When he reached her, he brought his hand to his heart. “Lizzie, you’re stunning.” He simply gazed at her for a moment, his eyes glassy with tears. “There’s never been a more beautiful bride.”
“Or the more perfect groom.” Her voice caught. She fluttered her hands in front of her face. “Do not make me cry, or I’ll ruin my makeup. You have no idea how long it took the makeup artist to make me look like this.”
“She did a fantastic job, but you’d look good without a stitch of makeup and dressed in a gunny sack.” He smiled and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a skinny box. “I have a present for you.”
With shaking hands, he opened the lid. Inside, was a diamond tennis bracelet.
“Grant, it’s too much,” Liz said.
He grinned. “Don’t worry, Mike knows a guy.” He lifted it from the box and fastened it around her wrist. The diamonds sparkled under the soft October sun. “Not as pretty as your wrist, but it’ll have to do.” He kissed the inside of her arm. “Before we go down and get wrapped up in the chaos, I wanted to tell you something.” Grant held both her hands. “Last night, I had a dream about my mother. It was a good dream. She was happy and loving—reassuring. I woke up feeling a great sense of peace. I know I can be the husband you deserve. The man you need. Your best friend. A good father to our children.”
“Grant, I know all this. I believe in you.”
“You’re the first one who ever believed in me.”
“But not the last.”
“Whether or not that’s true, it doesn’t matter, as long as I have you.” He leaned over and kissed her. “And now, my perfect bride, let’s go get married. Everyone’s waiting.”
They drove down the hill, laughing each time they hit a pothole, until they reached Mike’s house. Grant pulled around to the back of the house. “Your mom made me promise to bring you around back,” Grant said. “And I quote, ‘If you let anyone see her before the ceremony, I will have you strung up.’ She scares me.”
Liz laughed. “You’re not the only one.”
She sobered when she saw her father come down the back stairs from the deck. Please be nice, Daddy. Don’t ruin this for me. He’d been quiet at the rehearsal dinner the night before. But he was here. That was something.
Her father opened her car door and leaned inside to speak to Grant. “Son, Liz is perfectly capable of opening her own door, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it for her. I expect you to treat her as an equal, but also as precious cargo. From now on this will be your job, but this last time, I’ll do the honors.”
“Yes sir,” Grant said. A look was exchanged between them that Liz could not decipher. The secret, unspoken language of men. Could a woman ever truly understand the men she loved? The possessive nature of their love wasn’t the same as a woman’s nurturing nature.
“I’ll see you in a few,” Liz said to Grant.
“I’ll be waiting,” he said.
Liz took her father’s offered hand and stepped out of the car, careful not to step on the folds of her gown. She tucked her arm into his as he escorted her across the lawn.
When they reached the patio, set up as a bar for the reception, he paused under the shade of the awning. Behind them, a bartender cut limes. His voice sounded tight when he spoke. “Your mother and sister are waiting for you in the living room. I’ll be right outside when it’s time to walk you down the aisle.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” she said.
“Your mother convinced me to stop acting like an idiot, or I would lose you forever.” He paused. Overhead, a flock of geese called out to one another. “Listen, Liz, I know I’ve pushed you. Maybe too hard. But it’s only because I knew you were special the day you were born. In my eyes, no man’s ever going to be good enough for you. But I talked with Raymond after the rehearsal dinner last night, and he did a darn good job of convincing me that Grant’s as close to perfect as anyone I could find for you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck in a quick hug. “Thank you, Daddy. I’m just glad you’re here. It wouldn’t be the same without you here.”
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to walk you down the aisle. Now get inside before your mother wears out the floor with her pacing.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“Back at you.”
Peggy and Beth were ready, wearing blush-hued dresses. Her mother, dressed in a cream suit, crossed her arms over her chest. “Thank God you’re back in one piece.”
“She was worried you were going to rip your dress,” Peggy said.
“Running around in the wilderness before a wedding is never a good idea,” her mother said.
“It’s not the wilderness, Mother.”
“I’m certain I saw a bear earlier,”
“I think that was a dog, Mother,” Peggy said.
“A large dog then.” Her mother sniffed. “I’m going to miss you so much, Liz.”
“You’ll just have to come visit. And I’ll be down your way for work all the time,” Liz said.
“I hope so.” Her mother appeared to notice her tennis bracelet for the first time. “What’s this?”
“My wedding present from Grant.”
“Well, the man’s charming, I’ll give him that,” her mother said, smiling through her tears. “It’s lovely. Like you, sweetheart.”
“Stop, you’re going to make me cry,” Liz said.
“Don’t do that. We’ll have to have your makeup done again,” her mother said.
Beth tugged on Liz’s arm. “Do I look like a princess, Auntie?”
Liz knelt, kissing Beth on her plump cheek. With her tulle ballerina dress and tiara of flowers, she looked like the smallest, most flawless princess in the world. “You look exactly like a princess.”
**
Fifteen minutes later, Peggy looked at her watch one last time. “It’s time.” She glanced at Liz. “You ready? It’s not too late to back out.”
“Very funny,” Liz said.
“Let’s do this thing,” Beth said.
“Don’t ask me where she gets these things,” Peggy said.
“Uncle Grant taught me.”
“Great,” Peggy said with a laugh. “What else has he taught you?”
Beth looked up at Peggy with wide, innocent eyes. “He told Auntie that the doctor likes you.”
“The doctor?” Peggy asked. “What’s she talking about?”
“Yes, what is she talking about?” her mother asked.
“Grant’s half-brother, Todd,” Liz said. As if it hadn’t been obvious at the rehearsal dinner the night before. Todd hadn’t taken his eyes off her all night. “He thinks you’re pretty.”
“Well, that’s nice, I guess, but the man has never said a word to me.”
“He’s shy,” Liz said. “You should ask him to dance tonight.”
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Her father stood there waiting. “It’s time, Liz.”
“Let’s do this thing,” she said.
**
Rows of white chairs and an altar made of twigs with bunches of white roses had transformed Mike’s front yard into a wedding oasis. When Liz appeared at the beginning of the rose petal aisle, everyone stood. Tommy began to play “The Dance” on his guitar. Peggy and Beth beamed from where they stood on the left side of the altar. Grant and Mike stood together on the other side.
“Ready, sweetheart?” her dad asked.
“I’ve been ready for twelve years, Daddy.”
He chuckled. “As long as you’re sure.”
On her father’s arm, she floated down the aisle made of wild rose petals to the only man she’d ever loved. Grant smiled at her through his tears. Nerves fluttered in her stomach. She kept her eyes on Grant. He was her anchor, her respite from the storm.
Finally, they reached him. Her father kissed her cheek and let her go. She stepped toward her groom. Her high heels caught on the hem of her dress, and she stumbled. Grant reached out with his str
ong arms to catch her. “Don’t worry, Lizzie. I’ve got you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ve got you.”
The End
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Did you love Riverstorm? Then you should read Blue Midnight by Tess Thompson!
A recent divorcee finally faces the consequences of having denied her destiny, following her heart to her blissful second chance in this mature standalone love story by USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson.
When Blythe Heywood left Finn Lanigan behind thirteen years ago, she was choosing a life of safety and security over true love. Little did she know how unfulfilled she'd be by the things she'd yearned for since she was a child.
Now, in the wake of her husband's betrayal, Blythe will begin again -- this time in the foothills of Blue Mountain, where her memories of the only man who ever weakened her knees will lead her -- and finally take to heart that sometimes the road not taken is actually the path that is meant to be.
The first book in the Blue Mountain Series will have readers cheering for a set of lovable, complex characters as they explore the painful truths involved in accepting second chances and learning to love after loss.
Read more at Tess Thompson’s site.
About the Author
Tess Thompson Romance...hometowns and heartstrings. Warning. Tess Thompson books will make you laugh, cry and remind you what it’s like to fall in love. Don’t purchase unless you like books about good people with ridiculously happy endings. Tess writes epic love stories with relatable characters set in small towns. Some of her books have suspense, others a mystery, and a few are set in the past. Like a reader said recently, "Tess Thompson books give you more than just a romance." She started her writing career in fourth grade when she wrote a story about an orphan who opened a pizza restaurant. Oddly enough, her first novel, "Riversong" is about an adult orphan who opens a restaurant. Clearly, she's obsessed with food and words.
Like the characters in her USA Bestseller River Valley Series, she hails from a little town in southern Oregon. Despite the fact she's lived in Seattle for almost thirty years, she will always feel like a small town girl. She's risen up the charts on all the major ebook retailers starting in 2012 when her debut novel Riversong became a bestseller. Since then, she's released almost 20 novels and novellas. She loves music and dancing, books and bubble baths, cooking and wine, movies and snuggling. She cries at sappy commercials and thinks kissing in the rain should be done whenever possible. Although she tries to act like a lady, there may or may not have been a few times in the last several years when she’s gotten slightly carried away watching the Seattle Seahawks play, but that could also just be a nasty rumor. She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her husband, the hero of her own love story, and their Brady Bunch clan of two sons, two daughters and five cats. Yes, that's four kids and five cats. Pray for her. Tess loves to hear from you. Drop her a line at [email protected].
Read more at Tess Thompson’s site.
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