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“No.” I sit and sigh. “It’s just that it’s here. The moment is here.” I bite my lip and smile at her. “I’m just struggling to accept that this is really happening. I’m actually doing it.”
“And you’re okay with how it is?” She tilts her head to the side.
I shrug again. “I never thought I’d get to this point.” It’s all so rushed, but that’s not what’s bothering me. I lick my lips and lean forward. “It’s just that this will be it. This will be my wedding story. It’s what I’ll tell my clients when they’re nervous on their big days, if any of the brides I make a dress for are nervous and feeling so raw before they walk down the aisle. What if they ask me how I handled it? What if they ask me for advice on how I did it?”
Marian pulls out a slim flask from her pocket. “Ah. Then allow me to fill that role.” She’s considerate of my mother not being here, of none of my family or acquaintances here, other than Dalton. If this were a wedding my mother arranged, I would be readying myself to walk through a congregation of hundreds of guests.
“You’ll do this,” she says as she hands me the flask, “knowing that man is the man you love, who loves you, and both of you will never lose sight of that connection. It’s as simple as that.”
I arch a brow at her offering.
She shrugs. “I was scared to marry. It’s such a big day. My mother and mother-in-law did that, too.” She points at the alcohol. “Liquid courage. To stop thinking and just feel.” She winks, and I giggle, tipping it to my mouth for a quick shot.
“My John and I married quickly, too,” she shares. “We were friends, and we’d known each other for a while, but we didn’t date for long. It was a whirlwind, and when it was my wedding day, I kept thinking, ‘but I hardly know him!’”
I shake my head. “I haven’t even seen Sawyer’s house yet!”
“John and I hadn’t done the deed, and I was obsessed with worrying if he snored!”
We both giggle, and between her honesty and the shot, I feel warmer and lighter. I don’t feel as alone with this woman standing in as the mother I’ve always wished for.
“But that doesn’t matter. None of it matters. You and Sawyer will learn about each other and get to know each other over the years. You have a lifetime to learn and both of you will change over time and you will relearn with each other.” She pats my knee. “The biggest part is done. You love each other. And with that, the rest will fall into place.”
We stand together, and I pull her into a hug. “Will you…will you walk me down the aisle?”
Her eyes go wide before she smiles. “Me?”
I nod. She’s acted more like a loving parent than my mother ever has.
“Of course,” she promises and presses a kiss to my cheek. “I’m honored.”
And that’s how I arrive to this spontaneous wedding that was pulled together in less than a day by these wonderful people I feel so blessed to have found. With everyone’s help, the backyard and gazebo have been turned into something from a fairy tale. The twinkling fairy lights and flickering candles lend a hint of magic to the impromptu wedding venue.
Marian rubs the top of my hand as we reach the back door. She pats it before I reach for the bouquet Lauren tied of blooms from the garden. A little girl has been holding them for me. She’s a guest with her aunt at the B&B, and she was thrilled to be included with this big role of handing me the bouquet. Her aunt is up ahead, snapping pictures. She’s a commercial photographer, here on a vacation with her adorable niece. Upon realizing we were arranging a hasty wedding, she insisted on making herself our photographer. I’m sure Dalton’s paying her plenty, but I’m grateful she happened to be here to pull off that role.
With Marian at my side, I walk down the aisle.
This is it. This is the day.
I don’t trip once, deciding to wear my most sensible sandals over the grass. The lace skirt of my wedding dress trails behind me as I near the flickering lights of the gazebo. Marian squeezes my hand as we walk the short distance from the house.
I’m doing this. I’m really, really doing this.
My heart swells, and there’s no doubt in my mind this is where I’m meant to be.
An older man from town plays a gentle, sweet melody on his guitar. He looks like a doppelgänger of Kenny Rodgers, but I think Aubrey said his name is Earl. Another local, I believe a former police officer, is the officiant up ahead, and his name actually is Ken. I don’t care. I’ll ask later. I’m simply happy both of them are here and willing to help make this wedding complete.
I don’t need an orchestra with a proper wedding march. I don’t want a fusty old priest asking me to recite long vows.
This is perfect.
Seeing the wide, smug smile on Sawyer’s handsome face ensures it. He looks like the embodiment of love, of being in love with me, and this is all I could ever want. With the birds singing in the distance, surrounded by the few friends who matter to us, I reach Sawyer at the gazebo.
Only then do I trip.
Sawyer catches me, and I roll my eyes at his chuckles.
“Full circle, huh?” he teases and pulls me in for a quick kiss.
