Page 72 of Silver Sanctuary
“I know what so many of our friends here want to say—what you might even be thinking, too. That this is fast. That we’ve only been engaged for a few weeks. That this marriage is for so many things beyond love. But from where I’m standing, it hasn’t felt fast. I’ve felt every single one of the one hundred and fifty-eight thousand, four hundred and…” He paused to look at his watch, smiling up at Lacy when he saw the time. “Twenty-two minutes since I first laid eyes on you. I’ve spent nearly all of that time waiting for this moment. A moment that will start the rest of forever for us, Lacy.”
“I’m very privileged. My grandparents have a rock-solid marriage, one that I got to watch and learn from growing up in their home. And before that, I watched my parents have a beautiful marriage of their own. They loved each other so purely, met each other right where they were at, day after day, and in the end, they went into eternity in each other’s arms. That’s what I pray will happen for us, Lacy. That one day, when we’re old, andbothof us are gray…” The room filled with chuckles. “When our children are all grown and have children of their own, that we’ll curl up on our porch swing, and we’ll walk into eternity together, hand in hand, just like we are in this moment.”
“Nash…”
“Don’t cry, beautiful, because from this moment forward, your happiness is my responsibility. And I will work every minute, of every day, to make sure that you and Embrie know how much I love you both. How much I cherish the fact that we are now a family. There is no greater gift in the world that I could be given, Lace, and I’ll spend the rest of my days showing you, and the world, how blessed I am.”
He slid the thin gold ring over her finger, lifting her hand to his lips to press a kiss over it.
“There’s one other person I need to make vows to today, if that’s okay?” Nash looked to the judge, who nodded in approval. “Embrie?”
Her daughter moved from beside her to take Nash’s hand. He got down on one knee and smiled, pulling something from his pocket before he started talking to Embrie.
“This isn’t just a big day for your mom and me. It’s also a big day for you. I know this probably feels like a lot of changes, really, really fast. I hope you know that I love your mom, and I’m going to do my best to show her that every day. I’ll always keep her safe. I’ll always protect her.”
“I know,” Embrie whispered.
“Good. I hope you know that I love you, too. The first time we met, when I walked into Petals and you skipped out from behind the counter to tell me about your science kit and how you were trying to get your mom to let you extract some plant DNA for an experiment, I knew we were going to be great friends. But this is better than that. Because I’ve loved being your friend, and I’ve loved being your coach. But getting to be a part of your family? Brie, I hope you know that there isno greater honor in my mind. I promise to always be there to keep you safe. To protect you. To be on your side and help guide you through life.”
“I get to be your daughter, right?”
“Yeah, sweetheart.” His voice hitched and Lacy had to fight to keep the tears at bay. “That’s the greatest gift I could ever be given. I have something for you today, for you to wear to always remember how much I love you, and the vows I made today to you as my daughter.” His hand loosened and a stunning heart pendant fell down from a long golden chain. “Would it be okay for me to put this on you?”
Brie smiled as she nodded, her eyes flicking up to Lacy’s before settling back on Nash. As soon as he had it clasped, Embrie touched the pendant and launched into Nash’s arms. The room swelled with emotion as Lacy looked out at their friends, not a dry eye between any of them. Even Gunner was wiping at his face before he leaned over to kiss Sage’s cheek.
Nash stood, Embrie still wrapped around him like a koala bear, and smiled at the judge.
“With the exchanging of vows and rings and one very beautiful necklace for a very loved little girl, and by the power vested in me by the state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Nash, you may kiss your bride.”
Nash paused, looking at Embrie in his arms. “Hey, Cheese?”
“Yeah?” Embrie wiped at her eyes.
“I’m gonna set you down for just one second so I can kiss your mom. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s okay. Just make sure you do that swoopy-dippy thing.”
“Swoopy-dippy thing?”
She giggled. “Like a prince does before he kisses his princess. It’s important when you’re in love.”
“Got it. One swoopy-dippy thing coming right up.”
Embrie stood on her own and took a few steps back from Nash as he closed the distance between them. There was so much emotion shining back at her through his eyes that it stole Lacy’s breath.
“Ready, wife?”
“Ready, husband,” she whispered, her heart beating out of her chest. It wasn’t even their first kiss, but nothing felt as monumental as that moment did.
Nash’s right hand slid around her waist, while his left worked its way up her back, resting between her shoulder blades. His body leaned into hers, tipping her back as his lips finally delivered a searing kiss. It was a good thing they weren’t in a church, because Lacy was certain a kiss like that would have them burning the place down.
Hoots and hollers filled the courtroom, and then the next hour was a blur of Mae directing everyone into all sorts of poses for pictures. First, in the courtroom itself, then outside on the steep steps of the historic building. But in the craziness of it all, Nash never stopped touching her—holding her hand, letting his fingers graze along the small of her back, wrapping his arm around her and squeezing her hip. All little ways to keep her grounded. And she was so thankful for that.
“I know we have dinner plans a little later,” Sebastian spoke out over the group. “And I don’t want to stop the celebrations mid-festivities, but I just got an update from the lawyers. They’re at Montgomery Defense ready to talk to us now.”
Lacy’s body instantly stiffened, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, drenching her in fear. She’d been so swept up in the emotion of it all that she’d forgotten the real reason why their marriage was necessary in the first place.
“We’ve got time. Let them know we’ll be back in Silver Springs in thirty minutes, and we’ll be happy to meet withthem before we continue celebrating.” Nash took Lacy’s hand as they started to walk back toward his truck.
