She looked around the Miller family barn, taking in its thick wooden rustic beams bedecked with strings of white lights and hay bales stacked in the corner. Considering that it was Stetson’s barn, the irony was thick that he was the only one of the brothers who didn’t get married in it. Jennifer didn’t seem to mind, though.

“Helping other people plan their weddings is a lot more fun than planning your own,” she said conspiratorially to Iris one day. “Especially if your mother likes to hover, like mine does, and especially if you’re dealing with pregnancy hormones on top of everything else.”

Iris’ hands touched her flat stomach for a moment. If she was pregnant, she didn’t know it. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, though, that was for sure. She grinned to herself.

It was just a couple of hours until their wedding and reception would begin. It was crazy to think that it was in this barn, just a little over seven months ago, when she tried to hide from Declan behind Ms. Stout.

Getting caught staring at him was, hands down, the best thing that had ever happened to her. Other than maybe becoming his Spanish tutor. Or when he asked her out for the first time. Or when he asked her out for the second first time. That was pretty damn awesome.

No, really, when he finally told her the truth about his dyslexia and ended up proposing to her – that was the best thing that ever happened to her.

All because of pigs. If she’d told her teenage self that someday, she’d be thrilled that the love of her life was brave enough to raise pigs, she probably would’ve laughed until she peed her pants. Being a pig farmer’s wife hadn’t exactly been the stuff of teenage daydreams. She’d watched a lot of Disney movies in her lifetime, and she had yet to run into that particular storyline.

But somehow, with Declan, it just felt right. Everything with Declan felt right.

“C’mon, Iris, you’ve got to go get ready,” Ivy said at her elbow, tugging her out of her wandering thoughts. “You can’t get married in that!”

Iris looked down at her beat-up Wranglers and dusty cowboy boots – her work attire she’d put on to help get the barn ready for their big night. She’d felt stable enough on her feet to actually help, although she was careful never to carry anything too terribly important…or breakable.

She let Ivy drag her towards Stetson’s farmhouse so she could put on her wedding dress…and cowboy boots.

* * *

The DJ called out to the gathering crowd, “The father of the bride has something he’d like to say, so y’all just quiet on down so he can talk.”

A ripple of laughter ran through the crowd, but people obediently hushed. Iris cocked her head to the side, curious what her father was going to say. Her mom was the talker. Her dad didn’t say much, even to his daughters.

Her dad took the mic and cleared his throat once, causing a feedback loop to erupt and shriek into everyone’s eardrums. The crowd busted up laughing, and instead of growing more anxious because of the problem, her dad just grinned down at the crowd instead. “I wanted to make sure y’all were awake,” he drawled.

Iris tucked herself in closer to Declan’s side as she laughed along with the crowd. Had her dad had a few beers before he got up there to speak? Whatever was going on, it was fun to see.

Declan’s hand ran up and down her right arm and she snuggled in even closer with a happy sigh. Being there next to him…it was where she wanted to be.

Always and forever.

“As y’all have probably figured out by now, Declan is my new son-in-law.” Her dad waited for the roar of the crowd to die down, and then continued, “Usually, a dad is sad to see his daughter marry and move on with her life, but in my case, all I can say is, ‘It’s about time.’”

The roar of laughter was even louder that time, and Iris turned her face into Declan’s chest with embarrassment. It was true that their courtship of 20 years was a little on the long side. 

Declan’s chuckle reverberated through her. “Better late than never, right, sir?” he called out.

“Damn straight,” her dad said, straight-faced, and then shot Declan a grin. “If it takes years for you to pull your head out of your ass, well, at least you did it!”

This time, Declan’s laughter vibrated through his whole body, and Iris’ laughter matched it.

“C’mon, Dad, I finally convinced him to do this!” she called out. “Don’t go discouraging him now! He might change his mind!”

The crowd, in full laughter mode by this time, let out a howl at that. Declan pulled her up to his mouth and whispered, “Never,” sending shivers down her spine. She grinned up at him and he kissed her on the nose, growling possessively at her.

Finally, her dad turned serious, pulling their attention back to him. “Declan, I want to welcome you to the family. Thanks for all you’ve done for my Iris. Treat her well.”

“Yes, sir,” Declan called back.

“Usually, the first dance is a daddy-daughter dance,” her dad said, and sent her a misty-eyed glance. “But this time, I think Declan ought to have the honors.” He turned and whispered something to the DJ, standing off to the side, and with a nod of the head, the DJ pressed play. Strains of The Dance by Garth Brooks filled the air, and Iris felt her eyes fill with tears.

Looking down at her, Declan murmured, “May I have this dance?”

She nodded once, and clung to his arm as they walked out onto the sawdust dance floor. She could trust Declan to hold her up. She knew that now.

The crowd around them faded to a blur as she looked into Declan’s eyes. As they swayed together under the twinkle lights, he looked at her solemnly. “I will always hold you up,” he whispered to her.

Her smile grew tremulous at that. Somehow, he’d unconsciously echoed her exact thoughts. “I know that now,” she whispered back. Some part of her mind recognized the fact that other couples were moving out onto the dance floor, but none of that mattered now. 

Nothing but Declan mattered now.

“Thank you for believing in me,” he whispered. “Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for loving me.”

Her smile went from tremulous to downright tearful. “Always,” she murmured, and buried her face against his chest. The haunting lyrics swirled around them as they moved to the music, and Iris knew that whatever happened, she could always trust Declan to be her rock, her guiding star…

Her love.

* * *