Thomas joined me with a wide grin, seeming relieved that the ceremony was over.

“Say cheese!” Falyn said, holding up her camera phone.

Thomas wrapped me in his arms and kissed my cheek. I smiled.

Falyn smiled, too, showing us the picture when she was finished. “Perfect.”

Thomas squeezed me. “She is.”

“Aw, cute,” Falyn said.

Taylor tapped her shoulder, and she turned to hug him.

A palpable tension overwhelmed the space around us when Trenton pulled Camille into his arms and kissed her.

Jim clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Grab your ladies, boys. I’m starved. Let’s eat.”

Thomas and I walked, hand in hand, following Jim with Trenton and Camille. Taylor and Falyn, and Tyler and Ellison were not far behind.

“Taylor looks relieved,” I whispered.

Thomas nodded. “I thought he was going to pass out when she texted him, saying her plane had landed. I don’t think he believed she was coming until then.”

We walked to the outdoor restaurant. Large white canvases shaded the tables from the glow of the sunset. Thomas led me to a table where Shepley and America were sitting with who I recognized as Jack and Deana from my research prior to the trip. We had barely sat down when the server approached, asking for our drink orders.

“I’m so glad to see you, sweetheart,” Deana said. Her long lashes blinked once over her hazel-green eyes.

“It’s good to see you, too, Aunt Deana,” Thomas said. “Have you met Liis?”

She shook her head and then reached across Thomas. “We didn’t get a chance to meet before the ceremony. Your dress is absolutely stunning. That violet is so vivid. You’re practically glowing. It’s perfect with your skin and hair.”

“Thank you,” I said, shaking her hand once.

She and Jack turned to give their drink orders.

I leaned into Thomas’s ear. “She looks so much like your mother. If I hadn’t read up on it before, I would have been very confused. You and Shepley could be brothers.”

“It throws people off all the time,” he said. “She’s right, by the way. You’re stunning. I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but when you walked around the corner, I had to force myself to stay in the gazebo.”

“It’s just a purple maxi dress.”

“It’s not the dress.”

“Oh,” I said, my lips curving upward.

Abby and Travis walked in, and the hostess announced their arrival over the PA system. A rock ballad came over the speakers, and Travis pulled Abby out to dance.

“They are so sweet,” Deana said, her bottom lip trembling. “I wish Diane could have been here to see it.”

“We all do, baby,” Jack said, curling his arm around his wife’s shoulder and squeezing her to his side.