And Drago. The enormous Russian is sitting in the last row with his wife Lily and his baby in his arms. Violet is at the end of the aisle. Maid of honor. She’s in a sage green dress that matches the wildflowers, and she’s already wiping her eyes with a tissue she had the foresight to tuck into her bouquet.
And then there’s Gary.
Wearing a bow tie.
A black satin bow tie, clipped to a collar that Wyatt picked out himself. The goat is standing at the end of the front row like a groomsman who got lost and committed to the role. He’s chewing on a flower arrangement, and nobody is stopping him.
At least he isn’t trying to attack me.
The music starts. A single guitarist playing at the back, one of our ranch hands, James. The crowd turns.
And there she is at the end of the aisle. She takes my breath away at first sight. Her cherry red hair glistening in the sun.
The white dress that hugs her in all the right places. Different from her first wedding dress, but beautiful all the same. I can even see the red cowgirl boots just peeking out of the bottom.
The cherry necklace rests at the hollow of her throat.
And on either side of her, each holding one of her hands, are the two men walking her down the aisle. Richard on her left, and Wyatt on her right.
My son is in a little suit with a little bow tie that matches Gary’s. His dark hair is combed for possibly the first time in his life, and he’s grinning so hard it takes up his entire face.
My son. Walking my wife toward me.
I press my fist against my mouth.
I will not cry.
I will not?—
She smiles at me. And I’m done.
The tears come. I don’t fight them. Not today. Today, I stand at the end of an aisle on my family’s land, and I let the woman I love see exactly what she does to me.
Ace puts a hand on my shoulder, but he doesn’t say a word.
They reach the arch. Richard kisses Lola’s cheek, shakes my hand, and takes his seat. He’s crying. He doesn’t care, it seems, either.
Wyatt looks up at me. “I brought Mommy to you, Daddy,” he says.
The entire gathering loses it.
I crouch down. Pull him into a hug. “Yeah, you did, bud. Good job.”
He grins and runs to sit beside his grandfather. Richard puts an arm around him like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
I stand and take Lola’s hands. “Hey, firefly.”
“Hey, cowboy.”
We say our vows, and Jerry, who is acting as our officiant, drags out every single legality. Somewhere in the middle, Gary bleats so loud it echoes, and the entire wedding erupts in laughter.
When Jerry says, “You may kiss the bride,” I don’t wait for the rest.
I grab my wife by the waist and dip her backward. She gasps, then laughs, then kisses me back with everything she has while a hundred people cheer and the mountains stand witness.
And I know my parents are watching over me in this moment. And I know he’s proud that I found a woman to tame me. To teach me to love. To build a family on this ranch, just like he dreamed for us.
And that I protected Sterling Ranch. I kept Ace and Colten safe, and my boy.