Nick told himself to keep breathing. Just a dress. Right. He’d never seen her looking more beautiful. That wasn’t even a good enough word. Breathtaking was more like it. And happy. Her pale blue eyes were bright with excitement, and she positively glowed as she and Skip came toward him. Everyone else in the crowded church faded away, and there was only her.

When they reached the front, Nick stepped forward to squeeze Skip’s right hand.

“Take good care of her,” Skip said so softly that only Nick could hear him.

“Always,” Nick said.

Sam bent to kiss her father’s cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you too, baby girl. Go be happy now.”

Celia stood to help Skip get his chair settled next to the front row. Across the aisle, the kids in the wedding party sat with Nick’s father, his stepmother Stacy and Laine O’Connor.

Nick held out his hand to Sam, feasting his eyes on his stunning bride. “That’s the best you could do?”

She threw her head back and laughed, and it was all he could do to resist the urge to lean in and kiss the spot on her neck that drove her wild. Instead, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and escorted her to the altar.

Nick tried to pay attention to the ceremony, but truthfully, he wanted it over with. When he thought about the crazy, wild ride they’d taken to get to this day, he just wanted to hear the words “husband and wife.” He tuned back into the proceedings to hear Celia read the passage from the Book of Ruth that he’d chosen. “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”

Angela read from the Book of the Corinthians. “Love bears all things, believes all things, endures all things, hopes all things. Love never ends.”

He and Sam lit candles, and the pastor spoke to them about love and fidelity and the importance of working every day to make their marriage successful. The pastor led them through the recitation of the traditional vows to love, honor and cherish each other that they’d wanted included in the ceremony.

Finally, he had them turn to each other and join hands.

Sam passed her bouquet to Tracy and reached for his hands, linking their fingers.

The pastor gestured to him. “Nick?”