Kay hadn’t seen Nate since he’d left her with a kiss at breakfast in the Venetian and had no idea what the men were planning for their wardrobe. All during the shopping and salon, the girls and she had giggled and groaned over the possibilities the guys could spring on them, from tuxes to Hawaiian shirts, swim trunks and flip-flops, not putting any utter silliness past them.
Kay stole a look through the doorway.
Yep, straight ahead Elvis posed in all his glittering white jumpsuit glory.
All their friends stood waiting and grinning: Scott and Patti, Chuck and Pippa, Christopher and Margie, Mark, Rich, and even old George had taken the day off.
And in the front row: Nate’s mom and dad, who had flown in before supper last night. Nate had his mother Ellie’s gray eyes and blond curls and his dad Tom’s smile and ears. Kay had nervously anticipated a polite, careful scoping out over cocktails followed by a full barrage of suspicious questions at supper. Instead she’d been swooped down on and scooped into a hug by the petite blonde tornado Nate called Mom and then further crushed by Tom’s bear hug of them both, and she hadn’t caught her breath since.
And yes, the pink must be fate, because Ellie wore a glittery pale carnation pink cocktail dress, and a wild hibiscus tie livened up Tom’s sedate gray suit.
JoAnn patted Kay’s shoulder. “It’s time. Ready?”
Kay’s nerves rose and flew, but they were happy butterfly flutters. No more nest of nightcrawlers. “Yes. This is totally crazy, but I’m ready.”
Olivia hugged her gently and moved off to stand in the open doorway to the chapel.
Next came a hug from JoAnn with tears in her eyes. “I’m so happy for you.”
The first notes of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” filled the chapel, and their Elvis crooned into the sweet words.
Time. Kay took a deep breath, relaxed her grip on the poor daisies, stepped into the doorway, and carefully looked up front.
Nate stepped into view, with Dave and Lloyd at his side. After all the confusion and tumult, everything that mattered was clear. Her smile widened. Cameras flashed.
Amusement and pleasure filled Kay at their choice of clothing. Not the threatened white tuxes with pink ruffles—no pink at all, thank goodness—the men stood handsome, casual and retro in crisp white embroidered Guayabera shirts and black slacks. All three men had seen a barber and suffered their own polishing. Nate’s beard was neatly trimmed, and he’d let his hair be cut much shorter, but not back to crew-cut short. Enough length remained to run her fingers through those waves and curls.
JoAnn followed Olivia down the short, carpeted aisle. The love in Lloyd’s eyes as he watched JoAnn made Kay sorry she’d ever doubted his devotion over the years.
And Dave’s sharp gaze fixed on…
Olivia?
The flash of naked want should have sizzled the air before his usual grin slid into place and he laughed with Ellie and Tom.
But Kay had no time to puzzle that very interesting look further. Her turn to walk the aisle. Her butterflies leapt into a crazed storm, but she fixed her eyes on Nate and stepped forward.
Nate’s happy gray eyes and captivating smile embraced her in warmth as she walked toward him. With each step, the last hazy doubts lifted, and joy, certainty and peace filled her. JoAnn was right. Nate’s love had always been clear as day—she simply needed to look up from the shadows of the past.
A last step and she was at Nate’s side, handing her daisies off to JoAnn, and taking his warm hand in hers. At his gentle squeeze of her hand, the last of her butterflies disappeared.
Elvis stepped up, rolling through his act and the ceremony in a smooth, deep voice. Nate’s answers came quick and sure, with hers following strong and easy. All through the simple words, she and Nate held each other with their eyes.
“…the ring…”
Dave shot Kay a satisfied wink and a wicked grin as he handed Nate the ring. The white gold band they’d picked out yesterday fit perfectly on her ring finger beside Nate’s beautiful opal ring. Moments later her turn came with the matching ring for Nate that JoAnn held for her.
Pent-up laughter sparkled in Nate’s eyes and grin as Elvis pronounced, “You may kiss the bride.”
Without missing a beat, Nate swept her into a flashy back dip and deep, hungry kiss, holding her steady in his strong arms.
Cameras flashed, and cheers and clapping filled the room.
“I love you, Nate,” she murmured in his ear the moment he let her breathe enough to speak again.
He raised her up and pressed another quick, impassioned kiss to her mouth. “I love you, too, babe. How’re you doing?”
She laughed. “Just perfect.”
A word about the author...
Babette James writes contemporary and fantasy romance and loves reading nail-biting tales with a satisfying happily ever after. When not dreaming up stories, she enjoys playing with new bread recipes and dabbling with paints.
She lives in New Jersey with her wonderfully patient husband and three extremely spoiled cats. A teacher, she loves encouraging new readers and writers as they discover their growing abilities. Her class cheers when it’s time for their spelling test!
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