God in heaven, she was beautiful.
He couldn’t take his gaze off her as she crossed the lawn and entered the spiral, working her way toward him, Austin’s words coming back to him.
Trust her with your feelings.
Then everyone stood.
Oh, yeah. The bride.
Eric jerked his gaze from Victoria, and there she was—Lexi.She crossed the lawn on her father’s arm looking like a million bucks in bridal white, flowers in her red hair, a big bouquet in her hands, a serene smile on her face.
Eric glanced over at Austin and saw a sheen of tears in his eyes.
* * *
Victoria tookher place across from Eric, almost afraid to look at him, worried she’d look into his eyes and see the damage she’d done. She fixed her gaze on Austin instead, her happiness for him chasing away her gloom. He looked so handsome in his tux, lavender boutonniere pinned to his chest.
And—oh, God—there were tears in his eyes.
Eric leaned in and whispered something to him, a grin on his face, and Austin blinked, nodding, a faint smile playing on his lips, his gaze fixed on Lexi as she made her way through the spiral.
Vic looked away, still unwilling to risk eye contact with Eric. Instead, she focused on Lexi, who made her way around the aspens for the final time, stopping with her father at the single vacant chair, kissing him on the cheek, and leaving him there to walk the last few feet by herself. Her pretty face was a picture of joy, her eyes bright.
She reached Austin’s side.
He took her hand, raised it to his lips, kissed it, the love he felt for her there on his face for the world to see. “You are so beautiful.”
Together, they turned to face Rose, who beamed at both of them as the music came to an end. She reached behind her for a cord that hung down the white trunk of an aspen tree and turned on the mic.
“Beloved friends and family, we are gathered together today in this place to witness and celebrate the marriage of Austin Taylor and Lexi Jewell. Some of you watched them grow up. Some of you went to school with them, while others are co-workers or friends from college. Today is a day of joy, so it’s okay to laugh, to applaud, to smile, or to cry.
“Lexi and Austin chose to get married here in this spot because it was here, sitting among these aspens, that they first fell in love. It was here they had their first kiss. It was here they sat to plot ways of spending more time together. And it was here where Lexi’s parents were married back when these trees were saplings.”
Vic hadn’t known that last part.
The lump in her throat grew harder.
Rose went on to share the story of Austin and Lexi’s romance—the G-rated version. Judging from the laughter when she mentioned Austin’s old pickup truck, it was a story most people in attendance had heard before in its NC-17 form. Vic laughed with them, the lump in her throat easing, a soft breeze carrying the scent of lavender and roses, tickling her skin, catching her skirts.
And then it was time for Lexi to say her vows.
Vic sent her a burst of good vibes.
You can do this!
Lexi looked up into the eyes of the man she loved, her voice strong and clear as she spoke. “I, Lexi Rose Jewell, take you, Austin Michael Taylor, to be my husband in a marriage of equals. I commit to you all that I own and all that I am—body, heart, and soul.”
As Lexi said her vows, Vic’s gaze drifted of its own accord to Eric.
Her heart gave a hard knock.
Oh, God.
He was watching her, his eyes looking right into hers, their blue depths a mirror for the torrent inside her. In a heartbeat, the world seemed to shrink until it was just the two of them, the vows Lexi spoke filling the space between them.
“I promise that you will be the source of my pleasure—and my solace in times of pain. I promise to share your dreams and your fears, to comfort you and shield you from harm, and to show you respect, love, and devotion through all the joys and struggles of our lives together. Most of all, I promise to be your faithful and true friend, honoring you above all others, from this moment until my dying breath.
“I make this promise in love, keep it in faith, nourish it with hope, and will renew it in my heart every day.”