“Step in,” Hanna said to Lexi, as she and Callie knelt on the floor in their blush bridesmaid dresses.
Callie zipped the dress in the back once it was finally on Lexi. “Anyone else feel like they have déjà vu?”
“Oh, shut up!” Lexi said dramatically, then hit her sister with a playful pat.
Hanna grabbed the veil hanging up on the closet door. “And for the final touch…”
Lexi snatched it with her hands before Hanna could put it on her head. “Actually—” She walked over to Lucy’s desk which had a paper grocery bag with three disposable pie tins in them. “I’ve got something else in mind.” She excitedly opened the top tin and held out a flower crown with peach and ivory roses woven with pieces of purple sage.
“Yes! You finally got your flower crown!” Callie exclaimed.
“Martin’s not here to tell me ‘no’ this time,” Lexi said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Besides, I wanted to match you girls.” She pulled out the other two tins and handed matching crowns to her sisters.
Callie and Hanna topped their heads with them. “I kind of feel like we’re kids playing wedding again,” Callie said, checking out her full look in the mirror.
“I can guarantee that you’re not playing anything,” their dad interrupted, standing in the doorway. “You girls are beautiful.”
Lexi looked at her dad, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Yep, there’s a real groom downstairs waiting for his bride,” their mom said. “You ready, Lexi?”
She nodded her head slowly. “I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life.”
They walked downstairs, and Archie, wearing his dog tux, greeted her at the bottom step. She bent down and kissed his forehead. “I know you hate me right now,” she whispered to him. “But you look so adorable.” She straightened his bow tie and led him to the back door where she sent him walking down the aisle. Lexi couldn’t see everyone’s reactions, but she sure could hear them. Archie was a hit. No surprise there.
She watched as her niece, nephew, and then her sisters headed down the aisle before her to the tune of “Make You Feel My Love.” The song, which was being played by her uncle on the violin, sent chills down her spine.
Finally, the music changed. As she rounded the aisle, her eyes met Seth’s, standing under the archway looking dapper in his suit. She thought about all the memories they had created together in the past year. They’d traveled to Paris. They’d bought their first home together, with acres and acres of land. They planned on adopting lots of animals.
They were doing life on their own terms. And Lexi couldn’t be happier.
She grabbed her dad’s arm as she made her way down the aisle, not once taking her eyes off Seth.
When she met him at the end of the aisle, he whispered in her ear, “You’re so beautiful.”
The words made her melt. “Thanks,” she mouthed, giddy with happiness.
“And this is perfect,” he added, waving to the scenery before them. The sunset was producing a powerful fiery glow in the cloud-free sky, and below them, birds were pecking on the marsh.
She looked up at him and smiled, the warm glow of the sunset enveloping them. The birds chirped from the pecan tree above. The sheer bliss of the moment felt tingly. It was so serene. And there wasn’t a better spot in Brady than her sister’s backyard. She was so happy Tom had convinced Hanna to stay there.
“We are gathered here today.…”
Lexi felt like she was on a cloud. For so many years, even before she had known Seth, she had dreamed of this day. And now it was finally happening. She was getting to marry the man of her dreams.
A flood of emotion overcame her as she listened to the preacher’s sermon about holding steadfast to those you love, and she could barely hold back the tears by the time the vows were said. But when Seth emphasized the “for richer, for poorer” she let out a hearty laugh.
The birds chirped as the preacher said the words she’d been waiting for all day: “You may now kiss your bride.”
Seth grabbed Lexi by her gem-adorned waist and dipped her backward, kissing her to a round of applause and cheers from their family members in the audience.
The two walked hand-in-hand down the aisle, directly to the four-tiered chocolate fountain, which stood sentinel in its place of honor in the center of the porch. If only Martin could see her now, she thought with a giggle.
As the DJ turned up the music and guests mingled, Lexi felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Seth’s mom.
“I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride… or wedding,” Nancy said before giving her a hug.
Lexi smiled, surprised at the compliment. “Thank you.”
She had finally realized that the only people she needed to please were Seth and herself. Everyone else was just a bonus.
Besides, she had discovered another way to bond with Nancy that didn’t involve the wedding: at her and Seth’s new animal sanctuary. Nancy volunteered to help with the animals, and, turns out, she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. While Lexi vowed never to plan another event with her mother-in-law ever again, she did enjoy spending time with her at the nonprofit. Seth even liked working with his mom, too. He gushed to Lexi about the sanctuary bringing out a kinder, more giving side to her. “When puppies are involved, who isn’t a better person?” Lexi had reminded him.
As the sun faded and the fireflies joined the celebration, everyone dined on a barbecue buffet dinner and drank beer from a keg. Lexi felt a little silly holding a pint glass in her twenty-thousand-dollar wedding dress, but it made for some cute Instagram pictures. When it was time for the bouquet toss, Callie edged out all of the competition and took it home. Garrett, who was standing off to the side when she caught it, gave her a flirty wink.
It’s only a matter of time, Lexi thought. But she also got the feeling Callie was the type who would elope.
As she and Seth danced the night away, Lexi noticed her sisters hovering at the chocolate fountain. She excused herself from the dance floor, and walked over to Hanna and Callie, who were stabbing strawberries with the wooden skewers.
“You know…” Lexi said over their shoulder. “I hear 2004 is having a comeback.” She flashed a wicked grin. Her sisters laughed and then put their arms around her.
“How’s your night going?” Hanna asked. “Is it everything you wanted it to be?”
Lexi looked back at Seth, who was holding a beer in one hand and playing with his shiny new platinum wedding band with the other. She smiled. “It’s the best night of my life.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Hanna said, squeezing Lexi’s shoulder. “I think this calls for a sister toast.”
Lexi stabbed a pink marshmallow with a skewer and held it out next to her sisters’ skewers of strawberries.
“To our beautiful sister Lexi…” Hanna began.
“No, wait—” Lexi interrupted. “I have a better one.”
Hanna and Callie raised their eyebrows and exchanged a look.
Lexi continued. “To the three of us!” she said, looking back and forth between her sisters. “The luckiest girls in Louisiana.” She paused slightly and then smiled. “After all, we have each other.”