Page 76 of Highlands Summer Wedding

The band, now acoustic, played Pachelbel’s cannon on mandolins and guitar.

Melissa and Colin walked down the aisle first. Then Lindsay and Drew. Then Sydney and Elspeth. Max and I walked last. My grandparents smiled at us as we passed, while Caitlin’s college and high school friends turned to watch.

At the front, I watched Caitlin take a steadying breath and slowly walk forward with our father.

Her blue eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed pink as she walked on Dad’s arm down the aisle, making eye contact with friends and family. The purple flowers in her hair were like something out of a fairy wedding.

I couldn’t help making eye contact with Max, who winked at me.

When the music stopped and Caitlin arrived at Angus’s side, everyone sat down and butterflies stirred inside me.

I have no idea what the officiant said—I was too busy holding back tears—but since I’d designed the program I knew he read several poems, includingRed, Red Roseby Robert Burns.

Once they’d said “I do” and kissed, the photographers quickly worked through their photo list, capturing the bride and groom with their families and wedding party.

Later, we all stood in a mob—Melissa, Lindsay, Sydney, Elspeth, and me, along with some of Caitlin and Angus’s college friends—while Caitlin limbered up to throw the bouquet.

Kara lunged for it, but it somehow landed in Melissa’s hands. She flushed and glanced at Colin, who simply raised an eyebrow.

Waiters came around with trays of hors d’oeuvres while guests lined up at the bar for drinks.

Max crossed the room and handed me a large glass of red wine. We clinked glasses. “Done to perfection.”

“Phew!”

I glanced over at Caitlin, who was laughing with Angus’s mother and grandmother, her arm around his grandmother. Angus stood close by, beaming at them.

The band played instrumental music as we all enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres and sipped our drinks.

The musicians quieted as Angus walked over to the fireplace and grabbed a mic hooked up to the generator.

He waited until the room stilled before speaking. “This is where our story started. After a storm trapped us at the MacAlister Inn, Drew and I played Lindsay and Caitlin in darts for the last room. The lasses won—I still say they cheated—and we let them believe we were sleeping in a storage room. Really, we had a cozy office with two couches and a sterno coffee pot. With no power and an inn full of people going stir-crazy, I grabbed my guitar and sang some acoustic grunge tunes, which Caitlin fortunately knew. Once she joined me at the mic, that was it—I was gone. So I dedicate this song to you, Caitlin.”

He tuned the guitar a bit, then launched into a beautiful rendition of U2’sAll I Want Is You. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. At the end, Caitlin walked up to Angus and kissed him before joining him forThen I Met Youby The Proclaimers.

Soon it was a proper ceilidh, and everyone was up and dancing. The food was going to take longer due to the power outage, so we just kept going while Caitlin and Angus belted out song after song. Now that we knew about Angus’s not-so-secret identity, it was clear that he was a professional musician—I could even recognize his voice from his old hits. But tonight, he stuck with covers.

We moved on to the toasts. Drew started us off with his best man speech, the fathers followed with their toasts, and then it was my turn as maid of honor. When we’d finished, Angus went back to his guitar.

“Some of you know I used to do originals. Haven’t in a long time. But Caitlin’s not only the love of my life, my wife, she’s also something of a muse. So Caitlin, this one’s for you.”

As he strummed the first chord, the crowd hushed, listening as the music flowed out of him. He watched Caitlin’s flushed face and growing smile as his fingers danced across the frets, his long dark hair hanging over his face. The vibe was somewhere betweenEverlongby Foo Fighters andRainy Night in Sohoby The Pogues—a Celtic grunge acoustic beauty.

With tears in her eyes, Caitlin stepped up to the stage area and grabbed the microphone. I couldn’t imagine her topping that—not that she wasn’t talented, but Angus was a professional musician with multiple gold albums.

Caitlin winked at Angus and belted outDon’t Go Breaking My Heart, and we all danced and sang along, with Sandy and Margaret MacGregor wowing us all with their dance moves.

Soon the rain cleared, and the wait staff was able to move some tables back outside under the fairy lights like we’d intended.

Inside, the band Angus had hired finally had enough space in the ballroom to set up in full, powered by the generator, and music filled the room.

Everyone danced.

Max came up to me and took my hand. “May I have this dance, my lady?”

“You may,” I said, with a curtsey.

His hands were warm against my waist, while mine lay on his shoulders. My head rested against his chest as I breathed in his familiar cedar scent. I’d forgotten what a good dancer he was.