Page 55 of Their Greatest Strength

The only person he cares about is the woman a few paces behind me, hidden out of sight in her father’s arms. Avery, my soon-to-be sister-in-law, has been a member of our family for decades. Today only signifies the official marking of her place in our lives as my brother’s wife.

If I hadn’t already witnessed real, soul-altering love from my parents, I’d have found it in my brother’s eyes every time hespots Avery. Whether it’s in a crowded room or somewhere with only them and me, it’s so potent that I’d have to be clinically blind not to see it.

And then there’s Nova.

The adorable little girl who isn’t all that little anymore with the flowers in her hair and a long, deep green dress that swishes over the grass. She’s a spitting image of her mother with blonde hair, blue eyes, and the tiniest button nose in existence. After a sudden growth spurt, she’s teetering on being taller than Avery soon.

“Uncle J! You’ll make sure I don’t trip on my dress, right?” she asks, bouncing in the sparkly Crocs she’s hiding beneath her dress.

“Oh, I’ve got you, Nova-Bug,” I swear.

She hugs my waist and squeezes tight. “Thank you. I want to make sure this is the best day for Mom and Ollie.”

I won’t lie and say there’s not a part of me that wishes my brother could hear her call him Dad. Her birth father already stole that title, even if he isn’t worthy of it and my brother is.

Maybe one day, she’ll switch it up and surprise him.

“Oh, it already is, honey. Ollie’s been waiting for this day for years.”

Nova peers up at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “For us?”

Careful not to wreck her hair, I palm the back of her head softly and nod. “Yeah, Nova. He’s been waiting for the both of you his entire life.”

Shit, that chokes me up. Sniffing hard, I wet my lips and release my niece.

The wedding coordinator urges us to get back into our spot at the front of the wedding line, and a beat later, Addie is sneaking up on my other side.

I grin at her, noting the dark green dress that matches Nova’s. My cousin flashes a soft smile.

“You ready to hand your brother off?” she asks.

“Were you?”

“There was nothing to hand off when Maddox got married. He’d been Braxton’s since they were kids.”

“I guess it’s the same for me,” I admit, recalling the first time I caught Oliver staring at Avery back before I knew girls and guys could even like each other like that. “Our brothers seemed to have things figured out long before we did.”

She laughs brightly and steals a glance back at where Cooper’s lined up waiting for her.

“I had a disadvantage. My husband was completely off-limits until I was an adult.”

“Was he worth the wait?”

Bringing her crystal-blue stare back to me, she squeezes my arm. “The best things are always worth waiting for, Jamie.”

“Okay, it’s time. Everyone get in line with your partners. Wait for my signal and keep your pace slow. Don’t rush,” the planner demands, strolling past me to fuss with Noah again.

I think a piece of him died being shoved into a pink suit. Even if it’s a nice shade and not anything over-the-top, he’d have preferred black like his soul. I don’t want to know what Tinsley had to do to get him dressed this morning.

“Ready, Nova-Bug?” I ask, offering her my arm.

She takes it eagerly, her grin toothy and bright. “Ready, Uncle J.”

We’re the first to go, and I guide Nova the first few steps before she grows more comfortable with the attention that falls on us. I wink at my uncle Oakley when he gives me a thumbs-up and waves at Nova.

Dad’s sitting in the front row beside Mom and across the aisle from Avery’s mom. The tissues in Mom’s hand are crumpled as she wipes beneath her eyes and puts a hand on her heart. The pride and happiness in her watery gaze is enough to have me looking away and blinking up at the sky.

Only when I’m nearly in front of my brother do I look straight ahead again. I almost wish I didn’t when the glassy look in my brother’s eyes threatens to ruin me.

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