Sam stared at him. She’d never heard him say such things in the two years since the shooting.

Under the table, Nick reached for her hand.

“My girls Tracy and Angela have been happily settled for quite some time, but Sam… She was so unhappy before. If anything kept me going, it was knowing I had to hang around long enough to see her find happiness too. As soon as I met Nick, I knew he was the one for my little girl. Seeing the two of you together, watching you fall hard for each other—that was definitely worth sticking around for. I wish you many, many years of wedded bliss.”

Sam’s sisters and stepmother wiped up tears as Sam raised her glass to her father. “Thank you,” she whispered, blinking back tears of her own.

He winked and the half of his face that wasn’t paralyzed lifted into a smile.

When the party broke up a short time later, Angela and Tracy shanghaied Sam.

“Say goodnight,” Tracy said, trying to tug Sam away from Nick.

She clung to him. “Don’t let them take me.”

Nick laughed and kissed her. “You can survive one night without me.”

She looked up at him, not wanting to be parted from him for even a few hours. “I’m not sure I can.”

He tugged her close to him and kissed her passionately right in front of her sisters. For once, Sam didn’t mind the public display of affection. “One more night,” he whispered against her lips, “and then we get forever.”

Sam buried her fingers in his hair and brought him back for a final kiss intended to make sure he thought of nothing but her until they saw each other again.

“Save it for the honeymoon,” Tracy said, taking Sam’s arm and leading her away from Nick.

“See you at the church,” she said.

“Don’t be late.”

“Not this time.”

Sam let Angela and Tracy lead her to Tracy’s car. They were spending the night together at Skip and Celia’s where they’d get dressed tomorrow.

Harry, Andy and Scotty were in charge of getting Nick home and delivering him to the church tomorrow. Graham, Nick’s best man, was spending the night with his wife at the Hay-Adams.

“Gonna be one hell of a wedding night,” Angela teased when they were in the car.

Sam couldn’t wait.

After being manicured and pedicured, and after suffering through a facial and a massage her sisters had thoughtfully arranged, Sam was buzzing with energy when she should’ve been sleeping. The digital clock read just after two. Sam sighed. Just what she needed the night before her wedding.

She wondered if Nick was faring any better. Maybe she should sneak over there and check on him.