The Imperfections

Before I can launch into a full-blown panic attack, Bri smiles and gives me a little wink. “Just kidding.”

I clutch my chest and the crowd titters more confidently.

“You better put that hand back down,” Brant tells her.

She does, but as she lowers her hand she also shakes her head at Brant and jokes, “The things I do for you.”

Brant scoffs. “Right. The things you do for me.”

I look over at the officiant, who is blinking in confusion since he doesn’t know what’s going on. “You can continue,” I assure him. “No one objects.”

For some reason thinking he’s allowed to come in on the joke, Theo says, “I don’t know, maybe—”

“I’ll stab you,” I tell him, straight-faced.

Brant looks over his shoulder. “So will I.”

Scout barks, as if to join in on the Theo stabbing party.

“Good boy,” Brant tells him.

Scout wags his tail.

The poor, poor officiant stands there looking between us with no idea what to do.

“We’re all good here,” Brant assures him with a nod. “Let’s wrap it up.”

The man does his best to get things back on track, but there’s not much left, anyway. My tummy flutters when Brant grabs me and kisses me, then he takes my hand and we turn toward the crowd as we are formally presented as husband and wife.

I’m filled to bursting with happiness as we walk down the aisle hand in hand, both of us wearing shiny new jewelry to signify our shiny new commitment to one another.

We head straight into the barn, where our reception will be taking place. While the ceremony was going, the crew Brant hired to do setup and serve food have moved around tables and finished transforming our barn into a romantic haven.

Lights are wrapped around beams and strewn throughout the room so it isn’t dark. Tables surround a makeshift dance floor, and I smile at the scratched-up wood beneath our feet.

Squeezing Brant’s hand, I look over at him. “I can’t wait to dance with you.”

“Who told you I could dance?” he shoots back.

“All you have to do is hold me in your arms and sway back and forth.”

Nodding as he looks around, he says, “That, I can handle.”

“Until it’s time for the chicken dance, anyway,” I add innocently.

Sliding me a dry look, he says, “Keep dreaming.”

Grinning, I hug his arm and lean into him. “Oh, come on.”

“Not gonna happen. If you want to make a fool of yourself, go right ahead. I’ll be sitting at the table watching you and drinking some whiskey.”

The bridal party starts to file in behind us, so we turn around to greet them.

My sister breaks away from her escort and runs over to give me a hug. “You look so pretty, Alyssa. And so happy, too.”

Grinning helplessly, I tell her, “I really am.”

Sighing with relief, she hugs me again. “I’m so glad. I was worried for a minute.”

“Pre-wedding jitters,” I say dismissively. “Everything is perfect.”

“Good.” She smiles at me then looks over at Brant like she’s not sure if she should hug him or not. I suppose he does look a little intimidating if you don’t know him like I do. “Well, welcome to the family, Brant.”

“And here I was gonna welcome you to mine,” he offers back. Amber maintains a polite, enthusiastic smile, at least until he follows up with, “Speaking of that, we’re gonna have to talk a little later.”

“Oh? About what?” she asks curiously.

I look up at him, also curious what he has to talk to my sister about.

“About your future. Alyssa told me you tried to sign up for some classes last year, wanted to go to school for nursing or something, right?”

Looking at him blankly, she nods. “Right.”

“Well, we should revisit that and see how I can help.”

“Oh…that’s…” She shakes her head, confused by his interest in her future, then she says, “It’s all right, I don’t think it would have worked anyway. My boss is a total jerk, he wasn’t willing to give me the time off I needed. And honestly, I would have had to cut my hours too much, anyway, and then I wouldn’t make enough money to live. It was probably a stupid idea.”

“It wasn’t a stupid idea. It was a good idea. If you want to be a nurse, you’re gonna be a nurse. I don’t care what your boss thinks.” Glancing past her at his sister waiting to talk to us, he says, “We’ll talk more about it later.”

“We will?” she asks, baffled.

Pressing my lips together as my sister looks to me for guidance, I give her a knowing nod. “I think Brant’s gonna father you now.”

“Father me?”

“It’s a thing he does. You’ll get used to it,” I assure her.

“Well, someone needs to do it,” Brant mutters.

My sister is so confused. I lean forward and give her one more hug. “Don’t worry, you’ll like it. You’re Brant’s family now, and Brant takes very good care of his family.”