Page 7 of The Yes at Yuletide

“These are hot,” Dad said, and Oliver reached for a pancake. This felt so…normal, on a day that wasn’t going to be normal in any sense of the word.

The front door opened, and he got to his feet to go greet his grandparents. They both wore joyous smiles as he approached, and he hugged them both at the same time. He’d spent so much time with them over the years, and he suddenly missed them more than words could say.

“Oh, my dear,” Grandma said, stroking his hair. “You’re going to be fine. This is exactly what you want.”

“I know,” he said, his voice choked. “What if I mess up? What if it’s too hard?” He pulled away and looked at them. They’d helped him through hard times in the past, and he knew he could show up on their doorstep day or night, and Grandma would feed him, talk to him, and take care of him.

“It’ll be hard,” Grandpa said. “But you can do hard things, Ollie. You have been your whole life.”

“Not really.” Oliver had worked at Seven Sons for a decade. He knew what muscle pain felt like. He knew what a twelve-hour day did to a person. He did work hard there, but he also knew it wasn’t quite the same at all as having to take care of a house, a car, and a wife all by himself.

My word, he thought.A wife. What am I doing?

“Come now, child,” Grandma said. “The pancakes are getting cold.”

They ate, and again, Oliver felt like such a normal thing shouldn’t be happening today. Then his dad said, “Go shower, son. We have to leave in forty-five minutes.”

Ollie did as his dad said, and he picked up the garment bag that held his tuxedo. Wyatt had gone with him to get it, as the shop owner adored Uncle Wyatt and had bumped them up on the alteration schedule because of it. Without that, Ollie would be getting married in his regular suit he wore to church.

He drove himself to True Blue, because he and Aurora weren’t going home with their families. They had a reservation at a quaint little inn on the northern edge of Amarillo that night. They’d be flying to Jackson Hole the following day.

He’d be alone with his wife that night, in a single room. Ollie had no idea what that would look like, and a scattering of nerves ran through him.

“You ready, Ollie?” Dad asked, and Ollie turned toward him.

His dad came into the room. “Whoa, what’s goin’ on? I can see something all over your face.”

“What if I…What if I don’t know what to do tonight?” He looked up at his father. “I mean, I know about sex. You talked to me about it. I took health and stuff. I just….”

His dad wrapped him in a hug and held on tight. “Oh, my boy,” he said. “You’re going to know exactly what to do, I promise.”

Oliver nodded against his father’s shoulder and let him hold his face and peer into his eyes. His shone with hope and love in the dark depths. “It’s normal, Ollie. It’s not hard. You’ll know what to do.”

Oliver could only nod again. He just wanted Rory to be happy, and they hadn’t talked about being intimate much at all. He’d kissed her loads of times, and he knew how to do that. He knew how to smooth her hair back and slide his lips along her cheek to her ear. Maybe he would be fine tonight. Didn’t stop the nerves from filling him to the point of choking.

Dad smoothed his hair back. “Now come on. It’s time to go up to Shiloh Ridge and marry the love of your life.”

All of theuncles had obviously gotten the message about being in the grooms’ room at eleven. The wedding was set to start at eleven-thirty, with lunch being served at noon on the dot. He and Aurora wanted a little party afterward, but with two large families coming together, the party had grown in size until it was out of control.

There would be dancing and karaoke, two of Aurora’s favorite things. They’d open their gifts, and then about three o’clock, it would all be over. They weren’t having a reception, and Ollie expected to be in Amarillo before dark.

“Wow, that jacket fits you like a glove,” Uncle Liam said, running his hand along Oliver’s shoulder. “And when did you get those muscles in your arms?” He grinned at Oliver, who didn’t stand quite as tall as the Walkers.

“He got them from me,” Uncle Jeremiah said, causing Oliver to smile and Liam to scoff. “What?” Jeremiah took Ollie into ahug. “I’m the one who made him work seven days a week on that ranch.”

He pulled back and grinned at Ollie. “She is so lucky to have you.”

“Thanks, Uncle Jeremiah.”

Uncle Rhett approached, and he held out a card too. “From Aunt Evelyn and I. We love you, Ollie.” He hugged Ollie too, who embraced him back and then held up the card.

“Should I open it now?”

“No, that’s one you open later,” Uncle Rhett said. “Like in-the-truck later. Or when you get to your inn.” He glanced at his brothers, who both wore cocked eyebrows and questioning expressions. “What? I just don’t want him to open it right now.”

“What’s in that thing?” Uncle Jeremiah asked.

“Nothing. Mind your own business,” Uncle Rhett said, grinning at his brothers and then walking away.

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