Pastor Knox asked, "Who brings this woman to be wed?"
Ethan"s shoulders straightened as he called out loudly, "Her mother and I do."
I felt my eyes get wet and I nearly lost it when I caught Cher"s profile, her cheeks dusted rose with blush, shimmering with a powder she"d fanned over the color, pinker now, as were her eyes, as she fought back her own wet.
Cher didn"t cry. Not ever. Not that I"d seen.
Unless her son was giving her away to the man she"d loved for five years, only just recently letting him know it.
Cher kissed and hugged her mom. She did the same with Ethan.
Merry came forward and kissed and hugged Grace. He offered to shake Ethan"s hand, but Ethan decided he wanted something else and he hugged Merry"s middle.
Merry hugged him back.
Vi made a choked noise.
I cleared my throat.
Ethan grabbed his mom"s hand and offered it to Merry.
Merry accepted.
They turned to the preacher.
After that, Garrett Merrick and Cher Rivers got married.
Colt He stood with his wife"s front tucked close to his side, his arm curled around her shoulders, her arms wrapped around his middle, watching.
And not getting it.
He bent to Feb"s ear.
"Why are they laughing?" he asked.
She caught his eyes.
Her brown ones were dancing.
"I have no clue," she answered.
They both turned back to the front porch of Merry and Cher"s lake house where the new husband and wife were having their first dance, Merry swaying Cher, both of them held close in each other"s arms, both of them straight up busting a gut laughing, doing all this to Celine Dion"s "My Heart Will Go On."
No, Colt didn"t get it.
But watching two people he cared about so f.u.c.king happy...
He didn"t need to.
Cal July, Three Years Later Cal stood at the back of the church.
Tony"s bud had just escorted Vi down the aisle.
It was time.
f.u.c.k, where was Kate?
He caught movement at the corner of his eye and turned to watch Keirry rushing up to him as fast as she could, considering she was wearing her long bridesmaid gown and she had her little sister"s hand in hers.
Angie was rushing right alongside Keira. Then again, his baby girl would follow his big girl right to the mouth of h.e.l.l.
Fact.
He just had to hope Keira didn"t lead her there. Keirry was a magnet for trouble and Cal thanked G.o.d she hooked her s.h.i.t to Jasper Layne, who"d die for her.
He watched them come his way and he did it feeling his jaw get hard.
He"d put his foot down about those f.u.c.king bridesmaids dresses.
And, as usual, his girls had rolled right over him.
It showed too much cleavage.
And it was too f.u.c.king tight.
It was also too late.
The other bridesmaids started filing out behind her.
So this s.h.i.t was going to happen.
f.u.c.k.
"Daddy!" Angie shouted, breaking free from Keira and rushing to him, looking pretty in her flower girl dress.
He bent and caught her.
Swinging her up in his arms, he murmured, "Hey, baby."
"Hey, Daddy," she replied on a big grin and an a.s.sessing look that reminded Cal of her mother. "You look handsome."
He kissed her neck. "And you look even more beautiful than your normal beautiful."
Her smile got bigger.
Keirry made it to him and grabbed his arm.
"Joe, Kate wants to talk to you."
He looked down at her. "Come again?"
"Kate wants to talk to you," she repeated.
He looked to the doors of the church that had been closed after Vi was escorted down. They were supposed to open so Kate"s friends and sisters could walk down the aisle before Kate marched down it to get married way too young to a Chicago cop who Vi, Keira, Angie, Sam, and Ben all adored but Cal f.u.c.king hated.
He looked back to his girl. "Keirry, now"s not the time for a chat."
She reached to Angie and pulled her sister out of his arms. "Then you better hurry."
Jesus, maybe she was having cold feet.
That would be the best news he had all day.
Though it would make her mother lose her mind.
He growled.
No words came out, he just growled.
Then he prowled through the vestibule and around the corner where the girls got ready.
He stopped dead when he saw Kate standing in the hall there.
He also stopped breathing.
"Hey, Joe," she whispered.
f.u.c.k, his girl was beautiful.
Not his girl.
But still.
His girl.
She moved to him.
She hadn"t gone big, not Kate. No humongous skirt. No humongous price tag.
He and Vi would"ve given her a wedding on the moon if she"d wanted it.
She wanted what she was getting.
Easy. Elegant.
Kate.
Now, Keira"s was gonna mean selling a kidney, and Cal could say that even being loaded.
Juggling her bouquet, Kate reached for his hand.
The instant she touched him, his fingers curled around hers.
"I gotta say something, Joe," she whispered.
Oh no.
They weren"t gonna do this.
He could barely handle what was happening that day.
They sure as f.u.c.k weren"t gonna do this.
"You don"t gotta say it," he whispered back.
Her fingers tightened in his. "I gotta say it."
"Katy-"
"Joe."
He shut up and held on to her hand and her gaze, giving in.
As usual, with his girls.
She spoke.
"No one on earth I"d wanna be right here, right now, but you."
Christ.
"Baby..." His voice was so rough, that word grated his throat coming out.
"No one, Joe."
Cal swallowed and pulled her closer.
"He"s with me. He"s always with me," she told him. "So I"m glad I get to be with you too."
"He"d be proud of you, Kate."
She nodded, her eyes getting bright. "I know."
"So f.u.c.kin" proud, honey."