Page 156 of Their Greatest Strength

In a swishing white dress similar to the one she wore the first time we were in this position, Blakely finds my eyes and smiles. The ground shakes beneath my feet at that smile.

A veil drapes down her back and over the material of the dress that follows behind her. Lace sleeves, the same corseted top, and the same silk that I remember feeling beneath my fingertips are all in front of me, but it’s her brown-flecked green eyes that gleam with emotion that matter.

Slowly, she reaches me, and Nate places her hand in mine before taking his spot beside my brother. Blakely reaches for my other hand and releases a heavy breath, clutching onto me for support.

“You’re breathtaking, Bandit,” I whisper.

Her bottom lip wobbles. “So are you.”

It feels like déjà vu, but better. Real. Every word we speakand the vows we make. We’ve been here before, only this time, I’m so incredibly in love with her.

And when the officiant declares us Mr. and Mrs. Bateman for the final time, I make a show of kissing my wife like I wish I had the first.

She giggles against my lips as I take her in my arms and tip her back. Her leg kicks out as I cup her thigh and seal our mouths. Cheers and clapping follow, but I take my time right here, shoving every ounce of my love and pride into our kiss.

Only when she puts her leg down and gives a playful shove at my chest do I release her and guide her upward.

“I love the fuck out of you, Blakely Bateman,” I declare.

She leans against my chest and gazes up at me. “I love the fuck out of you, Jamie Bateman.”

“You feel smaller,Ma. Are you shrinking?”

She scoffs as I lead us through our dance. “That’s not what you should say to your mother on one of the most emotional days of my life.”

“When should I mention it, then?” I tease.

“Never. It’s not polite.”

“I just want to make sure you don’t suddenly shrink so small you’re a speck of dust that I won’t be able to see. What would I tell my future children when their grandma becomes dust?”

“I’m not that old, Jamieson!” she scolds.

Chuckling, I twirl her outward. Her dance skills are far better than mine, as they should be after a lifetime of ballet.

“Thank you for being here, Mom. And for everything you’ve done for me and Blakely.”

“I love her for you, sweetheart. And I love her for our family. Both of my daughters are incredible. We’re very lucky.”

There’s a soft pat on my back, and I swing us around to find my dad dancing with Blakely a few steps away. He must have heard some of our conversation because he nods in agreement, swaying her in his arms.

My wife smiles shyly as I consider stealing her back already. It hasn’t even been the full length of the song being sung, but I’ve missed her since the second I gave her over to my dad.

“Life is changing so quickly,” I murmur, watching them sway away from us.

Mom leans her cheek on my chest and hugs me as we finish our dance. “And it’s nowhere near stopping, Jamie. You have to cherish every moment of what’s coming because each one will be here and gone in a flash. It feels like just yesterday I was hauling you and your brother to dance practices and bribing you with animal crackers so you didn’t climb onto the barre. You were both so, so little then. Now look at you. Oliver’s married and a soon-to-be father of two beautiful babies, and you’ve just made your soulmate your wife and are preparing to enter into a new life together. I feel like I only blinked, and everything changed.”

Tears sting my eyes and tighten my throat. “We couldn’t have had better parents.”

“We tried our best.”

“Why do you think we grew up to be so amazing? I mean, Oliver’s grumpy as hell, but I think I turned out pretty perfect.”

She laughs, pulling back to look up at me and palm my cheek for a moment. “It was only fitting that one of you took after your father and one took after me. I always teased your dad that Oliver would be his karma.”

“Are you finally admitting that I’m the better son?”

“Oh, don’t start. I’ll never choose favourites.”

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