Page 91 of A Slice of Summer
“The entire wedding is on you, Dad,” Flynn said.
Everyone laughed.
“Now, go get ready.” Mr. Andrews glanced at his watch. “The wedding starts in less than an hour.”
Garrett grabbed her hand. “We don’t have a lot of time, but I want you to save me a dance.”
“Just one?”
He kissed her forehead. “All of them.”
Her stomach fluttered. “My dance card belongs to you.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
Her grin spread to the tips of her toes. “You’d better.”
*
As Garrett satin the first row of chairs on the bride’s side of the aisle, in between his two brothers, the sun beat down. The temperature was in the eighties, and sweat dripped down his back. He didn’t mind. His tuxedo could be dry-cleaned. Luckily, the roof of the gazebo provided shade for three of the most important people there. Six, if he counted the wedding party—Anna, Sam, and Rex.
The officiant, a boisterous man who didn’t need a microphone, wiped his forehead with a pink handkerchief that matched his tie. With his bushy white beard, he would fit on a Hallmark Christmas card, wearing a red suit and sitting on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, but his gray suit would make for better wedding photos.
Callie’s eyes gleamed. She hadn’t stopped smiling since she walked down the aisle. Her stunning white gown made her look like a princess, especially with the diamond tiara holding her veil in place. Brandt wiped his face more than once. The guy glowed as much as his bride and couldn’t stop staring at Callie. Anna wore a pale pink one-shouldered gown. The color matched the roses in Callie’s bridal bouquet and the floral swags on the gazebo. Sam, the best man, rocked a black tux. Rex, however, outshone them all but the bride. He looked as handsome as Callie claimed he would in his bow tie with a satin ring pillow attached. He sat patiently next to the groom as if being in a wedding happened every day. No leash required.
Garrett imagined himself getting married in that gazebo, standing with his bride. Not a nameless, faceless woman, either.
Heart pounding, he glanced over his shoulder to where Taryn sat with Raine from the coffee shop. The two women dabbed their eyes with tissues.
When Callie said her wedding vows, Garrett’s eyes stung. He blinked before rubbing them. He wanted to blame the wetness on pollen, but it was all his sister.
Keaton elbowed him. “Mom has a tissue.”
“Shhhh,” Flynn said.
Garrett focused on their sister. He couldn’t believe she was getting married. He remembered her following him around the house with a stuffed cat in one hand and a robotic dog in the other. That didn’t seem so long ago, even if it had been over two decades.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The officiant grinned widely. “You may kiss the bride.”
Callie and Brandt kissed.
Guests applauded and cheered, but none louder than Garrett, Flynn, and Keaton.
“Nice wedding,” Flynn said. “But if Brandt hurts her, he’ll wish he were never born.”
“Times that by three,” Keaton added.
Garrett covered his ears with his hands. “La, la, la, la, la. I can’t hear anything you’re saying.”
All three of them laughed.
As they held hands, the newlyweds made their way up the aisle as “All You Need Is Love” played. The song was familiar from one of Callie’s favorite movies,Love Actually. The two beamed brightly. Even Rex smiled.
“The youngest got married first.” Keaton shook his head. “I didn’t see that happening.”
Flynn shrugged. “When do the three of us have time to date, let alone get serious?”
Garrett nodded. “Truth.”
