me. Like Grant, all three of us were wearing tuxes.
Behind us stood a rustic, wooden archway decorated with large white flowers and vines. The same floral decorations hung from the white seats lining the grassy aisle facing us.
Figured things out yet?
“Absolutely,” I said to my best man. “I couldn’t be more ready.”
I couldn’t wait to begin my life with Nala, with her as my wife.
That was not to say we hadn’t already started our life together. Six months after we’d officially began dating, I moved in with her. Four months later, I proposed.
We decided to keep the wedding small.
Was that easy?
Not at all.
It involved a lot of negotiating with Nala’s mom, her grandmother, and my mother. All of them had different ideas for our wedding and where it would be held.
As you can imagine, Mom’s vote was for Copper Creek.
Nala’s grandmother voted for her property. Nala’s mother was thinking more along the lines of an exotic locale.
So what did we pick?
I glanced at Robert and Tony, who were busy fussing over the guests and the last-minute details.
Tony had insisted on being the wedding planner, and you’d have to be an idiot to say no to him—trust me on that.
Because Nala and I weren’t interested in waiting another year to exchange our vows, Tony and Robert had insisted on holding the wedding and reception at their place.
Truth?
It was perfect…and symbolic.
After I had finally stopped being a dumbass and admitted to myself that I loved Nala, she told me about The Bachelorette party Robert and Tony had thrown.
You know the one.
The one I hadn’t been part of.
None of those men had—fortunately—captured her heart.
That honor had gone to me. So I liked the idea that unlike the night of the pseudo-The Bachelorette party, the wedding was taking place on their lawn with the late afternoon sun shining on us.
Grant nodded at Tony, who smiled back.
The next thing I knew, the violinist and cellist began playing, and Abby was walking down the aisle with Sarina. Both wore the light-pink flower girl dresses Nala had designed for them. Both smiled like the princesses they were.
Abby carried a small bouquet of flowers. Sarina’s crutches were decorated with the same flowers. Each had a crown of baby’s breath in their hair.
I stole a glance at Grant. He was smiling at the two girls and at one in particular—his girlfriend’s daughter.
Abby and Sarina were whispering to each other and giggling. They had fast become friends after meeting for the first time, and regularly talked to each other on FaceTime.
Once the pair arrived at the front row of seats, my sister waved for them to join her. Abby strode the short distance to me and gave me a quick hug.
“Do you have cold feet?” She looked pointedly at my shoes.
“No, my feet are just fine. Where did you hear that from?” I suspected she had no idea what it meant, but she had definitely heard it from someone.
Had I experienced cold feet since proposing to Nala?
Not at all.
“Daddy.”
I chuckled. Well, that would explain it. Ever since I announced my engagement to my family, Michael had been joking that it wasn’t too late to run. He also knew I had no intention of doing that.
Abby gave me another hug as Rachel walked down the aisle, joining my sister and Sarina.
Dani followed Rachel. Each woman was wearing a lavender bridesmaid dress my soon-to-be wife had designed for them.
Then it was Amelia’s turn.
Her gaze was locked on Grant as she walked toward us. As far as she was concerned, I wasn’t standing next to him, nor were the groomsmen.
A blush crossed her cheeks, and her gaze dropped to the grass. I turned to my best man, curious what he had done to cause that reaction.
While his expression might not have betrayed anything to the guests, I knew him enough to get the basic gist.
Because whatever he had promised they would be doing later that night, it was the same thing I planned to do to Nala.
Nala’s maid of honor took her place next to Dani.
The violin and cello music switched to a new melody, everyone stood, and a hush grew over the guests as Nala appeared at the end of the aisle.
At the sight of her, my heart soared in my chest like a bird taking flight, the beat of its wings echoing the pulse in my ears.
Christ, she was fucking breathtaking.
She walked toward me, her hand resting on her father’s bent arm. Her mother was sitting next to my mom in