Carolina and her team of decorators had performed nothing short of a miracle.
I exhaled slowly, fingers curling into the fabric of my dress as I watched the aisle from the shadows. The ceremony had already begun. The guests were seated, and Ginny was walking. Her pink dress caught the light as she moved, her bouquet trembling just slightly in her hands.
Beside me, Jeremiah inhaled sharply.
“Is that Max Krantz over there?” he whispered. “As intheMax Krantz?”
“Yes,” I murmured, following his gaze to the tech billionaire in the third row. “He’s a friend of August’s, so I’ve met him a couple of times.”
Jeremiah swallowed. “Okay, I know it’syourwedding, but I’m suddenlysonervous,” he said. “Max Krantz is like… a total godin my world.”
“Then it’s a good thing I mentioned you to him the other day,” I said, arching a brow.
Jeremiah gaped at me. “You did what?”
“I told him about you and your post-grad work,” I said. “He wants to meet you soon. Talk about a possible position at his company.”
His eyes went comically wide. “What?”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “Relax,” I said, patting him on the arm. “Consider it a wedding gift.”
“Again, this isyourwedding, Violet. I’m supposed to be giving you gifts! Not the other way around.”
I shrugged lightly. “As sappy as this sounds, seeing my friends happy is a better gift for me than anything else.”
He shook his head in clear disbelief, then laughed under his breath. “You’re right; that’s the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard,” he murmured. “And thanks a million. I love you.”
“Love you too,” I said, squeezing his arm.
I’d always wanted to follow the tradition of having an important man from my life walk me down the aisle at my wedding, but my father had never been around much, my mom’s dad had passed away years ago, and I didn’t have any uncles or male cousins either. So, as my closest male friend, Jeremiah was my first pick to ask, and I was thrilled when he elatedly said yes to the job.
The music shifted, signaling the next cue as Ginny reached the front, her shoulders relaxing as she took her place next to my other bridesmaids; my three closest friends from California.
I let myself breathe again.
Somewhere across the terrace, Dylan moved quietly with his camera, focused and intent, capturing every moment. Carolina had insisted on hiring him the moment I mentioned his event-shooting side gig, which meant half the guest list would be mentally bookmarking his name for future events, given how the female social circles in this part of the world tended to follow Carolina’s lead on everything from caterers to cosmetic surgeons. In turn, that meant Dylan would never be short of money while he continued his work on his post-grad studies and passion projects.
I caught his eye briefly. He gave me a quick thumbs-up, grinning, then returned to his work. The music swelled again, deeper this time. Slower.
My turn was coming.
I adjusted my grip on Jeremiah’s arm, and he looked down at me again, his expression softening into something protective and proud.
“You ready?” he asked.
I glanced once more toward the terrace, toward the candles and flowers and the cliffside view beyond. Toward the place where Julian was waiting for me.
“Yes,” I replied. “Absolutely.”
The music shifted again, and everyone turned to look toward the entryway just beyond where we were standing.
Jeremiah straightened beside me, offering his arm, and I slid my hand through the crook of his elbow. My heart was beating hard, but not with fear. Not anymore.
A hush fell over the terrace as we stepped into the light. The aisle stretched out before me, pale stone dusted with petals, candles flickering softly along either side.
At the end of it stood Julian. He was wearing a dark suit cut perfectly to his frame, his posture relaxed but intent, his attention locked entirely on me. The moment our eyes met, something in his expression shifted. Not possession. Not control.
Relief. Like he’d been holding his breath until this exact second.
