or misters or wind.
The Secret Garden had just opened up a few months ago, and Sophia had been able to book the venue by a stroke of luck—and a miracle. Wes liked the hand-painted walls, which sported vines and trees, rocks and waterfalls, and rabbit holes and secret gates.
The grand hall in front of them had white chairs on both sides of the aisle, and plenty of light spilling down through the skylights above.
He’d attended the rehearsal dinner, so he knew exactly when to start walking, and his heartbeat pulsed as he waited. Though Ames and Wes weren’t as close as he was with some of his other brothers, he wanted everything to be perfect for his wedding. It was such a special day, and Wes wanted only the best for his brothers.
He spent many minutes praying for them, and he’d somehow taken on some responsibility for their happiness here in Coral Canyon.
He spotted his mother and father down at the far end of the aisle, and they were looking back toward the line.
Their sons.
Wes suddenly felt so lucky to be their son, and he needed to tell them that—and that he loved them—more often.
He’d always been close to his father, and that hadn’t changed even though he’d moved to Coral Canyon. He still spoke to him several times a week, and he’d been helping Laura at HMC a lot this year as the company transitioned further into the digital age.
The music paused, and Wes tensed. Behind him, Gray said, “Three minutes. If they want us to wear these down the aisle, we better get moving.”
Someone behind him laughed quietly, and Wes timed his first step to land with the beat of the music.
He put a smile on his face, and it was easy and natural. The crowd stood up and faced the wedding procession, and several people twittered and giggled at the line of tall, dark, Hammond brothers and their ridiculous top hats.
Ames laughed too, shaking his head, and Wes beamed at his boys, who were sitting with Bree’s parents. They’d made the trip from Vermont, and they were staying in Coral Canyon for a few weeks to visit.
Wes loved them, because they’d given him Bree, and Bree loved having them here, because she didn’t get to see them very often. Michael had taken immediately to them, because that was simply his nature. Wes could see the boy at the helm of HMC in thirty years—and he hoped he’d still be alive to see it.
He made it to the end of the aisle, and he took a moment to hug his mom and dad. “Love you,” he said to each of them. He shook Ames’s hand and then drew him into a hug before escorting Bree to her spot behind the altar and taking his.
Gray had just barely stepped next to him when his watch went off, and Wes glanced at him. “Really?”
“Five minutes are up,” Gray grumbled, and Wes almost laughed at his brother’s surliness. It was just a top hat. Ridiculous, sure. But he could manage to be ridiculous for ten minutes if it made his brother’s wedding magical.
Gray took his top hat off the moment the last groomsman was in line—who happened to be his son. He’d walked with Molly Benson down the aisle, and Gray was not happy about it.
Elise had been flitting around the girl for days now, and Gray had never been in a worse mood. Fine, he probably had been, because he’d once run the entire law division at HMC, and there had been some really unpleasant situations in the office.
Hunter and Molly had gotten back together sometime near Valentine’s Day, and Gray hadn’t really known that they’d broken up. Ames had told him precious little about the situation, because as he’d said, “there’s nothing to tell. Your son likes a girl, and the girl likes him too, but she’s worried about having a boyfriend in high school.”
Gray was worried about Hunter too. He’d tried talking to him about dating a lot of different girls, but Hunter seemed stuck on this one. He’d either end up with a broken heart, or he’d break one. In Gray’s opinion, a relationship this serious wasn’t smart at Hunter’s age, but he didn’t want to alienate his son.
So when he’d asked if Molly could come to Coral Canyon for a “week or two,” Gray hadn’t been able to say no. He had over the summer, because Hunter was fourteen. He didn’t need to bring his girlfriend