The recreation hall quickly filled with family, friends, and disgruntled guests hastily invited by the Dumonts. Mr. Dumont held tight to his wife in the back corner. Ashton ignored her swooning and mumbling about losing her son. I’d hoped they’d come to love me someday, but until then Ashton and I had each other.

The chipped painted walls were our cathedral, the squeaky, old chairs were our pews. And the people of Magnolia Corners were our witnesses. Zoey took my left arm, and Avery took my right.

“Not exactly the high-class shindig I’d expected,” Avery said.

Zoey shot her a sideways look. “It’s perfect, though. Perfect for you and Ashton. I’m happy for you.”

Only hours ago, my life was in disrepair. My sisters were leaving, my aunt was avoiding me, and Ashton was cheating on me. Now, I had my sisters at my side, my aunt at the front next to Pastor Mike, and Ashton waiting at the end of the aisle.

A fiddler led his country band in the wedding march, and Avery, Zoey, and I walked to the front of the recreation hall, relieved Arsenal Assembly hadn’t been the chosen band for the night.

At the end of the aisle, my sisters released me, released me from my motherly duties to find my new life. And now I was ready. With one glance at Ashton and his promise of forever, I knew my life would be full, instead of the emptiness I’d feared.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man, Ashton William Dumont the Third, to this woman, Sadie Cathrine Dixon in holy matrimony. May I ask who gives this man to this woman?”

Mr. Dumont cleared his throat in the back of the room, and we all turned to see him move forward with Mrs. Dumont at his side. My breath stuttered and stopped. “His mother and I do.”

A collective sigh of my family, Ashton, and myself sounded in the large hall. I turned and pointed to the chairs we’d saved for them in the front. A look of resignation flashed across Mrs. Dumont’s face as though she felt she needed to behave if she ever wanted to see her son or grandkids.

“And who gives this woman to this man?”

“I do,” Aunt Cathy shouted, clear and proud.

A few giggles rumbled over the crowd at her enthusiasm.

Pastor Mike closed his bible and eyed Ashton. “The groom has written his own vows to share today.”

Ashton took my hands in his, sending warmth up my arms, through my shoulders, and into my chest. “Today, we stand side-by-side in front of the pastor to confess our love for one another. The way we’ll stand side-by-side the rest of our days as we face life, together. The day I met you at the country club I knew you were the one. It took me a month to get you to agree to go out with me, and even then, you wouldn’t let me take you on a real date. You didn’t care about my money, or who my family was. You only cared about your two sisters. I’d never seen someone work so hard or be more dedicated to their family. After our first date, the one where we took Avery to her dance class then out for dinner, the three of us, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I knew you were worth the wait. While we’ve kissed over the years, today I can’t wait to kiss you as my wife.”

My eyes filled with tears and I fought to keep them from taking my voice away with emotion. He squeezed my hands in encouragement and I swallowed the lump of insecurities and fear. Although I had not written my own vows, I let my love dictate my words. “The moment I saw you at the country club I couldn’t think or move. Each night you returned to talk to me at closing and you’d be outside waiting for me when my shift ended. It wasn’t until a month later that I accepted your date. Over the last four years I’ve been overwhelmed at your kindness, your determination, and your love. You saw me through my hard times and circumstances. You drove out of your way for broken-down cars, dance recitals, emergency room visits. There has never been or ever will be another man for me. Ashton William Dumont, you are my perfect match. You may be rich, and I may be poor, but together we balance each other out.”

Ashton pulled two rings out of his pocket and nodded to the pastor.

“Repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”

Ashton repeated his words and slipped a wedding band onto my finger. He’d come prepared, ready to marry me. Once again, he surprised me with his dedication, despite my crazy behavior.

The pastor nodded at me and I took the ring from Ashton and slid it on his finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Ashton dipped me into a full-lip, blushing, toe-curling kind of kiss.

All of Magnolia Corners cheered.

Country music played as we made our exit and the crowd flooded back out into the fairgrounds. The woman I’d seen with Ashton waited for us at the edge of the tent. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Dumont,” she said to me. “I have a wedding gift for you.” She handed me an envelope. I opened it to find a picture of a small shop. The sign read, Sassy Southern Sweets.

“It’s our future,” Ashton said. “I bought the bakery. It’ll be yours when you’re ready. But if you want to go to pastry school, you can do that and then start your business. The point is, we can live wherever and you can do whatever you want. I never cared if you went to college. I only care about you.”

Aunt Cathy whistled. “That looks like a nice place. A perfect place to hang this.” She held out a certificate that read, Winner of the Magnolias and Moonshine County Fair Bake-off, Sadie Cathrine Dixon.”

I hugged her tight, like a daughter would a mother. “Thank you. Thank you for always being you.”

Ashton cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, it’s time for us to leave. I know you don’t like fancy things, but we’re going to head to France for a month. There’s a special certificate program for patisserie chefs. I thought we’d spend our honeymoon there.”

“What about graduation and your new job?”

“I’ll get my diploma whether I walk at graduation or not, and the job starts in six weeks.”

Avery smacked me in the arm. “What do you say?”

“I say I’m going to France to become a trained baker.” I kissed Ashton and knew that no matter what the future held, I had a man on my arm who knew me and loved me better than anyone.