“They make a beautiful couple,” Amanda said.
Landon put his arm around her. “They sure do.”
Three-quarters of the way through the song, Cabot tapped Wade on the shoulder, asking to cut in.
Wade turned his wife over to her father and stepped back to give them a moment together.
“The song works for Cabot and Mia, too,” Amanda said.
“For sure.”
You’d have to be dead and buried not to be moved by the sight of Cabot dancing with his daughter, his joy unmistakable.
While Cabot danced with Mia, Molly came out to the dance floor to claim her son.
“My heart can’t take this,” Amanda said.
Landon put his other arm around her, too, and held her while they watched the others on the dance floor. His emotions were all over the place, which was funny because he didn’t get emotional at weddings. But since he’d fallen for Amanda, he got it now. Things made sense to him that never had before.
There was nothing like finding the other half of yourself and knowing she felt the same way. He’d loved Naomi, but sadly, he’d never gotten the chance to see what might’ve become of that. For the first time, he had the chance for everything with someone, and he was so excited for what the future might hold.
When the dance ended, Wade, Mia and their parents took seats at the head table. The wedding planner handed a microphone to Hunter, who was seated at a table with Megan, Grayson, Emma, Will, Cameron, Lucy and Colton. “As the oldest and wisest of the Abbott siblings, I was chosen by Wade to be his best man today, an honor I don’t take lightly.”
His opening line was met with loud boos from his siblings and laughter from everyone else.
Smiling at the predictable response, Hunter continued. “On behalf of the Abbotts, Colemans and our grandfather, Elmer Stillman, I want to thank Cabot for his hospitality this weekend and for the fabulous wedding he put together for my brother Wade and his beautiful wife, Mia. For those of you who don’t know Wade like we do, I want to tell you a little about him.”
“Oh dear God,” Wade said loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Relax, little brother. I’m not going to embarrass you too badly.”
“Awesome,” Wade said as Mia giggled at his distress.
“Wade is our lone wolf, which isn’t an easy thing to be in a family of ten kids. Nonetheless, Wade has always been an entity unto himself. As you may have heard, the Abbott kids were raised—fittingly—in a restored barn. Wade found a way to get his own room in the barn by converting a large closet into a bedroom. He would tell you the ability to escape from the madness that surrounded him saved his sanity.”
Wade nodded emphatically.
“Despite his need for solitude, Wade is still very much one of us. He’s our health and fitness nut, our vegan, our yoga master and one of the very best people I’ve ever had the privilege to know. If I was ever in any kind of trouble, Wade would be the first person I’d call. Not that I ever get in trouble, mind you.”
More boos from his siblings that had the wedding guests laughing.
Hunter carried on despite them. “So knowing this about Wade, you can imagine our shock when he came home with a wife none of us had ever met. Well played, brother. Very well played.”
“Thank you,” Wade said as he smiled at Mia.
“In the last few months, we’ve had the chance to get to know Mia and to understand why Wade loves her so much. Your story, Wade and Mia, and your devotion to each other during the years you spent wishing for what you have now, has touched us all. Thank you for including us in your celebration today, and all our best wishes for a long and happy life together.” Hunter raised his champagne glass in a toast to the happy couple. “To Wade and Mia.”
Echoes of “hear, hear” and “to Wade and Mia” filled the huge ballroom.
The wedding coordinator handed the microphone to Cabot next. “Thank you, Hunter, for those kind words about my daughter and her wonderful husband. I still can’t believe I’m able to say the words ‘my daughter’ and feel only joy and not the heartache that was part of my life for so many years. I certainly don’t want to dwell on the past today, and I promised myself I wouldn’t cry all day. We know how that’s gone so far.”
While the others laughed, he took a second to collect himself. “Having you back in my life, Mia, is the best thing to ever happen to me and my family. And to get Wade and his wonderful family as part of the package is a very sweet bonus indeed. I’ve learned that life is full of ups and downs, love and joy, pain and heartache. You never know what’s going to happen, but the one thing I know for sure is that love is all there is. It’s all that matters, and knowing my daughter is well and truly loved by such a wonderful man is a special gift. Wade and Mia, I love you both and can’t wait for all that’s to come.”
When Amanda trembled in his arms, Landon realized she was having an emotional reaction to Cabot’s speech. “Let’s go get some air, sweetheart.”
With a minimum of fuss, Landon got her out of the ballroom and found a patio off the hallway that was currently vacant.
She closed her eyes and tipped her face into the warm sunshine.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. His speech got to me.”
“Of course it did. You understand better than anyone what he’s been through.”
“It was different for me. I always knew where she was.”
“But she wasn’t with you, so you get how it was for him.” He kept an arm around her, needing her close to him. “Still nothing from Stella?”
She looked at the phone she’d had clutched in her hand for hours now. “No, and I’m starting to really worry.”
“Why don’t you call her again?”
Amanda put through the call on speaker. It rang and rang until Stella’s voicemail message answered.
“Hey, it’s Stella. Please leave a message, and I’ll call you back.”
“Hi, it’s Amanda calling again. I haven’t heard from you, so I’m worried. Give me a call as soon as you can.” She ended the call and exhaled a deep breath. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You tried Kelly, too?”
“A couple of times.”
“Do you want to go there?”
“Right now? We’re at a wedding.”
“I know where we are, love, but I’m worried, too. Something has to be up for her to not reply to your texts or calls. She was texting you nonstop yesterday from the second we got out of the mountains and found reception.”
“Let’s give it another hour and then figure out what to do. They could be at a soccer game or something, and we’re over here freaking out.”
“Take a minute. We don’t need to go rushing back to the party.”
“I was looking forward to dancing with you.”
“We can do that right here.” He wrapped his arms around her and swayed to imaginary music.
“As perfect as this is, we need a real song to mark the first time we dance together.”
Into her ear, he hummed the refrain from “All My Loving,” a song he’d heard a million times growing up with a Beatles fanatic for a father. Landon slowed the tempo a bit to make it suit his purposes.