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I was currently waiting for Mom’s sign that it was time for me to walk out. She and Dad had insisted that they had to travel for this occasion. They did seem much healthier than ever before. True to his word, Nick flew us out to see them with the kids after we got custody and all the paperwork was filed and official. Now Nick was talking about adopting them too.
God, I loved this man so much.
Mom poked her head in. “All right, everyone’s ready, honey. Annie, Jack, you’re coming with me,” she told the little ones. “And your dad will walk with you.”
I nodded as a knot formed in my throat.
Dad stepped into the room a moment later, looking at me with tears in his eyes. “You’re so beautiful, my girl.” I was wearing a gorgeous dress. This one was red with black accents on the hem. Neither of my parents had expressed any surprise that I was wearing something like this.
“Thank you, Dad. I’m so happy you’re here.”
We walked behind Mom and the twins. I’d been given a hotel room to get ready in on the ground floor. All we had to do was literally walk through the door into the yard. Then we’d step into the common area where the pathway to the forest was. Dad was walking very slowly, but that was okay. There was no need to hurry.
“I’m so glad you found happiness, my girl.”
“Me, too, Dad.”
“You, Nick, Jack, and Annie are a beautiful family.”
A lump caught in my throat. “Yes, we are. But I miss Nora so much.”
“We all do. But we have these two little ones to remind us of her.”
I leaned my head on Dad’s shoulder, soaking in his warmth. He used to be a strong man when I was a little girl. His arms always made me feel safe. And even now in his old age, and although he was frail, he still made me feel that way. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world.
We could hear the twins bickering even though they were quite far in front of us, and that made me smile.
“They remind me of you and Nora,” Dad said. “You two used to fight all the time too.”
“I remember that. Even when we got the exact same toy, we fought over which one was prettier.” I squeezed his arm. “I’m so glad you and Mom could make it.”
“We wouldn’t miss this for the world, baby.”
When we reached the forest, I gave a mighty sigh. Initially, I figured the ceremony would be small. Then I remembered how many Whitleys there were. My friends Violet and Danielle did come this time. They apologized profusely for missing the ceremony last year. I didn’t want to hold a grudge, but it would take me a bit to get over that.
Nick was already waiting at the end of the pathway. There were benches on either side. The twins finally stopped bickering as Mom lowered herself to their level and told them to move slowly down the aisle. Then she sat down, beaming at us. She was right next to Helen, who had tears in her eyes. I truly liked the woman. I’d only seen her a handful of times over the past year, but it warmed my heart that she loved Annie and Jack as if they were her own blood.
As the music started, I only had eyes for Nick. He was wearing a gorgeous tux. The pastor behind him was a man similar in age to us. He was smiling from ear to ear. What a difference from the previous grumpy officiant.
Nick looked me up and down shamelessly as I approached. Fortunately, the trees were tall, and the light between them was a game of shadows. I didn’t think anyone could tell except me.
Jack and Annie stood on one side, as I’d instructed them a few times. They looked at us with big, expectant eyes.
I loved these two munchkins so damn much.
Nick leaned in, kissed my cheek, and whispered, “You’re fucking sexy and gorgeous.”
I instantly blushed.
The pastor cleared his throat. “Shall we begin?”
I nodded, as did Nick. The whispers among the guests died down.
“We’re gathered here today to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Allison and Nick’s wedding.” He’d been a bit surprised that we wanted a vow renewal only a year after the wedding, and his voice still held a bit of amazement. “These two love each other so much that they decided the anniversary deserved to be celebrated in style.”
Someone whistled—I thought it might be Leo.
“Without further ado, I’d like to ask Nick to say a few words.”