Page 24 of The Engagement
Philip, Jason, and Liam, my groomsmen, are ready, too. They’re seated at a poker table in the corner of the room playing a few hands to pass the time.
“You nervous?” Shane asks as he walks up to me and pats my back. “Take a deep breath, man. You’ve got this.”
He’s right. I am nervous, but not because I’m about to get married. There’s nothing more I want on this Earth than to marry Erin. I’m worried abouther—that she might get overwhelmed.
“Smile, Mack,” Sam says. “This is your big day.”
When we’re ready, Sam shoos us out of the library and we get in order in the foyer outside the great room. The doors are open, and we can see the guests seated in neat rows of padded folding chairs. The room is decorated with garlands of greenery. The chairs along the center aisle are decorated with small clusters of cream and lavender roses, to match Erin’s bouquet.
Jonah is off to the side of the room, seated on a stool, his guitar propped on his thigh. Right now, he’s quietly strumming a piece of classical music.
Cooper is straight ahead, standing on the dais. He catches our eyes and nods, motioning for us to come forward.
Shane nudges me to the front of the line, and I start us off by walking down the aisle to the front of the room, where Cooper is waiting. I’m followed by my best man and my groomsmen.
The music changes once more as the bridesmaids walk next, single file down the center aisle. They’re followed by Haley and Beth.
Sam waits in the foyer with the kids. Luke and his cousin, Aiden—Jake and Annie’s son—will be the ring bearers. Aiden’slittle twin sisters, Emerly and Everly, will be the flower girls…maybe. It depends on whether or not they decide to cooperate. We did a dress rehearsal the previous weekend, and the girls definitely didnotfeel like participating. They were too shy and insisted on clinging to Jake and Annie.
As I stand next to Cooper at the front of the room, I gaze out over the small audience. All familiar faces, of course. Friends and family. My parents are seated in front. Bridget and Calum McIntyre, all their kids and their kids’ spouses are here as well, along with their rapidly growing passel of grandkids. Beth’s mom, Ingrid, sits beside Bridget, holding her granddaughter, Ava. Beth’s older brother, Tyler, and his new husband, Ian, are here as well. As are Miguel and Ruby.
I nod to Miguel, who’s seated in the back row, in the corner, beside his girlfriend, Ruby Foster. I’m so glad—not to mention surprised—they came. Miguel has one arm around Ruby’s shoulders, and I can tell he’s holding one of her hands with his free hand. Erin will be so touched that Ruby overcame her agoraphobia to attend our wedding.
Suddenly, Jonah shifts gears and begins playing Pachelbel’s Canon. I glance through the open doors leading to the foyer and watch as Sam wrangles the kids in the wedding party.
Aiden and Luke are next to walk down the aisle. Together, they’re holding a cream silk pillow upon which our wedding rings are tied with a thin lavender ribbon. The two boys walk side by side, their gaits perfectly matched. They must have practiced a lot since the rehearsal. Poor Luke looks a bit intimidated, but he seems determined to keep up with his older cousin. The boys walk right up to me. Luke holds the pillow steady while Aiden unties the ribbon and hands the rings to me.
Next up are the twins. Emerly and Everly are dressed in matching pale lavender lace dresses with cream-colored satin sashes tied around their waists and little cream-colored sandalson their feet. They’re standing just inside the great room, each holding a small white wicker basket filled with cream and lavender rose petals.
Their mother, Annie, attempts to encourage them to proceed up the aisle, but they’re frozen to the spot. There’s a quiet murmur from the audience as everyone takes bets on whether or not the girls will scatter those rose petals or not.
Suddenly, Jake appears at the front of the room. He crouches down in front of the dais and motions with both arms for his pint-sized little daughters to come to him.
With a big smile on his face, Jake waves them forward. “Come on, girls! Come to Daddy! You can do it. Be my big, brave girls.”
They take off at a fast clip, moving swiftly down the aisle, tossing rose petals willy-nilly on the floor. When they reach their father, they rush into his arms. When he scoops them up and rises to his feet, the guests break into applause, and the little girls hide their faces against Jake’s chest.
Then Erin appears in the doorway, her arm linked with Sam’s. I’m so glad he agreed to walk her down the aisle. He’s probably her closest male friend seeing as how they spend so much time together at the bookstore.
My eyes are glued to Erin’s, and my throat tightens as I see the depth of emotion on her face. Her dark hair is up in a fancy twist, with a few curls hanging down at the sides of her head. There are tiny cream-colored flowers tucked into her hair.
She takes my breath away.
And then it hits me. Erin almost didn’t live to see this day. That monster came so damn close to taking her away from me forever, before I even had the chance to earn her forgiveness. My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes. My chest feels like it’s being squeezed in a vice, and my lungs seize up on me. Shane puts his hand on my back, offering silent support.
Erin gazes at me from halfway across the room, her eyes shiny now, too, with unshed tears.
When she reaches my side, I pull her into my arms and kiss her with everything I have, hoping she will feel how much I love her and know what she means to me.
It’s a kiss that—I hope—says everything I’m feeling…
I love you.
I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me most.
Please forgive me.
And for God’s sake, please let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you.
