Epilogue
Do you take this man . . .”
Nerves revved inside Holly when the preacher asked Lee Ann if she would take Cody to be by her side forever. A contented smile formed across Lee Ann’s mouth. Her eyes shone bright.
Her look said that she most definitely would take her man.
They were all standing on the stage where the movie screen typically hung. The majority of the town’s residents were there, all sitting on white chairs lining the grassy area before them. It was nighttime, and there were tiny white lights strung through the branches of the trees and dipping in and out around the stage. The wedding party was huge, fanning out on both sides. Girls in red sleeveless dresses, guys in black tuxes with royal-blue ties. Bridal white completed the Independence Day theme.
“I do,” Lee Ann stated without hesitation.
Every pair of eyes turned to Cody. His dark gaze burned hot as he took in his bride, prompting Holly to shift her eyes to Zack. He was watching her.
And yes, his gaze burned just as hot.
Holly’s nerves settled into a low hum as she felt his love reach across the stage and wrap solidly around her.
Fifteen days ago he’d shown back up in her life. And fifteen days ago she’d known without a doubt that she would take him forever. He was it for her.
He’d quit his job in Atlanta, already had a new one lined up in Knoxville, and was readying his own location in Sugar Springs. He’d also been by her side at the Atlanta gallery as she’d signed a contract for them to carry some of her work.
Then he’d jumped into the fray of getting her own store ready. Her front windows displayed her original pieces while Zack and Nick created a showroom meant to wow. She had taken calls daily asking how soon she would be open, and had even fielded a few from boutiques across the country. Tourists had passed the word along, and it seemed she might soon spread out farther than Atlanta.
“I do,” Cody stated with clarity.
The preacher turned his sights from Lee Ann and Cody. “And do you . . .”
Joanie and Nick stepped forward from their respective spots next to Cody and Lee Ann, to come together and stand before the preacher.
Joanie’s wedding dress was different from Lee Ann’s, but in sticking with the patriotic theme, she, too, had on white. Whereas Lee Ann’s was a sleek beaded lace, perhaps a bit more “mature” in taste, Joanie’s rocked the fun. It was the perfect mermaid dress for someone who changed the color of her hair each week to match her cupcakes. Strapless, full-torso ruching, with an explosion of ruffles making up the bottom.
Nick’s white tux sported the same royal-blue tie and cummerbund as Cody’s.
And Zack’s.
Holly’s wedding dress was a replica of her grandmother’s.
It had been a rush job when the brothers had suggested they all get married at the same time, but Holly had managed to locate a seamstress who would take it on. Wanting to bring her grandparents into her wedding day, she’d opted to wear the traditional look her granny had chosen when she’d once stood before her betrothed.
Only, Holly had to make a few alterations.
She’d kept the sweetheart neckline and cap lace sleeves of the silk sheath. Even included the peekaboo lace that striped down the sides and into the train. However, she’d raised the front hem to midcalf. To show off her shoes, of course.
Because as usual, her shoes spoke a different language than everything else.
The heels were high, ending with crisscross ties climbing past her ankles, while the shoes themselves were a mix of colors atop hot-pink soles. Orange, red, pink, yellow, purple, blue, and green. All bright splashes on a background of white. They looked like sprinkles. And she loved them.
She especially loved that Zack had been the one to pick them out for her.
The preacher looked at her, and Holly’s nerves were suddenly nowhere to be found. Zack stepped forward, meeting her in the middle of the stage, and wrapped her hands in his. She shared a look with her future husband that let her know all was right in the world. Whatever was handed to them, they could handle together.
Six weeks ago she’d come home broken and rejected, certain she’d never have a life that would truly make her happy. The thought of a husband certainly had been nowhere in the mix.
Today, she had a man, a career, and a renewed love for the town she’d grown up in. Life couldn’t get much better than that.
“Holly?”
She jerked her head around to the preacher. “What?”
Giggles skated through the crowd.
“Do you?” the preacher asked.
Her eyes went wide. She’d missed everything he’d said. But that was okay; she knew the words by heart.
Just as she knew that the man those words went with was a deeply ingrained part of her heart.
As she looked at Zack, she overflowed with love. In one way, she couldn’t believe they were getting married so fast. Yet at the same time, this was where they belonged. Zack wasn’t just standing with his brothers as they got married, but was committing to a lifetime alongside them. He was promising to love her forever, but he was making a promise to them, as well.
As they were to him.
Someone cleared her throat in an obvious manner, and Holly peeked to the front row where Ms. Grayson sat primly beside Zack’s mother.
She wore a haughty look, and Holly knew she was thinking, “I did this.” And heck, maybe she had. Maybe Zack wouldn’t have been inspired to ask her out if he hadn’t gotten jealous watching her date other men.
But she didn’t believe that. Something told her the two of them would have found their way to each other no matter what.
However, if it made a busybody happy, who was she to burst her bubble?
“I do,” she said simply, turning back to Zack. Tears appeared in her eyes and she whispered, “Forever.”
He nodded and, waiting his turn, agreed. “Forever.”
“By the power vested in me—”
The boom of fireworks blocked out the remainder of the preacher’s words as everyone in the park tilted their faces skyward. Hounddog had set off the fireworks fifteen seconds too early.
As red, white, and blue rained down on them, the preacher finished with, “You may kiss your brides.”
And that was exactly what all three men did.