slid bands onto the other’s finger.
“Now, by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
We all whooped and hollered as Hattie jumped forward, looping her arms around his neck before Kipp cupped her face, sealing the promise.
“Go on. Get going and celebrate,” Judge McGinty made shooing motions. “I don’t need you young people crowding me. Sign your certificate and be gone.”
I sniffed back a tear while I watched them place their signatures on the marriage certificate. It was official. I had another sister.
We might have been a little noisy leaving the courthouse, but I doubted it could be helped. Opal led the charge with her little fists pumping the air while she tossed the small handfuls of biodegradable confetti she’d been handed. The small bits of colored paper fluttered around Kipp and Hattie as they came down the steps like rainbow snow.
“You guys. This was a wonderful surprise. How did you even know?” Kipp winked at me, which solidified my theory that he’d been told we were crashing his little ceremony.
“Hattie might have cracked,” Maggie hinted, sniffing into a Kleenex. “She knew we’d want to be here.”
East slapped Kipp on the back with enough force to make him stumble a step. “Congrats. Seriously? The courthouse. Geez.” He gave a mock eye roll, as if he and Lila hadn’t snuck off on their own to get married. “Lazy.”
“Couldn’t wait, and we’ve got a bun in the oven.” Hattie smiled smugly. “I had to lock your brother down before he got away.”
Lila pulled Hattie into an embrace. “You look beautiful. Welcome to the family. Glad you locked that down.”
Rhodes took a step back and snapped a few photos before Maggie started fussing and dabbing at her tears. “Group photo,” she called.
Dutifully, we all crammed together, our arms slung over each other and our faces pressed close. East’s grin was wide with Lila tucked under his arm, her eyes sparkling. Kipp and Hattie were in the middle, with confetti in their hair and Hattie’s eyes full of tears. Phiny made faces at Wade while Chloe held Opal. Rhodes had pulled me back against him. Being so tall was an advantage here. We wrangled a passerby to snap a few photos while we threw more confetti, until it drifted in the air.
It was messy and chaotic. A true representation of family.
“Well, that’s done. All married.” Hattie held up her hand, as if that had settled it.
“Why don’t you come on over to the house for some barbecue? We may have ordered some, and Lila and Phiny have a cake. You guys can dip out whenever you want. Purely a casual celebration,” Rhodes offered. It sounded spur-of-the-moment, but we’d planned it all.
“That sounds amazing. We’ll be there.” Hattie clasped Kipp’s hand in hers, her eyes shining. “Thanks, guys.”
When we finally said our goodbyes and Rhodes started the truck’s engine, he glanced at me with a small smile. "That was something.”
"Yeah," I agreed, leaning back in the seat. “That was.”
The unease I’d felt earlier from Cedric's weird behavior at the shop fluttered through me, but I stomped it down. I didn’t want to think about it right now. Glancing over at Rhodes, I settled my hand on his thigh, enjoying the smile he sent me. I knew I’d need to tell him later, but I could do that in a few hours.
Rhodes
We all knew Hattie and Kipp wanted to keep things casual, but it was easy to find out that the local barbecue place did catering. Nobody was going to want to be stuck in the kitchen handling the big stuff when it was a celebration like this, not even Maggie. Thankfully, Ellis was willing to hang back and meet the people from the Holy Pig, because I wasn’t going to trust random people with the code to my property, given all the unresolved shit going on.
It was still going to grate on my nerves to have to let people in at the gate, but Ellis was going to be in charge of that. My guess was that it wouldn’t just be family, but half the town. When I’d bitched about it, Sage had just laughed. For her, I’d be the host, even if I wouldn’t like having strangers here.
By the time we got back to the house, the weather was perfect, and even I had to admit the wedding high was buzzing in my veins. When I pictured a courthouse wedding, I imagined something sterile, but that wasn’t what happened. Of course not. It had been full of laughter and tears, and that chaos that seemed to come with this wonderful family I’d wrapped myself in. It hadbeen the opposite of my joyless wedding day. Hattie and Kipp had looked at each other with love and raw emotion.
I’d zoned out a little, standing there, watching them and wondering what it would be like to hear those vows from Sage. To say them. We’d look at each other like that.
