Grace risked wrinkles to hug Linda. “Thank you so much for coming to check on me. It means so much to me to know you and Mac are happy for us.”

“We’re delighted. We love you both very much.” Linda hugged her, carefully, kissed her cheek and stepped back. “I’ll send your girls in.”

“Linda.”

She turned back, her brow raised in inquiry.

“Thank you for knowing that I could use a little mothering right now.”

“Of course, honey. This mother is available to you any time you need her.”

“I’ll probably be needing her a lot.”

“That’s fine with me.” Linda left her with a smile, closing the door behind her.

Grace took a deep breath, battling the emotions stirred by Linda’s generosity. She had fallen in love with Evan’s family almost as quickly as she’d fallen for him, and knowing they would be part of her life forever made this amazing day that much sweeter. In her opinion, she’d done a rather admirable job of forgetting her own parents weren’t there. She’d enjoyed the time with her brothers, Evan’s family and their wonderful friends. It wasn’t just enough. It was more than enough.

After a quick knock, the door opened, and in came Grace’s tribe of bridesmaids—Abby, Stephanie, Janey, Maddie, Laura and Tiffany, along with Ashleigh, who was their flower girl. Each of them wore dresses made from the same floral material, but all in different styles that they’d chosen for themselves.

Not only had meeting Evan led to her first real boyfriend, it had also led to deep and meaningful friendships with the most incredible group of women who would serve as her attendants.

“You look amazing,” Tiffany said, giving Grace a critical once-over. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“That’s high praise from the empress of style,” Maddie said, “and I completely agree with my sister. You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Grace said, blinking back tears as she brought them in for a group hug. “Thank you all so much for being the best friends I’ve ever had.”

Evan had expected to be nervous, but he was too excited to be nervous. Today he got to marry his amazing Grace, and he couldn’t wait to make it official. They’d been counting down to this date, the eighteenth of January, for what felt like forever.

And now that the day was finally upon them, Evan wanted to push the clock ahead an hour so he could see her. Because she was superstitious, they’d spent the night apart, and he hadn’t yet seen her today. He was losing his mind waiting for the magical sunset hour they’d chosen for their wedding. They should’ve done it at sunrise so he wouldn’t have had to spend most of the day without her.