THE DAY BEFORE the wedding, out-of-town guests had started to arrive. Like the Lewises (who’d boarded Holly for the occasion), Emma, Eddie, Julie and family, and, of course, the Elliots.

Cord hosted a “guys’ night” at Sully’s, while Shallie had a “girls’ night” at Bailey’s. He’d laughed when Carly made a sarcastic remark about how “traditional” they were being. That was still one of her favorite insults.

The next morning, after a night of love that they both felt foretold a lifetime of loving, Cord woke up, not in the least tired or groggy. He went downstairs to make coffee, do the dog duties and bring Shallie a cup. Awake now, she sat up, leaning against a stack of pillows, and kissed him.

As she took a sip of her coffee, he said, “This is the most important day of my life—and that’s saying a lot after this summer.”

She nodded. “Everything, my whole life, makes sense to me now, and so much of that is because of you.”

Tradition (that word again) would suggest that they should have slept in separate rooms—or at least beds—the night before their wedding. But Cord had no interest in that. And neither did Shallie. He’d had every intention of starting their married life with the same joy they’d already learned to anticipate. Why skip even one night of being together if they didn’t have to?

Locked in each other’s arms, they took advantage of not having to be up early today…

Sometime later, there was a knock at the bedroom door. “Hi, it’s Tina and Carly with breakfast for you!”

“Breakfast in bed,” Carly said with satisfaction.

What a nice start to the day.

AT TWO, THEY arrived at the church. At three, the service began. Cord was gratified but not surprised by the number of guests as he walked to the front to join his best men.

They watched Tina and Emma make their way down the aisle, followed by Carly, carrying a small silk pillow holding the rings.

Then, her arm in Mitch’s, Shallie moved slowly toward the flower-covered altar and the man she loved. On her way, she waved at her mother and Doug in the front row on the left, and then at Julie, Chris and Kathleen on the right.

The readings, the hymns and a short sermon came next. Then the most important part, the exchange of vows. Reverend McPhail asked Cord, “Do you, Cord Tobias Hollister, take Shallie Fletcher to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?”

Cord repeated the vow.