Ignite

Giving the signal, my father placed his hand over mine as we walked. The bouquet in my hand shook as my father said, “Take a deep breath, baby girl, and let it out.”

Doing like he said, I closed my eyes and let him lead me for a just a bit. At least until we rounded the corner and I could open my eyes to see Emmit.

“Open your eyes, Adaline,” my father said as we rounded the corner.

My breath hitched the moment I saw Emmit. He was dressed in tan linen pants and a white cotton shirt that was casually buttoned up but not all the way. The same as my father and Chris.

“Oh my,” I whispered as I was captivated by Emmit’s smile. I was surrounded by beauty but nothing was more beautiful than the man standing at the end of the aisle. His dark hair blew gently in the ocean breeze as his eyes took all of me in.

I finally pulled my eyes off of him to see that the aisle had been lined in beautiful flowers. At the end was the new trellis that had been decorated beautifully with tulle and flowers.

Everything was perfect.

Magical.

Stopping right before we reached Emmit and the pastor, my father turned to face me. Placing his hand on the side of my face, he smiled the sweetest smile I’d ever seen.

“Adaline Rose Morgan. You will forever be my little girl, and no one will love you as much as I do.”

A sob escaped my lips as I felt a single tear escape and make a path down my face. “Daddy,” I said as I leaned closer to him and kissed him on the cheek.

With a wink, my father turned to Emmit and held my hand out to him. Emmit walked up and smiled at me and then turned to my father. “I promise to always take care of her.”

My father was too choked up for words to speak. With a quick nod, he turned and sat down next to my mother as Emmit led me up to the pastor.

“Addie, you look absolutely beautiful . . . you take my breath away.”

Butterflies danced in my stomach as my heartbeat kicked up another notch. “Thank you,” I said as I looked into Emmit’s eyes. His love for me seemed to shine in his eyes. Everything about this man was amazing. He was perfect. Beyond perfect. How I ever lucked out winning his heart, I’ll never know.

Smiling, I said, “You look very handsome.”

Wiggling his eyebrows up and down, Emmit winked and my stomach clenched with desire as my lips parted and I was pretty sure I made some sort of moaning noise.

The pastor cleared his throat and began with the ceremony. My mind was going off in a million directions. Emmit stood before me gazing at me with such adoration, I almost wanted to cry. I’d never been so happy in my entire life. I pictured us walking along the beach with a little girl between us as we swung her while she cried out for us to do it again. My lips pressed together in an effort to keep my tears at bay.

“Emmit will now say his vows.”

The pastor’s voice pulled me away from my thoughts as I focused back in on Emmit.

Clearing his throat, Emmit smiled and the entire world around us ceased to exist. Taking my hand in his, Emmit began talking as his eyes pierced mine.

“Addie, when I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was fall on my knees and thank God for bringing you back into my life. Then I asked him why I couldn’t for the life of me write out my vows.”

Everyone’s laughter rode along the sound of the waves as I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

“Then I realized something when you walked toward me just now. One, you left me speechless with your beauty, and the second thing, I could stand here and profess all these amazing things to you, but all I really need to tell you is one thing.”

I fought like hell to keep from crying as my eyes searched Emmit’s face.

“I will love you and cherish you until the day I die. If there was ever anything I believed with my whole being, it is that statement. You can take everything else away—the racecars, the big fancy houses, the money . . . all of it, and I’d be perfectly fine. But if you were to be taken away from me—” Emmit’s voice cracked as he closed his eyes briefly before opening them and whispering, “I wouldn’t be able to breathe without you.”

The moment I saw a single tear fall from his eye, a small sob escaped from my lips.

Emmit lifted his hand and placed it gently on the side of my face as he smiled brighter than I’ve ever seen him smile before. The force of his touch raced through my body as I stood there trying not to let my legs give out.

“I can just see our future now, Addie. You pregnant with our first child and both of us scared as hell. The first day we drop her off at Kindergarten, then high school, and then college. Me draping a string of pearls around your neck on their wedding day.” Emmit closed his eyes as I leaned my face into his hand. Opening his eyes, he slowly shook his head. “The two of us walking hand-in-hand on some walking path as our grandchildren race by us on bikes. I want it all, and I don’t want it with anyone but you

, Addie.”