Casey

I figured I’d have butterflies in my stomach or my hands would be sweating, but I actually feel a sense of immeasurable peace within me as the wagon rocks back and forth as we head down to the river.

Tenn has no idea how I’m arriving to the wedding. He hasn’t asked for any details but even if he did, I wouldn’t tell him. I’m going to enjoy seeing the look on his face. I can imagine what it must look like now as he stands down at the river with only Woolf, Kyle, Bob Stoops, and the minister. I can’t help the small giggle that escapes imagining the look of confusion on his face that no one else is there.

But when I decided I wanted to get married in Tenn’s second favorite place in the world—the first being me—I knew it would be important to have my family and friends with me. And when I mean with me, I mean with me.

So I arranged to have this wagon pulled by two of the ranch horses take my crew down to the wedding site. For me, it symbolizes that they are all giving me away to Tenn.

Probably very gladly.

I’m so lucky that they were all just able to drop everything in their lives to travel out here to watch me get married. My mom and dad, of course, being the most important part of the equation. While they were a little shocked over the speed with which I decided to move, they’ve been fully supportive. Truth be told, I think they had given up hope for me so they are actually quite excited I want to get married.

My brothers, as well, would never have missed this. Apparently, I must have inspired Gabby and Hunter with the rashness of my actions because just last week, they decided to elope down to South Carolina to get married. They went by themselves, and even stopped at the ever fun but completely cheesy South of the Border, which sits on the North Carolina/South Carolina state line and ate tacos and drank a beer for their “honeymoon.” It was completely outrageous, yet I wouldn’t have expected anything different from them.

The wagon is filled with those people most important to me. My parents, Hunter and Gabby, Brody and Alyssa, Gavin and Savannah, and Wyatt and Andrea, who have finally decided their wedding will be next summer in the Outer Banks. And clearly… something is in the air because apparently Gavin must have finally gotten inspired to make Savannah an honest woman. Last night, he got down on bended knee at the Million Dollar Cowboy bar and proposed to her in front of about five hundred strangers. And shit… her engagement ring was so big I was afraid she’d topple over. It’s so shiny that her daughter Clare is right this very moment plucking at it with her little pudgy hands while she sits on Savannah’s lap.

Oh, man… I can’t wait to have one of those. Two actually… a boy and a girl, and I hope they both look like Tenn, although he tells me he hopes they look like me.

Sweet man.

As our wagon exits the dense forest and hits the field laced with wildflowers and sagebrush, I finally get my first look at Tenn standing on the river’s edge along with Woolf to one side and Kyle and Bob to the other, the minister just a few feet back. The smile on his face is bright as he takes in the huge wagon filled with the North Carolina crew, and he just shakes his head in amusement.

There’s no wedding march, only the sound of the rolling river and the wind softly rustling through the treetops. It’s absolutely perfect.

The driver stops the wagon as instructed about twenty feet from the groom’s party and everyone unloads. The men jump down first and are handed the babies, then they help their women down in gallant fashion. I left it up to everyone what they wanted to wear, and in trying to keep with the western setting, I’m happy to say everyone doesn’t look even slightly out of place in their cowboy hats and boots.

When everyone has gotten down, that leaves two women in the wagon.

Zoey and me.

I hold my hand out to her, and she places hers in mine. She smiles at me and says, “Ready to do this?”

“I was born ready,” I tell her.

“Do I have to call you mom?” she asks with a mischievous grin.

“I’ll smack you around if you do,” I tell her seriously, and then we both stand up and walk to the edge of the wagon. Brody helps me down while Hunter helps Zoey.

And then we all arrange ourselves exactly as I had envisioned it. Zoey and I holding hands tightly with our other hands holding matching bouquets of miniature white roses and fragrant clippings of wild sagebrush. The rest of my crew forms a large semicircle around me and after I take a deep breath, I take the first step toward Tenn.

As a pair, Zoey and I walk together.

As a group, my family and friends surround me, each of them sharing in my joy.

Every person around me taking part in the ritual of giving me away to the man I love.

We all walk together down a makeshift wildflower aisle of black-eyed Susans, cow grass, and fairy slippers, with the peppery-sweet scent of sagebrush teasing our noses. The Teton Mountains tower behind Tenn majestically and the dancing river sings to me.

This may possibly be the most perfect moment in the history of moments.

And wow… Tenn looks so impossibly handsome, my heart swells with pride that this is my man. Even with his Stetson on, I can see the clear blue of his sparkling eyes as they are pinned on me. He’s wearing the bolo tie I had made for him with the Double J ranch logo, and while I definitely love him in his Harley t-shirts and shit-kicker boots, he makes a fucking fine ass cowboy as well.

Tenn’s eyes roam over me slowly as I get closer. He’s taking in the cream-colored sundress with spaghetti straps I had bought to match my cream-colored Stetson, and because hey… it’s my wedding… I bought a pair of cream-colored boots to match. The only hint of color on me is in the lilac-colored ribbon that’s tied to the ends of the braids I put in my hair, along with little sprigs of baby’s breath.

Before I can reach my groom, he steps away from his group to meet me. As if planned, my group halts their progress and within a few steps, it’s just Tenn and me standing in front of each other.

“Hey,” I whisper.

“Hey, Goldie,” he says huskily as his eyes roam down and then up my body. “You look gorgeous in your wedding white.”

I give a soft laugh and lean in a bit closer to him. “This is actually cream. I couldn’t go with pure white because… hello… I’m marrying you and there’s not a virginal bone you’ve left untapped in my body.”

Tenn’s bright, white teeth explode from behind his lips as he laughs. “Consider me educated on wedding colors then.”

We stare at each other, completely oblivious to the other souls around us. Completely uncaring that there’s a wedding waiting on us.

“So, what did you do last night?” I ask him curiously.

“Couldn’t sleep because I was missing you too much.” And, there goes the butterflies in my stomach. “What did you do?”

“I got a little tipsy and tattooed your name on my ass,” I tell him sincerely.

His eyebrows disappear under the brow of his hat and his mouth hangs open slightly. “You’re kidding?”

“Yup, kidding,” I tell him. “It’s actually here on my wrist.”

His hand jets out and turns my hand palm up, taking in the delicate cursive writing of his name on my skin. I remember he told me once that he intended to ink my name somewhere prominent on his body because it didn’t get any more permanent than that. I figured I should do the same, although I didn’t have it in me to get anything big because… well, that shit hurts and I wanted it over as soon as possible.

Tenn lifts my arm and brings my wrist to his mouth, where he places a light kiss on it. “I love it, baby,” he says softly.

My cheeks turn a little pink over the adoration in his voice. We stare at each other some more, both of us getting lost in each other. Oh… his eyes. The most beautiful thing ever invented. Perhaps my favorite place in the world.