He held his arm out of for me. I took the bouquet from Heather and smiled. “See you downstairs.”
I watched as Heather slipped out of the room.
“Okay, are you ready to do this?”
Smiling, I said, “I’ve waited twelve years for this moment.”
Kynslee
I STRESSED THE entire time I walked down the path to the barn. Heather and Patty walked alongside me and held up my dress. Once the barn came into view, my breath caught. We stopped, and Heather and Patty each gave me a kiss on the cheek and made their way to the barn.
Outside the barn, to the left, was a large covered tent filled with tables and chairs for the reception. My parents had invited damn near the whole town, and I was stunned how many people were willing to show up for a last-minute wedding. I could see the lights shining inside the tent.
“You know we performed a miracle with this wedding. Especially since the fall festival fell right in the middle of the planning phase.”
Letting out a soft chuckle, my father said, “It was nice to have help from our friends in the community. The church did an amazing job decorating. I’m going to have to up my donation to the women’s church group.”
“Well, don’t forget they got something out of the deal.”
He tried not to laugh. “That’s right. You agreed to go to the women’s weekly book club.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty sure they are not reading the same type of books I am.”
This time we both laughed. Heather looked at us, giving us the thumbs up before heading down the aisle.
“It’s our turn, sweetheart.”
As we got closer to the barn door, I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I glanced to one of the windows and smiled. Miles had picked a fresh bouquet of flowers yesterday to use when I walked down the aisle at the rehearsal. My mother had taken them and put them in a vase and set it in the front window of the barn.
She had wanted me to see it as I walked up.
The lights hadn’t been turned on earlier this morning, and not all of the white twinkle lights had been strung up yet. The horses had all been turned out and stalls cleaned so that there wasn’t a strong presence of horse manure invading everyone’s senses.
Now, the barn had been transformed. White twinkle lights hung everywhere I looked. The chandelier that hung from the rafters burned brightly. Rows of chairs lined the main entrance, and each end chair had a beautiful lace swag with fresh flowers. Hanging above were mason jars filled with white roses. It took my breath away.
We’d only invited close friends and family to the actual ceremony so that it would stay on the small side. It was what Miles and I had wanted. The reception was all on my parents and I told them to invite whomever they wanted. They were paying so I thought it only fair they could throw the party.
When the wedding march started, my eyes found Miles. I paused for the slightest moment, but my father had a hold of me and gently motioned me forward.
Our eyes met and we stared at each other for a moment. Then I dropped my gaze and took in his Marine Corps dress blues. My knees went week and I was pretty sure I mumbled something about him looking like he stepped out of a movie. I let my eyes sweep over the uniform. His black jacket with polished gold buttons looked so sharp. The white belt added the perfect touch of class and popped against the black and red. The chevrons on his arms proudly displayed his rank. The numerous ribbons and medals clipped to his jacket instantly made pride bubble up inside me, not to mention were an absolute turn on. My gaze swept down to the dark navy pants with the blood stripe. The scarlet red a symbol of honor for all the fallen Marines.
I let my eyes wander back up and my breath hitched when I saw the sword. Lord help me. If I made it to him without passing out I needed my own medal. His hands were covered in white gloves and why that was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen was beyond me.
My gaze finally met his again. Goodness, the man was handsome. He looked so refined and polished. But his eyes, his eyes told me what he was thinking. He reached up and wiped a tear from his cheek, and I felt myself picking up the pace. I needed to get to him.
“Slow down, sweetheart. You’re almost there,” Daddy said.
I took that moment to look at our guests sitting in their seats. Before I knew it, I was standing at the makeshift altar, and Daddy was kissing me on the cheek. Miles stepped up and held out his hand. When my father placed my hand into Miles’s, he cleared his throat and spoke.