The Charlotte Chronicles (Jackson Boys 1)

Nate was quiet throughout the debate, but finally spoke up. “My first inclination is to quit, but Charlotte has convinced me that this is the right thing for both of us, so we’ll hope you support our decision.”

In the face of our united front, our parents fell silent. Then, in a move that makes me tear up when I recall it, Nate put our hands in the middle of the table and everyone piled on top.

I feel so much love and support, I know that I’m going to beat this disease.

“I’m nervous,” I say with surprise. My hands are clammy when I rub them together.

“I can take him off your hands for you,” Reese offers.

I wink at him. “You’re too much man for him, Reese.”

He guffaws.

The walk down the aisle between my parents is everything I had ever dreamed. A harpist plays Ave Maria and beyond the lyrical notes plucked by the musician, I can hear Lake Michigan lapping against the sand. In front of me, in his formal dinner dress uniform with its short-cut jacket, medals along his breast and his rank on the side, Nate looks gorgeous and imposing.

Beside him stands Nick, winking at Cassidy who dances down the aisle in front of us, tossing hydrangea petals on the guests rather than the white carpet.

I keep reciting my vows, worried I’ll forget them or flub them in front of all of our family and friends. Last night Nathan refused to sleep with me, telling me he had to practice.

I yelled jokingly that it wasn’t too late to go back to the traditional vows, but he only shut the door firmly behind him and escaped to his bedroom on the second floor.

“Who gives this woman’s hand in marriage?” the officiant intones. The shock of red hair, ruddy cheeks, and big belly are a dead giveaway. Inwardly I laugh. I have a flower girl dousing the guests with flowers while the mayor of Chicago marries us. For a wedding thrown together in a week, it’s gone off well.

“We do,” my parents say emphatically.

“We gather here today to see the joining of two people and two families in front of their friends, their community, and their God. If any of you has reasons why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Behind Nate, I see Nick’s eyes light up in devilry.

“I swear to God, I will beat you until you’re bloody if you say one word,” Nate hisses out of the side of his mouth. Nick is nearly bursting with the need to laugh.

The mayor says a few more things that I barely register, and then it’s time to say our vows. I hand my bouquet to Lainey and take Nathan’s outstretched hands. He grips my fingers tightly, the rough callouses reminding me of the struggles he endured without me.

The midday heat is pushed off by the wind from the lake, and all around me I can hear the sounds of our childhood. We played hide and seek among the bushes and boated on the lake. Nathan griped about the size of my swimsuit. At the time I thought he was angry, but I realize now he was confused about my changing body and his burgeoning feelings. He saved my dolls from drowning once. I should have known then he would be a SEAL.

The birds chirp their summer melody, and the harpist strums lightly in the background. Surrounding us is the love of our family enriched by the history of our past.

Even before he speaks, my heart is exploding with joy, filling every crevice in my body with light and peace and pleasure.

I’m so lucky. I grew up with the greatest parents with the greatest friends. So what that I had cancer. So what that another form is back. So what that I might not have a leg when treatment is over. So what?

I’m alive. I’m getting married to this man I’ve loved since forever. There is not a dream of mine that has not come true. All of the suffering has been worth it, just as Mom had told me so many years ago—that anything worth having was worth suffering for.

I appreciate everything today and not just the wedding, but the love of my Nathan, the pride of our families, the embrace of those who have come here to witness this amazing moment in time.

I’m so so lucky. The luckiest girl ever.

And then…

Then he begins to speak.

His voice is rough with emotion but each word is clearly stated and the words are so beautiful that angels must carry them from his mouth into the air.

“When I first saw you, my heart knew what it took my head longer to figure out. My world is a dim, soulless place without you. Today I, Nathan Beauregard Jackson, vow in front of all of creation that I will be your weapon against your enemies, your shield against those that would wish you harm, your joy during times of heartache, your shared laughter when you are happy, the fulfillment of every want, desire and need. I am yours forever, and not even death will part us.”