Page 80 of Sweet Surprises

Then she spotted Tag waiting for her at one end of the barn, and everything else seemed to fade away as she lost herself in his ocean-blue gaze.

The ceremony began right away, and Olivia read a poem fromThe Prophetwith so much spirit that everyone hummed with agreement and Tag squeezed Charlotte’s hand with pride.

Chance participated too, sprinting up with a pillow holding their rings as if he were in a race, which made everyone smile.

Then it was time to repeat the ancient words that suddenly felt so real and relevant to Charlotte as Tag spoke them to her, his voice solemn and deeper than usual with emotion.

Her own voice shook a little, but she managed not to cry.

When he was told he could kiss the bride, Tag took her in his arms and then met her eyes, as if to ask if it was okay to give her arealkiss in front of the family.

Charlotte laughed and he must have taken it for encouragement, because he bent and gave her a kiss that made her feel as melty as an ice cream cone on the Fourth of July, while the whole family cheered.

The food was already out, so they greeted their well-wishers, and then everyone lined up to fill their plates.

“Everyone made their favorite dish,” Tag murmured to her as he scooped more food onto her plate. “So you have to try it all.”

Charlotte laughed again, and he gave her a look like he was going to kiss her, which sent a tingle down her spine, and she had to wrench her gaze from his before she blushed again.

But he chuckled, and she knew he was on to her.

“Soon,” he whispered. “You’re my wife now, so we have no more examples to set.”

“We have a million examples to set,” she laughed. “It’s just that not kissing isn’t one of them anymore.”

“I knew I married you for a reason,” he said thoughtfully. “So clever. Which example should we set first?”

“Stop flirting up there,” Tripp yelled to Tag. “She already saidI do. Now you’re just holding up the line.”

Everyone laughed and they kept going down the line, piling an improbable amount of fragrant food on their plates and receiving more congratulations as they moved along.

Charlotte hardly did more than taste all the decadent food as more Lawrences that she hadn’t even met yet came up to introduce themselves and tell her how happy they were to have her and her mom join the family.

Before too long, someone pulled out an acoustic guitar, and someone else got out what she thought was a violin, but Tag assured her was a fiddle. The Lawrence boys began moving the chairs and tables back against the walls, and the kids ran out to dance first, making it easier for the grownups to join them.

Other than when she read her poem, Olivia had been wandering around the barn all night taking pictures with Charlotte’s camera. But when her little brother ran up to ask her to dance, she put the camera down carefully and joined him with a big smile.

“May I have this dance?” Tag asked Charlotte.

“I saved it just for you,” she told him with a big smile.

The jaunty country tune melted into a sweet rendition of “Take My Breath Away” and Tag pulled her into his arms.

Charlotte sighed in complete happiness. His big arms around her made her feel small and protected, even as he lifted her up to find her place in the world. She heard the click of a shutter and turned to see Olivia had her camera in her hands again.

“Sorry,” Olivia whispered with a grin. “You guys just looked so romantic.”

“Take as many as you want, honey,” Tag said fondly. “I want to remember this night forever.”

“We don’t need photos for that,” Charlotte said, smiling up at him. “But they’ll be fun to look at with our grandkids one day. No pressure, Olivia.”

She snuck a glance at her new daughter, who was rolling her eyes and smirking at her, like any thirteen-year-old might. But she could feel Tag’s arms softening around her as they watched Olivia run off to dance with her cousins again, like it meant a lot to him to see her express herself.

Maybe Olivia had changed over these past few weeks, but Charlotte had too, and so had Tag, and even Chance. They were all learning and growing together. That was what families did.

Suddenly, she found herself thinking of her dad again.

“Is this hard without him?” Tag asked softly, as if he had read her mind.

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