The organist started “Here Comes the Bride,” and the crowd rose to their feet.
Like a princess arriving for her coronation, Mary appeared, a vision of absolute beauty. She wore a strapless white flowing gown with a jeweled lattice bodice and floor-length tulle veil.
Mary leaned on Pappy Jack’s arm. He walked her down the aisle.
When her sister joined her three grooms in front of the minister, Maude felt happy tears well in her eyes. The ceremony wasn’t that different from other weddings she’d attended, despite there being three grooms.
She listened intently to the men who were vowing their unending love to her sister.
“I, Daniel Wilde, take you, Mary Kincaid, to be my wedded wife. With deepest joy, I receive you into my life. I promise you my love and devotion. With my heart, I vow to give you my utmost care and affection from now until my last breath.”
Craig and Dillon, Mary’s other grooms, vowed the same.
Her sister faced the three Wilde brothers. “I, Mary Kincaid, take you three amazing men, Dan, Dillon, and Craig Wilde, to be my wedded husbands. With deepest joy, I receive you into my life. I promise you my love and devotion. With my heart, I vow to give you my utmost care and affection from now until my last breath.”
As the minister guided the bride and grooms through the rest of the ceremony, Maude realized her sister had not only found true love in these wonderful men, Mary had also led her to Grant and Greg, her own wonderful men.
“Just as these rings that are being given are circles without end, so should your love for each other be eternal,” the minister said. “Do you so promise?”
In unison, Mary and her grooms said, “I do.”
“Just as they are made of incorruptible substance, your commitment to each other should never fail. Do you so promise?”
Again, “I do.”
The Wilde brothers placed the platinum wedding band on her finger, next to the gorgeous engagement ring they’d also given her.
The minister turned to Mary. “You have a ring for each of your grooms. You may now give the rings to them and say to each, ‘With this ring, I thee wed.’”
Maude brought out the three little silk bags. Each held a ring.
One by one, she handed them to Mary, who placed them on the Wilde brothers’ fingers. The ceremony concluded with the normal kiss, though Mary got three of them, one from each of her new husbands.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
* * * *
The entire town of Wilde was dancing in the ballroom of the Hotel Cactus.
Greg walked over to the bar, which was being manned by its owner, Mr. Theodore Aston.
Mr. Aston wasn’t a native of Wilde, or even of the United States. He was from Sydney, Australia, and had shared the woman of his dreams with his brother there for thirty years. The trio never had children. So after his wife and brother had passed away, he moved to town, a place the three of them had visited several times. The Hotel Cactus had been neglected for decades. Aston had purchased it and brought it back to its former glory to the cheers of everyone.
“Quite a party your cousins are throwing,” the elderly gentleman said. “But I’m not surprised. The Wildes definitely know how to have a good time.”
“They’re so lucky to have found Mary.”
“The ceremony was very nice. Their bride is beautiful, but so is her sister, Maude.” Mr. Aston smiled. “But you and your brother already know that, don’t you?”
He glanced over at the dance floor, where Grant and Maude were center stage. “Yes, we do.”
“She is special. I’ve never had anyone so excited when I gave them the tour of the hotel as much as Maude.” Mr. Aston smiled. “I bet we’ll be hearing wedding bells in your future before too long.”
“You never know.”
“What can I get you?” Aston asked.
“Two beers and the sweetest white wine you have.”