I frowned, not liking that she hadn’t been in my arms for more than twenty-four hours. I fucking hated traditions.

I’d begged Devlynn to elope with me after I heard both of our mother’s plans for our wedding. But Devlynn had been so patient, as always, and we’d managed to make this uniquely ours, even with their influence.

“Elis!” Sarena called, waving her expensive bouquet of fresh flowers from her place near the aisle.

“Wait, honey.” Mom straightened my bowtie as a smile whispered at her lips. “I’m so proud of you. I wanted to pass down something of your grandfather's, but I know you don’t have much use for stuff. So I decided…well…” She pulled a small sapphire necklace from a pouch. “This was your grandma’s, and I thought I’d give it to Devlynn to be her something blue.”

“It’s great, Mom.” I kissed her cheek, wishing Grandma and Grandpa could be here to see me marrying the girl of my dreams. They’d passed in the years since Devlynn’s and my breakup the first time around in high school, but they’d known and loved her then.

Just like everyone had.

“I love you, Mom. Thank you for being so accepting and supportive through everything,” I whispered, nearly overcome with my emotions.

“Anything for my babies. I love you so much, sweetheart. You make me proud every single day.”

We hugged for a long moment before Mom slipped into the room with Devlynn, and I trailed up to the head of the aisle. Sarena’s fingers danced across her screen the entire time. She’d gotten the job as nanny to Devlynn’s lawyer, but I suspected there was a whole lot more going on by the way her face lit up every time she talked to or about him.

I couldn't be sure, but my sister looked like a young woman for the first time in, well, ever, and I didn’t like it one little bit.

I was about to stomp over to her and shut down whatever conversation had her so distracted, but the organ music started, signaling my girl’s entrance.

One of the stipulations of our church wedding was that we kept the ceremony small and the guest list to close family and friends only. Devlynn hadn’t wanted a bridal party, only her mother to walk her down the aisle.

Untraditional to the core, my girl.

And while my mother and Devlynn’s hadn’t talked much, they’d shared a few dinners and come to a quiet agreement to forget the past in favor of the future.

“Elis,” Sarena whispered from the front row.

I glanced up to find Devlynn waiting, a large sparkling sapphire at her neck and a smile on her face.