Open Your Heart (Kings Grove #4) - Delancey Stewart Page 0,71

petals. It looked like some kind of woodland princess wedding, and I sighed at the perfection.

The end of each row of chairs was decorated with a simple bouquet of roses, the dark red set off perfectly by the forest’s natural landscape, and the white satin bows on each one standing out against the petals and greenery.

As guests arrived, the sun blazed through the trunks of massive trees to one side, casting the entire scene in a golden light that seemed to sprinkle and sift from the treetops.

I stood at the back and watched as Cam, Chance, and Sam seated guests, and Connor arrived, looking surprisingly nervous as he pulled at his tie.

“You doing okay?” I asked him when he approached.

He slid a finger around the tight collar at his throat. “It’s been a long time since I’ve worn a suit,” he said, the sunlight glinting in the red of his hair. He gazed around at the crowd and then looked down at me, his eyes twinkling. “Yeah, Harper. I’m good. Maddie’s gonna love this. You’ve done a fantastic job. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, feeling myself glow under the praise.

Connor stationed himself at the front, and Mike joined me at the back of the crowd, watching as everyone was seated and arranged. Tuck circled with the camera in his hand after stationing another camera up front on a tripod and a third to one side.

A string quartet had begun to play, set off to one side at the front, and the strains of Pachelbel and Hayden drifted through the forest like butterflies being unleashed one by one.

“It’s magical,” Mike said. “This is amazing, Harper.”

“A lot of this was Maddie’s idea,” I reminded her.

“But the setting…you were right about it.”

“A Kings Grove wedding should happen in the grove,” I said. I knew it would be perfect.

Mike put an arm around me then, squeezing my shoulders and leaning her head for a moment on the top of mine. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

I raised a hand up, making sure my updo was still in place and smiled at her. “I’ll miss you too. Thank you for giving me a chance.”

She shook her head, and her eyes shone. “I’d keep you on forever if you’d let me,” she said. “You sure a raise won’t change your mind?”

I swiped at my own eyes. “We already said goodbye,” I laughed. “I don’t want to ruin my makeup again.”

She sighed. “Fine. But I hope they know what they’re getting down there in Austin.”

“I’ll make sure they do.”

She turned back to the crowd just as Cam escorted Adele and Frank to their seats. “And I hope he knows what he’s letting go.”

“I don’t want to cry, Mike.” I whispered, not willing to think anymore about Cam, about what I once thought might be possible between us.

Mike took my hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” came a whispered call from behind us. We turned to find Miranda standing holding two bouquets of red roses, looking worried.

“You look amazing,” I told her. She and Mike wore similar dresses, both a steely grey that matched the ties worn by Chance, Sam, Cam, and Connor.

“Thank you,” she said. “Mike, we’d better get into place.” I followed them through the trees and behind the cover of some tall brush where Maddie waited, shifting her weight nervously in her long white sheath.

“You look perfect,” I told her. Her hair was piled on top of her head, a few tendrils hanging around her neck and face, and while I’d heard that brides glowed before, in this case it was absolutely true.

We all squealed for a minute, hugging one another and making last minute adjustments, and then the music changed, signaling that it was time to start.

“I’ll cue you,” I promised, stepping back around the bushes so I could signal each bridesmaid when it was time for her to walk. Cam had taken his place at the back of the crowd, ready to walk Maddie down the aisle, and when I saw him, my heart juddered in my chest. I swallowed hard noticing the way his dark hair was offset by the charcoal suit, the way the jacket followed the broad line of his shoulders down to the narrow waist.

He turned to look behind him then, and our eyes met. For a moment, I thought I felt something there besides the sadness I’d felt the last few times I’d seen him, the finality of whatever we might have shared drifting away from us. A