Lord Williams' manor was beyond massive; it was incredibly grand and most definitely something Matthew had never seen before. Ethan was a powerful, rich man with servants to tend to his every need, and the revelation of his wealth left Matthew slightly worried at first. He wondered if Ethan knew of his past with Gretchen —how she had turned down his marriage proposal nearly three years ago because he had chosen to walk away from his father's wealth. Matthew couldn't help but be skeptical about their relationship when he first arrived, but one dinner with Ethan, Gretchen and Ethan's beautiful princess, Ellie, and Matthew had gone from being doubtful, to being fully convinced that Gretchen was in love and thankfully, it wasn't with Ethan's money.

Matthew had to admit that the woman who was now walking by his side was nothing like the woman who walked away from him over two years ago. She was happy, kind, carefree and loving; a love he watched manifest in totality as she dotted on Ellie.

Once Matthew's doubt was put to rest, he was truly happy he could be here for Gretchen on her big day. He had gotten her invitation a month ago and while he hadn't had plans to leave Sharon and their three month old baby behind, his sister Grace had insisted that he be present for Gretchen's wedding. According to Grace, it wouldn't be fair to let Gretchen get married all by herself with her parents unwilling to travel and Grace herself unable to travel. Matthew had to take one for the team.

He wondered if Gretchen's parents even have a clue of how wealthy Ethan was. That was another thing Matthew noticed that was different about Gretchen; none of her letters spoke of Ethan's wealth. On the contrary, her letters just went on and on about how much she loved Ethan and adored Ellie. In the past, Gretchen wouldn't have passed up on the opportunity to throw wealth and influence at the faces of people. Matthew had to smile; Gretchen's parents would never know the extent of Ethan's wealth until they saw it for themselves and Matthew knew they might never see it.

The soft evening breeze blew against their faces, carrying Gretchen's happy chatter to Matthew's ears as they strolled. He found it impossible not to share in her happiness. It was true that everything might not have started out well with Gretchen turning down his proposal, but everything was definitely ending well —not only did he end up with a wife he wouldn't trade for the world, Gretchen was getting married to a man she most likely wouldn't trade for the world either. And if Ethan's looming presence over them —where he stood on the balcony watching them while trying to stay hidden in the shadows— was anything to go by, Ethan wouldn't trade Gretchen for the world either.

“Was Sharon supportive of your decision to come here?” Gretchen finally asked, pulling him out of his reverie. He had been silent for the few minutes they strolled.