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  “Yeah, yeah. Fine.” No. I want to pass out again and escape this mess. I want Mom and Dad to leave the room so no one says anything—and I want them to take Lacy with them. I’m afraid to get married. I don’t want to end up like everyone else’s nightmare. I want the happily ever after. I want the happily ever after. I want the happily ever after.

  The music began, and all eyes turned to the back of the room.

  Chelsea dropped rose petals from a basket as she led the procession down the aisle. The groomsmen and bridesmaids made their way behind her. Camille and Weston walked side by side.

  Danica felt like she was watching a movie of someone else’s wedding.

  Gage’s tall, thick body dwarfed Marie’s slim figure as they walked side by side.

  Blake’s father was handsome in his dark suit as he escorted Chaz’s mother down the aisle, settled her into a seat in the front row, then took his place in the same row.

  The Bridal Chorus began, and Danica’s heart leapt.

  Their mother appeared between Kaylie and Danica and silently offered an arm to each of her daughters. “Shall we do this, ladies?”

  Danica froze, her eyes darting to her father, then back to her mother again. This is all wrong. How could she let her mother give her away any more than she could let her father? She didn’t do anything any less wrong, at least not in Danica’s eyes.

  “Danica,” Kaylie said through gritted teeth.

  “I can’t,” was all she could manage. The man she loved was just a few feet away from her, waiting to become her husband, and she couldn’t take her mother’s arm and walk down the aisle. Kaylie was the drama queen—why was she thinking about poking the hornets’ nest? This was so unlike her. Was she looking for an excuse not to walk down the aisle? Did she not want to get married?

  One look at Blake, and she knew that wasn’t the reason for her hesitation. Damn it. She glanced at her mother. I love Mom. She just hadn’t had time to process what her mother had done yet, and it was still messing with her head.

  “Are you okay, honey?” her mother asked.

  Honey. The way her mother said it brought back a rush of memories from her youth: her mother bringing cupcakes to her second grade class. Her father running multiplication tables with them at the dinner table. Lying in the backyard on a blanket, studying in the sun, her mother right next to her with a Danielle Steel novel, her father flipping burgers while music played in the background and Kaylie sang and danced. Her mother and father helping her move into her first dorm room and out of her last.

  He was there. In every memory, her father had been right there with them. Even if he was gone, spending time with Madeline and Lacy and pretending to be on a work trip, she couldn’t retrieve the memories of him missing. In her mind, he was always there. He was her family. Family knows no boundaries.

  Danica’s pulse raced as the seconds turned to minutes and whispers filtered back to her.

  It was a kiss. One kiss.

  She looked at her father. His dark eyes caught hers, and there was so much pride and so much love in them that she could not turn away.

  Danica knew what she had to do. She dropped her mother’s arm. “One second,” she said, and dragged Kaylie away from her mother.

  “What are you doing? You’re ruining the wedding.”

  “Listen to me. Just listen and don’t freak out.” Danica didn’t give her a chance to react. “Dad wants to walk us down the aisle. I know we said just Mom, but, Kaylie, he’s our father. He spent years taking care of us, and I don’t care if he wasn’t there after you graduated college, or if he missed a few days of our lives because he was with Lacy. I love Lacy. I love Madeline. I want him to walk us down the aisle, too.”

  A collective gasp told Danica that she was not whispering, as she thought she’d been. Every person in the room had heard her confession. She felt the heat of flush rise to the surface of her skin, and this time, she didn’t care. All she cared about was Kaylie’s answer, and from the appalled look on her sister’s face, she was sure she’d never live down the moment she ruined her sister’s wedding.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Kaylie’s jaw hung open.

  “I didn’t mean to be so loud.” This time Danica was certain she was whispering.

  “Couldn’t you have said something, I don’t know, an hour ago? Twenty minutes ago?” Kaylie finally asked.

  “I didn’t know then. It just hit me as I was standing there.”

  “It just hit you. Really? How the hell does that just hit you? I have been thinking about it nonstop for months, and it just hit you?” Kaylie’s limbs trembled; her face was red with anger.

  “Kaylie, listen to me. I’m not saying this to stop the wedding or to ruin it. If you don’t want him to walk us down the aisle, we’ll just go with Mom, as planned, but”—she looked up at her father and felt Kaylie’s eyes follow—“he didn’t do what he did to us, really. I mean, he did, but...how can I explain it?”

  “Damn it, Danica.” Kaylie turned away and covered her eyes with her hand. “I love Lacy, too. And I don’t even hate Madeline.”

  “So?”

  “So? I don’t know. I just...Dad? Really? Do you have any idea how much I do hate him?”

  “Yes. I think everyone in this room knows just how much you think you hate him.” Danica couldn’t have stopped her therapist’s reasoning if she wore a muzzle. “But do you really hate him, or do you hate what he did? Think about it. Because once we walk down that aisle, once we say I do, there will be no do overs. There’s only now. This. Right this very second. We have one chance, and it doesn’t mean you love what he did to you or even that you forgive him. It just means that he’s your father and you...” Shit, what did it mean? Danica felt the eyes of everyone upon her, and under the pressure of their gaze, she couldn’t reason with her sister.

  “It means that he’s your father, and he loves you,” her mother said.

  Both girls looked at her, dumbfounded by her invasion into their private conversation. A second later, Danica realized that this part of their conversation wasn’t private either, but that they were debating in front of everyone, and that realization brought another; her father must be mortified, knowing they were arguing over him and his affair.

  Danica turned her back to everyone except Kaylie. She put her arm protectively around her sister’s shoulder. “It was unfair of me to spring it on you, and it wasn’t intentional. Whatever you decide, I’ll be fine with it. You tell me, Kay. What does your heart tell you to do?”

  Kaylie turned around slowly. Her gaze shifted from her mother, to Madeline, to her father, then to Lacy, where they remained for at least a full fifteen seconds.

  “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll do it for Lacy.”

  “Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Thank you!” She hugged Kaylie. “Dad?” She hadn’t meant to yell for him.

  Her father stood, walking tentatively around the chairs, all eyes now upon him.

  Danica motioned for him to come forward. I did the right thing. “You did the right thing,” she said to Kaylie.

  Kaylie moved to her mother’s side.

  Her father stood up straighter, walked a little taller. He straightened his tie, then ran a hand over his short hair as his nervousness gave way to pride.

  A lump formed wide and painful in Danica’s throat.

  Her mother began to move away, and she reached for her and shook her head.

  Suddenly he was there, standing next to Danica. She felt his presence like an embrace, though he didn’t reach for her. He didn’t touch her, or assume he should take charge. His eyes glistened, and in those tears that he held back, Danica saw the love in his heart and the appreciation for hers. He remained silent, waiting for instructions.

  He simply came when she’d asked.

  Like he always had.

  Only she’d stopped asking long ago.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Danica looked at her parents standing sid
e by side. Their indiscretion came rushing back to her. It’s not your business. It was just a kiss. She couldn’t allow their mistake to ruin her day.

  Kaylie smiled shyly at her father, then stared straight ahead, as if she’d accept his arm, but refused to speak to him. The disappointment that washed through his eyes lasted only a second, for when Kaylie took his arm, his entire face lit up.

  “Dan, how are we doing this now with both of them?” Anxiety thrust Kaylie’s words, fast and panicked.

  “I don’t know. Um. Dad in the middle? Oh gosh, I’m not sure.” I’m ruining everything.

  “Girls, your father and I will walk Kaylie down the aisle, and then we’ll return and walk you, Danica.” It wasn’t a question, and as her mother moved into place beside Kaylie, the Bridal Chorus began anew. Danica was glad her mother had the answer.

  Doesn’t she always?

  No, she kissed Dad. Shut up.

  Kaylie moved with the grace of a princess, and Danica wished she could see her face. Chaz looked at her with dreamy eyes. Pride drew his shoulders back, and nerves sent his fingers fidgeting against his thighs.

  Danica’s heart thundered in her chest as her parents placed a sweet kiss on Kaylie’s cheek and deposited her across from her groom and headed back toward her.

  She drew in a breath.

  And looked at Blake.

  This is it.

  This is everything.

  Her father and mother flanked her, and she must have taken their arms, though she had no recollection of guiding those muscles. Her legs carried her down the aisle—but how could they? They felt like rubber. So many years had passed since she’d held on to her father in any way that even this contact, her hand resting on his forearm, brought comfort. She tried to memorize the feel of him, the feel of walking beside him. Once she was certain she’d never forget the warmth of the moment, she lifted her gaze to Blake once again. As she neared her place beside Kaylie, she noticed the dampness in his eyes, causing an even larger lump in her throat.

  She didn’t feel her parents’ kisses, or hear what Treat said as he started their service. She couldn’t hear past the swelling of her heart as it raced toward the I do finish line.

  She reached for Kaylie’s hand and was surprised to find Kaylie’d been reaching for hers. Their fingertips touched, and Danica’s heart slowed its frantic pace.

  “Life doesn’t get any sweeter than when you take a spouse.” Treat’s voice was laden with love. “There will be no one more tender and attentive to your needs, nor should there ever be, than the one you will take as your partner, your lover, your spouse. The union of marriage you are about to form will be your new home. It will house your strength, your love, your courage, and your fidelity. It will also house your sadness and the harshness that life bestows on you. The ability to heal and rebuild is within you, Kaylie Elizabeth and Chaz Michael, and within you, Danica Joy and Blake Earl. As you create this sacred union and accept these solemn vows, remember that your partner, your lover, your spouse will rely on, and trust in, your promise.”

  Kaylie’s fingers trembled against Danica’s and she held her hand tightly, letting her sister know that she was there and that the trust he spoke of was also within Danica for Kaylie.

  “Do you understand this?” Treat asked.

  In unison, they said, “Yes.”

  Treat nodded, using his hand to motion for the brides and grooms to face each other, and as they moved into place, a tear slipped down Blake’s cheek.

  Danica wanted to reach for him, but she could not move. Stilled by his emotions, she could only allow her own tears to fall, her eyes never leaving her future husband’s sweet face.

  “Who gives these couples in marriage?” Treat asked.

  “I do.” Danica couldn’t decipher one parent’s voice from the next, but she knew in her heart that all of their parents had responded.

  Blake mouthed, I love you.

  Danica’s heart galloped again. She dropped Kaylie’s hand and dabbed at her tears. I love you, too, she mouthed.

  “Will you please join hands?” Treat asked.

  Danica lifted her shaking hands and noticed that all of their hands were trembling. Blake took her hands in his and provided instant comfort. She blinked away her tears and looked at his strong hand, embracing hers with more than just love—with the promise of the trust that Treat had spoken of, and it sent a warm light right to her heart.

  “Chaz,” Treat began, “will you take Kaylie, and her alone, to be your wedded wife? Will you love, comfort, and adore her through good times and bad, in sickness and in health? Will you honor her feelings and cherish her emotions at all times? Will you promise to value her precious heart, to be faithful to her no matter what temptations come your way?”

  “I do,” Chaz said.

  “Kaylie,” Treat began again, “will you take Chaz, and he alone, to be your wedded husband? Will you love, comfort, and adore him through good times and bad, in sickness and in health? Will you honor his feelings and cherish his emotions at all times? Will you promise to value his precious heart, to be faithful to him no matter what temptations come your way?”

  “I do,” Kaylie said in a thin, shaky voice.

  Treat asked the same of Blake, and Danica held her breath awaiting his response.

  “I will not only do that,” Blake began, “but I will also spend every waking hour in search of all things that bring joy to her life. I promise you, Danica Joy Snow, to never be less than the man you are marrying today.”

  Sobs billowed in her chest, and Danica swallowed against them. She saw raw emotion in Blake’s eyes, love so deep and true that she could feel it blossoming like a rose between them. The gasp of the crowd reiterated what she felt but could not show. Her knees grew weak. She was sure her legs had turned to rubber, and she tightened the muscles in her thighs just to remain standing. I promise you, Danica Joy Snow, to never be less than the man you are marrying today. Her heart swooned, stealing her concentration. She blinked away tears of joy and took in a shaky breath, trying desperately to concentrate on the vows Treat was presenting her with.

  As much as she wanted to give Blake the same beautiful promises that he gave her, when she opened her mouth, full of love and promises, her courage failed her. She feared something else might spew forth, pushed by the stress of the day. She didn’t trust her own voice to follow her heart’s path. Instead, she said, “I do,” wishing she could have said so much more.

  Blake’s grin revealed that what she’d said was all he’d ever wanted.

  “And who holds the rings to bind these unions?” Treat asked.

  “Oh no!” Max jumped up. “Hold on just a minute. I’m so sorry.” She ran out the door, and they waited with silly grins on their lips and love in their eyes, shadowed only by a fleeting thought: Max never forgets anything.

  Max stormed through the door a few minutes later with two ring boxes in her hands. She stopped before approaching the altar and smoothed her dress back down. She ran her fingers through her dark, tousles locks, while Treat’s gaze held her in place. Then, with grace and warmth, Max made her way up the aisle and presented the rings to the grooms.

  “Sorry. They were still upstairs with the twins,” she whispered. She shifted a quick glance to Kaylie. “Don’t worry. They’re sleeping like logs and doing fine.”

  Treat smiled and waited until she was seated before continuing. “Circles, and thereby these rings, are a token of love not to be broken. They are a token of the covenant between each of you, Kaylie and Chaz, Danica and Blake. Bless these rings and may you forever live in unity, with love and respect, joy and appreciation for one another. Amen.”

  Blake and Chaz held the rings before Danica and Kaylie’s shaking hands.

  “Please repeat after me.” Treat nodded to both Chaz and Blake. “I choose you Kaylie, or Danica, and please choose the right one.”

  Everyone laughed while Chaz and Blake repeated Treat’s words, each inserting the appropriate name.

>   Treat continued. “To be my wife, to love, honor, and cherish you from this day forward, in days and playful nights.” They laughed again, and Blake and Chaz repeated his words.

  Danica was thankful for the levity. She listened to every word Blake said, and when she thought of the playful nights they’d already enjoyed, goose bumps rose on her arms.

  “And with this ring, I thee wed. Let it forever be a symbol of our love.”

  After the men slid the rings on their fingers, Danica and Kaylie repeated the same lovely vows. Danica slid the ring on Blake’s finger, and when she reached the dip just below his knuckle, she ran her fingers gently over his hand. She wanted to pull his hand to her lips and kiss it, to feel his warmth against her cheek. Instead, she slid her finger back down the length of his and let her fingertips remain on his hands. He turned his hand over and took her hand in his.

  With a smile that lit up his eyes, Treat brought his hands up high and said, “In the presence of those you have chosen, now, by the authority vested in me, I pronounce you husbands and wives!”

  Blake didn’t wait for the offer to kiss Danica, and Kaylie’s impetuous side took over as well, as the couples came together in deep, passionate kisses, faster than Treat could take another breath.

  With a hearty laugh, Treat said, “I now present Mr. and Mrs. Chaz Crew and Mr. and Mrs. Blake Carter.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Danica didn’t know that heat from the moon could sear through her soul, but that’s what it felt like when Blake drew her in to their first kiss as a married couple. He lifted her feet off the ground, holding her against his muscular chest. Through the thickness of his tuxedo and her dress, their heartbeats raced in unison. Right there, in front of everyone she loved so dearly, she felt herself floating up, looking down at a woman she was sure was the happiest girl in the world and at a man who could not keep his lips, or his eyes, off of her.

  Suddenly her feet were back on the floor, and Kaylie was hugging her, laughing and trembling.