Page 147 of Forever After All

Then, Mr. Chambers called Jess and asked her to meet him on his back porch for a chat. He asked if he could walk her down the aisle, and she didn’t think about her answer before it was out of her mouth. It felt right having the man who’d saved her from the same fate as her family by her side right now.

Jess bit her lip and blinked back the moisture in her eyes. Oh, no. She was going to be one of those mushy brides. How embarrassing.

Mr. Chambers gave her a once-over. “You clean up good, baby girl.”

Well, the tears were gonna come anyway, so she wrapped her arms around Mr. Chambers’s barrel belly and buried her face in the collar of his shirt. The smell of coffee clung to him, and she breathed it in, letting it settle her nerves.

“Thanks for doing this,” she whispered.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. He’s a good one. He’ll take good care of you.”

A small tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, and she wiped it on his shoulder. “I know.”

“And you take care of him too. He needs you in ways you don’t understand yet.”

She nodded, using the movement to dry her eyes again.

“Don’t mess up her makeup,” Everly said.

Jess lifted her head and swiped at her face again. “I don’t know why I had to wear it anyway.”

“You didn’t have to, but it’ll look good for pictures. You only get one wedding day,” Everly said with a smile.

“I remember my wedding day. It was a lot like this,” Mr. Chambers said.

“You married Lottie in the summer?” Everly asked.

“Nah. It was in the fall. On a Tuesday, actually.”

Jess laughed. “Then how was it like this?”

“There was a lot of happiness. We knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, so we didn’t wait. I’m glad we didn’t. I never took a second with that woman for granted.”

Jess peeked around the side of the building and found Linc standing in front of the crowd. He wore dark jeans and a light button-up shirt. His dark cowboy hat left a shadow across his face. He stood with his hands clasped in front of him, and his weight shifted slightly from side to side.

She didn’t want to wait. Not another second.

“Can we go?” Jess asked.

Everly nodded and handed over the small bouquet. “I’ll let them know to start the music. You two can start walking after a couple of beats.”

“Everly,” Jess called after her friend.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for being my friend. For everything.”

Everly grinned and nodded. “Always.”

Jess sniffed and brushed a hand down the white sundress she’d found at a boutique in Cody. The top had a thin layer of lace while the bottom flowed out in a skirt that hit just past her knees.

“You look great,” Mr. Chambers said.

He offered her his arm, and she rested her hand in the crook of his elbow. “Thanks.”

The music started, and Mr. Chambers whispered, “Lift your chin up, baby girl.”

She did as she was told and took the first step alongside him. Everyone was on their feet and looking at her. For once, she didn’t mind being the center of attention.

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