Chapter 41
CHAPTER 41
W yatt stood at the altar of Skagway’s historic church, his hands clasped behind his back to keep from fidgeting. The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the stained glass, casting colorful patterns across the wooden floor. In a few minutes, Sophie would walk through those doors.
His Sophie. The thought still amazed him.
If anyone had ever told him he was a whirlwind kind of guy, he would have laughed. Wyatt Boone didn’t do impulsive. He was the man who researched hiking boots for three months before making a purchase. The ranger who planned every wilderness expedition down to the last detail.
Yet here he was, six weeks after meeting Sophie, about to make her his wife. And he’d never been so sure of anything in his entire life.
“Would you stop moving?” Thane muttered from beside him. “You’re making me antsy.”
Wyatt forced himself to stand still, though every part of him wanted to go find Sophie, to make sure this was real.
“Never thought I’d see the day,” Thane said quietly. “My methodical big brother, swept up in a whirlwind romance. Trying to lock her down before she can get away.”
Wyatt scoffed. It wasn’t like that. It was just that even if he hadn’t been able to admit it to himself, from the moment she’d walked into Skagway’s tiny airport with her ghost hunting equipment and bright smile, she’d been the one for him. When you knew, you knew.
“Sophie doesn’t feel like a whirlwind,” he said. “She feels like coming home.”
Thane’s teasing smile softened. “Yeah, I can see that.”
He’d been so focused on his career, on protecting the wilderness he loved. He hadn’t even realized how lonely he’d been until Sophie burst into his life with her cameras and EMF meters, challenging everything he thought he knew about ghosts—and about himself.
Even ghost hunting, which he’d scoffed at initially, had become something he looked forward to. Not because he believed in spirits—he was still processing what they’d seen—but because he believed in her. In her passion, her intelligence, the way her eyes lit up when she talked about her work.
The church looked beautiful, decorated with white flowers and ribbons on every pew. He knew Sophie’s mother had orchestrated most of it, with help from Whitney and Audrey. The tiny lights strung overhead would create a magical glow once the sun started setting. Everything perfect for his bright, brilliant bride.
“Getting nervous?” Thane asked.
“No.” And he wasn’t. He was impatient, excited, ready to start their life together, but not nervous. Not about Sophie.
“Good.” Thane clapped him on the shoulder. “Because when Sophie walks through those doors, if you pass out, I’m legally obligated to mock you for the rest of your life.”
Wyatt smiled, remembering how Thane had teased him these past three weeks about his obvious impatience. “I’m not going to pass out. There’s no way I’d miss this.”
“
“Just making sure.” Thane’s voice softened. “She’s good for you, you know. I’ve never seen you smile so much.”
Before Wyatt could respond, the music changed. His heart jumped as the church doors opened.
In just moments, Sophie would walk through those doors. His Sophie, with her adventurous spirit and infectious laugh, who somehow thought his serious nature was charming rather than off-putting. Who made him want things he’d never even considered before.
A home filled with laughter.
A partner in every sense of the word.
A love story he hadn’t even known he was waiting for.
Wyatt straightened his shoulders, fighting the urge to fidget again. Six weeks might seem fast to everyone else, but for him, it hadn’t been fast enough.
He was ready to start their next chapter.