Let It Be (Butler, Vermont #6) - Marie Force Page 0,45
being here with you. Anyone can see that. I’m concerned about him suddenly getting itchy and deciding a few years down the road that small-town life isn’t for him.” As soon as he said the words, he regretted them, because the last thing his Molly needed was anyone else raining on their parade.
Molly raised her chin defiantly. “That’s not going to happen. He said this is what he wants, that I’m what he wants, and after the way his family hurt him, I just want him to know that he has a home here with me and with us. I think he needs that.”
“I think so, too, sweetheart.”
“You do? Really?”
Elmer swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. His baby was getting married. Right now, apparently.
“You’ll marry us?”
“I will.”
“And when we leave here to spend the night at our home, you won’t come looking for Linc with the rifle?”
“I’ll do my best to resist that temptation.”
She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him as tightly as she had in years. “Thank you so much for being the best dad in the whole world. After what I saw at Linc’s house today, I appreciate you even more than I already did.”
Touched by the compliment and the emotion behind it, Elmer had hugged her back, even though his heart was breaking at the thought of his sweet girl getting married and leaving home for good. He knew it was the natural order of things, and she was more than old enough, at nearly twenty-three, but he would miss having her sleeping under his roof and eating dinner at his table every night. “Love you, my sweet girl, and I hope you and your Linc will be happy together forever.”
“We will, Daddy. I’m sure of it.”
Elmer could only hope she was right as she took his hand and towed him into the living room to present her plan to her fiancé.
“Daddy is going to marry us! Tonight.”
Sarah looked at Elmer, her brow raised and a thousand questions in her expression.
“What?” Linc said. “We have a wedding planned… January…”
“We’ll still have that day, but I don’t want to wait any longer for us to be married. Earlier today, you were given an impossible choice, and you chose me. Well, I want you to know that I choose you, too. I choose you for the rest of my life.” She got down on her knees in front of him. “Will you marry me tonight, Linc?”
He raised his hands to her face, his eyes shining with unshed tears.
Elmer found himself holding his breath, waiting for him to say something.
“I’d love to marry you tonight, sweetheart.”
She let out a happy squeal and kissed him long enough that Elmer was forced to clear his throat to remind the lovebirds that they weren’t alone.
They broke apart, laughing and teary-eyed and smiling so big he wondered whether a face could actually crack under all that happiness. He was so damned grateful to see them smiling again that he was almost able to forget Linc’s impertinence.
“So how does a last-minute wedding without a license work around here?” Linc asked.
“Dad is a justice of the peace. He’ll marry us tonight, and we’ll take care of getting the actual license tomorrow. It’s a little backwards, but it’ll be okay.”
“As long as I have you, everything is okay,” Linc said, kissing the top of her head.
Now that the two of them were about to tie the knot, Elmer was realizing he’d be in for a whole lot more PDA than he’d had to tolerate up until now. Ugh, he thought. I’m so not ready for that.
“Where do you want us, Dad?”
“How about in front of the fireplace?” Sarah suggested.
“That’d be perfect,” Molly said.
He thought she’d want to get changed or put on makeup or do her hair, but all she wanted, it seemed, was to marry Lincoln Abbott.
Elmer stood before them, gazing down at one of the faces that had ruled his world since she and her siblings were born, and told himself he could do this. He could give her away to another man and entrust her health, safety and happiness to him. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and walked them through the exchange of vows, which were said with tears and laughter and love.
He couldn’t deny the presence of love as much as he might’ve wanted to when she first brought Linc home. They didn’t have rings yet, so he skipped that part.