Chapter 51
LACEY
If anyone had told me a few months ago that I’d be getting ready for my wedding inside the same house where I’d once nearly ruined everything, I would’ve laughed them right out the door.
But here I was—standing in the middle of the Phillips House, surrounded by a small army of helpers—while someone fussed with my hair, someone else fluffed my skirt, and Jojo circled like a drill sergeant with a curling iron.
“Hold still, Madame Mayor,” she ordered, sticking another bobby pin into my head like she was planting a flag. “You’ve got more flyaways than a flock of migrating geese.”
“I told you I could do it myself,” I said, laughing as my nerves skittered through me like static. “This isn’t exactly a royal wedding.”
Jojo snorted. “Honey, after all the drama you’ve put this town through, it’s a series finale event.”
That set off another round of laughter from the small crowd that had somehow assembled: Zina with her makeup brushes, Luke keeping everyone supplied with coffee and donuts, even my dad, who was supposed to be waiting outside but kept poking his head in like he couldn’t quite believe this was really happening.
“It’s time,” Dad said, his voice thick with emotion. “You ready, sweetheart?”
I turned toward the mirror. For a second, I barely recognized the woman staring back at me. My hair fell in soft waves, my dress floated like spun sugar, and my eyes that had been puffy and red from crying now shone with something fierce and bright. It had to be love.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I’m ready.”
Jojo pressed a bouquet of wildflowers into my hands, whispering, “Okay, Mayor. Take a deep breath. Time to turn the biggest scandal of the year into a love story.”
I rolled my eyes, but my throat tightened anyway. I didn’t want to ruin my makeup, but the tears were already threatening.
Outside, sunlight spilled across the yard, turning everything gold. Someone had fixed the arbor and it stood at the far end of the lawn, wildflowers twined around the posts, ribbons catching the breeze. Rows of white folding chairs sat on either side of an impossibly long aisle.
The music started. “Here Comes the Bride” played from Jojo’s ancient speaker. I looped my arm through my dad’s.
“Don’t let me fall,” I whispered.
“Never, sweetheart,” he said, his voice soft.
We stepped out into the sunlight. The crowd rose to their feet, and everything blurred until I saw him.
Bodie.
He stood under the arbor, in a dark suit, his shoulders squared, his eyes locked on mine.
The rest of the world disappeared.
And in that split second, right before I took my first step toward him, I felt the weight of everything that had brought us here: the lies, the chaos, the love that refused to quit.
This wasn’t about saving the town or trying to redeem my family name.
This was about me and Bodie and finally having the courage to create our own happy ending.
I took one step forward. Then another. Walking toward the man who’d shown me what love meant and convinced me we had the kind that would last a lifetime.
Bodie
I stood next to the repaired wooden arbor, waiting for my first glimpse of Lacey.
There was no maid of honor, no best man.
Shotgun was still at the vet taking care of her new brood, so we didn’t have a ring bearer, either.
My gaze rested on each one of the folks who’d gathered under the gorgeous Texas sky to bear witness to me and Lacey pledging our love to each other.
Jojo gave me a thumbs-up, then started the music I’d downloaded. Strains of “Here Comes the Bride” floated through the portable speakers. I tried to force a swallow past the lump in my throat. Lacey’s dad appeared first, his arm crooked at the elbow where she’d tucked her hand.
I closed my eyes for a heartbeat. When I opened them again, she was there . . . a vision in white in the dress I’d driven into Houston to have dry-cleaned overnight. Escorted by her dad on one side and her brother on the other, she floated toward me.
Her lips curved into a tentative smile. The closer she came, the bigger her smile got until it stretched clear across her face.
My cheeks hurt from beaming back at her, but I couldn’t help myself.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her any more than I could stop the world from turning or stop my heart from beating.
She paused in front of me and I waited while first her brother, then her dad, kissed her on the cheek and shook my hand.
I was gaining so much more than a bride today—I was gaining a family.
I’d always felt more a part of the Cherish family than my own, but binding my heart to Lacey’s for a lifetime made it official.
Her dad took the small bouquet of wildflowers she’d been holding and handed them to Zina, who sat in the front row. Lacey put both of her hands in mine.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re gathered here today to celebrate the union of Bodie and Lacey.” Thank goodness the minister had been free. I tried to listen, but I could barely hear the man through the sound of blood whooshing through my ears.
“Do you, Bodie Phillips, take Lacey Cherish to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both live?”
My heart pounded as I waited for the minister to finish speaking. “I do.”
“Do you, Lacey Cherish, take Bodie Phillips to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, for as long as you both live?”
Lacey’s eyes shone. She nodded, smiling as she said the words, “I do.”
I let out a sigh as the minister led us through the exchange of rings. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Lacey, the most beautiful bride I’d ever seen. My bride. My wife.
As the two of us joined hands and turned to be introduced for the first time as husband and wife, I swept my gaze over those gathered.
If Lacey thought she’d burned her bridges, she was wrong.
The town had finally done what she’d been trying to get them to do all along.
They’d come together to build something beautiful—something that would give them all hope for years to come.
The flash of a camera caught my attention and I blinked. There in the back, Jay crouched down in the center of the aisle and snapped picture after picture.
Whatever happened with Ido was out of my hands. I had what I needed—the woman next to me. No matter what came next, we’d face it together. As a couple, as a community, as a town.