every corner. On top of the tables. On top of the highboy tables toward the far end of the backyard. And the flowers were intense. Pillars of pink and purple roses and hydrangeas were stationed every few feet and scattered throughout the backyard.
Mary practically pulled me past the pool, where there were rows of white chairs. I knew when we’d reached our destination when not too far past the tree house, I spotted a wall of roses with our initials.
With all the guests standing on either side of me and holding my girls’ hands, I walked down the aisle, over the rose petals that were made into a swirly pattern, toward my forever and final destination—Charles. He stood tall, powerful, and insanely handsome in his classic tuxedo. Right beside him stood his brothers, the ones who took me in as their own, the ones I knew I could count on.
And when our eyes locked, my breath caught because I could read all the emotion and love swimming through his chocolate-brown irises.
It was only after Sarah and Mary had hugged their father and he took my hand in his hand that I realized I’d been crying.
He cupped my face and leaned in, brushing my tears with his thumbs. “Don’t do that, beautiful. I hate it when you cry.”
I pulled his hands down and smiled. “It’s happy tears, I promise.”
“Good.” He angled closer, his lips a millimeter from mine, when Brad placed his mic in between us.
“Not yet, big bro. I didn’t say kiss the bride.” He cleared his throat and motioned with his hands behind us.
In the heat of the moment and run by emotions, I almost forgot that we had an audience.
Most of the guests were the Brisken family’s friends but front and center and seated next to Mary and Sarah was Patty, all dressed in an elegant summery floral chiffon dress.
Brad tapped the mic to get everyone’s attention. “Hear ye. Hear ye.”
My eyes flew to Charles who was grinning.
“The minister didn’t show up, so guess who is officiating this wedding?” He tapped his chest with a light hand. “The one and only—me.” He took an overexaggerated bow.
My eyes widened and I expected Brad to drop the mic with those mic-dropping words, but he continued.
“Don’t worry, I’ve done this once before and the couple is still married.” He laughed at his own joke, while the guests were still in awe. I knew the feeling.
Mason rubbed at his brow, then his hair, then his arm, then repeated the motion again.
“So I tried to pick a quote to begin this ceremony. Well, that’s what Google told me to do, so I did. I was searching for the perfect line and the first that popped up was, ‘Marriage is like a walk in the park …’ ” He paused for a dramatic effect. “Jurassic Park.”
The audience laughed. “The Jurassic crazy part happened before today, so technically they weren’t married yet.” He blew out a long breath and the smile slipped from his face as he eyed the room, his gaze landing on Mary before sweeping back to ours. “We’ve seen enough craziness for a lifetime. Although Becky and Charles’s start was a rocky one—one plucked straight from a horror film—that’s okay, because right here, right now … this is their new beginning.” His eyes grew soft and he pressed his free hand to his chest. “And I see years and years of happiness, of joy and lots of nieces and nephews in my immediate future.” He focused all his attention on Charles, then. “You deserve this, this love. Because you are one of the greatest men I know. And you deserve an epic love story made for the movies because you have given up everything for this family and now it’s your turn to be happy.”
Then his attention turned to me. “Becky. Becky. Becky.” The way he uttered my name had me smiling. “What did you put in that water he was drinking?”
I laughed because it was our inside joke.
“Whatever it was, you have him hooked for life. Thank you, Becky. Thank you for coming into his life, for making him smile, for making him happy. What I don’t thank you for is tipping the scales. We were evenly matched before. Now there is more estrogen in our household and I don’t know how I feel about that.” His voice softened, but was still loud enough for everyone to hear. “Besides coming into his life, thank you for coming into ours—into the girls’.