The massive doors at the opposite end of the barn are pushed open, revealing an expanse of grass spotted with neat rows of straw bales that have brightly colored woolen blankets spread across them.

Before the rows, a minister stands under an elaborately carved wooden trellis talking to a man in a suit who I surmise must be the groom. A woman stands to their right, holding a violin.

“Need another lift?” Jace whispers to me as we emerge from the barn out onto the grass.

“I think I can make it,” I reply, smiling.

Jace takes my hand. “Just in case.”

Most of the bales are already full, but there are several sitting empty, about halfway back on the right side. Jace’s parents head in that direction, and the rest of us follow.

The violinist begins playing, and most of the chatter ceases as guests fall silent to listen. It seems as though everyone we pass waves at the Dawsons.

I’m seated at the end of an aisle between Jace and Mike. The blankets make the bales surprisingly comfortable. I slip off my heels as soon as we’re seated to give my pinched toes a break, something I’d never be able to do at an official engagement back home.

As soon as we’ve settled in our seats, the violin music changes to traditional refrain. Everyone stands and turns to watch a smiling girl wearing a lace dress walk down the central aisle on the arm of a beaming middle-aged man. He escorts her to the trellis, where she takes the hand of the man already standing there.

Everyone takes their seats as the minister begins speaking. As he talks, Jace begins tracing small circles on the palm of my hand, eliciting the exhilarating mix of ease and excitement I only feel around him.

Goosebumps cover my skin, although I’m plenty warm under my wool coat in the late afternoon sun. I lose track of what the minister is saying as I bask in the exquisite sensation.

The applause that erupts from the crowd of wedding guests alerts me to the end of the ceremony, as the bride and groom kiss under the trellis. Jace pulls his hand away as we stand and clap with the rest of the attendees while the newly married couple walks down the central aisle toward the barn.

Once they disappear inside, all the guests begin to gather up their belongings and gravitate back inside the large barn after the newlyweds. The sound of cheery voices fills the air once again.

It takes a while for us to navigate through the crowd back into the barn. The building is now filled with throngs of people milling about. I shrug off my long coat as soon as we’re inside. I’m not sure if there are heaters installed or it’s simply the proximity of so many other people, but the temperature inside the barn is much warmer than I expected it to be.

I hear “Jace!” called to my left and turn to see Jace’s friend from the football game, Sam Evans, walking toward us. The girl from the dress store, Gretchen, follows him over to where Jace and I are standing.