that isn’t surprising. I suppose I haven’t, either.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” I say to her and reach to shake her hand, but she has other plans and pulls me in for a hug and kisses my cheek.
“The pleasure is all mine. What a beautiful girl you are!” she says in an accent even thicker than Hardin’s. “My name is Adele, but you will call me Gammy.”
“Thank you,” I say, blushing.
She claps her hands in glee. “I just can’t believe you are here. Have you seen your father recently? Does he know you are here?” she asks, looking back at Hardin.
Hardin bashfully puts his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, he knows. I have sort of been coming here lately.”
“Well, that is so great to hear. I had no idea,” she says and I can tell she is on the brink of tears again.
“Okay, everyone, if you could all take a seat, the ceremony will begin shortly,” a man with a microphone says from the raised platform up front.
Gammy pulls Hardin by the arm before he can protest. “Come sit with the family—you two shouldn’t be all the way back here.” He looks back at me and gives me a look that says “help me,” but I just smile and follow them to the front. We take a seat next to someone who looks a lot like Karen and I assume is her sister. Hardin takes my hand in his, and his grandmother looks down and smiles at our affection before putting her hand on his other one. He stiffens a little but doesn’t remove it.
Ken walks to his place, and the look on his face when he spots his son sitting in the front row is indescribable: heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Hardin even gives him a small smile, which Ken happily returns. Landon stands next to Ken on the stage, but Hardin doesn’t seem to mind; he would never have agreed to be up there anyway.
When Karen enters, a collective sigh sounds through the room. She looks so beautiful as she walks down the aisle. Her face when she spots her groom makes me lean into Hardin’s shoulder. Happiness is radiating off of her, and her smile lights up the tent. Her dress is brushing against the floor, and her cheeks are glowing, adding to the ambience.
The ceremony is beautiful and I find myself with wet cheeks when Ken’s voice cracks into a small sob as he recites his vows to his bride. Hardin looks over at me and smiles, removing his hand from mine and wiping my cheeks. Karen makes a beautiful bride and their first kiss as husband and wife earns cheers and applause from the crowd.
“Sap,” Hardin teases as I lay my head on his shoulder while the crowd files out.
After a bit, we accompany Hardin’s grandma to the other tent, and I was right—it’s even more beautiful than the first one. Up near the walls of this tent are tables draped with white cloth and topped with black napkins and centerpieces of black and white flowers. The ceiling is covered in lanterns just like the yard, and they cast a subtle glow throughout the room, reflecting nicely off the glassware and glossy white plates. The middle of the tent is cleared for what appears to be a dance floor with black and white tiles, and waiters are standing at the ready, waiting for everyone to get their seats.
“Now, don’t you disappear. I want to see you again tonight,” Hardin’s grandmother says and leaves us.
“This is the fanciest wedding I have been to,” he says and looks at the white cloth draped across the ceiling.
“I haven’t been to a wedding since I was a child,” I tell him and he smiles.
“I like that,” he says and kisses my cheek.
I am not used to his public displays of affection, but I could get used to them quickly.
“Like what?” I ask as he sits down at one of the tables.
“That you haven’t been to a wedding with Noah,” he says and I laugh to avoid frowning.
“Me, too,” I assure him and he smiles.
THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS. I go for the chicken, and Hardin chooses the steak. They set things up in a buffet line to keep it casual, but the food is anything but. I drag a piece of chicken through the creamy sauce and bring the fork to my mouth—but Hardin snatches it from me, smiling as he chews the bite. He coughs a