Page 122 of Peach Tree Family

"I heard you can't have too many people in the orchard for the wedding. Thank you for including us," Theo said.

"Julian could change that rule for his own wedding," Rob pointed out.

"I have a lot of people I know through work coming to the reception, but I wanted to keep the actual wedding to just close friends and family," Julian said.

"We are honored to be here," Theo told them.

On such an important occasion, Seth found himself tongue-tied. He was glad Theo knew the right things to say.

They left the grooms in front and went inside the house. There were more decorations in there, as well as some of the guests. They got introduced to Rob's sister and his dad as well as his dad's girlfriend and her family, including a little baby.

"There'll be two babies at this wedding," Sam said. "And Rico is jealous."

"We should have invited a herd of babies," Rico said to Mitch.

"Because having babies start crying in the middle of a ceremony is so much fun?" Noreen said. She was sipping a fizzy drink and nibbling on something, and that reminded Seth they hadn't eaten.

A buffet was set up in the dining room with a lot of fancy food. Seth only had half an apple earlier, but he found that he was too nervous to eat anything.

"My stomach is all in knots. You'd think I was the one getting married," he said to Theo.

"I think we're supposed to be heading to the ceremony pretty soon. Then you can stuff your face with cake at the reception," Theo told him, laughing at him a little. He put his hand on Seth's lower back, and it reminded him of how Rob had comforted Julian.

Leo, Andy and his great-aunts arrived with the baby, and the kids came in with them. While they went to introduce the two babies to each other, Theo called Ace over so he could get some food.

"There're too many foods. I don't know what to have," Ace said.

"Just have a little bit of this and that," Seth told him.

"And don't get dirty," Theo warned him.

Soon they were called together to make their way to the peach orchard for the ceremony. They all went ahead so they could wait for Julian and Rob. The orchard came into view with sunbeams streaming down between peach trees in bloom. There were white bows tied to branches, but the blossoms were the real decorations.

"The orchard is incredible. I can see why they're having their wedding here," Seth said as they went toward it with the kids running ahead of them.

"Julian and Rob will be the first ones to get married under the peach trees in bloom," Lara told them.

"And they scheduled the wedding before the trees are supposed to be thinned of some of the blooms," Noreen said.

"The orchard is at its most beautiful right now," Andy said but he was actually gazing at Leo holding Lucy.

"Before Julian took over, visitors weren't allowed, but it was a rite of passage for local kids to sneak up here and risk the wrath of Mrs. York, and Julian's grandfather, when he was alive," Lara told them.

"I was never that kind of kid. Did you do it?" Andy asked Lara.

"Of course. A bunch of times," she said with a shrug.

"Don't brag about committing a crime," Noreen told her.

Arriving at the spot where the ceremony was going to take place. They saw Mrs. Del Rio with Rico, Mitch and Sammy.

"Don't be too nice to her. Your grandma is still in trouble," Rico was telling Sammy, but she denied it, shaking her head.

"No. Grandma wouldn't do anything wrong."

"Is this about what happened with my aunt's boyfriend?" Theo asked Andy under his breath.

"Probably. I haven't forgiven my aunts either. They were so reckless," Andy told him. He then noticed how Theo was frowning. "Don't worry. No one is blaming you. But from what I hear, at least the threat from that man has been neutralized."

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