Page 61 of Second Chance Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings #5)

As Taylor and Owen stepped out onto the deck, she took in the scene before her for the first time and felt a sense of awe and gratitude.

The backyard had been transformed into an enchanting fairy-tale setting in the twilight hour.

Delicate strings of twinkling fairy lights hung gracefully from the pergola and stretched across the trees surrounding the perimeter of the backyard, creating a warm glow over the lush green grass.

Leaves were swaying in the mild breeze as an instrumental of “A Thousand Years” played over a speaker system.

She took a deep breath as she locked eyes with Caleb, standing at the far end of the yard beside his dad.

He was wearing a suit that matched Owen’s, looking more handsome than he had any right to.

Taylor kept her eyes focused on her husband as Owen escorted her down the river of white roses between neat rows of pristine white folding chairs, with Casper happily trotting beside them.

She was vaguely aware of the guests as she passed by them.

Mr. and Mrs. Henley, whom Taylor sort of knew half the couple (because Mr. Henley was the mailman, and every time he came into Brewed Awakenings and Viv was there, she called him her boyfriend).

They were in the back row, sitting next to the only person Taylor invited, Mario, the nurse from the hospital, who was there with his partner Roman.

On the opposite aisle, Caleb’s cousin Lauren, who allowed her to stay in the cottage as a rental when it was technically an Airbnb, and her husband Ben were seated beside Judy, who had been a longtime family friend and worked closely with both Caleb’s dad and Caleb, and Judy’s husband Arnold.

Next they passed Nonna sitting beside Viv, who looked like she was ready to pop, and Glenn, her husband, who was not letting her out of his sight.

His daughter was sitting with his brother Gabe’s twins.

Gabe was there with his wife, Adriana, and Jonah, who was Owen’s best friend.

Also attending from Golden Years were Cindy and her husband, Davis, who was seated with Mr. Santino.

On the opposite side was Caleb’s best friend, Josh, who was with his wife, Audrey, who owned Brewed Awakenings and had given Taylor her job. They were seated with Caleb’s mom and Minnie.

When they reached the front, Caleb’s dad asked, “Who gives this woman?”

“I do.” Owen gently placed her hand in Caleb’s. Then hugged Caleb before taking a seat beside his grandma, who Taylor heard sniffing.

Caleb leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You look so beautiful.”

The heat of his breath fanned down her neck as his lips brushed against the cusp of her ear, causing a skitter of sensation to chase down her spine. “So do you. I mean handsome.”

He stared down at her, smiling as his warm hands wrapped around hers. She felt her entire body shaking, and she wasn’t sure why, other than she just didn’t like attention. She could see that he was concerned, his brow furrowed.

“Are you okay?” he whispered under his breath.

She kept the smile on her face and nodded. All she had to do was get through the next ten minutes and not pass out. They’d made it clear to Caleb’s dad that they wanted the ceremony short and sweet because Taylor wasn’t up for much.

Caleb’s father began the ceremony. “Thank you all for coming here today on such short notice to celebrate the love and commitment that these two amazing souls have already made to one another. Some of you might know, and some might not, that this beautiful young lady is already my daughter-in-law.”

Taylor smiled up at George. She hadn’t known what his dad was going to say today. It didn’t really matter to her.

“That’s right, she is stuck with us, legally.”

There was a scatter of laughter.

“Today, they have agreed to having a ceremony, I think, in part, to humor this old man.”

Caleb’s father went on to speak about love and what that looked like in a marriage.

He said love was a responsibility and a privilege, that it was an adventure and an anchor.

He said love can save you, and it can also see you and challenge you.

He said that being married to the person you love is the greatest gift in life; no money could buy it, and nothing could ever replace it.

He also added that it doesn’t hurt if they are your best friend and they have cute buns.

To which he was quickly reprimanded by Annie.

And by ‘reprimanded,’ she said his name in a warning tone, and he replied, “ What ?” as if he didn’t know what he’d done wrong.

Taylor laughed as a swell of gratitude both welled up inside of her and also wrapped around her in a warm cocoon.

She appreciated that Caleb’s dad was making the ceremony fun, lighthearted, and personal.

She knew if they were in the church, with a couple hundred guests, he would never have made that comment.

The only reason he’d felt free to was because they were in his backyard with only the closest people in their lives. With family.

She was also thankful that Owen would grow up witnessing a healthy version of marriage that was playful, fun, respectful, and based in love.

She’d never seen an example of that in a relationship as a kid or as an adult, for that matter.

Not in any of the foster homes she’d been in, or in her first and only year in college, and certainly not in her dysfunctional marriage.

The only blueprint she’d witnessed of teasing was couples saying or doing things to hurt the other one under the guise of humor.

The ‘jokes’ would always lead to hurt feelings and fights, sometimes only verbal, a lot of times ending in a physical altercation.

Taylor tuned back in when she heard her name again.

“Standing here, with my son and Taylor, is by far the most special wedding I’ve ever officiated, and this is not my first rodeo.

In preparation, I looked back at my records to see just how many rodeos I’d been to.

In the fifty-two years I’ve been ordained, I’ve officiated five hundred and nineteen weddings, so this is my five hundred and twentieth. ”

Five hundred and twentieth? Taylor thought to herself.

520?

She’d left Martin on May 20th, which was the same day Caleb found Minnie, and now Caleb and Taylor’s wedding was his dad’s 520th. It was just one more little piece of the fate puzzle.

“I’ve been asked, a lot, if I know when I marry people if they’ll last or not, and the answer is yes, I do.

My prediction rate is one hundred percent accurate.

” He paused as the entire backyard was quiet.

“I’m kidding; I have no idea when I marry people if they’ll last or not.

I don’t have a crystal ball, and I can’t see the future.

I can tell if a couple has chemistry, if they seem to have a good foundation of friendship in their relationship, and if they have a good support system around them, all things I believe contribute to a successful marriage.

But whether or not they’ll make it is up to the two people in that marriage.

Which leads me to the next question I get asked; what is the secret to a successful marriage?

Well, I’m gonna be honest with you all here, my Annie May does the heavy lifting in this one, so I’m not sure I’m the right one to be asking.

” There were some chuckles from the guests.

“But this is what I have with my Annie May and what I wish for both of you.” He took a deep breath.

“Whenever anything goes wrong or right, she is the first person I want to talk to. She’s the last person I want to see every night and the first person I want to see every day.

She’s not just the person I want to go on vacations with, on adventures with; she’s the person I want to do nothing with.

I’d happily go stand in line at the DMV with her.

We’ve been married for over forty years, but if she goes to the store and is gone too long, I start missing her.

I’ve always said that the one certainty I’ve found in life is that there is no certainty, so when you find the person you want to face whatever life throws at you with, hold on to them and never let them go.

“Caleb and Taylor, your love story has not been the most traditional. You have been tested more than couples who have been married a decade and have already shown that no matter what life throws at you, you will both face adversity together and individually,” Caleb’s dad turned and looked intently in Taylor’s eyes as he continued, “with integrity, putting others’ needs in front of your own, no matter what the cost.”

She felt herself starting to get emotional at the undertone of acknowledgment for everything she’d been through.

Tears began to form in her eyes, but thankfully, the ceremony quickly wrapped up.

After getting the rings off of the pillow that was attached to Casper’s collar, they repeated their vows, which were short and sweet, and were pronounced man and wife.

“Caleb, you may now kiss your?—”

Caleb pulled her against him and dipped her as cheers rang out from the small group that was gathered as well as piercing wolf whistles.

“—bride!” his dad finished as he clapped.

His hold on her tightened, pulling their bodies pressed closer together, and she felt his heartbeat racing against her chest. The taste of his lips was intoxicating, a blend of mint and coffee and something uniquely him.

The kiss was a symphony of emotions, a crescendo of love so intense that even the setting sun paled in comparison.

It was the kind of kiss that left her breathless and wanting more, a moment frozen in time that she never wanted to end.

She thought she’d be embarrassed kissing in front of a crowd, but she forgot where they were until there were shouts from the attendees.

“Get a room!” Josh exclaimed.

“That’s NC-17!” came from Viv and was an encouragement, not a deterrent.

“There are children present!” Owen shouted, but she could hear in his voice that he was smiling.

As Caleb straightened back up to standing, he kept his arm snaked around her, which was a good thing because if he hadn’t, she doubted she’d have been able to support herself on her legs, which had turned to jelly from their passionate kiss.

“It is my honor to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Matthew Harrison!”

As they walked back down the aisle of white rose petals to cheers on either side of them, Caleb lifted her arm in the air.

When they got to the end, he kissed her once more.

She’d noticed he’d been doing that more and more, kissing her for no reason.

Each time it took her by surprise, but it was something she very much looked forward to getting used to.

There was no gap between the ceremony and the reception; it immediately followed. There was food, drinks, music playing, and everyone talked, laughed, and danced.

Caleb kept her close to his side, which she was grateful for, not only because she was feeling a little tired and when she was with him, he did the heavy lifting in the conversations, but also because she had a sick feeling in her stomach she couldn’t shake. She felt like she was being watched.

The same thing happened to her the day before when she went to get shoes for today in Aspen Cove, which was thirty miles from Hope Falls.

As soon as she left the store, her spidey senses tingled and the hairs on her arms stood up.

She was sure she was being followed. Not just followed, she was sure Martin was following her.

So sure that by the time she got to the parking lot, she was sprinting to her car.

When she finally made it, she got in, locked the doors, and peeled out of the parking structure while hyperventilating.

She nearly had a full-blown panic attack.

She had to keep reminding herself Martin was in Illinois. He had an ankle monitor on, he had a curfew, and he was not allowed to leave the state. Eric had followed up with Martin’s parole officer, and everything was as it should be.

Taylor knew the fear was all in her head. For the first time in her life, things were going well, and her body wasn’t used to it. All her life she’d lived in survival mode. That was her baseline, so her brain was imagining danger so she could feel normal.

As she stood beside Caleb, his arm wrapped around her waist, his hand on her hip, and she sank into his protection, his comfort, and his love. This was her new normal, she told herself. But even as she did, her spidey senses tingled and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

She glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see something, but of course there was no one there. Nothing was out of the ordinary. It was just the fence. That was it.

Caleb must have sensed Taylor tensing up.

He leaned down and whispered against her ear, “Are you okay? We can leave.”

“I’m good,” she lied, not wanting her paranoia to ruin his or his parents’ night.

“Are you sure?” he double-checked, staring intently into her eyes, searching for even a hint of a lie.

“Positive,” she assured him, then quickly added, “I love you.”

Did she tell him that she loved him to distract him from being concerned about her? Yes. But that didn’t make it any less true.

His fingertips dug into her hip, and he rested his forehead against hers as his jaw tensed and his voice dropped an octave as he replied, “I love you.”

And just like that, her body was tingling for an entirely different reason.