The wedding was held on a clear and sunny spring day. Wildflowers bloomed around the church, and the chime of the bells could be heard from the mercantile, where Grace and Ada helped Sadie prepare to walk down the aisle.
“Are you nervous?” Grace asked, as she tightened the corset around Sadie’s waist.
“A little, I suppose,” Sadie admitted. “But mostly I’m happy.”
Ada pinned a loop of Sadie’s hair up into an intricate braiding pattern she was creating near the top of her head. “Funny how things worked out with Wade, isn’t it? When he returned, everything got better.”
“Yes,” Sadie agreed. “He’s very proud of you, Ada, getting that job in Haverton as a schoolteacher.”
Ada laughed lightly. “To think out of all us kids, I became the teacher. I’m the person who liked school the least. But Wade helped me understand the lessons.”
Grace picked up a cloth and dipped it into her tin of rouge.
“Very little, please,” Sadie begged, as Grace approached her with the cloth to paint her face.
“Yeah, yeah,” she responded, rolling her eyes. She obliged, however, and only applied a thin dab to each of Sadie’s cheeks before rubbing it in.
“Ada, how do you like the children in Haverton?” Grace asked. “Are they as bad as the Lebec kids?”
“Oh, worse,” Ada said, laughing. “It’s hard to keep control, but I care for them all—even the rowdy children. There’s one boy in particular who’s a handful, a boy named Zeke. He’s obnoxious and disobedient. He has good cause for it though, seein’ as how both his parents recently died from a robbery gone wrong. I try not to show favoritism, but there’s a place in my heart for a boy like him. I understand it because we lost our parents too.”
“Mm,” Grace murmured. “That’s good of you. You’re like how Pa was with Wade. Remember how surly Wade was when he first came here, slammin’ doors and shutting himself off in his room? Pa hardly blinked an eye.”
With Grace’s mention of Clyde, the room grew quiet. Only the sound of the breeze whistling around the window could be heard until Sadie said sadly, “Sure wish Pa were here today.”
Grace placed the veil lightly on Sadie’s head and arranged the netting in front of her face. “He would be so happy to see you two gettin’ married. Don’t cry now, you’ll mess up your makeup, sweetheart.”
Sadie nodded and blinked back the tears that were forming. She knew Grace was right and that Clyde would have been happy about the marriage. The love between Wade and Sadie carried on his legacy. He had been a man who’d believed hardship could be overcome through sticking together and showing love and forgiveness. In the case of Wade and Sadie, their love and forgiveness healed the wounds they’d caused each other as well as those inflicted by others.
“You’re all ready,” Grace said, smiling at her. “And you look absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Sadie stood and wrapped her arms around Grace and then Ada. “I love you both more than you know.”
“We know,” Ada said, “because we feel the same about you.”
The three sisters walked out of the mercantile and made their way across the street to the church, careful not to allow Sadie’s dress to drag in the dirt. They joined Miles and Luke, who were waiting for Sadie with plans to escort her down the aisle.
“You look pretty,” Luke said, holding out his arm. Miles smiled and agreed, taking his place on Sadie’s other side.
“Oh, now I’m nervous!” Sadie exclaimed to them. “Now it’s really happening.” She took a giant breath, trying to calm her hammering heart. The townsfolk could be heard murmuring inside, and she knew Wade was at the other end of the aisle.
“You’re gonna be fine,” Miles said, squeezing her hand. “It’s just Wade, remember.”
Sadie laughed nervously. “Yeah, just Wade.”
Miles’ words didn’t help to calm her fears. Just Wade. Just her whole world.
Charles Campbell opened the door to the church, which Grace and Ada entered first. Soft organ music reached Sadie’s ears, and soon it was time for her to walk down the aisle after her sisters. Somehow, she found her courage and, with Miles’ and Luke’s support, stepped up the stairs to the opened door.
She spotted Wade in the front next to the altar. His feet were planted slightly apart and his hands were folded one over the other in front of him. From his combed hair down to his shined boots, he looked every bit the relaxed gentleman. His suit was grey and pressed neatly, void of wrinkles. He was perfect and handsomer than ever.
Their eyes locked as she walked toward him. She could see love and pride in his gaze, and it filled her with gratitude that his feelings were for her. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, she reached him, and he immediately took both her hands in his, causing sparks of electricity to shoot up her arms. His touch was magical—both wonderful and terrifying. Wade leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “You’re beautiful, honey. I’m a lucky man.”
She trembled, feeling both scared and overwhelmingly happy. He must have felt her shaking because his gaze softened with compassion. “Don’t be nervous, it’s just me.”
Sadie smiled at him, finding it ironic that he would choose the same argument as the twins for why she shouldn’t be nervous, when, in fact, it was because of who Wade was that her whole body was trembling with anticipation.
He smiled back at her, and she hardly noticed the time pass between when the preacher told everyone to sit and when he asked Wade and Sadie to repeat the vows of love and commitment to each other. In those moments, nothing existed but her and Wade.
After the preacher pronounced them husband and wife, Wade lifted her veil and kissed her lips for the first time. Though it was a chaste kiss, the pressure of his lips against hers was enough to make her sigh.
The organ played a jaunty tune loudly, and the entire room exploded in applause when the kiss ended and they pulled apart. While the audience clapped, they stared into each other’s eyes and then joined everyone in their laughter, which was borne from nothing other than sheer happiness.