Tori examined herself in the mirror. The floor-length, dark gray, chiffon gown gathered at her waist and flowed effortlessly as she spun in circles. How had Annie been so exact on her size? Gussie must have been hit-up for Tori’s measurements.

“You look beautiful,” Ethan said, his sweet bunny eyes staring up at her.

Tori reviewed his tuxedo. “And you are beyond handsome.” She reached down to adjust his pant leg, but realized that the hem of his pants rested two inches above his ankle.

“Did Gussie measure you, Ethan?”

“What?” he questioned with a furrowed brow.

“Do your pants feel okay? Not too tight?”

“They’re fine,” he said, wiggling away from her in an, I’m not a little kid anymore way.

Tori didn’t want to call attention to his high-waters, which could cause an upset before the ceremony. Her son understood fashion. He was picking out his own designer hats at the age of five. He had at least a dozen, ranging from flat caps, to winter beanies, to trucker hats. His favorite was a collegiate baseball cap that his dad had given him for his fifth birthday. To Tori’s chagrin, he still tried to wear that one.

Tori rubbed lotion into her hands, loosening her wedding band. She couldn’t be a married bridesmaid. That would be tacky. She slowly twisted the ring off her finger, gave it a kiss, and placed it in the inside pocket of her purse for safe keeping. She would return it to her finger after the wedding.

“Mom, you look sad. What’s wrong?”

“Don’t worry about me. Let’s try to be positive today, for Annie. This is the happiest day of her life.”

A rapid knock interrupted their talk. Annie stood in the hall, dressed in her wedding dress, sobbing.

“Annie?” Tori said with concern. “What happened? Is the wedding still on?”

Annie scrunched her face, “Of course, why would you even say that?” She burst back into tears.

“Are you feeling sick?”

“Well, I sure hope to have morning sickness sometime soon, but no, my stomach is fine.”

Ethan pulled at Tori’s dress. “What’s morning sickness, mom?”

Tori’s face flushed. “Ah, well, it’s something women feel sometimes when they haven’t eaten early enough in the morning, but that’s a discussion for another day.”

Annie sniffled loudly into her tissue.

Tori was without words, but felt compelled to calm Annie. “It’s okay, sugar. Are you feeling a little nervous about the wedding night?”

“No.” Annie laughed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just started crying—out of nowhere.”

“I cried too, on my wedding day.”

Annie’s tears stopped. “You did?”

Tori took Annie’s hands in hers. “It’s good luck to cry on your wedding day. And it’s your wedding day, and no one else’s but Paxton’s. That’s the only thing that you need to worry yourself about today, your adoring Paxton.”

“Good luck?”

“Absolutely. Now, let’s fix your make-up and get you married to your Tarzan.”

Annie nodded her head. “I like the sound of that.”

Twenty minutes later, they were on their way to the café where Meri headed them off on the sand path.

“There you are,” Meri panted as she leaned into her knees out of breath. “We need to get to the beach, right now. It looks like the rain is coming early today. We’ve got to hurry.”

“We’ll eat as soon as it’s over.” Tori squeezed Ethan’s hand as they quickly followed Meri. “Okay? Can you make it another hour without food?”

He nodded.

“Thanks.” Tori squeezed his hand. “You’re my little trooper.”

Tori stopped at a white bench labeled shoe removal. Meri had thought of everything. Tori smiled as Ethan removed his shoes and socks. No one would be the wiser that his tux was a few inches too short; cuffing the bottom of his pants passed as natural beachwear.

“Those in the procession, wait over here behind the curtains,” Meri instructed, pointing to a stiff cream curtain draped over and pinned to an iron stand.

The guests energetically found their seats as Tori adjusted Ethan’s tie and cummerbund.

“Isn’t everything amazing?” Annie whispered into Tori’s ear.

Bewildered, Tori said, “How do you keep appearing out of thin air like that?”

“I guess you could call it my hidden talent.”

“And you seem so poised.” Tori bowed slightly. “You’re amazing.”

“Here we go,” Annie breathed out the words nervously.

Tori had a sudden flashback to her wedding. “Wait. Do you have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?”

“My mom hooked me up with something blue,” she said, lifting her dress to produce a lacey, powder-blue garter hugging her upper thigh. “She told me to rub it between my fingers if I get nervous. Maybe she thought it belonged on my arm? Something tells me the guests would be uneasy if I lifted my dress mid-ceremony.”

Tori laughed. “No one would ever forget your wedding.”

“That’s for sure.” Annie nodded. “I’d better go to the other screen. I need to check in with Zee and Meri. They’ll be walking down the aisle first. Then you and Ethan, your handsome escort, are second.” She winked at Ethan then whispered, “Wish me luck.” She swung her arms as she tiptoed to the other curtain.

The promenade music began.

Tori took in a deep breath. “You ready to walk your momma down the aisle?”

“I guess.” Ethan shrugged his shoulders.

A hotel attendant waved to Tori. They were on. As Tori stepped out from behind the curtain, a gust of wind blew her hair across her face. With the ocean breeze, it might have been better to have her hair styled in an up-do, but that didn’t seem appropriate for the beach. Zee said he preferred her natural look. Here it was. She wore minimal make-up, her hair down, and applied fresh smelling antiperspirant for a light scent, no perfume today. She felt free. Was it the mid-morning ocean breeze? Or was it him?

She cast a glance at Zee. His bronzed skin complimented his cream, light-weight linen suit. He belonged on the beach. This was him. She now saw him for what he was, a product of the sea. No, he was the sea. His eyes were the waters themselves, his body was the force of the ocean, and his soul, his soul was a fusion of all the aquatic creatures that brought the sea to life.

He winked at her, causing Tori to jump as a spiraling electric bolt shot though her body. She realized, in that moment, that she’d been staring at him during her entire walk down the aisle. Did anyone else notice her misstep? She took her place next to Meri as Ethan stood to Zee’s side.

Once the wedding march music began, whether anyone noticed Tori or not, it didn’t matter. An angel emerged at the end of the aisle. Her feet were bare, she carried a simple bouquet of white lilies, and wore a crown of fresh flowers on her head. Tori could have sworn that she heard the voices of fluttering seraphs around her, whispering their jubilation at the union.