I take a look in the mirror once my mom has shut the door behind her, my gaze skirting around my perfectly made-up face before landing on my blond hair that’s pinned at the base of my neck, trailing over one shoulder in soft curls.
When Nate suggested we get married quickly, I didn’t think twice about it. I know in my heart and soul he’s it for me—he owns me completely. So when we realized it was nearly our one year anniversary for our first date, we knew it was fate to get married on the exact same day.
Lifting my hand, I brush my palm over the veil Charlotte placed at the bottom of my updo, the soft, delicate material of the silk tulle flowing through my fingers.
My gaze drifts lower, soaking in my beautiful dress. A dress I knew would be perfect because Charlotte made it especially for me.
The doorbell rings and I spin my chair around, moving forward and opening it up, not expecting to see Charlotte’s face beaming at me.
Her smile is spread wide, her eyes taking in the beautiful ring. She rushes forward, grasping my hand and gasping as she says, “My God, it’s beautiful.”
A grin spreads across my face when I continue to look at the Edwardian style ring: the 1.64 carat diamond is surrounded with two sharp-edged ovals filled with more diamonds on either side.
“It is,” I murmur, my voice full of fascination and awe. It’s been two days since Nate proposed and the date has already been set for nine weeks from now—the exact date we had our first date.
“We need to make you a dress that’ll do this ring justice,” she says, stepping inside fully as I wheel my chair back, a leather folder tucked under her arm as she shuts the door.
“Make me a dress?” I ask.
“Yep,” she walks over to the sofa, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. “You didn’t think I’d let you buy an off-the-rack dress, did you?”
“Well… I… Do we have enough time?”
“We sure do!”
The dress does do the ring justice. My eyes tear up when I trail my fingers over the deep V that dips between my breasts, the skin-colored overlay holding onto the intricate lace pattern that’s been hand sewn onto the bodice. The lace flows gently over the wispy white skirt of the dress and into the split running up my left leg, giving the illusion it’s there but still having the modesty of being covered. The back dips all the way down to the bottom of my spine, showing off my whole back, lace interwoven into the small portion of my dress at the base of my neck.
When Charlotte did the big reveal a week ago, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down my face at the beauty of it, and now it’s on my body, I’m not sure I can hold them back much longer.
“Amelia?” Maya’s voice sounds through the door with a knock and she comes in, her gaze trailing over me as she steps inside and shuts the door behind her. “You ready?”
Taking a deep breath, I place my hand on my stomach, nodding my head. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I pause, smiling at how beautiful she looks in her mauve bridesmaid dress. “You look stunning,” I tell her.
“Thanks.” She shuffles on her feet before coming forward, her voice unsure as she says, “Jake’s here.” Frowning, I tilt my head to the side, not understanding why she looks so worried. If there’s ever a time to introduce your boyfriend to your family, then a wedding is the perfect one.
“Maya? What’s wrong?”
“Erm… well… you remember you asking me to keep something a secret?” Her gaze bats down to my foot before coming back up. “I may have kept another one.” She worries her bottom lip. “Jake is… he’s… erm… he’s a senior and will be going off to college after the summer.”
I groan, leaning my head back as a bark of laughter escapes me. She may have not long turned sixteen, but it means he’s two years older than her. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re in high school, it’s huge. “Your brother’s gonna be pissed.”
“I know.” She flops down on the chair in the corner of the guest room where I’ve been getting ready. “You have to help me. I don’t want him to kill him because… well, I really, really like Jake.”
Wheeling over to her, I place a hand over the top of hers that’s holding our bouquets, full of earthy-toned flowers. “I’ll be there, don’t worry.” She blows out a deep breath, her chest moving up and down as she breathes in and out slowly. “Come on, it’s time for me to get hitched.”
She giggles, standing up and following me out as I wheel down the hallway, through the living room and kitchen, and outside onto the patio.
Dad waits for me next to the golf cart to take us down to where we’re having the ceremony: on the open grass in front of the lake. His black suit and white shirt are pressed within an inch of its life thanks to my mother. He paces back and forth but as we come to a stop, his head lifts and a smile spreads over his face, his eyes turning glassy.
“Sweetheart,” he murmurs, clearing his throat. “You look… beautiful.”
“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.” I take my bouquet from Maya before titling my head toward the cart. “You ready for this, Dad?”
“No.” He swipes his hand through his hair. “I’ve been so stressed I swear I have a bald patch.”
I laugh at him, shaking my head but taking an extra long look at his hair. I think he really does have a bald patch.
I move closer to the cart, maneuvering myself into it as dad attaches my chair to the rack Nate had installed as Maya sits next to me. I hear the sounds of the guests talking the closer we get toward the lake. My nerves get more intense when Dad comes to a stop next to a small partition set up close to the end of the aisle so Nate can’t see me yet.
The sounds of the guests die down as someone must tell them it’s time, and a flock of butterflies take flight in my stomach. Today is a big day—a huge day.
Moving back to my chair, I wheel close to the aisle where Izzie and Clay stand at the edge of it, Izzie in her white dress with a mauve sash and bow, and Clay in a navy-blue suit, a tie to match the sash and bow on his sister’s dress.
Winking at them, I relish in the smiles I get back. The last couple of months I’ve made a conscious effort to see them both more, driving over to Tris and Harmony’s house and even having them stay overnight at ours.
They start to walk forward down the aisle, Izzie throwing petals down as Dad and Maya walk ahead, coming to a stop at the start of the aisle and concealing me.
My eyes take in all of the white wooden seats, the small signs hanging off the back of each of them with a different quote. Some speak of love, some of hardship, but every single one means something to me and Nate.
When Dad and Maya step aside, I see him standing there, his handsome face smiling down at me, his green eyes shining bright. His navy suit fits him perfectly, the tie he wears matching the colors of the bridesmaid dresses.
The altar he’s standing at is covered in flowers, wrapping around each of the four white, wooden beams are holding it up, the openness of it showing the beautiful lake and the clear blue sky behind him.
Maya steps behind me, her hand landing on my shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze as Dad moves beside me on the right. My wheels move smoothly over the wooden walkway that’s been laid down, petals floating along it, moving with the gentle breeze flowing over us all.
My breath catches in my throat when we get halfway up the aisle, twenty feet from where Nate is standing with Tris beside him. Izzie and Clay are now sitting in the front row next to Charlotte and Edward, and my stomach dips as I come to a stop, nervousness coursing through me.
This is it. This is the moment.
Nate frowns, his head tilting to the side, and I can see he’s confused as to why I’ve stopped, but when Maya comes to stand next to me, reaching out for the bouquet, he steps forward.
I give him a small shake of my head before bracing my arms on the side of my chair and pushing up. My muscles ache with the force, but I’m determined to do this—to show him and all of the guests what I can do.
There’s only three people who knew I was going to do this: Traci, Maya, and my dad. Each one of them didn’t want to keep the secret, but after the day Nate proposed, I was determined to try and walk down the aisle.
The feeling has slowly come back in my legs since the day I could feel Maya touching my foot, and although there are spots I still can’t feel, I know they’ll come back with more time and therapy.
I stand to my full height, reaching out for my dad’s arm and grasping onto it, steadying myself as I look back at Nate, taking one step toward him.
The first of many more.
My knees grow weak at the sight of my beautiful wife-to-be walking toward me. I sink down to the wooden platform beneath me, unable to keep myself standing as tears of joy and wonderment roll down my cheeks. I can hear the sound of our friends and family gasping and a few sobs ringing out, but I don’t move my focus away from Amelia’s determined eyes.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and Tris helps me to stand up as Amelia steps closer, Carl at her side with every one she takes as I send a silent thank you up to the heavens. Although I know most of this is down to Amelia’s determination. She always wants to go one step further. And she’s achieved it.
They reach the altar and I take a shaky step toward her, Carl placing her hand in mine as we both help her step up onto the small platform, the ramp going unused until Maya pushes up the chair.
Everything else goes silent the moment she looks at me with a soft smile on her face and I cup her cheeks, brushing my thumbs over them as my breath catches. “What—how?”
She smiles wider. “I wanted to be able to walk down the aisle.”
“But…” My eyes flick behind her to Maya who has tears streaming down her face, complete with a big grin. “I don’t understand.”
Her face turns pained. “I won’t be able to stand for long but I really want to be able to do this without my chair.” Maya wheels her chair over to her but she refuses to sit down as she says, “I’ll explain properly later on.” Her gaze flicks to the man who will be witnessing our vows. “Shall we get married first?”
I chuckle and she lifts her hands, wiping away an errant tear off my cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
She nods before whispering, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
I squeeze her hand, a peculiar feeling flowing through me at seeing her standing in front of me. “Yes, you could.”
She puts her other hand on mine as the officiant starts to speak. “But I wouldn’t have wanted to.”
I turn my head toward him, focusing on what he’s saying and silently telling him not to drag on, knowing she won’t be able to stand for the long period of time it usually takes.
We say our vows and those magic words, “You may kiss the bride,” are announced. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her to me and relishing in the feel of her body against mine.
I press my lips against hers, trailing my tongue along the seam and trying but failing to hold in the groan as her tongue meets mine.
Hoots and hollers sound around us, causing both of our lips to spread into huge smiles when we pull away. Framing her face with my hands, I whisper, “I love you, Mrs. Cole.”
“I love you, too, Mr. Cole.” Her grip on my biceps tighten as she murmurs, “I need to sit now though.”
A mischievous look crosses my face before I bend and scoop her into my arms. She lets out a laugh, tipping her head back as we turn toward our family and friends, seeing everyone cheering for us.
I clear my throat. “If everyone could go home now, I’d like to spend time with my wife.”
Amelia slaps me on the chest. “You horn dog!” she shouts, but her tone is light as she wraps her hand around the back of my neck, lowering her voice. “There’ll be enough time for that later.”
I throw my head back laughing as I carry her down the aisle and over to the tent that’s been set up for the reception. I know the tradition is to stand and thank everybody for coming and to do photographs, but they can wait for an hour while she rests. If it was up to me, I’d take her to our room and let her sleep—no, that’s a lie, we wouldn’t get any sleep.
Once I’ve got her sitting down at the head table, I kneel down, placing my hands on her knees, knowing she can feel it now. “I’m going to go and tell the caterers there’s a change in schedule.”
I go to stand back up, but her hand on my arm stops me. “What?”
“You need to rest for an hour. We’ll do drinks and speeches now, and then photographs, and then we’ll eat.” Tilting my head, I ask, “Is that okay?”
She worries her bottom lip as all of the guests walk into the tent, but I can see the tiredness on her face. “Yeah, okay.”
Nodding, I place one last kiss on her lips before walking over to Tris and telling him the plan, watching briefly as he walks over to my wife—my wife. I’ll never get tired of saying that.
When everyone finds their seats, I tap my glass to get their attention. “Hi, everyone. Thank you for coming today to celebrate with us, as you can see, the program has changed slightly, so without further ado, I’ll hand you over to the best man for the first speech.”
Tris clears his throat, smiling at us before taking the mic from me and addressing everyone. “Now, I’m not one for giving lengthy speeches so you’re in luck.” Everyone chuckles. “I’ve known Nate ever since he had long flowing hair in college.”
Amelia bursts out laughing. “Now that I have to see.”
“I have lots of photos,” Dad says, leaning across the table.
I pinch the bridge of my nose as Tris continues. “He’s always been the joker, the class clown, and nothing’s changed. But I’m sure everyone would agree we wouldn’t have him any other way. He’s an incredible friend that was there for me during one of the hardest times of my life, never leaving my side, even when I was pushing him away.”
Amelia elbows me in the ribs. “Sounds familiar.”
I smile and kiss her on her temple, turning my attention back to Tris as his gaze connects with mine. “I never did thank him, but I don’t think I need to.” I shake my head in confirmation. “And then there’s Amelia who turned up on my doorstep, answering an ad when I was starting my journey as a single father. She’s been there every step of the way: helping me raise my kids. She’s the little sister I never had.” He pauses, clearing his throat. “I’ve never seen a more deserving couple of a happy ending than you two, and I know with each other at your sides, you’ll have that.” He raises his glass before he says, “To the happy couple.”
Everyone chants back with the same sentiment as Tris sits down, giving me a subtle nod and reaching over to take Amelia’s hand to squeeze it.
“Uh-oh.”
“What?” I ask Amelia, spinning around to face her.
She tilts her head, whispering, “Dad’s turn.”
My eyes widen as her dad stands to his full height, clearing his throat to gain everyone’s attention.
“Hi, I’m Sheriff—No, wrong audience.” There’s a collection of chuckles as he adjusts his tie, his gaze searching the room before coming to a stop on me and Amelia. “My little girl.” His voice seems to be lost to memories as he stares at her. “I’ll be the first person to admit I didn’t want you here; I wanted you to come home after...” He shakes his head, batting away the same thoughts I find myself stuck in sometimes. “But watching how you are with each other: how much Nate’s love shines through, I know letting you go and trusting you in Nate’s hands was the right thing to do.” He looks over at Jan. “I hope you have many happy years, just like us.” He turns back toward us. “Congratulations.” He starts to sit down but stops, narrowing his eyes at me. “But you just remember I’m a sheriff, son. If you hurt her, I know how to cover up a murder.” He raises his brow and I swallow audibly, giving him a nod of confirmation.
He finally sits down and all conversation starts back up before the caterers bring the food out. I sit with my hand on Amelia’s thigh the whole time, her hand covering mine as she talks away with Maya and Izzie, their conversations full of the most random things: the new Disney movie, dresses, tiaras, and football?
I frown when I hear Maya say, “Jake,” and when I look over at them, finishing my dessert, I ask, “Jake?”
Maya’s panicked gaze meets Amelia’s before flitting to mine. “Nate.” The tone of her voice makes it clear I’m not going to like what she’s about to say. “Amelia said I could invite him.”
“Okay,” I answer, already knowing this and wondering what the big deal is and why she’s looking so frantic. “Where is he? I’d like to meet him.”
“I… erm…”
“Yeah,” Dad pipes up. “I want to meet the famous Jake, too.”
“I… I…” Her gaze flits across the room, and when I follow the same path, I land on a guy that definitely can’t be Jake because he looks about twenty.
“Tell him to come over,” I say, knowing I must be looking at the wrong person, but when Amelia whispers something to her and she stands up, she walks over to said guy and stops next to him.
“What the—”
“Nate…” I refuse to look at Amelia as I stand up, my dad not far behind me when Jake wraps his arm around my sister’s waist. My sixteen-year-old baby sister. “Nate!” she calls again, and this time she gains my attention. “It’s not what you think—”
“How old is he?” I bang my palm on the table. “He’s touching—”
“Leave it,” she grinds out. “He’s a senior.”
Shaking my head, I push my chair out, taking a step away as Amelia stands too, albeit slower than I do.
“I want to dance.” I stumble to a stop three steps away, my head turning between Maya and Amelia. When I hesitate, she says, “I want to have my first dance with my husband.” I soften at the look in her eyes, blowing out a frustrated breath. There’s no way I’ll deny her the first dance, even if I know it’s a tactic to distract me.
With a sigh, I walk back toward her and kiss her hand before calling over to Maya, my hand clenching as she kisses the dirty-blond-headed guy she’s standing with and heads over to us.
“Yeah?” She looks down at the ground and I sigh.
“Get your butt up on stage and serenade us with your beautiful voice.”
I kiss Amelia’s hand as Maya walks in the direction of the stage and I walk over to the DJ. He takes his headset off when I reach him. “What can I do for you?”
“Can we do the first dance?”
“Sure.” He picks up the microphone as the music cuts out. “Ladies and gentlemen, can we please all gather around the dance floor for the first dance.”
Amelia beams at me as I walk over, offering her my hand. “May I have this dance, Mrs. Cole?”
She stretches her arm out, her warm palm landing in mine. “You may.”
I lead her over to the makeshift dance floor, the lights surrounding it twinkling in her eyes as she wraps her arms around my neck. I pull her up flush against me as the first chords of Maya’s guitar flows through me, my fingers brushing along the curve of her bare back.
“Are you cold?” I ask when she shivers.
She shakes her head, her gaze snapping over to the stage when Maya starts singing. She gasps. “Oh my God, Maya’s singing.” I look over, seeing Maya’s eyes closed as she sings the lyrics to an acoustic version of Can’t Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis. “This song is so beautiful.”
Her eyes flutter closed as Maya’s raspy voice surrounds us and I hum along with it as I sway us gently, contented to watch her in my arms.
“I can’t believe you’re dancing,” I say, shaking my head. “When? How?” I want to bombard her with questions but I press my lips together when she smiles.
“The day you proposed I felt a small spot on my foot.” We gently sway to the left. “I went and saw Doctor Bale the next day and he did some tests.” I listen intently as she connects her gaze to mine. “The swelling had started to go down on my spinal cord which meant the nerves were starting to work again.”
“But that was only two months ago.”
She nods her head. “He said I could regain feeling again over a couple of weeks or over a couple of months but I should get all the feeling back now.” She pauses. “There’s still a couple of spots I can’t feel but…”
I move my head closer to her, my lips a hairsbreadth from hers. “But you can walk.”
“I can.” She closes her eyes as I place a kiss on her lips.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask when I pull back.
Her cheeks redden as she clears her throat. “I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine.”
I raise a brow, a smirk lifting up the corner of my lips. “Oh yeah? And what would that be?”
She screws up her nose. “Surprises.”
My head snaps back as I let out a burst of laughter, my stomach cramping at the abruptness of it before I connect my gaze back to her shimmering eyes.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I smirk. “For what?”
She motions to everything around us with one hand before wrapping it back around my neck. “For all of this.”
“Well, I can’t take all of the credit. I did have a lot of help from some very persistent women.” My eyes scan the crowd seeing my mom, dad, Carl, and Jan standing together before moving back to her. I brush my nose against hers gently. “I love you more than life itself, Lia.”
“I love you, too,” she replies. “For giving me my life back; for not leaving when you could have; for sticking beside me every step of the way… but most of all; I love you for being you.”
My fingers whisper up her back to the base of her neck. “Well you’re stuck with me now because I’m not going anywhere.”
I lean closer and everyone cheers when Amelia closes the gap between us, stopping a hairsbreadth from my lips, whispering, “Good, because loving you is like breathing. I won’t be able to stop, even if I tried.”